January Update

Greetings and Good Wishes to Asto Wamah’s Friends, December 2012 was a busy month for Asto Wamah.  There were the daily and routine tasks (mostly working in the woods).  Also during December, many 15 year olds applied for a place in the Leadership Training Program by writing letters of interest.  This is also a month when we receive the names and addresses of those who would like to be added to our mailing list. (There is still time so keep that contact information coming!)

December is also when we hold the once-a-year Camp Reunion.  Luckily the Camp Reunion was not negatively impacted by any storm event this year.  An enthusiastic group of 50 campers and 25 staff arrived at the Church House in Hartford on 12/26 to reconnect with summer friends, play games, eat ice cream and be entertained by Dennis Waring, a fascinating presenter who makes music interesting and fun.  Many of those in the audience took on roles as assistants making the show all the more engaging.

2012 was a wonderful year at Asto Wamah.  Improvements to our facility were well received and welcomed.  Our camper population along with our fine staff continued to strive to make Asto Wamah the kind of summer camp that provides children with a safe and warm community where personal growth and the highest ideals of cooperate living are nurtured.

A new year is now ahead of us.   In February, the 2013 camp brochures will be mailed, registration for the summer will begin and our 104th season will be underway.  Hope you will be able to take part in this future.

Stay safe and well.  May 2013 bring you happiness and peace. Nancy

December Update

Greetings to Friends of Asto Wamah, Now that Thanksgiving is behind us, we are moving quickly toward the seasons of Christmas and Hanukkah, shopping and vacations.  Hope you are ready for all the celebrating.

I am pleased to report that all was calm at Asto Wamah in November.   Columbia Lake is now down to its usual winter level.   Hopefully it will remember to rise up to its summer depth come May.

You should soon be receiving your invitation to the Camp Reunion.  This annual event takes place at Center Church in Hartford on Wednesday, December 26th.   We meet at the Church House that is located at 60 Gold Street, (the corner of Gold and Lewis Sts.)  between the Wadsworth Atheneum and Bushnell Park.  Arrival time is 2:00.  Your parents can drop you off at the door of the Church House as there will be a staff member from the summer out on the sidewalk to greet you.  There will be a slide show from the summer of 2012, entertainment, dessert and games.  It is a wonderful time to see and reconnect with summer friends.  It is always a lot of fun and we hope you can attend.  The reunion ends at 4:00 and there will again be staff to help make sure everyone finds their rides safely.

Please RSVP online at www.campastowamah.org/rsvp or via phone (860-649-8614).   I would also appreciate the names and addresses of friends and neighbor who might be interested in being on the Asto Wamah mailing list so that they can receive a brochure in the Feb. 1^st mailing.

In case of stormy weather you can call me at 860-649-8614 to learn if the Reunion will need to be cancelled.

The coming weeks will be busy and filled with excitement.  I wish you a wonderful holiday season and the happiest of new years!

Looking forward to seeing you on the 26^th.

All best,

Nancy

November Update

Greetings to all Asto Wamah Friends, With Sandy having inflicted suffering and discomfort on so much of the region I am thinking of all of you as I write.  I hope you are well and safe and you were able to weather

the storm with little disturbance.  I was relieved to walk around Camp today and find that Sandy had spared us.  Other than some trees on the Camp Road that were all blown down in a heap, there was no damage.  That certainly will make this November easier than November of 2011.

With October behind us, I am writing to update you on the most recent events at Camp. Probably the most dramatic event of October is the scheduled lowering of Columbia Lake.  Ironically, when the dam was opened on October 15^th, the lake was at its highest level of the summer.  We all remember the record (2 feet) low level that gradually got lower and lower as the summer progressed.  In the weeks before Oct. 15^th there were a number of heavy rainstorms that brought the lake up by a few inches.  At this time you can walk from Pollywog Dock to the floating dock in the lake-bed.  As you can see from the picture taken on October 26^th, the Aquarium looks drastically different.  Now both rafts are sitting on the bottom of the lake, ready to winter there in safety.

In addition to the usual upkeep jobs, we have been working to get a new coat of paint on the White Cottage.  We are close to done.

I trust your parents have received the postcard with the 2013 schedule of sessions and fees.  It is posted on the website as well.  Hopefully a session at Asto Wamah will be in your 2013 summer plans.

Wishing you a happy November and a grateful Thanksgiving.

All best,

Nancy

October Update

Greetings to All Friends of Asto Wamah, October is here and it is time to update the blog with news from camp.

September is typically a quiet (even lonely) month at Asto Wamah especially when comparing it to the three previous months.  We were extremely happy that September 2012 came with no extreme weather events.  It saves us a lot of time if we do not have fallen trees and storm damage to deal with.

As in the rest of CT, the days are now cooler and that makes for good conditions for doing a lot of the tasks we undertake at this time of year.  Power washing buildings and maintaining the road are always necessary in September. Minor repairs such as a kick-plate on the infirmary door, a new mailbox (the old one was knocked down), repairing oarlock holders and painters on the rowboats, removing brush, mowing the field and cleaning the walk-ins so that they can be locked for the winter are a sampling of the type of jobs that keep us busy.

Probably the first and most important event at the end of the summer season is the bringing in of the rowboats and the rafts.  This year the procedure had to be adjusted for the rafts because of the low lake level.  Usually the rafts spend winter tethered to Little Dipper and Pollywog docks.  But this year there was not enough water at either location to allow us to pull them in far enough to be free of the ice that eventually will form on the lake.  The Main Dock was the only location the rafts could be floated to.  That is where they now are, soon to settle on the bottom when Columbia Lake is drained off to its winter level in a few weeks.

Can you see from the photos where all the rowboats (with the exception of the one that is ON the Main Dock) and the two rafts are located?  We hope they will have an uneventful and safe hibernation.

We trust that school, sports and all other facets of your life are going well and you are content.  Now that the days are clearly getting shorter and summer can seem like a long time ago we hope your memories of Asto Wamah still make you smile.

Always,

Nancy

Another Successful Summer

Dear Asto Wamahites,Another successful summer is now complete.  Over the 7 weeks we enjoyed 313 enthusiastic campers and a total staff of 73 loyal and hard working men and women.  Our days were filled with activities, challenges and fun as relationships were formed and a community of individuals grew into a team. The weather, although extra hot and humid, was kind to us as we were spared a number of storms that brushed by.  The level of Columbia Lake, that initially appeared as a problem, caused us to hardly miss a beat.  Thanks to creative thinking, accommodations were made and swimming and small craft took place as usual. The new “green” bathroom was a huge success.  The 6 composting toilets were clearly the first choice of campers and staff.  There was no odor and the facility was so easily maintained, clean and comfortable.   Because of this additional bathroom, the old one was less stressed and as a result worked flawless throughout the 7 weeks. We received much positive feedback about the Blog.  Gillian Carella and Kelsey Baumgarten were the major authors and deserve the credit.  We plan to augment the Blog in 2013 with pictures. We trust that all CAW participants will enter into their fall activities with added confidence. Hope your last days of summer are good ones and your memories of Asto Wamah bring a smile to your face. Always, Nancy

The End! :(

Well blog followers, it has been a great pleasure writing about the exciting happenings of summer at Camp Asto Wamah, but the end is finally upon us.  Today campers awoke to sunshine and cool breezes. As they sat down to a lovely breakfast table with platters of blueberry bread, oatmeal, cereal, orange slices, and hot chocolate/orange juice awaiting them, campers reflected upon how important and meaningful these past two weeks have been.  Don't be surprised, parents, if you arrive tomorrow and don't recognize the responsible, considerate, and compassionate young ladies waiting for you :D The daily schedule was a little altered today due to the clean-up and pack-up of camp. Senior superstars and sailors cleaned the boats and many helpers were needed to clean up arts and crafts. First period was also different because swimmers level 6 and above got to swim out to frog island and collect a rock from the bottom of the lake.  They will also get to sign the frog island log book, which has names of previous swimmers dating back many years.

Dinner was a fabulous meal of Texas Hash (ground beef, onion, rice, tomatoes, and spice!) and salad. For dessert we had Mexican pastries similar in style to a churro! YUM!!! Then we had our usual Rest HOUR!! Next campers had their last general swim! Tear :(

As I write to you now, campers are solving a mystery. One of the counselors has been murdered by another counselor (Never Fear! no counselors were actually injured for the purposes of this game). Campers are split into groups and are walking all over camp to find counselors and hear their alibis.  The counselor whose alibi doesn't make sense is the killer!!

Tonight for supper, we will enjoy a leftovers! This will include: mac n'cheese, egg and tuna salad, lasagna, and maybe chocolate cake. Ohhhh!

Then campers will enjoy our evening program of CAMPFIRE!! They will receive awards for swimming, boating,  track and field day,and cabin clean-up.  They will sing songs, eat s'mores, and enjoy the last few hours with each other.

Then they will go to bed and wake up bright and early to finish packing up and preparing for your arrival between 8:30-10am. We look forward to seeing you all then.

-The Birch Blogger <3

The Final Banquet Day of CAW 2012!

Welcome back blog followers!

The campers awoke to another beautiful day on Columbia lake. They ate a hearty breakfast of cereal, waffles with pb and maple syrup, and hot chocolate/orange juice! YUM! Campers then worked hard in classes and some even passed their  boating and swimming levels today! Campers who passed into an advanced level in boating took out boats by themselves during general swim. Campers who passed into a different swim area got a chance to swim in that area during general swim later on today. Tomorrow night they will receive their certificates at our final campfire of camp! If the campers didn't pass yet they have one more day to show their teachers their stuff.

The campers then enjoyed a lunch of egg salad, tuna salad, ham, turkey, pb and j, with pickles, chips, and pudding for dessert.  The staff then got ready for banquet! Counselors moved tables into the upper lodge, compiled the Birch Barker, and got the candles ready for the candlelight service. During rest hour, one camper was sent from each cabin to be the candlelight reader and receive their bible verse about the goodness of light. This person is chosen because of their hard work, effort, and enthusiasm for camp.

The campers went to general swim and fourth period class. Then some went jumping off the tower for the first time if they passed into level four. Other activities offered for activity period were, games on the A- field,  finishing up projects in arts and crafts, and aquarium games. Others got ready for banquet.

All cleaned up, campers went to the last Banquet of the summer! Banquet is our traditional last Thursday night meal and evening program. We started with a supper of turkey, mashed potatoes, corn, cranberry sauce, and stuffing.  We then had Shady Glen ice cream(chocolate chip cookie dough and chocolate caramel crunch) to finish this WONDERFUL meal.

We then sang lots of songs, received year awards (based on how many years you've come to camp), watched a slide show of the session, and had our candlelight service. Today the weather was perfect for putting our candles in the lake.

It was a great day at Asto Wamah. Check back here tomorrow to find out how campfire and the last day of camp went!

- The Birch Blogger

The campers awoke on this sunny

Wacky Wednesday!

Campers awoke to an early thunderstorm this wacky Wednesday! We skipped our usual flag raising and chicken fat so we wouldn't get too soaked by the downpour that followed the storm. Breakfast was a delightful meal of oatmeal, cereal, corn bread, and hot chocolate/orange juice.  Campers then got back on schedule as the clouds parted, allowing normal morning classes to begin.  Campers are still working fervently to complete levels, projects, and make the most of their last few hours at Asto Wamah. Dinner was a camp favorite (and my favorite by far!), Shepherd's Pie with salad and CHOCOLATE PUDDING PIE for dessert!!  The campers then had their normal rest hour and general swim but by the end of fourth period (during which hilltop sports found 18 four-leaf clovers, picture coming soon) or the beginning of activity period, the rain was back so campers played various board games in the lodge.

Today was the kitchen staffs day off so campers we were going to have another supper eat out night of turkey, ham, pb and j, or humus sandwiches out around camp but because of the rain we ate our sandwiches, pickles, chips, cookies, and yogurt at our normal tables.  Tonight, campers are playing a reverse scavenger hunt! This is a TON of fun.  The campers bring 10 items from their cabins to use as props in various skits the counselors give them to act out. My favorite from last session was a "boy band skit" there were a ton of One Direction acts :D

Goodnight!

-The Birch Blogger

Terrific Tuesday!!

Last night's game of cops and robbers was intense! Staff and campers had a lot of fun running through the woods! Everyone went in for a quick dip and then slept deeply after the busy day. Breakfast this morning was English muffins, bagels, oatmeal, and cereal, with hot chocolate to warm up with! Classes are getting more exciting as the second week nears completion. Level 6 swimmers are working furiously at their butterflies, and some level 3's have already passed into level 4! One of my advanced boaters today got to pass into beginning canoeing!

Dinner/lunch was pork patties, summer squash, and rice. Vegetarians got ravioli! Dessert was chocolate cherry cake-yummy!

As I write, campers are enjoying a refreshing general swim!

After, they will have 4th period and Activity Period as usual, but  then campers will go back to their cabins and get dressed up for a "dress-up supper." The theme is Dreamworks movies, such as Despicable Me, Madagascar, Over the Hedge, and Shrek. Each cabin will pick a movie, get in costume, and perform a skit at flag lowering. It is sure to be creative and hilarious!

Check back tomorrow for more Wamah updates!

-the Birch Blogger

Magnificant Monday!

The sweet smell of chocolate wafted through camp as the campers awoke this morning. Breakfast included chocolate chip bread- a favorite, as well as the usual cereal and oatmeal! Regular classes resumed today after yesterday's exciting track meet. Campers were happy to return to their usual routine and continue working on their skills in boating and swimming. It was a beautiful day on the lake for the first time in a while-no rain or clouds!

Dinner was chicken parm, spaghetti, bread, and salad, with jello and whipped topping for dessert!

The afternoon flew by, with the usual Rest Hour, General Swim, 4th period, and Activity Period. Activities today included ultimate frisbee, jumping off the tower, and arts and crafts.

As I write, "cookees" are setting tChange Permalinkshe table for supper, which is tacos!

Tonight's Evening Program is Cops and Robbers- a favorite! Campers are the robbers and counselors are the cops. Good luck to the robbers! We'll let you know tomorrow how it goes!

-the Birch Blogger

The Final Track and Field Day of Summer!

Hello Blog Followers! - Today was a cloudy but beautiful day on Columbia Lake! Campers enjoyed cinnamon swirl coffee cake, oatmeal, cereal, orange slices, and hot chocolate/orange juice for breakfast. They then went back to their cabins cleaned and got ready for the last Track and Field day of the summer. That meant for most campers, donning their green and white regalia

Yesterday, campers voted for the green and white captains of their area (hilltop, lakeside, and seniors) and those captains choose their team members. Today, green and white teams battled it out in several track and field day events instead of having our normal daily class schedule. The mornings events included: running long jump, standing long jump, the softball throw, and fifty yard dash. The campers then went in for a general swim before a dinner of ham and noodles with green beans and bread. Dessert was peaches so most looked forward to getting thier sugar from store directly after the meal.

The campers had a normal rest hour following store and then they had the option of running the marathon ( less than .5 mile) through camp.  They then got ready for the Indian War Relay, which requires that all campers participate. The campers start at the camp road and then run a baton down to the waterfront where a select few swimmers swim it out to boaters. The boaters pass it off to canoers who pass it off to more runners who bring it from Hungerford to the water again. Our top senior swimmers swim 50yards to the finishline at main dock.  It was a very exciting race! It was very windy so some boaters had a hard time, which is how white took the final lead to win the relay!

The campers then had the option of participating in swim races and then everyone went in for a general swim!

After the swim, supper was hamburgers, chips, and pickles, with green and white cake for dessert. As i write the campers are up on the field doing more events to win points for their team. They are doing an obstacle course, a soccer ball challenge, and dizzy izzy ( a spinning and running game). Anyone who placed 1st, 2nd, or 3rd today in any of the track and field events will receive a ribbon at campfire, the last night of camp(Friday).

Well that is all for now followers! We are sure to sleep well tonight!

Goodnight! -The Birch Blogger

Mid-session Saturday!

Today began with a breakfast that is camp tradition- waffles with peanut butter and syrup. It was yummy!! After breakfast, we switched bunks, so anyone on a bottom bunk who wanted a top got to switch. This also gave everyone a chance to re-organize their belongings! It was cloudy, but the rain held off for morning classes. Sailors had a thrilling class in the gusty wind! Sports classes played "nuke-em" (a reverse dodgeball game on the basketball court), with teams modeled after the Hunger Games- the Capitol vs. District 12.

Dinner was meatballs, mashed potatoes, and gravy, with chocolate-caramel cake with whipped topping for dessert. It was delicious! During the meal, the winds picked up and a thunderstorm approached, so we all moved in off the lodge porch to stay dry. Each cabin played a game together while we waited for the storm to pass. We then had a normal Rest Hour and General Swim, as the weather became sunnier.  4th period followed as usual, then Activity Period. Some of the activities today were board games in the lodge, a game on the A-field, or learning how to make hair wraps!

Since today was the kitchen's night off, supper was an "eat out" picnic of hot dogs, chips, pickles, and lemonade, with cookies for dessert. Cabins ate on the docks or at picnic tables in different spots of camp.

As I write, campers are heading up to the A-field for one of their favorite games- Pirates!!

Talk to you tomorrow!

-the Birch Blogger

Wamah's Got Talent!!

Good Evening Blog Followers!!! Today was another exciting day on Columbia Lake! Campers slept in this morning and enjoyed blueberry bread, oatmeal, peaches, cereal, and hot chocolate/orange juice! They then went back to clean their cabins and perform their usual camp duties. Classes resumed although we kept an eye on the weather report for showers and storms. Dinner was an Italian feast of lasagna, salad, and bread, with butterscotch pudding for dessert! Rest Hour brought with it rain, thunder, and a tornado watch, so campers left rest hour and instead of having our usual general swim, played board games in the lodge. They then learned some new songs, and some got to work on their arts and crafts.

Then they set their tables for a supper of grilled cheese, tomato soup, pickles, chips, carrots with heavenly cheesecake for dessert.

Tonight's evening program was talent night! Every cabin had a skit, song, or talent to show off! It was a lot of fun and full of entertaining acts! Favorites included: guitar and violin playing, singing, goofy dancing, and celebrity impersonations!!

Then it was time for bed after such a busy day!

-The Birch Blogger

A Thrilling Thursday!!

Today began with a delicious breakfast of oatmeal, cereal, and English muffins. We had our usual morning schedule. Campers are showing great improvement in their swimming and boating levels! Dinner was meatloaf, mashed potatoes, and corn, with chocolate pudding and whipped topping for dessert!

Rest Hour was wonderful and rejuvenating, and General Swim was refreshing, since today was a scorcher!

The wind picked up for 4th period, so sailors enjoyed the afternoon gusts. Activity Period included the usual popular activities, like jumping off the tower, zumba, sailing, and volleyball.

After an active day, campers enjoyed their supper of pizza, applesauce, carrot sticks, and chips, with an satisfying dessert of vanilla cake topped with chocolate frosting, chocolate sauce, and M&Ms- yum!!

As I write, campers are preparing skits, dances, or songs for tomorrow's talent show! Tonight we have another special program- a man who makes musical instruments out of "junk." He came during Session 1 and was a big hit, so we are in for a treat tonight!

-the Birch Blogger

Wonderful Day at Wamah

We had very cool weather last night- great for sleeping.  The campers did their normal "chicken fat" exercises this morning before a camp favorite breakfast of french toast. Regular morning classes this morning ran smoothly with swimming, arts and crafts, boating, and sports.  In sports class today many campers played an exhilarating game of soccer on the A-field.  The campers are enjoying projects such as pillow making, friendship bracelets, bead looms, and baskets during arts and crafts.

For the mid-day meal the campers enjoyed ravioli, salad, and chocolate cake for dinner.  Following the meal the campers went to store to buy candy or anything else they might need and went to rest hour to write letters home (hopefully), read or listen to music.  The campers are beginning to enjoy this time of the day to spend time relaxing on their bunk.

Following rest hour, the campers checked in for general swim.  We have been enjoying some fantastic weather today with a breeze that is excellent for sailing.  While I write to you many campers are out sailing on our sunfishes and the Hunter.  Other activities include jumping off the tower and playing aquarium games.

Tonight we have our first eat out of the session.  As a cabin, the counselors and campers pack a picnic basket with their sandwiches, potato chips, cookies and lemonade and find a spot around camp to eat together as a cabin.  This has always been a great bonding experience for cabins and we look forward to our first eat out of the session.

For the evening game tonight we will play a camp favorite of spies and smugglers!!

Until next time..

Emma Tuthill, Cabin Old 6

The Fun Continues!

Good Evening Blog followers! As promised- the story teller was  really cool! he told us four different stories that originated from different cultures such as African and Hatian! He captivated the audience with his charisma and goofy impersonations!

Today was a beautiful, cool morning- great for sleeping! We had oatmeal, cereal, and cornbread for breakfast, which was delicious and hearty! We had a normal morning schedule. Campers cleaned their cabins and then went to arts and crafts, sports, swimming, and boating.

Dinner was chicken fingers, rice, summer squash, carrots, and bread, with vanilla pudding and sprinkles for dessert!

Following dinner, we had a nice, relaxing rest hour, and a refreshing general swim. Campers went to 4th period- whichever class they had not had in the morning. For Activity Period, some of the activities offered were jumping off the tower, zumba, and yoga. Some campers who had signed up previously got to go on the Hunter, our big sailboat.

For supper, we had chicken fajitas, applesauce, chips, and a camp favorite for dessert- apple crisp!!

As I write, campers are getting ready to play Capture the Flag. It is sure to be an intense and exciting game!

Check back tomorrow for more updates!

-The Birch Blogger

And They're Off!! The First Day of Classes!

Welcome back blog followers! While the campers went to bed as the rain poured down, they awoke to a beautiful day of sunshine! Because it is beginning to get darker earlier, we have changed the clocks at camp so that we can have more sunshine in our daily schedule. We end our days earlier by a half hour and start the day a half hour earlier.We still wake up at 7:30 here but to the outside world it is 7am. We are on "camp time" at Asto Wamah! This morning we awoke and met around the flagpole for flag raising and the pledge of allegiance. We then did our morning exercises called, "Chicken Fat". We all spread out and do several stretches such as, toe-touches, jumping jacks, and pushups(optional). It helps the campers wake up their bodies!

Then each cabin met at their table for a breakfast of cinnamon buns, cereal, oranges, orange juice,and/or hot chocolate! Following breakfast, campers cleaned their cabins and did various camp duties around camp such as, helping out with the bathrooms, boats, sweeping the lodge, and trash. The campers  looked forward to cleaning because they know that the nurse will come around and inspect the cabins. She will choose a winning cabin in each area (hilltop, lakeside, and seniors) and at the end of camp the overall winner of inspection will get a treat!

Because of the rain yesterday, new campers were classified this morning after cabin cleanup and were put into swimming classes. Next regular swimming, boating, sports, and arts and crafts classes began.  Most classes began with rules and a review of some basic skills but tomorrow the classes will be longer and campers will have to put their skills to the test!

Dinner(lunch) was ziti with salad and jello for dessert. The campers then had their first store time (pick a candy, stamp, envelope, etc) and rest hour. Rest hour is my favorite time of day :D Campers lay on their bunks listening to music, reading, writing letters, or just resting from their very active morning!  After rest hour the whole camp had their first general swim. Then they had fourth period and activity period. Several fun activities were offered today. Tower jumping, water polo, and spoons were a few of the choices.

Flag lowering came next! We  gathered around the flagpole and heard who the winning cabins were for today's inspection ( cabins 2, 5, and 8 won!) Then we lowered the flag and went inside for supper!

Supper was meatball grinders, mac n' cheese, carrot sticks, apple sauce, and lemon cake for dessert!

Right now campers are having our traditional first night game of medical wars (a dodge-ball game!)  Then we are having a guest "story teller" coming right before bed! I am SO excited!

I'll have more details on tonight for you tomorrow! Cornbread and cereal for breakfast tomorrow! YUM!

-The Birch Blogger

Second Girls Session 2012!

The bunks at camp Asto Wamah are filled once again! New campers, along with some returners from last session or co-ed camp, arrived today! Parents lugged duffles and trunks in high humidity all over camp to get their campers settled in. They then hurried out of camp in search of air conditioner relief. Once all the campers unpacked their belongings, counselors played some ice-breaker games and  then took campers on tours of camp.  Typically, on the first day of camp we have swimming classification for new campers, followed by a general swim for the whole camp but thunder prevented this much needed cool down from the heat. Therefore, Nancy introduced the staff and gave camp rules and expectations inside the lodge. The whole camp played a game of counselor trivia inside the lodge. It's amazing how fast new campers have learned names and made connections to other campers! They are being great sports on such a difficult first day!

The campers enjoyed our traditional first night meal of hot-dogs, tater-tots, beans, pickles, and brownies for dessert! The campers then went back to their cabins to play more ice-breakers and vote on a book that counselors will begin reading tonight after evening program.

Tonight we are having an inside evening program because there are still threats of a thunderstorm. I believe tonight will be a 'Skills Challenge' program.  The cabins will be given a list of challenges such as, " marble pickup with feet," "best off-hand writing," "longest hoola hooper," "best auditory memory," and others. They will compete against the other cabins in their camp area, either hilltop, lakeside, or seniors. It is sure to be a fun night! Hopefully it will cool off!

Check back here tomorrow night to hear about the first day of classes. (new swimmers will be classified at the beginning of swimming period tomorrow.

-The Birch Blogger

The Last Day!

Today was a beautiful, hot summer day- perfect weather for the last full day of the session. We began the day with waffles, peanut butter, and syrup-yum!! We then had our usual morning schedule. Campers finished up their projects in Arts and Crafts, and everyone was excited to find out if they passed their levels in swimming and boating. However, those who did not pass should still be very proud of themselves- everyone worked hard and improved a lot this session! Dinner today was Texas Hash- a Mexican style rice dish with meat and tomatoes in it. For dessert we had apple turnovers, which were delicious!

It was a nice day for General Swim. Campers who had passed Level 3 or Level 4 swimming got to swim in the next deepest area of the water! Everyone made the most of their last swim by jumping off the tower or playing water games with friends.

For Activity Period, campers chose from jumping off the tower (which the new Level 4 swimmers could do for the first time!), Aquarium games, and Zumba.

Supper tonight was hamburgers with lettuce and tomatoes, chips, and applesauce, with Italian Ice for dessert- perfect for a hot evening!

As I write, campers are beginning to pack their belongings for tomorrow. Those who are finished are gathering kindling for our Awards Campfire tonight. There will be s'mores, skits, singing, and awards for swimming, boating, cabin cleanup, and LT trivia. It will be a fun way to wrap up a fantastic session!

The campers have had a lot of fun, but they are all excited to see you tomorrow!! Please come between 8:30- 10.

Thanks for reading the blog this session- talk to you next time!

-the Birch Barker

Banquet Day!!

Welcome Back followers of the Birch Blog!! Today was the first girls Banquet of the summer! We started the day off with Pixar Movie themed breakfast!! It was SO cool! Cabins came dressed as characters from Pixars, "Toy Story," "Finding Nemo," "Monsters Inc," "The Incredibles," and "Up".  They all had a short skit to go along with their outrageously funny and creative costumes.  Then the day started as usual with English Muffins, cereal, Maypo and hot chocolate. Then began an intense morning of swimming, boating, arts and crafts, and sports classes to finish the session off strong.

Dinner was tuna, egg salad, and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches with pickles and chips. Peach crisp followed this delicious meal before our Thanksgiving supper.  We had a different afternoon today in order to include a camp favorite: Pirates! We never got a chance to play it for evening program due to rainy evenings.  Campers are split into their green and white teams and search camp for their hidden treasure. Their other job is to get pirate guns (rags filled with flower). It's a lot of fun!

After the game, we had a general swim to beat the heat and then we got the lodge ready for Banquet.  Wearing their best green and white, campers arrived at the lodge for a fun night of singing, year awards, and a candlelight service. The campers are SUPER excited for thier last day tomorrow.  In preparation, they are staying silent tonight to reflect on the goodness of light and how these two weeks have affected them.

- The Birch Blogger