Camp... it's hard to explain
It is hard to describe camp to one who is not here. When trying to do so, the words come gushing out… basic facts combined with various anecdotes punctuated with giggles and even misty eyes. In the end, as we face the wan smile of a slightly perplexed friend, we admit that it’s hard to explain.
The blog is my attempt to show you the “awesomeness” but it will fall short. There are SO MANY facets to the jewel of camp, each one of which is beautiful. Especially at Main Camp.
For instance… in other sessions, we spend our first days modeling camp behavior and watching the magic spread through the group. Sometimes it spreads slowly and sometimes quickly, but it ALWAYS spreads. At Main Camp the first days are different. Campers enter the spirit of camp immediately because they understand the way camp works: every minute might become a favorite camp memory of all time.
These moments often take place on the first day of camp when we first play… sliding down a piece of vinyl, sitting on see-saws or swinging by the lake, swimming during a rainstorm, or playing an intense game of tetherball or jimball (ga-ga ball) surrounded by cheering friends that we have not yet met. Every smiling face is full of potential, every offhand comment worthy of note… we expect to make friends, so we do so! EVERY DAY!
So when we gathered for last night’s EP, it did not surprise me that when Church Clap was played , EVERYONE stood up and danced the exact same moves together. Even now, I get chills! Not because of the dance, but because of the unity such things embody. We are already bonding together and having a blast. It bodes well for the next five weeks. This is going to be awesome!
Our first EP on the Pageant Court last night was beautiful. It is an amazing venue… the lake is smooth as glass and reflects the surrounding mountains in its green/blue/murky water. Sunset happened unnoticed in the middle of the program, bathing us in golden light for the first half and purple/pink hues in the second half of the show. Fireflies arose from our feet and beside our crazy creek chairs, we caught them easily then let them go. The counselors’ acts were really funny and surprisingly fresh and innovative (except Tennis… the Tennis department ALWAYS does the same skit but the girls LOVE IT and wouldn’t have it any other way).
First Breakfast (Ham, Baked Apples, Biscuits, Grits, Fruit, Cereal), first Breakfast Club (Social growth, Joke about “Jesus is Watching”), first Morning Assembly (super loud singing and dancing, devo on the Bible), then classes with perfect weather (slightly overcast, highs in the ’70s, and almost no chance of rain).
I am going to cut things short today and get out to take photos. We are down a photographer this week and I will try to fill in the edges. Our goal is to upload a couple thousand photos a day, but we want them to be good pictures. It is a high bar that we seldom reach… our heart is in the right place though. Know that we want to provide you lots of good pictures and are doing our best!
- Breakfast Biscuits, Ham & Apples
- Lunch BLT’s
- Dinner Pan Fried Chicken and Red Rice
- EP Tentalow Lip Syncs
That’s about all.Thank you for checking in!
P.S. Some technical issues with Waldo last night - yikes! We are working to get everything fixed with them, and once Waldo is good to go, we will run the photos back through. Thanks for your patience!