Wednesday, August 9

The sun is shining brightly, the humidity is low, the temperature is perfect, and we are enjoying another Great Day. Our last full day of classes is going to be a glorious day! The girls have honed their skills to a fine edge with the everyday schedule of August Camp. June and Main Camp have an every-other-day schedule which provides twice as many class opportunities. That works great if you have more time, but when we only have an opening week and a closing week, an everyday schedule is best.

The Hip Hop class met at the Shepherd Gazebo to do their class on Monday, and I could watch it from my office. A class of about 20 girls (some very young) were doing their choreographed dance to a whole song (as opposed to just a part of a song). Every girl moving in synch, most joyfully smiling or laughing but some carefully concentrating on the moves. It was AMAZING! Particularly so, as the rain began, and they kept dancing because they were having so much fun. It was an inspiration.

Many classes are experiencing such engagement, and we are so pleased. We know that classes are particularly important to these girls, and we do our best to meet their expectations. At this point in the summer, it is particularly important that the counselors remain engaged and enthusiastic about their activities, and this year has been especially good on that side of things. The staff is outstanding, and we are very proud of their success in mastering “the camp game”. This last full day of classes will be just as exciting for the counselors as the campers!

We pack up at Rest Hour… 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 don’t think that matters. Clothes have a very distinct look, feel, and smell after two weeks at camp. Don’t worry… they quickly clean up! 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 our newly renovated Council Fire Ring, a lovely spot that the girls have never seen before. Here we have met to talk about “important things” for a hundred years. The moss-covered rock bench, the impressive rock fire stand, and the oversized slab benches are ringed by towering pines and rhododendron. We walk silently up the hill and take our seats, row by row. 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 to activities. While we sit quietly, we will watch the sunset as the clouds turn pink and the fireflies rise in the surrounding forest. The evening ends with each camper gathering around the flagpole in the late summer darkness and lighting her candle, 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 how 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.

• Breakfast French Toast Sticks and Sausage
• Breakfast Club Do our daily devotion at home. Hint: subscribe and have it delivered to your email each morning!
• Joke Pavement (told by Laura… a first!)
• Weather perfect
• Lunch Corn Dogs and Curly Fries… and Bread Pudding
• Dinner Pan-fried chicken, Mashed Potatoes
• EP Council Fire/Closing Vespers