July 12 2024

It’s sleep-late Friday, which gives Margaret and me time to languish before our morning meeting (the Head Staff normally meet around our kitchen table at 7:15, so an hour later is a big deal). The sun rises over Putt Cove, slowly filling the house with diffused light as I savor the hot coffee and read the papers. ”Heat Wave Moves East.” Check the forecast…yup, it going to be hot and sunny today, tomorrow, and Sunday. I go outside…interesting, as it is chilly, I see my breath vapor, Lake Summit has a dense layer of mist covering the water. A flock of Canadian Geese fly by at eye level (our house is on top of a small hill above Putt Cove) happily honking. My heart soars. Everything indicates a glorious day ahead, a continuation of our most perfect camp evening in a very long time.

We welcomed Ellie Holcomb back to Greystone for last night’s surprise concert on the lawn. The announcement was made at lunch, and the Crazy Creek chairs appeared immediately afterward (saving 75 “front-row” seats for the truly fanatic fans). Spirits were high, as they always are whenever this wonderful couple visits camp. That this time it would just be Ellie didn’t change a thing. We knew she was working on a new album, a new book, and keeping up with the frantic pace of a rising star in Nashville… we were just happy she still wanted to come to Greystone!

Her visit was perfectly timed. The camp community is deeply connected and highly engaged. Laura had to call down the girls for “Meowing during flag,”… nuff said. When 17-year-olds giggle to little girl tricks, it signifies a happy camp. Exuberant spirits are what we want for the last two weeks of camp. These spirits are enhanced with great programs like last night. Not only a phenomenal concert, but a late-night movie (The Parent Trap, complete with popcorn, Oreos, and individual sun butter to dip the Oreos in).

As we settled into the movie (which is perfectly paced and well-loved by the girls, who cheered and even quoted iconic lines), the cumulus clouds still had a faint pink nimbus which drew the eye… at which point the crescent moon was noticed for the first time. It was a gloriously beautiful setting to savor and every camper and every counselor marveled in it. If you watch the movie, you might notice a crescent moon over the lake at Camp Walden when Hallie and Annie are having their first “frenemy” moment after a poker game. To look up and see the same thing at Greystone filled my heart with joy. This memory will define the summer for many of the girls. It was amazing… and enhanced by the perfect weather.

For some reason, the weather at camp is about perfect for 20 hours each day. We awake to a calm 62-degree, low-humidity morning, and that delightful feeling is only replaced with noticeable heat about noon. The low humidity might be the most significant factor, but the strong breeze out of the North is also a delight. Throw in a blue sky, punctuated by those cumulus clouds (not storm clouds, just background clouds) and a crescent moon… it adds to a great setting. The heat will hit in earnest this weekend, but I don’t think a 90-degree temperature will matter much. We have fans, misters, a lake, and a couple of pools… don’t worry about us!

Tonight is the Birthday Ball and Talent Show, a two-punch knockout of an evening we love. The fifty-five girls celebrating their birthday at camp will get dressed up in their Sunday best and walk to Grey Lodge for a private catered dinner with Jimboy and Margaret. We used to set a big banquet-style table in the dining room but changed the setting a few years ago. The reason came down to the quality of this celebration for our guests of honor. The chaos of the Dining Hall and the banquet table size made conversation with anyone other than the person next to you impossible. Frankly, a table of 55 was not fun. We wanted a more engaging Birthday Celebration with these girls, and what better place to do that than Grey Lodge? Dr. Sevier lived in my house 100 years ago. I grew up in this house, and we raised our children there… it has been renovated over the years to make it the perfect setting for campers to have special moments. It provides those moments throughout the summer; the birthday ball is probably a high watermark. The girls love the air conditioning, and the beautiful tables are set and accented with flowers (every plate has a name card and gift). They love the house tours, playing on the swings outside, checking out the theater, and chatting with us throughout the evening. After dinner (Chic-Fil-A, Flank Steak, Mashed Potato Bar, Pasta Salad, Watermelon, Cake… a nice taste of the real world they all love), we go to the Talent Show, where the birthday girls have seats of honor reserved on the front row. It is a great night!

• Breakfast Fresh Baked Cinnamon Rolls, Fruit, Yogurt, Sausage
• Lunch Cheeseburgers
• Dinner Flank Steak, Polenta
• EP Talent Show
• Weather 90, sunny, 10% Chance of Rain
• Best Parent Comment came from an email I recieved yesterday. She wrote the most beautiful sentence: it is a rare and beautiful thing to spend time in a space where the values and aspirations of the community are so perfectly synced with your own highest and best qualities.