Some of the best nights at camp are when things don’t go as planned. Last night the campers spread out across the fields and woods to sleep out with their cabin groups. A couple of counselors drove off in the Gator to deliver food for them to cook over their fires (only the younger campers stayed under the pavilion to eat before they left). From under the roof of the pavilion, we watched them trickle away, and the moment the last camper disappeared over the ridge, the breeze and the grey clouds came rolling in. Within ten minutes, it had started to rain, and the kids (picture about seventy of them) started appearing over the rise, sleeping bags over their heads, pouring back toward us, converging on the dining hall.
Glenn, Emma, Lynne and the counselors mobilized, organizing everyone into the dining hall for dinner. We shuttled food from the grill. The counselors made an assembly line to hand out burgers and hot dogs (since most campers were supposedly eating out; the cooks had the night off). The admin staff started talking about what the night’s activity should be. Lynne went to retrieve cabins G and H, who had decided to stick it out for dinner in the woods.
In the end, it was decided that we’d show a movie, and while the kids regrouped after eating, counselors hung blankets over all the windows of the dining hall and moved all the tables. Some other counselors put on music and had a dish doing/dance party. Every time someone brought a new stack of dishes back, they made this loud cheering noise. Later, Jacqui and I talked about how camp is like Mary Poppins because it can make doing dishes strangely enjoyable.
I came outside in time to see there was a rainbow over the dining hall. Tyler Kelly remarked that if he were a dragon he would fly over it. Everyone was in a goofy mood. I had a pillow fight with Bradley Griffith and got chased by some campers with water balloons. Finally everyone but the oldest campers disappeared into the dining hall to watch the movie. Counselor Karina and the tent girls made up a dance in the rec. hall instead. Glenn made hot pretzels. Everyone got to bed a little late, which is usual for cabin night so it was okay. Only one dedicated camper, Aurelien, showed up with the counselors for early morning yoga, while most of the regular camper/yogis slept in.
I had some nice conversations yesterday. One with Orli Berman, counselor Jane, and counselor Ryan Clifford about poetry and drawing. Orli and Ryan recited poems for us. I got to catch up with alum Sammy Brusca, who had his first year here during my last year as a counselor, in 96. The last time I saw Sammy he was the tiniest camper, and now he’s twenty – ahh! It was fun sitting on the office porch and talking about the kids and counselors from that year, like Jaime, who was an expert juggler. We also decided that we both love Seattle, even though neither of us has ever been there.
Some announcements: Alec Marks held four cups stacked on top of each other while frozen yesterday. Jakeable was the last one out of his cabin for breakfast for the second day in a row, and as a punishment he must have fun all day. If anyone sees him not having fun they are to report it to Brownie. We will be going for another Camp Tall Timbers world record today: the most secrets told about counselor Dean while Dean is standing right there. A lot of the older campers are on a rafting trip.
Talk to you tomorrow!