What You Wouldn't Guess about Year-Round Life at Camp
It’s easy to think that camp completely shuts down after the last Closing Day of the summer. And, in some ways, that’s true! The Blob comes out of the water, the power is turned off in the Tentalows, and the bubble feels very, very quiet.
But did you know that Greystone has a thriving off-season life as well? Our year-round team starts working on next summer as soon as the last one ends, and we stay busy all year long working on projects and doing facility maintenance to make camp as incredible as possible for you next summer. But we also have a LOT of fun, too!
Some members of our team live on camp property all year long, and some live in the surrounding cities, but we all try to get together routinely and end up laughing a lot. Here are just a few glimpses into year-round life at Greystone! Have more questions about what it’s like? Drop them below and we’ll answer!
“Bring Your Own Meat Nights” in the Fall
Before every RUF fall conference this year, we would have a “bring your own meat night” at the grill by the Fort! There is nothing better than gathering in the evening with those who live at camp and nearby to cook a good meal and play some croquet (yes, really). Everyone brings either a piece of meat or side and we grill them together and then enjoy a feast and some beautiful weather. It’s such a highlight of the fall!
Evening River Trail walks
If you’ve ever been on the River Trail, you know how magical it is, and you can find us walking or running it all year long! Evening walks have become a staple for us, and it’s a great excuse to say hi to the Farm Barn animals as we walk by. There are always some fresh veggies to collect in the garden on our way home too! Most recently, we’ve harvested beets, radishes, and carrots for dinner. Talk about Farm to Table!
The Tuxedo Social Club
It’s the most delightful organization you’ve never heard of! The TSC hosts casual gatherings with all of our friends in Tuxedo… we even have custom napkins and cups!
Some of our favorite TSC events have been:
- Fall BYOM nights
- Friendsgiving in White Hall: Nancy the Mail Queen makes the most incredible fudge brownies, Alli makes an epic cranberry sauce, and Ben from maintenance makes a fabulous sweet potato hash! There was also a butter shaped turkey- John Miller bit its head off early on so then it just became a butter blob. The evening was complete with candle making!
Our morning office ritual
JB and Nancy are always the first to arrive. Nancy gets the day going by making coffee for everyone. Everyone else then shows up and we have coffee together to catch up before getting to work! We had a Christmas coffee bar set up for December complete with creamers, peppermint mocha whipped cream, Christmas sprinkles and little nutcrackers to watch you prepare your coffee. Who needs Starbucks?
When we need a break from the office, we’ll go on a walk to check on maintenance’s projects or have lunch at the Flat Rock Bakery or pick-up from Pita Express. The best days are when Nurse Jamie drops off yummy treats for us - there’s currently a container of fudge that is delicious!
A few more favorite moments:
- Dinner and live music at Mills River Brewing (our favorite burger and fries in the area).
- Our very own Cate Miller’s CateMade cake testing on the DHP. Her cakes are unbelievable!
- The unexpected camp emergencies, like when Anne Hayden had to rescue Poptart, Jack, and Gloria after escaping their paddock. Just your local wrangler at work!
- The Soup Swap! Everyone brings quarts of their favorite soup to exchange. Our freezers are stocked for the year!
