Whimsically Wonderful

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Yesterday afternoon we celebrated a wedding on the Pagent Court… Jerry Broomski and Susan The Great Broom (who looked a lot like brooms dressed to the nines) joined their lives and fortunes together in a beautiful ceremony. Formal invitations had been printed and distributed for this occasion, but the 5:50 time was a challenge (that is in the middle of cabin cleanup time) that limited the congregation to about 50 campers and counselors. Frankly, we did not expect much more than a silly moment… but when the processional began with live music (two violins and piano) and a legit officiant (Katherine Robinson, who is a professional announcer) welcomed everyone to the solemn occasion… everyone changed their expectations! Such a great camp moment! Whimsical, wonderful, funny, and surprisingly well done. Never have I been more proud of our counselor team who transformed this bit of silliness into something weirdly wonderful.

There are a lot of great moments happening this week, one of them was the Talent Show last night. This is an EP that has taken literally half of camp to put together. It started with “mini-talent-shows” last Thursday (we had three days of mini-shows on the gazebo stage, hundreds watched their friends perform). It ended last night with an extravaganza worthy of the moment.

Girls LOVE talent shows. It is a moment of affirmation that is so very good for the performer and a moment of joy for anyone in the audience. I am always struck by the poise, creativity, talent, and capability of the campers- last night particularly so. It was phenomenal… funny, impressive, surprising, and representative of the amazing group of camper interests. A hugely entertaining mix of really excellent acts. Some of them were so good that I woke up this morning reliving the moment in my mind and making notes for later.

For instance: Mary Eleanor’s guitar and singing piece was spectacular, Caroline’s ventriloquism standup comedy skit was legitimately funny, Beldon and Taylor’s original song got a standing ovation, Kate’s “Really Fast Singing” was funny and impressive, Tayes/Julia/& Baker’s “dog barking” and Jane’s “duck” performances were absolutely hilarious. I could go on and on. It really was a great show, it went late and we dashed back to our cabins as the fireflies came out and John cranked some after-performance music for everyone to enjoy on the walk up the hill.

The sun is once again shining brightly, the temperatures are warm and we are enjoying another Great Day. This will be the day we start to pack up… a very big job as you can imagine. The girls have been having a ton of fun which means they have been getting really dirty! Their clothes have been washed once, but know that everything in their trunks and duffles will need to be washed. All camp moms know that this is part of the process… and believe me, those smelly piles in front of the laundry machine will be remembered fondly years from now.

Tonight we will have our Council Fire/Closing Vespers program. We will meet in The Meadow, a lovely spot that feels like it is a long way from camp. We walk silently by the lakeside, past the ropes course, around the bottom of Apple Hill to a grassy tree-lined meadow adjacent to the Green River with a view of the western mountains. I will tell the MeMe bird story and connect it to the secret of Greystone (unselfishness). We will give awards for great attitudes and unusual commitment in activities. While we sit quietly we will watch the sunset as the clouds turn pink and the fireflies rise from the grass at our feet. The evening ends with each camper lighting her candle and holding it high, signifying the light of love that we all carry into the world. It is a wonderful night… the girls keep their candles as a memento of the occasion and we hope that they will remember these simple lessons many years from now.

We are so grateful to have shared these weeks with your girls. They are delightful beyond words and we are proud of the way they have grown. They have filled our little world with light and will be missed when they go home.

Thank you for letting them come to camp.