And We're Off!!!

First day of camp began with the memories of last night’s activities (at least that is always the way it works with me). EP (Program Skits by the counselors) was super fun… these counselors are the “rock stars” of our community, the campers LOVE seeing them on stage for the first time. It takes 90 minutes to go through all of our program skits… tons of fun. Our dismissal from EP saw the girls skipping down the road and catching fireflies on the pageant court (primarily the oldest girls in camp were doing this last night… they know how to enjoy camp to the fullest)!

After crackers (everyone gets two nilla wafers… tasty) we went back to our cabins and settled in for the night. Taps blew exactly on time (9:40) and we then enjoyed our first rain shower of the summer (it rained for about an hour as we drifted off to sleep). The sound of rain on a tin roof… the cool night air made cooler by the weather… the moisture laden air filling the cabin (no AC here!!)… it all adds up to the best night of sleep you can imagine.

We hit the ground running when reveille blew at 7:30 (Clap our hands, yell for every to hear “It’s Going to be a GREAT DAY”) and go off to breakfast. The home made buttermilk biscuits, fried ham, fried apples, grits, cereal, oatmeal, endless fruit bar, yogurt, home made granola… yum. Gervais is a treasure (insisting on the very best ingredients, he builds every meal from scratch). His team (it takes a staff of 40 to do the Main Camp food program) is very positive and happy (these young people have a blast doing very hard work all day long), and we anticipate every meal with a keen delight. The exhaust from the kitchen fills the camp with the delightful heart warming smells of home (bread and cookies baking, meat grilling, veggies roasted, sauces simmered for hours on the stove). It is like Grandmothers kitchen (only the kitchen is 150 acres in size)!

Classes are meeting at this very moment. There is a light haze and a steady breeze, making the 80-degree temperature just about perfect. The girls are very settled… singing the Dining Hall songs with energy, walking to classes, smiling a lot, laughing a lot. There is a very keen desire to start strong— both camper and counselor alike want to make this day a great one. We will do our best to meet expectations from before the summer and inspire expectations for the next four weeks. Based on what I have seen so far, it promises to be an exceptional session… THE BEST EVER!!!

Thank you for checking in. Have a wonderful day.

LUNCH MENU Poppyseed chicken… this is a glorious sweet/savory chicken casserole that the campers just love. Everyone is also looking forward to the fresh baked bread (warm from the oven, four ingredients: flour, salt, yeast, water… baked to perfection in our Italian steam injected stone oven)

Dinner Thick cut pork chops, Gervais calls them “Laura’s Pork Chops”… an old family recipe.