July 2, 2026

It is going to be hot again today. We, like many of you, will endure a week of notable heat (90-94 degrees). Today is likely to be the hottest day of the summer, so we will use every trick in the book to be comfortable. Misters, Gatorade, cold snacks, ice water, and a slower pace to active classes are sufficient to make these hot days fun. The change in tempo is refreshing in itself. Challenge Day was our first 90-degree day, and a few simple changes to the schedule (moving softball and volleyball times) were enough to provide delight. Today, we will use the USA soccer game as a highlight event.

Our giant 25-foot projector and awesome 30,000-lumen projector will be set up in the FORT to watch last night’s historic win for Team USA with our friends and fellow fans. This is an optional activity that will start at 3:30. By skipping commercials, we will fit in the entire match before the clean-up bell rings. The FORT is a great setting on a hot day. The space is cavernous, the ceiling insulated, and the cupola and 40-foot height of the ceiling provide great airflow. The girls will bring their knitting and crochet projects, crazy creek chairs, and insulated ice water bottles as they settle into the moment. Anticipation is high… so don’t say anything in your emails today!

I have been wanting to talk about Ceramics ever since Tuesday, but this is the first time I feel like I have had time. For today, Ceramics will represent many of our classes, for the quality I saw in that area is duplicated in many program areas around camp. The way each class strives for excellence differs, but they predictably reach the goal throughout the summer. I attended the advanced ceramics class. A two-period class that meets every day to develop this remarkable talent.

I have always loved ceramics, but my talent was never developed. As a camper, I only learned hand forming techniques, but that was amazing! My yellow elephant is proudly displayed in my house to this day, and I retained an appreciation of ceramic artistry throughout my life. I can only imagine how a class like I witnessed on Tuesday would have impacted me as a camper.

Advanced Ceramics is not limited to an age group… it is limited by displayed aptitude and attitude. Girls must have a passion for ceramics and a working knowledge of the basics. It leads to a mix of ages that surprised me. The youngest were maybe 11 years old, the oldest 17. All listened intently as the visiting artist explained how to make a thin-walled bowl and a matching recessed lid. They would ask serious questions from time to time, but mostly they just stood there without moving a muscle, eyes locked on the lump of clay being formed before their eyes.

The pace of the teaching was also surprising. A lump of clay was the shape of a bowl in less than a minute, then the pace slowed and the transformation became more nuanced. The thin wall is tricky, easy to mess up. The instructor demonstrated the common mishaps, correcting each one with a slow but effective fix. She also explained that it was important to mess up in order to learn this skill. To, in fact, spend several days intentionally messing up specific areas of the pot in order to learn how to “feel” the change in the clay before it happens and when exactly there is enough time for a quick fix and how to spot a “start over” situation.

I stayed for an hour, transfixed by the teaching. You would be just as impressed if you had been there, and what is amazing about this moment is that such moments were happening at the same time in several other classes. Advanced Riflery instructors provide instruction that is only found at the college or professional levels, and they effectively nurture this talent in the campers (our best marksmen consistently shoot five perfect bullseyes from the prone, sitting, and standing positions). Riding, Farm and Garden, Gymnastics, Glass Beads, Tennis, Pickleball, Play Production, Metal Jewelry, Cooking, Fishing, Synchronized Swimming… all of these are outstanding classes… and still not a comprehensive list. You would be delighted and inspired to sit in on these classes.

I wish you could be here… but if you were here, it would not be nearly as good. The magic of camp arises from the girls’ independence within a supportive environment infused with the Holy Spirit. I love that line from Kevin Cosner’s iconic film “Field of Dreams”. If you build it, they will come. was the simple instruction that led to a wonderful and spiritual experience. All who came were touched. I wish we could do that with parents. It would overwhelm any anxieties that you have about “seeing your girls”… I think that one class would inspire you to trust that whatever the details, she is going to thrive in such a place.

Yes, it is the photo thing again… and I will not say much at this point. Only this: we understand your anxiety; we understand the desire to have nice photographs to remember favorite classes, to celebrate favorite memories, and to memorialize this amazing moment in life. This summer will pass, childhood will pass; why not have a photo book to mark the occasion? The answer to these reasonable questions is hard to explain. They lie in the fragility and mystery of this experience. Cameras have a subtle impact. We felt that the impact when trying to do photography in an extraordinary way. Photography was introducing baggage from the real world into the bubble. Rather than improving the class instruction, it distracted the girls and the instructors and diminished the overall experience. Camp is going well, so well we think it is something to carefully protect and better understand. We hope there is a middle ground and we will find it in the end. We are working on it and praying about it every day. We thank you for your patience and trust, even as we approach an emotionally charged weekend.

Thanks for checking in.

Breakfast Waffles and Sausage Links
Joke Paint the Porch Weather HOT 94, Sunny, no rain
Lunch Chicken Sandwiches
Dinner Shepherd’s Pie
EP Cabin Night