Wednesday

You might be wondering if it rained again yesterday… it did! We almost made it till the end of the day, but it did rain (lightly) during our 7th period classes. No problem, all classes met and went on as normal. Camp is like that, adjusting to situations out of our control all the time!

Today’s forecast is the same one as yesterday. A lovely morning of scattered clouds and perfect temperatures followed by scattered showers in the afternoon. We are working very hard to pass levels in our classes today, for this is the last full day of classes and the EP tonight will be our only Council Fire of the session.

Council Fire is a quiet program that is steeped in tradition. We gather at the flag pole and nobody talks from the moment I light the torch (the same one my Great Grandfather used) till the torch is blown out at the end of the evening. We walk up the hill to the Council Fire Ring, which is located in a secluded corner of camp behind the Health Hut. The girls sit by cabin groups as my mother tells a wonderful story (on unselfishness) and each activity area that has skill levels recognizes each camper who has passed into a new level. The girls get little felt patches of recognition that are great for summer scrap books of their August Camp session.

I went to the Fine Arts Center yesterday for photographs. It is always an inspiration. Our “Crafts” program is beyond impressive. Each room at the FAC was exciting as the girls worked frantically to complete their projects before camp ends. The quality of the projects is striking, particularly in the Metal Jewelry, Painting, and Fiber Arts programs. I love the way the girls focus so intently on their work: they don’t even know that I am in the room taking their picture!

Today I hope to do one final “sweep” of the lower campus… might go to Dog Camp! Today is “Doggie Dress-up” day… very funny. The girls will bring “accessories” to make their favorite puppy pretty. The dogs enjoy it (I say to myself) as they wriggle out of their fancy dresses… the finish line is almost here puppies!

Tomorrow will be our Banquet Day, the finish line for both campers and counselors alike. There is something nice about a strong finish; a profound sense of elation that is only ours on special occasions in life. School provides that moment of joy at year end commencement ceremonies. Camp provides it in a big way. Counselors are filled with a sense of accomplishment at this point of the summer. They have done an amazing job and they know it. The moments of August Camp have gone by in a flurry of activity that makes for some very quick days. We can’t believe it is almost over.

We will start packing the camper’s “Stuff” at Rest Hour today. It takes a while to get organized, so we give everyone a long rest hour to complete the work. Our Program Staff will help the counselor staff, joining to see that it is done well… each bag tagged so you can easily find it on Friday.

It has been a wonderful August Camp. We know it for a fact at this point… a wonderful summer in every way. Thank you for sharing your girls with us, for making the Greystone dream continue after so many years. Dr. Sevier would be proud of what the Lord is doing at camp. The experiences of campers 90 years ago were different in a lot of details but the same in the impact. God touches all of us in different ways. It is such a joy.

Thank you again.

Jimboy