A Full Day
Dear Parents & Friends,
We finished up our day with a dance at campfire followed by some Tajar Tales. Winnie, Head Counselor on Hillside lead us in several dances tonight, including one from his native Holland. Winnie has been teaching international dance for many years. Between his dance calling and Debbie’s piano they were a dynamic duo. It was a hot evening to dance, but we cooled off in the lodge by listening to RB (Rick Brown) read from his Tajar Tales. RB wrote the Tajar Tales many years ago and it’s a joy to have him here this summer to read them out loud. He’s our Fine Arts Cluster Leader and also the editor of the Tajar Times. Just the tip of the iceberg of talented staff at GV.
A good many cabins were on campouts tonight in various sites around the property. Those sites by the creek are best for putting one to sleep. My favorite is Hidden Stall and Indian Cave at opposite ends of camp. Many campers will be camping out again on Tues. night and we’ll have another dance for those who missed tonight’s events. Mountainside finished their mini-adventures today and will be preparing for their end of week adventures coming up. They are a great group and I believe our camp photographer got a good many pics of them today at the waterfront after the dinner hour. Speaking of food we had a great lunch today consisting of caramelized pork chops, sweet potatoes with butter, broccoli with cheese sauce, fresh bread, pineapple and fresh salad. A delicious meal and much of it coming from the farm! To add to our farm fare folks were at the farm picking beans and carrots. On a visit to farm today I noticed our blueberry bushes are getting some ripe berries so we’ll be sampling those soon in some pancakes. Did you notice the barn swallows in the pictures from today. They always nest and have their babies in the midst of all that commotion of milking cows, weighing produce, hatching chicks, counting eggs, and mixing food for all the animals. I suppose they love the activity.
With the weather so hot today the zip line was a favorite activity that drew huge crowds. And so it goes with all the waterfront activities. A couple of our staff had birthdays today and of course we sing our own special birthday song to them. It’s not the traditional happy b-day song but one that came to camp many years ago and suggested by Richard Chase who wrote the Grandfather Tales and The Jack Tales. Both books are great stories of lore from our mountain culture.
Gwynn Valley celebrates much of that culture through our simple joys of childhood approach to programming. As we go through the week we hope you will see that it doesn’t take screens and keyboards to keep children’s interest and sense of curiosity. It’s those simple joys that take us back to our roots in our outdoor environment where children are guided by a caring and mature staff. Stay tuned!