Tuesday

Last night was so much fun! The “Grandma” theme was a hit (basically a team building series of games where cabin groups walked around camp acting like old ladies doing silly activities). Hundreds of campers came to dinner dressed in their Grandma outfits and assuming those roles with great effect. It was really great to see the girls acting so silly without hesitation. The more outrageous the outfit, the better! We started the games right on time and the laughter was infectious. The big finish of the night was a counselor “grandma dance contest” in the pavilion. It was a really great EP!

“Thor” (a lightning warning system) went off at 8:00, cutting the games off 15 minutes early. Nobody noticed! The girls seem to just embrace the fun of camp, no matter the details. This is true for camper and counselor alike… it is part of why this community is so much fun. We delight in every moment, making the most of the circumstance. It is the “Great Day” way of living and we are getting pretty good at it!

Our first rafting trips went out today, about 100 girls taking the trip to a rafting company run by an old Greystone counselor on the Pigeon river in Tennessee (a 90 minute trip). The whitewater rapids of this area are really amazing and the Pigeon river is a really fun one. This is the only trip that leaves Tuxedo and we keep doing it because it is so popular with the girls.

We don’t just duplicate experiences at camp, we review everything that goes into the program and make changes as necessary to meet the expectations that campers bring each year. Surveys give the first indication of how things are going, but sign ups each year are the bottom line. Classes that are especially popular get facility and programing enhancements… classes that are waning in popularity get the help they need or are dropped. We work to see that every detail of the camp session combines in such a way as to delight and inspire and I think this summer is particularly great.

Lunch is Chicken Fingers and Waffle Fries (we do not actually have a fryer in the kitchen, we “fry” in our awesome “Reliant” ovens that simulate the frying process with the aid of space age technology).

Dinner is “Laura’s Pork Chops” (thick cut chops slow roasted with veggies… a Hollowell family tradition). The kitchen has been doing such a fantastic job and is now really hitting their stride. They are doing lots of little “extra’s” to make each meal delightful in surprising ways (the salad bar now is continuing the “salad themes” from last year where ingredients for a specialty salad are lined up and instructions for how to build that salad are posted at the salad bar line… Greek Salad, Asian Salad, Strawberry Spinach Salad, etc.). I could not be more proud of their efforts which make us all anticipate meal time (a huge morale boost to every one).

We were not able to post the Sunday sermon this week due to technical problems, but the daily devotions are up to date. We encourage you to listen to the devotions and sermons if you are interested, Simon is doing a GREAT job and we could all use the encouragement.

Tonight we will take our first group to the new “Glamping” outpost in North Carolina. The temperatures are about 5 degrees cooler, the stars are brighter, and the food tastes better at 3,000 feet. We have prepared an amazing experience for a slam dunk overnight for the senior campers (cabins 5-9 will go tonight, another group will go on Thursday). The girls in camp will be enjoying movie night EP. It is a nice laid back night, my favorite kind!

Your emails (we printed over 1000 yesterday) and letters (we delivered about 800) are a BIG part of the camper day. Those little things make camp better for your girls, so keep it coming!

Thank You for reading the blog and praying for a safe and happy summer! We are SO THANKFUL !