Wednesday
We have now been in camp for ten days and will go home in ten days. The very definition of half way done. At this point we feel like we have LOTS of time left at camp, but this is just an illusion. The second half just flies by.
Our first week tends to feel long. Days are feel like moment to moment experiences, each moment fun and able to distract but there is an undercurrent of adjustment that most feel. It takes time for our brains to slow from the frantic pace of life in the real world. It takes time for our hearts to soften. We gradually come to love camp and this process usually takes about 10 days (common knowledge among camp directors). This time of adjustment is an important part of our camp experience for it fosters a strongly connected community that celebrates people over program. Camp is not primarily about the “what”; it is about the “WHO”.
At this point we are in the groove and loving every minute of “the camp game”! Activities are focused toward meeting goals. Everyone takes advantage of any quiet moments of the day for “DMC’s” (Deep Meaningful Conversations). We have grown to love the simple routines of camp life (singing in the dining hall, laughing at the breakfast club joke, sleeping during rest hour, apple cart in the morning and watermelon table in the afternoon). Camp is wonderful in different ways that are hard to explain… we “get it”. We are loving life; sharing an experience that will be remembered for years to come. These are the golden days of camp! We feel a sense of accomplishment for this transition, so we celebrate with a carnival!
Tonight’s carnival will be a blow-out carnival that celebrates fun food, fun games, and a camp-wide dance party. It will be a high water moment for many girls. We will serving every type of carnival food you can imagine: BBQ sandwiches, corn on the cob, grilled cheese sandwiches, wood fired pizza by the slice, french fries with cheese sauce, funnel cakes, cotton candy, watermelon, sno cones, cookies, popcorn, and corn dogs. The night ends with camp wide dance contest… a moment of fun that we will talk about for the rest of the session!
The overnight “glamping” trip with Cabin 7-12 at Thunderhead was a huge hit. Highlights included catered dinner from Chipolte and breakfast from Honey and Salt, s’mores, a gigantic 9 team capture the flag game under the stars, singing by the camp fire, and late night devotions. Campers chose to either sleep in one of our the newly renovated houses or the big tents (big enough for a whole cabin). The campers and counselors loved it… Such a treat! We will have another HUGE overnight event on Friday, the campers are already talking about it!
The last rafting trips go out today, we heard lots of great reports from yesterday’s trips. I wanted to get a picture of the girls sleeping in the bus on the way back to camp… that is always my favorite part of a day on the river!
A couple things to make note of (good to include in letters!):
- Breakfast was Fritatta and ham
- Lunch is Chicken Salad Sandwiches
- Breakfast Club theme has moved to physical growth (wash your hands)
- Joke was “I can see Clearly now Loraine is gone” (one of their favorites jokes)
- Today is the FIRST DAY that afternoon storms are likely (normal summer weather)
- Temperatures are a very comfortable 80 degrees
Gervais and I will be in the “Fry Hut” cooking Funnel Cakes and fries at Carnival… Everyone knows that any good carnival has excellent fried food. We retired 2 ancient friers and replaced them with 4 state of the art units. Ferrari’s of the Frying world! I have always wanted to be a fry cook, looks like tonight I will become one!
Thanks for everything.