Hello Families and Friends –
It has been a full and spirited last week of camp. Both the Big Trips (5 day trip for four oldest units) and the Little Big Trips (4 day trips for For/Voy units) enjoyed beautiful weather, successful outings and great connection with new people over their time away from camp. Through these trips, campers have the opportunity to explore other parts of the San Juan Islands as well as the North Cascades through kayaking, sailing, hunt canoes, alpine (backpacking), biking and mountaineering (Mt. Baker). Led by spirited and enthusiastic staff, they ate gourmet food, experienced new things, lived in the elements and connected with each other in new ways. Congratulations to all trip participants for their courage, tenacity and excellent sense of adventure!
Meanwhile, back at the ranch, our younger campers were able to experience Nell Day, which is an all-day celebration honoring the former owner of our Johns Island property, Nell Robinson. Campers are divided into teams according to color and then have open activity specials in the morning and a lively scavenger hunt with riddles in the afternoon, ending in finding a lovely treasure (watermelon). Special meals permeate the day as well as a campfire in the evening that gives each team an opportunity to do a skit and show their Nell Day spirit. Face-painting, costumes, silly games and team-building is what Nell Day is all about!
And in the midst of these special events, we’ve had many days of regular programming, overnights, artists-in-residence (stone carving with Denison Lee and special NCA painting by Shaun Peterson), volunteers working on the new drama stage, visitor’s weekend, Indian Dances in the BigHouse, Chapel, Musicale and so much more.
We are grateful for the rich variety of experiences we are able to offer and are now preparing for our kick-off into the closure of 1st Session. We had Opry House last night, Olympic Games started today, Art Night is tonight, Friday is Banquet, followed by packing day and the All-Camp Dance on Saturday.
Thank you for following along on our journey through 1st Session. I’ll be posting one more time before your camper gets back home to you. We hope your summer is going well and that you’ve been able to enjoy some of the beautiful weather we are enjoying. The full moon a few days ago was a magical sight to see over the water and just above the trees… (But soon above the meadows, the silver moon will swing…from The Golden Day is Dying).
In the Spirit of Camp,
Sheila
