“See the Sun Shining Through the Window…..”
Dear Parents & Friends,
Our title for today comes from a song we sing at camp called “It’s a Beautiful Day”. It was indeed a beautiful day. I’ve just returned from my morning rounds and watching many activities at play. Our day started with pancakes, cereal, bacon and fruit. After breakfast everyone learned what their activities were and we off and running. My first stop was at the lake and watching our Mountainsider’s begin their mini-adventures for paddling. Also there was the kayak group who were just learning how to get into their new found sports cars for water. Our kayaks are sized for younger children and it makes paddling a bit easier if you are a beginner. I also spent some time in the Pot Shop where a few campers were learning how to throw on the wheel.
From there I headed up toward the climbing wall and watched an enthusiastic group get their chance at climbing our 50’ tower. Dylan and crew were running that activity and we had some great climbers scaling the tower. If you’ve never put on a harness before it takes a little time but everyone was helpful with one another and soon we were all set to go “up”. Mountainside again was present on the other side of the wall and learning the “ropes” as they tested their skills on the advanced side of our tower. While at the tower the Main Camp and Mountainside Bikers rode by. Both groups were intent on teaching skills and each occupied a part of camp that allowed them to maneuver and see how their group’s skill level was. Both groups tried out our new mountain biking skills area and after a while the Mountainsider’s rode over to the Hunt Farm where there is a mile and a half of single track. Both groups were teaching the same things on different levels based on the age difference. Learning to ride in the attack position is key in mountain biking which means riding up off the saddle when your feet are in the 9 and 3 position on the pedals. From land to water I headed over to Aqua Games to see our swimmers were learning the proper technique for leg kicks. Lots of practice with a paddle board and then games to raise the level of competence in the water. We had a wonderful lunch of Sloppy Joe’s with trimmings and dinner tonight was baked chicken, rice & sautéed vegis, Caesar salad, fresh bread, and pears.
This afternoon found a slew of campers going to the Farm. The baby goats and chicks have captured all the hearts of those going to visit with Farmer Jacob. We had a long discussion at our table tonight about mama pig and when she might have her babies. She’s pretty big and it could happen as soon as next week. That’s usually a highlight of the summer.
We completed our cabin skits tonight and they were as always fun and varied. At this hour all campers are in their cabins and headed toward sleepy time. The Serenader’s have made their rounds and soon camp will be just crickets, tree frogs and our creeks. Tonight one young man at my table said, “I’m really tired and could go to bed right after dinner”. It’s a full day here and I checked on him later and after the food kicked in, I found him out on the Green playing games. He’ll sleep well tonight. Riverside takes off tomorrow on their climbing adventure for 4 days and will return on Wed. They’ll be heading to Linville Gorge for their climbing. Mountainside will continue their mini-adventures tomorrow participating in climbing, paddling, pioneering, and biking. It’s been a great first full day of camp. Lots of sun and no rain. Until tomorrow, we hope you all sleep as well as we do. Stay tuned!