First Day of Classes
Lots to report on this morning!
About last night… Our first meal back in the Dining Hall since 2019 was wonderful (bringing tears to my eyes)… but far from perfect! We are eating by cabin groups right now and that is completely new to us. It will take a couple of days to get things running smooth as silk, but we are getting there. The food was amazing (Oreo Cream Pie for dessert!) and the energy was through the roof!
The program skits EP was fantastic. I laughed out loud about 5 times in 40 minutes. The counselors obviously spent a lot of time during Orientation putting together good skits, and we all appreciate the effort!
It is amazing to see how much delight arises from simple entertainment at camp. A typical Hollywood show is highly produced with talented actors and all the support that the screen actors guild requires by contract. They might spend millions of dollars for compelling content that we critically watch (but most shows can’t hold our attention for even 5 minutes). The program skits were not slick, but they were awesome! Such simple fun resonates with camper and counselor alike.
Campers and counselors spent all yesterday afternoon doing things like slip n’ sliding on a plastic sheet, playing ga-ga (Jimball) and tetherball, swinging on swings, rolling down the pagent court, and standing in the creek. Nothing sophisticated or fancy… just plain fun! This is what we do at camp. Our entertainment is all up to us! We talk, we play, we dance, we sing… then walk to a new location and do the same thing all over again. Day after day… it never gets old.
Nobody gets bored at camp. We might miss a lot of things (camp is not home) but we really LOVE CAMP! Why is something so simple so satisfying?
I think the answer is pretty clear. The girls love to spend a lot of time outside, no matter the weather. We play in the rain, delight in a cool breeze, luxuriate under a hot sun, or “glisten” in the high humidity. While simply playing outside, we find moments of wonder and delight.
Like when the Bald Eagle (we now have three of them) flew over the lake as we waited on the Pagent Court lawn before Flag Lowering last night. This kind of thing happens all the time, but we only see it if we are outside and not distracted. Might I suggest taking more time to be outside and do nothing! I bet you end up noticing interesting things and enjoying some great conversations.
At its core, this is the magic of camp. A community of great people who enjoy hanging out with each other. We LOVE the impact that good people have on each other. It is so good, but it takes time.
The first days of camp are sometimes marked by moments of uncertainty and adjustment. This is part of the camp experience and it teaches resiliency. A resilient camper is able to get past emotions of sadness or feelings of discomfort or social awkwardness- for she has learned what to do when she feels that way. The girls learn these skills throughout the day as they carefully watch their counselors (who are always positive always encouraging) and soak up their words (DMC’s, Devotions, mealtime conversations). This first week we are all getting on the same page… honing our Great Day Attitude.
Skies were overcast with occasional drizzle falling this morning, temperatures stayed in the 70’s (perfect for active schedules). I went out and took some pictures at canoeing, tennis, and waterpark. Lots of smiles and happy campers! Campers are adjusting their schedules as needed during this first day and things are going very well.
Breakfast this morning was fried apples, fried ham, grits, blackberries, cantaloupe, grapes, cereal, juice, milk, and really great coffee. Gervais (our food director) also has a coffee roasting business. We only drink freshly roasted coffee (less than one week old) ground just before brewing. Each day the counselors joyfully go through about 15 gallons!
A word about the food - we have a great kitchen! We generally cook everything from scratch, a fact most noticed in the bread window (we bake about 180 loaves of bread every day… the ingredients being flour, yeast, salt, & water). The bread is stale after 1 day, but it doesn’t last that long! The biscuits this morning were perfect (flaky, hot, buttery, slightly crunchy, slightly chewy) and the fruit bar is amazing. A four-star resort could not provide a better fruit experience!
Lunch: BLT’s (yes, we use homemade bread… still warm… thick bacon… YUM)
Dinner: Fried Chicken, rice & gravy, roasted veggies, big salad.
EP tonight will be the Tentalow Lip Syncs… the magic of the stage is wonderful to see, and I can’t wait to be introduced to the music of this new year!
Thank you for checking in!