May 26, 2026

Last night, there was a Flash Flood warning for Henderson County, which concerned some parents. We got a few emails and a couple of phone calls asking if we had a plan in the event of a flood.

Let me assure you all… flooding is not a danger at Greystone. It has never been a danger in the past and will not be a danger in the future. There are many reasons for this, but that’s the short answer. Being on a hill in the mountains has its advantages! We knew flooding would be a concern after the tragedy in Texas last summer, so we included it in our Safety and Security section of the website. It was the theme of our blog a couple of days ago, and we are always happy to reaffirm our situation and emergency protocols with you if you are concerned. Never hesitate to contact us about such important things. We understand the concern.

I should have gone into it in yesterday’s blog… but in the moment, such concerns were far from my mind! I write of the “feeling” in camp, and that feeling was so overwhelmingly good, I didn’t look at the hour-to-hour weather forecast. I will try to do better for the rest of the summer, because there will be flash flood warnings for Henderson County many times this summer.

No flash floods will impact the safety of our campus. No camp buildings are in the floodplain. Our cabins are 60 feet above the lake; the highest the water has ever risen was during Hurricane Helene, when the water rose 10 feet (to the flagpole). So while we take it seriously (we have emergency alert radios that are always on, one is by my bed), flash floods will not impact anyone in the main campus.

The lake is very high and has been in this “flood state” ever since Helene (two years this fall). Our lake is a power-generating lake, and the flue that regulates the lake level was washed away in that storm. It has not yet been repaired, and they (the investment group that owns the dam) do not know when repairs will be feasible. This makes things soggy beside the lake, including the soccer field (it doesn’t drain well after a big rain). That is why the field was so muddy on Opening Day.

There will likely be rain all week long… but as you see from the photos (check your camp account after lunch today as yesterday’s photos will be up), it was a beautiful day. The rain hit areas around us, but we had glorious sunshine! Today, we might get rain during the day, but do not expect it to have an impact (everything goes on as normal unless there is a chance of lightning). If lightning is a risk, we keep the girls in a sheltered spot until the storm passes.

Even if it rains all day, every day, it will be a great camp, and the girls will have a great experience. We know this because we have had summers where it rains all the time. Such summers are very rare, but they do happen from time to time. When they do, the girls remember that summer for the rest of their lives with delight and wonder.

Moving on…

Some highlights from the Counselor Talent Show last night:

• The EmCees (Sarah and Ellen-Anne) wore Hot Dog costumes and introduced every act with a hot dog joke.
• My favorite acts: Covington singing “Part of Your World” from The Little Mermaid, Timothy singing a French song, and playing the trumpet as his own accompaniment.
• The old favorites (“If I Were not a Greystone Counselor”, “ASMR skit”, and the puppies) were huge hits.
• We met in the Pavilion due to the chance of rain, which did not arrive until we dismissed and the girls ran to get “crackers” (two Nilla Wafers) before bed.

Classes are going great. My office is just above the tennis courts, and their laughter, cheering, and screams of delight make it hard to concentrate. Canoeing has four boats loaded with campers, all of whom are paddling the boats around the lake. The waterpark is bobbing, the big slide is running, and all the inflatables are in use. The fishing class is trying out a new spot that Major Mike discovered last week. Zumba loves their new sound system and seems to be experimenting with the “11” volume level.

Girls walk (or run) past my front door every 40 minutes as they change classes and their excited chatter. Their entire cabin is always with them, a great source of delight and comfort as they navigate our big campus. Counselors are helping them find their way (when the bell rings, a counselor goes with them to the next class), and those interactions are also precious. So many good things!

Breakfast Club theme today was the first two words from our Theme Verse (I Thessalonians 5: 16-18): Rejoice Always. This is the “Great Day” attitude in a nutshell. We ask the girls to clap their hands and shout “It’s going to be a Great Day!” every morning when they wake up. It sets the tone for the day and encourages anyone who hears you say it. We hope that the whole camp will be doing it by Friday!

Breakfast Club Joke In-Stink (about a skunk)

Breakfast: Scratch-made biscuits, fried ham and apples, fresh fruit, yogurt, oatmeal, cereal.

Lunch BLTs!

Dinner Pizza (check out the video below)

EP Cabin Lip Sync Show

Weather 40% chance of rain, locally heavy rain possible. High 74 degrees.

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