The Moon & The Stars
Last night the moon was in a 94% Waning Gibbous phase (that means it was a full moon and will be getting smaller tonight). The first star appeared as we concluded the dancing by the lake at 8:45, by the time we were back at our cabins the sky was ablaze with starlight. I mention this fact not only to inform but to enhance your sense of what the campers are enjoying at camp.
Sunrise arrives later and Sunset arrives earlier now than when we first arrived at camp. The days are getting shorter, a fact that was driven home at the Corn Roast last night. Sunset officially arrived at 8:46 last night, but the mountains make it feel like it set at 8:30. As the sun set behind the mountains and lit the twilight sky with brilliant colors, we danced with delight under the light of the brilliant moon. The music was amazing (lots of beach music, motown, and blues) and the exhuberant dancing was a beautiful thing to see. Our Corn Roast was enhanced with several new additions this year: A County Fair (huge hit with all ages), Pony Decorating (the barn brought the miniature horses for the girls to decorate with sparkled paint), and Party Barge rides. The band was great, the food was great, the activities were fun, and the relaxed pace of the evening was a delight. Aside from the trash that follows such events, I would say it was a dream! We collapsed into our beds with satisfied grins and golden memories… but not before we took note of the moon and the stars.
Nightime at camp is wonderful. Most nights are enjoyed in our cabins with the shades kept open to let in the cool night air. We can hear the frogs croaking in the lake, the crickets chirping in the trees, and the occasional hoot of an owl. Tonight that routine will be interrupted with a GIANT OVERNIGHT EXTRAVAGANZA… every camper will be sleeping outside tonight, and they are going to love it!
We will set up tents on all of our camp properties (the Main Campus, Apple Hill, Thunderhead, & Bear Mountain). The “Glamping” cabins at Bear Mountain are prepped and ready for use; and the fire pits have fires laid and just await the match to blaze into glory. S’mores, capture the flag games, “duck, duck, goose”, and games of tag will first mark the night. Then we slow down a bit with card games and games of mafia, psychiatrist,fishbowl, frogger, thumper, and “going on a picnic” played inside cozy tents and around campfires. Add the full moon, the bright stars, and the fireflies and you have a recipe for a slam dunk event!
We love overnights, but their success in years past was uneven. Some cabins would have a great time, others not so much. Often the counselors would say that their overnight was not anticipated by the girls. Often overnights would get low results in the surveys.
This year’s Extravaganza results from the accumulated “best practices” of previous years events. Campers love Bear Mountain, they love tents, they love luxury cabins. Counselors love having support (they don’t always know how to do things like lite fires and organize games). Everyone says they like to stay up late but do not like being tired the next day. So we are fixing all these things! Everyone stays in either tents or luxury camping cabins. We have staff supporting the counselors with group games and provide the tools to do games with just their cabin. We will stay up late and watch the stars… then we will sleep late and let the girls enjoy a “Do Nothing” day tomorrow. It is sure to be a huge hit (a culminating event arising after a combination of special events that will make this week stand out as crazy fun and super busy… Main Camp personified).
It is a warm, sunny, humid, heavenly day. Chance of rain showers, and that usually means rain will fall on Greystone between 3:00 and 5:00 this afternoon. Breakfast was “Truckdrivers Special” (home made biscuits with gravy), Lunch is Fish Taco’s, and Dinner will be a Greystone specialty: Chicken Country Captain.
We are shocked at how quickly the days are passing and loving every minute! It is hard to believe that camp ends in two weeks, but when we look at the big events on the horizon and the preparations that are needing to be made we wish we had four more weeks to fit it all in.
Main Camp is extravagant and bigger than life in many ways. We live life fully in the bubble (3 DMC’s, 7 beloved activities, 2 meaningful devotions, 3 solid meals, dozens of songs sung with friends, many little prayers, and the occasional tear of poignant emotion make up every day at camp). In this setting a day can feel like a week and a week a month. This is why we love camp. Camp provides life lived well and we are grateful.
Thank you for making it possible. We hope YOU are having a GREAT DAY too!
