We Love North Carolina!
We awoke to bright blue skies and the promise of another perfect summer day. The weather this week has been as good as it gets (from my perspective as a “native”). High temperatures in the low 80’s match perfectly with low temperatures in the low 60’s. Afternoon showers are expected every day (normally around rest hour) and their cooling effect is intoxicating! Anyone visiting North Carolina this week will want to move here! Our typically great weather is one reason this area has so many camps (about 60 within an hour of Tuxedo), but there are many reasons to love the N.C. mountains.
The beauty of the Appalachian mountains combined with the wonderful water resources and a colaborative group of camp professionals make Western North Carolina a magnet for summer camps. We love this area and have invested heavily in building up our resources in order to provide the ultimate camping experience for our girls. After 99 years Greystone now has more than one hundred custom built structures, five hundred acres of jaw droping property, a mile of frontage on class A trout wild water, 2 miles of frontage on Lake Summit, 10 crystal clean springs, several small waterfalls, and about ten miles of scenic trails for the campers to enjoy.
Most girls simply enjoy the main campus, but some find themselves drawn to a hike on Bear Mountain or a ride at Thunderhead. We are stewards of the land (about half of our land is in conservation trust) and seek to use all of our resources to provide the best camping experience we can imagine. With so many great resources we are able to keep camp fresh and exciting from year to year, no matter the age of the camper. Our old camp is still going strong!
Last night’s Vespers was very special. With our expanded Pavilion we were able to really spread out. The girls were lovely in their whites and sat perfectly still and didn’t say a word… amazing. The silence of the program was part of the magic (when a large group of people are absolutely silent, it astounds). The beauty of the program was part of the magic (hundreds of candles held high is breath taking). And the fleeting nature of the moment was part of the magic (the candles are only lit for a minute… an object lesson in appreciating every minute of life). As we were dismissed we were delighted to the sight of hundreds of fireflies rising from the grass on the front campus. Last night was the first night this summer we saw our normal “swarm” of fireflies that fill the air at dusk. Amazing and FUN (remember catching fireflies as a child)!
I mentioned the fireflies at Breakfast Club this morning. We have moved to the second area of growth from Luke 2:52… Our Four Fold Philosophy of living requires daily growth Socially, Mentally, Physically, and Spritually. Today we considered Mental growth, by encouraging the girls to be curious about the world in which we live. Fireflies capture all of our imagination and present a hundred mysteries to consider.
Camp is going very well and we could not be happier with our first week. Today we will enjoy some friendly competition in our traditional “Challenge Day” competition throughout the day. The girls love showing team spirit and are happy to be decked out in their green and gold outfits and fun accessories! Tonight we will have a great cabin bonding EP (Protect Your Counselor)… it involves lots of “color” (brightly colored corn starch) and ends in the very popular whole camp Color Toss Dance Party on the soccer field. It is a great ending to our first week!
The Rundown of Details
- Breakfast “Truck Drivers Special” (biscuits and sausage gravey)… you might be surprised to know that the girls absolutely love this meal! It is widely anticipated.
- Joke today was “Hare Spray” (one of the girls favorites)
- Lunch is chicken strips and waffle fries
- Dinner is flank steak and polenta.
- We served only fruit pops at shoppe… they were gormet treats from The King of Pops and a big hit with the girls. We are responding to parent requests to reduce sugar in the daily menu, and treats like this are certainly helping!
Have a Great Day!
