Hi Folks,
ANNOUNCEMENTS: We have just signed up for the 5th Series of Activities (2nd Series of 2nd Session). Those will start on Wednesday. If your camper is out on a trip, when he gets back to camp he’ll sign up and jump right in to his new schedule. As a reminder, we do offer a physical fitness course for our younger boys that may be listed as “Weight Training.” We want to assure you that younger kids (under 12) will not use any actual weights in that training program. They stick strictly to body-weight exercises.
Phew! It has been a pretty hectic few days. It’s funny how the days can seem so long sometimes, but pass by so quickly. Not sure really how to explain that. We’ve had a semi-uninterrupted string of great weather, so that does give off the sense of stepping on the gas peddle a bit. And we’ve had some fun programs along the way too.
Last Friday we had our first campfire of the 2nd session, and it capped off a wonderful day. It was sunny and warm all day, reaching into the low 80s. Some of our sailing kids embarked right before lunch for a regatta at a nearby girls’ camp, and they had a great time. In camp we had a normal, typical, run-of-the-mill day, which was awesome. When the campfire rolled around, the temps had cooled into the mid-70s, and that was so nice. As we mentioned about 4 weeks ago, that first campfire can sometimes give us a good gauge as to how close the cabin groups have become, and just how we are – as a whole camp family – pulling together. Well, we can happily report that we have become a close knit group very quickly. After some singing (including giving the first-year guys a song sheet and helping them learn some of the songs), we had a great reading of “Casey at the Bat.” A classic. Then we had some guitar music played by some of our more experienced and highly talented kids and staff, and also a few songs from some budding young artists performing for their very first audience. It’s pretty tempting to give it a shot when the crowd is some of your best friends. After that one of our counselors talked about his experience having an injury that ended his camp summer a few years ago, but keeping focused and working hard so he could return and continue his camp “career.” It was a message of resilience and not allowing one negative episode to sour you on a whole experience; a message I believe is not heard enough by many kids. And then we had the Keylog Ceremony, which was awesome! We heard from veteran campers and first-year campers alike. We heard from old kids and young kids. And there was so much appreciation and gratitude for friends new and old. You really can’t leave a campfire like that without a smile on your face.
Saturday was another beauty. It was a bit warmer, getting up to 85-ish. We had a pretty typical morning, and that afternoon we had clinics and some games with a nearby boys’ camp. The games included basketball, baseball, soccer, volleyball, flag football, tennis, archery, and riflery. Our younger guys stayed here and our older kids went to the other camp. We reminded everyone to stay hydrated, which was really important on a day like that. We played hard, we played well (much of the time), we had fun (all of the time), and for the boys who traveled to the other camp, there was ice cream on the way back. Can you think of anything better than that? Saturday night we had a bunch of games back in camp the kids played in. It was an active evening after an active day. That makes sleeping so much better. Which is perfect because Sunday morning was…
Lazy Breakfast! The first one of the session, and man was it busy!! It was a cool and overcast morning…perfect for sleeping in. And since we serve breakfast from 8:30 to 9:30 with eggs anyway you like ‘em, the timing couldn’t have been better. That said, we were busy cranking out scrambled eggs, omelets, over easies, and bullseyes from start to finish. After breakfast we had 2 activity periods, and although it never crested 65, we didn’t slow down too much. As strange as it may sound – given the wet weather we experienced with some frequency 1st session, the change did us some good this time. It was nice.
Last night it was time to place your bets! It was Casino Night!! This was – once again – one of the most anticipated and enjoyable evening programs of the summer. Due to the weather, we held most of the gambling indoors in the Lodge. The kids could play Blackjack, Poker, Roulette, Bozo Buckets, Bingo, the Human Slot Machine, War, Horse Race, and more. And there were sporting events they could bet on including a pudding eating contest, game of charades, tushball and volleyball games. If someone ran out of money, that was okay. This is America! We had a loan table they could easily access for immediate cash! Ultimately, at the end of the evening the cabins got together to pool their (hopefully) winnings, and they were able to bid on prizes. Some of the prizes included a ski run during rest period, a bedtime story from one of our Assistant Directors, fresh baked cookies from Leslie, and others. As the program was ending, we could see blue sky as the sun was setting, and we knew the next day would be nice.
That brings us to today. And it WAS nice. Today we had sunshine, a nice breeze blowing most of the day, and mid-70s. Oh so perfect. It was a glorious day of activities! We signed up for the next series of activities during rest period. That went very smoothly as the kids are now seasoned veterans of the sign-up process. Tonight, we’re playing a game of All-Camp Clue. Sadly, there’s been a capital crime in camp, and the cabin groups have teamed up to figure out who were the culprit and the accomplice, what was the motive, the weapon used, and the location of the crime. As I’m writing this, groups are dashing all around camp interviewing potential suspects. They include a cook, a butler, a used car salesman (seeming pretty sleazy), an astronaut (hanging out at the Rocketry room of course), a camp director (what’s up with that?), a movie star, a camp handyman, a mailman, a pro basketball player, and a body builder. They were introduced to all the kids, presented their claims of innocence, and then scattered around camp to be pursued and interviewed for clues. Once the boys figure out who done it, we’ll reconvene in the Rec Hall for the full uncovering of facts. I’ll update you when I get the full scoop.
Tomorrow is Cruiser Day! The Juniors are in vans heading to places like Lake Superior and a tour of the Iron Mine in Michigan. The Intermediates are here in camp and they’ll have the whole place to themselves. And the Seniors are on a bus together, and they are heading to a waterslide park. They also have plans for some bowling and go-karting. We’re expecting a sunny day in the high 70s tomorrow.
And looking ahead, we’ve got Karaoke Night, our Legacy Campfire, and a trip to the oldest amateur waterski show in the country coming up.
Last Saturday’s Trip:
-Quetico Provincial Park, Canada – 12 days lake canoeing
Today’s Trips:
-Porcupine Mountains, MI – 3 days backpacking
-Boundary Waters Canoe Area, MN – 6 days lake canoeing
Thursday’s Trip:
-Flambeau River, WI – 3 days river canoeing
With OWLS now completed for all of our 1st year guys, they are eligible to get out on some awesome trips! We’re pleased with how enthusiastic everyone has been so far to get out there!
We’ll write you again soon!
Benches up,
Mike & Leslie
PS: It was the body builder. The butler was the accomplice. Almost too cliché…even for us!