It was a hot one yesterday so our afternoon activities were shortened and we all headed to the pool for a pool party. A couple of the counselors (Mike Hertlein and Jacqui) sat by the diving board and handed out questions to the campers as they jumped off the diving board like: Monkeys or chickens? Red or blue? Are you cold? Which came first, the chicken or the egg? So many of the counselors spend time that could be ‘breaks’ for them making up games for the kids – you see it all day long.
At dinner, I learned that on most days, with very little fanfare, Molly Shay and counselor Dean Lawless have a pbj eating competition. This involves eating their pbj’s into different shapes (for example, a triangle, or – like yesterday – a football), then having a judge decide whose shape is most accurate. I was asked to judge yesterday, and Molly won for artistry by saving her crust to use as the lacing on top of the football. Go Molly!
Mealtime announcements: There were bullseyes in archery from Caroline Harvey, Emily Morrow, and Taylor and Casey Dennison. For the first time in memorable history there was a loomster tie, and everyone shouted “loomstersssss”. Counselor Kevin offered to buy a soda for any camper who can complete his new path on the climbing wall. In boys’ leagues, the boys “learned how to run.” Sydney Alloy caught a fish. The first Fantasy Football Darft (not draft) is coming up next week. Aurelien Vitet ate a 6 decker pbj at lunch, Philipp Stein spilled 6 icecubes and Zack Cohen received 6 pieces of mail. The Yellow Polka-dotted Hippopotamice (YPHs) defeated the Purple Nurples in flag football. Max Penn was carried into the dining hall by two counselors for his birthday: they made a chair out of their arms, walked him in, and held him up while he ordered his food. Of course, we sang to him and he skipped around the room.
Last night’s skit was Movie in a Minute. Each cabin had a movie to act out in a brief amount of time. Some notable performances: Girls Tent Group 2 did The Lion King, with Molly Shay as Simba and Maggie Johnson as the spirit of Simba’s father calling out to him from the back row of the audience. Vito starred as Princess Leia in Cabin 5’s Star Wars. Tent Group 3 did Titanic, with Torie Seltzer wrapped in a white sheet as the iceberg. Cabin 7 did the movie 300, with Michael Springer as Leonidas. The Boys Tents did Beauty and the Beast, with Belle played by Ezra Rudman and the Beast played by Johnny Reno.
Even though the day was hot, it was another cool, gorgeous night and the older campers lingered on the grass and by the porch as usual for a little chill out time before bed. The counselors usually sit on the porches outside their cabins after the kids have gone to sleep, spread out blankets and talk. It’s really peaceful.
Camp is a good combination of tradition and variety. There are never too many ‘normal’ activity days in a row before there’s something special to interrupt them, like a trip outside camp or, for instance, Saturdays. As usual for a Saturday, we started out with a late wake up and cinnamon rolls. And then it was announced that today is Gladiator Day. The kids were divided into teams and started getting ready for the day’s events. I walked down to the creek with Riley and Mayson and their babysitter Kim, and we waded and caught crawfish in our buckets. It was a refreshing morning.
We’ll have a Saturday night social tonight up at the basketball courts.
More tomorrow!
Jodi