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Dear Parents and Friends,

We’ve had an excellent kick-off to our 2nd session – plenty of fun, some great singing, and a little rain thrown in there as well. I’d like to introduce you to Scott Minard, former camper and current photographer, who will be writing a few posts to give you an inside story on the adventures of your campers. Scroll down to read about his perspective on the beginning of camp, and be sure to stay tuned for more great photos and stories coming your way in a few days!

For the Best in Camping,

Sheila, Director

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Post by Scott Minard

Time is already flying by. I was talking to a camper at lunch yesterday and she was so amazed she had only been here four days. It’s incredible how fast everyone is coming together and forming a community. Camp is already starting to feel like a home away from home to these kids.

It was a bright and sunny first couple of days, but on the first days of activities some much needed rain blessed our little island. But as the saying goes, “There’s no such thing as inclement weather, only inclement clothing,” camp continued on just the same! There were wet exits, capture the flag games, archery sessions, great food at adobe, creative crafting, and all of the usual shenanigans campers know and love. No one seemed to even blink at the rain!

DSC_7991The campfire last night was one of the best I’ve seen in a long time. The Troubadours were put in a bit of a sticky situation in that there had been a campfire two days before, and up until the day of the campfire, no one had signed up to do a skit. Everyone was anxious to see what they would be able to pull off with so little time to prepare…and they pulled it off without a moment of hesitation. The concept was simple: a game show centered around Crocs (those funny looking rubber shoes everyone knows and loves) where campers were challenged to tasks like moving water from one bucket to another using only a Croc, or balancing as many Crocs as they could on a partner. At the end of each round, the contestant with the fewest points had to stand and be “Croc-ed” as they dubbed it, having the host, Betty Croc-er,  do her best to splash water on them using one of the shoes, or, as seen below, a bucket.

DSC_7998Mermaid Lucy, a skit by the now Voyagers who started it years ago, made a comeback to the entire camps surprise and excitement with new characters and a new plot that will continue to be played out over the course of the session. If that wasn’t enough, the Mountaineers followed suit and set up the plot to a murder mystery that will play out over the course of a session.

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DSC_7955Being a fist year staff member, and having been a first session camper, this is my first time interacting with these awesome kids. These campers have blown me away with their creativity, kindness, and enthusiasm. I’ve had conversations with the Foresters about life, diversity, and other complicated ideas that people my age would struggle with over breakfast at hardly eight in the morning, when I would usually be asleep if I weren’t at camp. The Vagabonds have told me jokes that had me doubled over laughing, and Pioneers, the unit I live with, have blown me away with their maturity and ability to adapt when we woke up one morning to the unexpected rain, which led to some things getting wet, but no one was stopped for even a moment. Clothes were lent out by fellow unit members, and the day continued without even a minor setback. I’m quickly growing attached to these amazing campers, and now that the session is underway I can’t wait to see what else is in store for us.

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