Sleep Late Friday

Another Sleep Late day already? Oh Joy!!!

We needed the extra hour of sleep, I assure you. Yesterday was a big day with a lot of big memories made at EP. The scavenger hunt, Putt Cove Party, Skating Party in Hendersonville, baseball game in Asheville, and private Drew and Ellie concert were a big hit… but I loved the dinner party with Cabins 1-8 at my house.

We worked all day getting everything ready. We hired an outside landscape crew to come in and spruce up our yard, Sam and his crew moved furniture and set up tables for 90 dinner guests in the living room, porch, and game room. Katie (my sister) cooked all day long; her professional skills were on full display as the platters of food were prepared for the big event. The girls arrived about 6:45 (extra time was given for showers) and we had a blast.

These 75 girls are entering the 10th grade this fall. Most have been coming to camp for more than 5 years and all of them are an inspiration. You would be so proud to have any of them in your home (or all of them if you are crazy). They not only looked beautiful, they were so polite and well mannered. Add to that “conventional” trait the bubbling enthusiasm of camp and you have a delightful event.

The enthusiasm of camp is not a silly giddy giggling kind of enthusiasm… it is an enthusiasm of comfortable confidence. Delight taken in circumstances (from mud to rain to fancy dinners) rooted in a lack of self-consciousness that only really blooms when in a community like this. We have spent almost three weeks together and now find ourselves completely relaxed around each other. We are ourselves… and the combination of personalities and qwerks make each group shine! Rarely does one see a large community simply living in harmony. it is beautiful, inspirational, and delightful. We see it all the time at this point in camp.

This feeling of ease will color the next two weeks (actually less than that now… 13 days). Tonight we will celebrate the Birthday Girls with a big banquet and a huge cake (a cake that is a perfect duplication of our 1967 VW Bus). The birthday girls eat with Margaret and me at the head table while being served by the Head Staff. They LOVE the attention, all dressed up in their nice camp clothes and sitting at places prepared specifically for them. We spend a lot of time preparing “favors” for each girl, the effort is always worth it. Birthdays at camp are most coveted… can you imagine a better group to invite to a party?

EP will be the camper talent show… a 21 act variety show that will feature girls from every age group and every type of talent. Some funny skits (this represents real talent at camp), piano, guitar, violin, dance, singing… even “Acro-Dance” and “Acro-Singing” (two different skills, apparently). It really is a great show and the birthday girls will be the guests of honor, sitting on the front row if they choose. It is a nice evening.

There are many memories of camp being made this weekend. The sun is out and we are enjoying the “salad days” of summer. The last of the middle moments of the summer are upon us. These are the moments that arise from an abundance of time (time past that has led to a harvest of good feelings and time future which seems to indicate these moments will never end). Next week the girls will feel the erosion of “future” and that awareness will lead to a very sweet atmosphere for our last week.

I love camp. Love how God Blesses Camp every year. It is good that your girls are here…

Have a wonderful weekend, don’t worry about us!

Jimboy