Sleigh bells were ringing and carols were singing on this balmy summer day in the Carolinas! It was Christmas in July! Reds and greens were the colors of the day and Christmas cheer was every where. Christmas is definitely my favorite holiday…largely because of the strong tradition of family gatherings in our clan. Christmas has become our “summer vacation” too…a time to travel with our own kids as they have time away from school and since the camp world is pretty slow then. It was fun today to see our little ones with just a taste of the excitement that they must show on Christmas morning…intrigued with Santa’s visit…determined to find out who that “masked man” was. As I got older, and my faith became more important to me, Christmas began to take on new meaning…something much more of course.
Our Trips Kayaking and Trips Climbing girls left on their final BIG adventure today! The kayakers did the Ocoee River over in Tennessee today and all did great on this big Class Three and Four water, and are heading back to the Nantahala river for the Camp Cup tomorrow, an annual race and group paddling day among area camps, and they’ll finish up on the Pigeon River on Wednesday. The climbers are up in a rugged area of North Carolina in Linville Gorge at Table Rock. The weather looks great for both groups and I am a bit envious that they will be enjoying these trips and sleeping out under the stars.
Speaking of the Nantahala, all of our 8th graders will head over tomorrow for a big rafting adventure in this crystal clear…COLD water west of us past Cherokee and Bryson City. There are some 45 of them, and they will take lunch, and have a ball shooting the rapids with NOC guides. Our four-weekers are winding down some of their projects that they have been working on all session long in anticipation of camp’s end on Friday. We are very careful to make sure that activities are going strong all the way through Wednesday, even though final week activities are interspersed throughout for all to enjoy. Girls have been practicing for Wednesday night’s canoe formation and Sing Around the Lake, and for final shows (drama, dance, gymnastics, vaulting) which will happen on Thursday.
The food report: breakfast was French Toast, bacon, cereal, yogurt and boiled eggs; Lunch was grilled chicken breast sandwiches, chips, and Brown Mules for dessert (chocolate covered ice cream bars); Dinner was our traditional Christmas dinner…Roasted turkey and dressing, mashed potatoes, sweet potato casserole, green beans, salad, rolls and green and red cupcakes for dessert. Evening program was a special showing of The Grinch Who Stole Christmas and Horton Hears a Who before Santas arrival…He led everyone in carols before announcing that ice cream sundaes were waiting for all…with special peppermint topping, expertly smashed by Caroline and Emily.