Opening Day
My parents used to get so excited about Opening Day… they would be giddy about every moment of this magnificent day. They loved that moment when the first car drove through the gates. They loved that moment when the men staff would groan with the sight of a hundred trunks and duffle bags to carry. They loved that moment when the campers first walked around camp with their new cabin mates. They loved that first meal in the dining hall (always spaghetti). And they loved that feeling of satisfaction when taps blew after a very this very long and very exhausting day.
My father would always begin the day by telling me “It’s time to raise the curtain and start the show!”.
That is how I feel too. We feel deep satisfaction as our old camp is revived again… as it takes on the life of a vital community in the blink of an eye. We love seeing our cabin porches overflowing with colorful trunks, hearing the sounds of delight that fill the grounds, smelling the fresh bread baking every morning, and feeling the warmth of the sun matched with a cool breeze coming off the lake. This place is heaven… a pure delight. THANK YOU FOR MAKING IT POSSIBLE!
Margaret, Katie, and I enjoyed seeing many of you at the reception. The kitchen kept the tables full of hot coffee, warm scones, and cold apples all morning (quite an accomplishment) while we enjoyed a hundred little conversations. We deeply appreciate your friendship and support of camp. We are praying that this year will prove to be the best of our 99 years of camping!
Last month we got a lot of rain. In three weeks 17 1/2 inches of rain fell on camp! Everything is wet, everything is muddy, and needless to say, we are thanking God for the nice morning we enjoyed today. We are especially thankful for the forecast this week: Sunny, mild temperatures, low humidity, and breezy. Things will be dry and back to normal in no time!
The sun came out about 10:00 and the girls had a great time touring the camp, getting their cabin photos, scheduling their classes, and taking their swim tests. Lunch featured our famous fresh-baked bread, smoked turkey and ham (we have a huge smoker and cure our own meats), a wonderful pasta salad, lots of great veggies, fruit, Chips, and our famous brownies (a 50 year old recipe). It was a great spread!
Cabins will spend the day touring camp, scheduling classes, playing games, doing the slip & slide, and just getting to know each other. The first hours can be a bit awkward, so we make sure to give the girls plenty of time to do fun things together as a cabin group. My girls (I had three daughters go to camp) would enjoy that first day with a particular delight for it was so full of potential. “I might make my best friend for life today!” It rarely disappointed! To meet a best friend at camp is an experience that is never forgotten.
Tonight we will enjoy skits by the counselors for EP (Evening Program). These skits are done by program areas with program themes. It is the very definition of “hoaky humor”… VERY campy! By the end of the night the girls are really into the whole silly thing. They laugh, they cheer, they whisper to the girl sitting next to them, point out favorite counselors, and fully immerse themselves in “the bubble.”
Here we are safe to simply be ourselves; to do silly childlike games; to do silly childlike activities. It is fun… and it is good.
We love your girls and can not wait to see the amazing way God will bless this camp in the days to come. Thank you once again for making it possible! We are honored to once again “Raise the curtain and start the show!”.