Day 13 - Last Day & Campfire!!!

Today was a hot and hectic day for sure! As it was the last full day of the 2018 camp season, there was much to be done before we all leave tomorrow. Boats needed to be cleaned and tucked away, sports sheds tidied and packed, and everyone had to collect their arts & crafts projects. Swimming got one last day to enjoy the lake, as well as a few of the boaters! Dinner today was Texas Hash, a huge favorite that a lot of campers were especially excited for. Then came an extra special treat, double candy at store! After everyone had picked out their candy, it was off to our final rest hour. 

Following general swim and fourth period, we all played non-stop cricket, as a final camp-wide game. After an intense battle between the green and white teams from track and field day, everyone was rewarded with an ice pop to cool off. Cookee bell rang and we all got ready for supper, meatball grinders! 

Now, cabins are taking the last towel or two off the clothes line, packing up their trunks and getting ready for camp fire! Every session, on the final night, we head to the counsel ring for songs, s'mores and awards from swimming and boating classes. As well as track and field day ribbons, and the coveted cabin clean up award! Whichever cabin, within the three sections, passed Sue's inspection day in and day out, will be awarded a special prize tonight!  

Mmm I want to linger, Mmm a little longer...

Until summer 2019,

Gillian

Day 12 - Banquet

The last Thursday of the session is a very important one here at Camp Asto Wamah, it's banquet night! The schedule runs as normal, just with an emphasis on trying to get a shower in today, as everyone attempts to look their best for this evenings Thanksgiving-style supper. Turkey, stuffing, gravy - you name it, it's on tonights menu! Campers got dressed in their cleanest, green and white outfits, and we all piled into the main room in the upper lodge to eat together. 

After enjoying ice cream, chocolate caramel crunch or cookie dough, it was time for the much anticipated slide show. Pictures from track and field day, general swim, and other various activities at camp made an appearance. As well as old throw back pictures of staff, LT's and campers! Charlotte and Gina lead us in songs that we hadn't gotten the chance to sing all session, as well as a few fan favorites. Then came time for year awards. First years get a green hat, so make sure to ask your new campers to try them on for you when they get home! 

Candle light is how we wrap up banquet, with each cabin counselor choosing one camper to read a short passage. During this, everyone gets an individual candle, which gets lit and placed into the lake. At the end, after everyone at camp has placed their candle into the lake, we sing good night songs and watch as the candles float away. Now, campers are off to get ready for bed, silently, as there is no more talking tonight. Giving time for campers to reflect on this session overall.

Until tomorrow, for camp fire and the final full day at Wamah!

Gillian

Day 11 - Talent Night!

This morning was a rare morning at Camp Asto Wamah, we slept in for a WHOLE HOUR!!! Some campers were thrilled, others chose to use it as a time to read or write letters, and the counselors for sure used it as time for more sleep! Cabin clean up time was cut a little short because of it, but the campers still managed to have the cabins looking fabulous before first period rang. 

Classes went on as normal, with an even greater focus on learning new skills as this session is nearly over! Sailers, swimmers, and boaters all enjoyed the water today, as well as the hot sun. Dinner, our noon time meal ended with a perfect treat for this hot and sunny day, ice cream! Then campers were off to rest hour before cooling down in general swim. 

Tonights evening program has been in the works for a few days, talent night! There were skits, comedy acts, singers/dancers and even a few magicians. Many of the cabins even chose to come together and create a group skit, which was awesome to see. After enjoying grapes for snack, its off to read more of the cabins book and get ready for bed!

Until tomorrow, 

Gillian

Day 10 - LT Carnival

Today was hot, hot, hot! Luckily that meant everyone was eager to get in the water and have swimming lessons, after making sure to clean their cabins this morning. Campers were very focused this morning and the first three classes ran smoothly. Swimmer learned new strokes, lots of butterfly bootcamps, and boaters worked on their own skills too! Some even learned how to capsize safely. Arts and crafts is a perfect time to work on secret sister projects, our secret santa spin at camp, which will be revealed tomorrow!

For dinner we had pork shops and butterscotch pudding! Rest hour was a perfect time to attempt to cool off in the cabins, with the fans on of course. Then everyone went in for general swim before finishing up the day with fourth period and activity period. Sunfishes (our smaller sail boats), paddle boards, and snorkelers all enjoyed the water during activity period today! Then it was off to dry off and change for supper - grilled cheese!

Tonights evening program is extra special, it is completely run by the LT's! Every year LT's pick a theme and plan all session for one night, where they create various games and activities or all campers to participate in. LT Carnival is certainly a night to remember, and this year I'm sure it will be OUT OF THIS WORLD!!!!! You'll have to ask your campers about it when they get back!

Until tomorrow,

Gillian

Day 5 & 6

The fifth day of camp began with chocolate chip bread, much to the campers delight. We were able to avoid the rain until much later in the day, and so morning classes went off without a hitch. For dinner we had chicken parmesan and sorbet (both strawberry and lemon). After a nice and relaxing rest hour, it was time for general swim! Campers paired up, and went into their respective swimming levels before fourth period and activity period. Supper this evening was pulled pork and cherry cake. Due to a quick, but heavy rain storm, evening program was inside. It was Deck-A-Counselor! Each cabin picked 2 staff members, and a few LT's, and created skits with them - all while dressing them up however they decided! It was a very entertaining night to say the least!

Today camp began with waffles and peanut butter, a fan favorite. Our morning ran as normal, as we luckily avoided the threat of rain once again! Dinner was meatloaf, a new recipe this camp season, and the campers really liked it. Butterscotch pudding followed, before it was time for rest hour. 

Then the day really got interesting! A special African Drumming program visited camp today, and each group of campers got to participate with their cabins. While very loud, it was very exciting and the campers really enjoyed it. With a funky schedule to fit everyones classes in, as well as this program, it took us right up to supper. Tonight we had chicken melts and gingerbread cake. Now all the campers are getting ready for evening program, in long pants, tied shoes, and dark clothing. Any guesses???? PIRATES! 

Until tomorrow,

Gillian

Day 4

Our fourth day here at camp kicked off with chocolate chip bread and cereal! Then came time for cabin pictures! Chris got all the cabins taken care of quickly, so that they could go back and clean the cabins, in hopes of impressing Sue - the nurse! Everyday Sue inspects each cabin to find the cleanest within the three groups (hilltop, lakeside and seniors) to find a winner of Cabin Clean Up.

The rain held off and we were able to get all classes in this morning. Sailors enjoyed a perfectly windy day on the lake and each class went out! For dinner, we had ziti and salad, with vanilla pudding for dessert. Following rest hour, we practiced a fire drill incase of emergencies, and then a quick passing of rain prevented us from getting to go into the water for general swim. Luckily, fourth period was able to go on as normal (minus sports in the upper lodge). Activity period was filled with tons options from LT's and counselors! A few LT's lead a dance party in our activity room and had an awesome turn out! Brendan and Sloane even took out a group of girls in the Hunter, our largest sail boat! They all had a blast!

Supper tonight, was eat out! This meant counselors packed up picnic baskets, filled with sandwiches and bug juice (camp slang for lemonade), and set off for different places around camp! From docks and picnic tables, to the lean-to and counsel ring, cabins were spread out all over! Afterwards, we headed back to our cabins and put on tied shoes and long pants, because tonights evening program was Capture the Flag! Everyone got really into it tonight, and now they're changing into their bathing suits for a quick dip before heading to bed!

Until tomorrow,

Gillian and Olivia

Day 2 & 3

Second day of camp, our first full day, kicked off beautifully! French toast for breakfast, ravioli for dinner and tacos for supper! Classes began yesterday, and seeing the various swim classes out and boats in the water was awesome! Evening program was 'garbage collector.' Each team has one camper, or 'collector' in charge of holding the bucket while the rest of the team shoots different point-based dodge balls in! Then it was time for a quick dip and off to bed!

Day 3 began quite foggy, but luckily cleared after our blueberry bread breakfast and lead into another beautiful day! Classes really got into it today, with sailboats getting a chance to go out, as well as the canoes and row boats! Carol, our designated basket lady and her slew of campers have started their respective projects and they are starting to really take shape! 

For dinner today, our noon time meal, we had chicken tenders followed by cherry jello for dessert. Everyone went in for the general swim that follows rest hour and then it was off to fourth period. Activity period options today included jumping off the tower, playing gaga, making bracelets and more!

Pizza and, Sue (the cooks), famous apple crisp, were a big hit at supper tonight. Now the campers are off to get tied shoes on and wear clothing with LOTS of pockets! Any guesses to what we are playing tonight?

Spies and Smugglers!

Until tomorrow,

Gillian

Day 1

Last first day of the 2018 camp season! Second girls kicked off on this beautiful and sunny day, making drop off a breeze. With seventeen LT's (leadership trainees) to help carry trunks and show campers to their cabins, it was made even easier! After everyone was all moved in, introductions and rules given out, it was time for a quick general swim! Everyone got into the water to cool off just before supper, our evening meal!

Supper tonight, per camp tradition, was hot dogs and brownies for dessert! Evening program, another first-night tradtion of 'Medical Wars' got the whole camp involved! Every night we, as a whole camp, come together to play one big game!

After a few intense rounds, quick dip was offered before campers got ready for bed. Then counselors read the camper-choosen book to help with falling asleep. They will read this book for the rest of the session as a great way to wrap up the day!

Now it's time for everyone to get some sleep in preparation with our first full day of classes and activities!
 

Until tomorrow, 

Gillian

Friday, August 12th

As we begin our last day at camp, we are able to reflect on yesterday. Yesterday was quite an interesting day! With the bad weather we had it made for a different banquet meal. Due to the extreme heat and humidity, we had a fairly normal set up of tables for our dinner as opposed to everyone sitting in the upper lodge and not on the porch. Our meal of turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, and cranberries was of course, delicious! Thanks to the hard work from Sue and our kitchen staff! 

After our meal, we had a great slideshow of pictures from all throughout the session that allowed us to have a good laugh and think back to everything we have done throughout the session! We then had our typical candle light service. This is a time for each of us to see how important we are. We turn the lights off and we get a candle that we light one at a time until the entire room is alight with candlelight. It truly is a beautiful sight to see. Sometimes we are able to do it outside and then put the candles in the lake, but the wind decided to pick up just as we were going to head out. As soon as our candlelight service has ended, we no longer speak for the remainder of the night. This gives us all a chance to reflect on what we are thankful for and what we will miss when we go home tomorrow! 

Today we will be pulling the boats out of the water and putting them away! This is probably one of the oddest days we have at camp because it becomes very empty when we put everything away! 

Everyone has mixed emotions about tomorrow! With campers getting ready to be picked up at 8:30, some are excited to go home while others are quite upset about leaving! Everyone has had quite a lovely session and will miss camp dearly!

We will see you all tomorrow! Don't forget that pick up is between 8:30-10:00!! Your campers are anxious to see you all! 

We have had quite a great session and on behalf of all the staff here at Asto Wamah, we will miss everyone and we hope to see you all here next year!!

~Allissa Parker 

Wednesday, August 10th

Our streak of good weather has finally come to an end! Although we had quite a bit of rain today, we did not have a lack of excitement and energy running through our camp!

With pounding rain waking us up, we all hurried down to breakfast to eat an assortment of bagels and cereal! We also had an option of oatmeal in place of cereal which many people hurried to get due to the chill in the air.

With this poor weather around us, we did not go astray from our usual schedule of classes! Swimmers entered the water and were surprised by how warm it was! Boaters enjoyed a slight drizzle out on the lake which everyone was warm in the upper lodge for sports class and the lower lodge for arts and crafts! 

Spirits were kept high during a delicious lunch of pork chops and green beans with mashed potatoes on the side! Everyone was excited to learn that rest hour was going to be extended for thirty minutes so that everyone would be able to get ready for our talent show tonight!

A surprise general swim was sprung on us when we awoke after rest hour and saw the sun shining bright against the blue sky! After a nice swim, everyone went off to fourth period and then activity period! Most activities were kept indoors with board games being played in the upper lodge, however, many campers decided to use this time to go practice for their acts for tonight!

Everyone is putting the last finishing touches on what they have practiced! This will be our evening program tonight and we have a wide range of talents ready to be shown! We are all excited to find out the hidden talents among us!

Hopefully the weather does not continue in this fashion and we can have a few nice days of camp!

~Allissa Parker 

Tuesday, August 9th

We are so lucky to have such beautiful weather! Today was a chilly morning but we were lucky to have a delicious breakfast of french toast this morning! It was nice to wake us all up and get us ready for the day. 

We started off with something a little different this morning. If a camper was in level 6 or superstars, they were able to have the opportunity to swim out across the lake to Frog Island! This is a part of the lake that is very very shallow and you can actually stand with the water at your knees! This was their first period as opposed to going to their usual first period. Everyone else continued working on their strokes in swim class and boating in hopes of passes in the next few days! Sports class was filled with laughter as we headed to the GaGa pit for some fun rounds while arts and crafts was spent finishing up projects and drawing pictures for the birch barker!

The morning flew by and before we knew it, lunch was here! We had chicken parmesan with pasta, applesauce, and bread for our sides! Everyone as anxious for rest hour to get a little bit of sleep in before the afternoon activities took place! 

Fourth period went by quickly and campers took off to enjoy the fun activities being offered by our counsellors! Campers went off the tower, six went paddle boarding, and in a surprise twist of the weather, the Hunter, our big sail boat, was taken out with incredible wind! Curt helped campers with their talent show acts which will take place tomorrow for evening program and one of our archery instructors held a tournament where we found many new archers!

Dinner went by just as quickly because everyone chowed down on cheese burgers, applesauce, and chips! Dessert was apple crisp which any campers were surprised at how much they enjoyed the dish! 

Our LT's are doing something very special tonight! They will be putting on a carnival for all of us! They all spent a large amount of time and effort into coming up with fun games that the campers and staff would enjoy playing! We will find out what their theme is later tonight when we head up to the A-field!

As the session begins to wind down, we hope to have decent weather and big smiles!

~Allissa Parker

Monday, August 8th

Today was yet another beautiful day filled with excitement!

We awoke this morning to a lovely breakfast of chocolate chip bread which we all quickly devoured! We had cereal to help fill us up along with the bread! We then went back and started cleaning our cabins! It was a fulfilled day with weather that was perfect for just about everything. However, our sailors were a bit disappointed with the lack of wind but for the rest of our boaters everyone as happy! Our swimmers had a great time in the water. We sang songs while trending water and many other classes dove for rings! Arts and crafts has been quite fun for everyone. We have been working hard on our projects with the end of the session growing nearer! Sports class was filled with fun games for everyone.

Lunch was tasty with a meal of meatloaf and mashed potatoes. Many of the campers were surprised at how much they enjoyed the meatloaf when many of them do not like it at home! Dessert was butterscotch pudding which was seen on everyone's table! 

Rest hour went nicely for everyone and our general swim was great because everyone was excited to get into the water! Even our counsellors took a quick dip in the water at the end of our buddy check when all of our campers had been accounted for! 

Fourth period seemed to fly by because everyone seemed excited for activity period! Some of our counsellors offered water aerobics and jumping off the tower! Six lucky girls went off onto the lake on paddle boards and many more played in an intense tournament of tether ball!

After a tiring and exciting activity period, everyone headed up to dinner which was pulled pork sandwiches. Even this was gobbled up by everyone! 

Tonight's evening program will be a fun game known as Murder by Night! This game gives the campers a chance to play the board game Clue in real life! One of our counsellors is on their day off tonight and they are the person that is "killed". The campers have to go around and ask the counsellors where they were and who they were with to figure out if they killed the counsellor that is missing! Everyone has a ton of fun with this game and we are expecting lots of laughter with it!

Hoping for nice weather and high amount of energy to finish out the session!

~Allissa Parker

Sunday, August 7th

Sorry for the delay tonight! We are continuing the exciting and fun filled day of laughter, smiles, and of course competition! We are on our last activity of Track and Field Day!!

Our day started off with beautiful sunshine and a delicious meal of corn bread and cereal! We had jelly and butter for our spreads this morning. 

Now, instead of going to classes as we usually do, we headed up to the A-field for an exciting morning of there fun events! Each section participated in three different events: the softball throw, the running long jump, and the standing long jump. Once our top three champions were crowned for each event, every camper took part in the 50 yard dash preliminaries! Our top six girls for each section then took part in the finals for the 50 yard finals! 

We then headed down off to a nice general swim and a tasty lunch of lasagna! This was great to fill up on before we went off to a nice and relaxing rest hour! 

As soon as the bell rang ended rest hour our brave souls rushed up to the A-field for our marathon! They started off on the A-field and ran down Corduroy Road to end up half way through the A-field and then all the way down the camp road to the wash stand down on lakeside. Once this was over, every single camper took part in the Indian War Relay! This is a big camp-wide relay race that begins at the top of the camp road with two senior girls starting off the race and then going all the way down to the docks where two sets of swimmers race to get to two sets of rowboats and two sets of canoes and then back to the runners over by Hungerford and then to our final two senior swimmers who swam the entire length of aquarium and intermediate, thus ending our race!

Immediately after our relay, the next bunch of brave souls headed over to the dock to take part in some swim races in their appropriate levels! With our winners crowned, everyone checked in for another general swim!

Activity period followed with a GaGa tournament taking place and the Hunter, our big sail boat, being taken out! Many more games took place and we even got the chance to listen to some of our musically gifted campers play with Curt, our music man, in the upper lodge! 

Cookie bell rang and everyone headed to set the tables for dinner which was meatball subs with applesauce, cucumbers, and chips as sides! Everyone is now up on the A-field listening to rules for our evening program game of Pirates! This game will count for points in our Track and Field day events. This game consist of working with our team to capture the other teams treasure! Trash counts for points as well so we encourage the campers to look for trash around camp! 

Just before rules took place for our evening program game, the staff demonstrated a 440 which is another relay race! This is a race around the A-field. Campers represented their teams in the 440 and the 220!

We hope for nice weather heading into our final week of the session! 

~Allissa Parker 

Saturday, August 6th

Hello all! I apologize for not writing yesterday! I had my day off which I was sad to take! Everything went smoothly as usual yesterday with bright sunshine and a great temperature! Yesterday's evening program was a relatively new game to camp known as garbage collector. This could be thought of as field basketball. One camper stands on a chair and they are the "goalie" for their team. There are three colors of dodgeball that we use and those each signify a different point value. The object is to get as many points as possible by throwing the balls into a bucket that your "goalie" is holding. Everyone was running around and really having a fun time with it!

Today we awoke to a delicious spread of bagels with cream cheese and butter as our spreads! The weather seemed a little shaky all day but stayed clear until just recently actually. Swimmers enjoyed the water with the warm air today and the boaters had a nice time out on the lake! Sports class and arts and crafts class were both interesting and got everyone laughing and having a nice time! 

Everyone really seemed to fill up on a tasty meal of ham, noodles, and green beans with of course, chocolate pudding for dessert! Rest hour was nice for everyone but it got a bit warm towards the end of it. 

As I said earlier, the weather seemed a bit off all day so we anticipated it being colder than it was. With that in mind, we headed up for a fun game of nonstop cricket on the A-field! Everyone seemed to really have a fun time with it and because it was so warm, we ended up having our general swim after all!

We were all thankful to jump in the lake and cool down a bit after running around! Fourth period was to take place during the time of activity period so we unfortunately, did not have an activity period today! It was nice to play a game with everyone since it was not time for evening program!

Tonight's dinner was a bit different. It was the kitchen's night off again but instead of sandwiches like last Wednesday, we had hot dogs and ate in the upper lodge as usual. Although tonight, we did what we like to call "mix up"! All of the counsellors stayed at their cabin tables while each camper had to sit at a table without anyone from their cabin and without either of their counsellors at it! We like to do this to give the girls a chance to learn other people's names since they don't have to much time to do that throughout the day! Dessert was chocolate chip cookies and I had many campers ask for more cookies because they liked them so much! 

Tonight, due to a bit of rain that we got during dinner, we will be playing Minute to Win It! There are eight stations and each camper will get to do at least one station! They have a minute to complete a wide variety of tasks including sorting an entire bag of skittles by color and even getting a cookie from their foreheads into their mouths by only using the muscles on their faces! Everyone really has a great time with it and we expect some good laughs to come out of tonight's game! 

We are still hoping to have nice weather because tomorrow is Track and Field Day! 

~Allissa Parker 

Thursday, August 4th

What another beautiful day we have had today! We are so lucky to be having such lovely weather! Today, we woke up to a delicious spread of waffles with butter and of course, peanut butter! Everyone seemed to be extra hungry today with as much as they ate. 

We hurried back and cleaned our cabins to again hope for the win in cabin inspections! As everyone was finishing up, the bell rang starting first period. Our first three periods went smoothly with swimmers enjoying the water again and boaters able to row with little effort.

Camp has many crafters amongst us because today was our first full day of Secret Sister, exactly like Secret Santa! All throughout the day, campers and staff were in the arts and crafts room to make presents for their secret sisters! 

Lunch was just right for today! Ravioli was served with a side of salad and of course vanilla pudding for dessert! Heading to rest hour seemed like a blessing in disguise for everyone as we had many comments about how nice it was to sleep if only for an hour! As the bell rang, everyone was yet again happy to get into the water for general swim because of the warm weather we had today. 

Fourth period was slightly shorter because we had a visitor in place of an activity period today! A man from riverside reptiles came to visit us and even brought some reptiles for us to see! We were able to observe and learn about snakes, lizards, toads, and many more animals. He even allowed us to pet them! 

As our program finished up, we all ran up to wash our hands and get ready for dinner which was tacos with chips and applesauce on the side! The campers seemed to be extra hungry today but with our kitchen working hard we always have enough for seconds!

We are now getting ready for a fun evening program we like to call King Dodge. We should however, call it Queen Dodge during girls camp! This is another dodgeball game where if you get "out", you will have to go behind the other team and try to hit someone to get back onto your side.

A lot of energy will be needed for this game tonight and we anticipate everyone working hard! We all hope for this lovely weather to continue!

~Allissa Parker

Wednesday, August 3rd

Our wishes have come true! Such lovely weather we have had today! It started off a bit chilly this morning during a delicious breakfast of chocolate chip bread and cereal. We also had a choice of oatmeal in place of cereal which definitely seemed to help everyone warm up a bit! 

Classes went as they usually do today which was a blessing for all of us! Swimming classes went smoothly just as sports and arts and crafts did! Many of the boaters had a great day but the sailors especially did when they headed out for fourth period!

Lunch today was sweedish meatballs with mashed potatoes and squash as our sides! Everyone gobbled down the meatballs and seems to be just as excited for a tasty dessert of pears! We all seemed to be excited for rest hour and definitely in need of it because many of our youngest campers fell asleep without expecting to! 

As the bell rang ending rest hour and waking up our sleeping campers and staff, general swim began. Many comers rushed to jump into the water because the air was finally warm enough that they would not be cold during the swim!

Fourth period was great when the wind picked up for the sailors! However, it was a bit difficult for the rowboats to get going and stay going in the direction they were aiming for.

Activity period was a big hit today, what with all the water games and activities going on! Six girls went out on paddle boards while many more jumped off the tower and joined staff members in aquarium for fun games! Others played GaGa again and accompanied the LT's on the A-field for a rousing game of Nuke 'Em!

As tonight was the kitchen staff's day off, we had what we call "Eat Out" tonight. Each person at camp was made a meat sandwich if they asked for one and then as many peanut butter and jellies that they could possibly eat! A nice change is that every cabin goes to a new place around camp to eat dinner as opposed to going to their table in the lodge for dinner. Many cabins ate on docks while others headed to the council ring and picnic benches throughout camp! 

The campers rushed up to throw on their tied shoes for a fun game tonight for our evening program game! Every staff member plays a short game on the A-field while two staff members become team captains for each team. The campers have to go around and play games to win "pea-beans". These "pea-beans" are then brought down to the team captains and they take the appropriate amount of steps on a route to the A-field in an attempt to beat the other captain! The kids really love this game and are very excited for it tonight! 

We expect high energy for tonight and good weather for the upcoming days!

~Allissa Parker 

Tuesday, August 2nd

Such a lovely change of events we had here at Asto Wamah today! We all awoke to rain and dark clouds but a yummy breakfast of blueberry bread and cereal! As the day went on, it seemed to dry up a bit and classes even began to take place outside. Sports class went up to the field for some fun activities while swimming stayed out for the water and played fun rounds of Scattegories. While the boaters were not able to get out on the lake today, they did work together on drawing a boat and labeling the parts to help gain knowledge before heading out tomorrow!

For lunch, the camp enjoyed delicious chicken fingers with squash and green beans as vegetables! Apple sauce and chips were also offered as sides before creamy butterscotch pudding topped with whipped cream was brought out for dessert!

Rest hour was quite peaceful and many campers even said how they did not plan on taking a nap but in fact fell asleep and did not even realize it until the bell rang to wake them from their dreams! Fourth period was a great time for the boaters because they were finally able to head out and enjoy the water. The sailors had lovely weather out in the middle of the lake while it seemed to be a bit tricky for the rowboats to get going!

The counselors offered fun activities for the campers, including yoga, GaGa, Nuke 'Em by the LT's and even tower jumping for the brave souls willing to brave the chilly air!

At least we had grilled cheese and tomato soup for dinner to help warm us up! The kitchen worked hard in making over 250 grilled cheese! Dessert was light and fluffy chocolate cake with vanilla frosting!

Hopefully no one ate too much since our evening program tonight involves quite a lot of running! We will be playing a game called "Spies and Smugglers" which seems to be a huge hit for everyone! The "spies" attempt to tag the "smuggles" and then guess where the "smugglers" hid a piece of paper in their clothing! Each ticket has a number written on it and that number is the amount of points that can be scored by handing that in. 

Warmer weather seems to be on the radar for tomorrow and that is what we will continue hoping for!

~Allissa Parker 

Monday, August 1st

Today was yet another day of rules and instructions! We kicked off the morning with cornbread and cereal for breakfast and jelly and butter were offered as spreads for the delicious cornbread! The schedule for the typical day at camp was gone over for all of the campers and they were able to head back to their cabins and begin cleaning in hopes of winning cabin inspections today!

Once cabins were cleaned and everyone was ready for the first three classes, the swimmers found out their teachers and began showing off their strokes while the boaters learned their teachers and the parts of the boat to be ahead of the game for classes tomorrow! We went up to the A-field for sports class today to play our typical first day game of Nuke 'Em. This is a game that is played on the basketball court with a team on each side of the volleyball net. The teams work together to throw the ball over the net and get everyone on the other team out! We all learned the names of our new friends at camp!

Lunch was tasty ziti with a side of salad and fresh, diced peaches for dessert! Everyone was eager for rest hour to begin after they hit the store and signed up for the chance to go out on paddle boards and potentially the Hunter, our big sail boat, later on in the session! Six lucky girls got the chance to be the first ones to make bead bracelets this session while many more signed up for the chance as well!

General swim was short due to the rules we had to go over but everyone seemed to enjoy the water because it was warmer than the air today! Activity period was a big hit for the campers after they had a fun fourth period class. The counselors offered the chance to jump off the tower, head over to the new GaGa pit and play some games, and even head up the A-field to play a rousing game of spud with our LT's! Among these fun activities, campers continued to work hard on their bracelets and even their baskets with Carol, our basket lady. 

We all enjoyed chicken melts, chips, apple sauce, and cucumbers for dinner with chocolate pudding pie for our delicious dessert! 

Everyone is heading to throw on their tied shoes and long pants for a fun game of capture the flag tonight as our evening program! Everyone will be split into two teams and try to capture the other teams flag without getting tagged and sent to "jail"! 

We are hoping for a bit warmer weather tomorrow since we have finally finished all of our rules for the session!

~Allissa Parker 

Sunday, July 31st

What a whirlwind of activity we have had today! Every camper hurried down the camp road excited to find out their cabin for these next two weeks. We have many new campers who are quite excited for the session to begin. 

As everyone moved their belongings into the cabin, the counselors began going over activities for this session along with some general camp rules. The campers said hurried goodbyes as the camp day finally began! 

Today was filled with rules and introductions which always seems to take some time no matter how many times we have done it! As soon as everything had been discussed, our new girls went with Catherine, our water front director, to be tested for swimming. It was not necessarily a test but more of a chance for them to show what they know to Catherine. They were placed in their appropriate swimming levels and hurried off to change for dinner!

Per tradition, our dinner consisted of hot dogs and baked beans! A new addition of sweat potatoes was added! For dessert, everyone gobbled up brownies. We are all now putting on tied shoes for our traditional first night evening program game. Tonight, we will be playing a dodgeball game that we call "Medical War"! In this game, campers have the chance to be a "medic" who will "save" campers on their team if they get out by a dodgeball thrown from the other team. Everyone really enjoys this game and all of the returning campers look forward to it, along with the staff!

We look forward to an exciting session filled with fun games, activities, and good weather!

~Allissa Parker 

Talented Tuesday!!

Welcome Back Birch Blog Followers! Today was a breezy and cool day on Columbia Lake. The campers woke this misty morning and gathered around the flagpole to do our flag raising and "chicken fat". They then ventured indoors to fuel up for another busy day at Asto Wamah. Breakfast was wonderful waffles with peanut butter, maple syrup, or cereal with nectarines. The morning proceeded as usual with camp duties and morning classes. The campers are all working diligently to get their crafts to completion and to nail certain skills in their boating and swimming classes. The dinner today was  a camp favorite, Shepherds Pie ( ground beef, corn, and potatoes) baked in the oven to warm the campers' bellies. The dessert was also a camper/counselor favorite, C.P.P. (chocolate pudding pie). After a fabulous meal, campers enjoyed a longer rest hour to catch up on zzzz's. Due to how cool it was on Columbia Lake, we played a game on the field instead of going into the lake for a general swim. The game called, "All Around Town", is  a kind of camp-wide kickball game. The offense team kicks the ball to the opposing team and then the kicker has to run around their own team ( all lined up) as many times as possible to get points. The opposing team fields the ball, line up, and throw the ball through the legs of everyone on the team. Once the ball makes it all the way through the legs of the fielding team, the kicker has to stop running. The white team won the game!! Hooray!

The rest of the day went according to normal schedule although many campers used activity period to get their skits/talent show acts together by making props and doing dress rehearsals. The supper tonight was chicken fajitas with applesauce, carrots, cucumbers, and chips. Dessert was a refreshing lemon cake. The campers gathered in the upper lodge for talent night around 7:30. This session is full of talented campers! We had several comical cabin skits, beautifully soloists, fabulous musicians, and graceful dancers. It was one of the best shows i've seen at Wamah!! The campers will get an extra half hour of rest tomorrow so that they be energized for this final stretch of camp.

That's all for now followers!

-The Birch Blogger