Crazy Fun

Our first few days of camp are marked by predictible fun… we go to fun classes, we enjoy fun times in the dining hall, in our cabins, in the Pavilion… but it is “restrained” fun. We bask in the feeling that arises when we know what to expect and have those expectations met in an extraordinary way.

Yesterday we added a little spice! Protect Your Counselor is one of those legendary EP’s that mark a moment that is remembered for years. It is memorable for many reasons:

• It is nothing like home! Who allows such a mess? NOBODY!
• It celebrates teamwork. Cabins bond in a viceral way as they problem solve each challenge.
• It ends with a dramatic moment of color and an epic dance party.

The joy was on every face. The counselors loved it as much as the campers and as we cleaned up (giving lots of time for showers before “Lights Out”) it was with a warm afterglow of crazy fun. The girls are still talking about it and can’t wait to see the pictures when they go home.

Today is a rainy day. The forecaast calls for several rainy days and we are fine with that! Rain at camp is a lot of fun. We do all of our activities without interruption as long as there is no lightning. We have had summers where it rained every day… and we have built a facility and a program that adapts well to such challenges. Simple pleasures like stomping in mud puddles, catching raindrops in your mouth, standing under a pouring rain drain with an umbrella for protection, and playing “ultimate foam” in tennis are all camp traditions. We wear our rain boots and skip along the road. We walk along the lake, wading in water 6 inches deep along the shore. And we snuggle under blankets during long rest hours (reading books and drifting to sleep with the sound of rain on the tin roof in our ears). Rain days are glorious!

Many of us never experience a rain day at home. We stay inside climate controlled homes, ride in climate controlled cars, and play in climate controlled gyms. The girls love the change of a rain day and it is easy to see why!

The rundown:

• Rain… 100% chance today, tomorrow, and Sunday… ending Monday. We hope the lake will flood!
• Breakfast… Truck Drivers Special (biscuits and gravy). Don’t make a face, it is really good!
• Lunch… Shaved pork sandwiches and rice krispy treats
• Dinner… Chicken Broccoli and Rice Casserole with Key Lime Pie
• EP… Opening Vespers (the opposite of “Protect your Counselor”. A lovely quiet EP that will be very memorable.