Howdy, friends! Olive Oyl here reporting to you on this magnificent Bagel Sunday! We enjoyed some delicious carbohydrates this morning complete with lox and garlic and herb cream cheese, plus kiwi, melon, and banana. After this yummy meal we headed over to evening meeting where we heard the beautiful sounds of Meg and Tom’s bass dulcimers to start our day. Peter reminded us to think of these peaceful camp moments when we’re caught up in the routines of school or work in the winter. Taking a moment to remember the sounds of the dulcimer and the birds chirping in the morning can provide some solace on a cold winter day.

Things have been heating up around camp in preparation for the wheel. Some mysterious townspeople got taken away at meeting this morning, plus there are some wanted signs posted around camp. It’s bound to be an incredible night full of mystery, a little bit of horror, and a whole lot of pies in the face.

Jake Day was yesterday, where we all wake up early to do our cabin cheers and take cabin photos. Evening meeting and morning meeting were taped and all of this lovely footage will show up on the camp yearbook DVD sometime in the winter (maybe when we’re feeling a little blue and thinking about dulcimers).

The Brumby Program had a special treat the other day, with Jenelle the vet stopping by to show the campers how to measure a horse’s weight and use a stethoscope to listen to their insides. Check out the photos! Also be sure to catch the photos of Haley’s Comet’s trip to Isleboro from the last Lazy Day!

Last night was a very busy evening, with four different activities going on. Our younger cabins, Wombles, Avalon, LCH, Down Under, The Burrow, Paquatahnee, Fiddler’s Green and French Quarter were participating in Candy Crush. This involved the MC’s Willy Wonka and Granny trying to get their candy back, which took the shape of balls hidden all around camp that cabins had to answer riddles and complete challenges in order to find. The middle girls cabins took part in a camp classic, the Newspaper Fashion Show! Shangri-La, Valhalla, and Haley’s Comet were the three design teams, using only newspaper, masking tape, and tin foil to create three complete outfits. We saw an alien, wonderwoman, and a supermodel on the runway. The middle boys cabins of Loons, Chateau Fiasco, and Bermuda Triangle were in Deer Meadows field doing an evening of Field Day activities. These included an egg and spoon race, three legged race, water balloon pass, and the human knot. The three cabins were split into four teams and competed against each other, even though we’re really all winners at HVC! Finally, our oldest cabins, Taj, Camelot, Deer Meadows, Forbidden Planet, and Wabanaki went to the Teen Party at Community’s humble abode, Blodgett. After enjoying a nice walk up to Blodgett, they enjoyed ice cream, frisbee, soccer, and some good ol’ hanging out.

Well, that’s all for now. There’s a sense of mystery, excitement, and maybe even a little misfortune as the wheel is quickly approaching. We can’t wait! More details to come tomorrow.

Peace out,

Olive

The glorious big spoon

Hey everyone! Lady of the Lake posting on another spectacularly beautiful day. We’ve had picture perfect weather here at HVC – mid 70s and sunny. We couldn’t ask for more!

Evening meeting last night was full of surprises. Part way through, mysterious figures emerged on the roof of the dining hall, shrouded in black capes. Who are they? What are they doing? Where do they hail from? Will we find out tomorrow night, at the Wheel of Misfortune?

Last night’s meeting was also our baby food meeting! Once a session, we consume baby food – yes, the baby food that comes in a small jar – at a meeting. Peter asks for volunteers, and those folks are blindfolded in front of meeting. All of camp goes silent as Peter lifts the cap off the jar. We all listen for the seal of safety to come off. Then, Peter serves up the delicious meal! Yesterday’s flavors included ham and ham gravy, prunes, and beef and vegetable pilaf. After the volunteers have been served the delicious delicacies, they write down what their guesses as to what the flavor was. Each round, one lucky person gets an extra helping of the meal. After a few rounds of campers, AWACs and counselors go. One counselor got baby food poured all over him! At the end, Peter announced that if we wanted to see more, we’d have to show up to the Wheel on Sunday!

After dinner, we had Electives. Campers headed off to different activities, from Pirate Training (hosted by our Community Campers) to hanging out in the hot tub. Of course, there was a heated game of Capture the Flag, and Sardines, another classic. Some campers created delicious pizza cookies in the pizza oven, while others joined Brocahontas and Sporty McGee for some Brofessional Disc (Frisbee). For those campers who wanted a more art focused activity, there was mural painting, wood shop, jewelry making, fairy houses, tie dye, and glass beads. Other notable activities included a drum circle, friendship bracelets, liquid smoke (confused? That’s part of the mystery!), a dance party, skateboarding, revenge knockout, and tic-tack-toe.

The Taj campers were called out during the beginning of electives by a program director and Peter and sent to the front yard to meet their counselors. Believing they were in trouble, the group headed up Tipi Hill, only to find that their Taj Shirts were waiting at the  zip-line. The campers zipped down as the shirts were tossed at them. It was a great night, and all the campers are sporting their new shirts today.

Speaking of today – it’s Jake Day! This means that all of the cabins were filmed this morning doing their cabin cheers, and took a cabin photo. We also filmed loads at meeting, and will continue filming during the day. Be sure to be on the lookout for a camp dvd come winter!

We’re enjoying this fantastic day, and that’s all for now.

Until next time,

Lady of the Lake

Good morning, ladies and gents! Well, the sun is shining and a cool breeze is blowing on this glorious day as we embark on our second set of classes for first session! Four weekers are ready to try something new or continue with their favorite thing, while our new two weekers are just getting their feet wet in all that camp has to offer.

Last night was a rockin’ good time with the Half Moon Jug Band–everyone got up and was dancing to the beautiful music! LCH and French Quarter came up and shared what they created in their workshop earlier in the day. This included an amazing song about HVC and guacamole– both groovy and hilarious! It was a good time had by all, with everyone belting to such classics as Tuna Noodle, This Land is Your Land, and Louie Louie. After the band wrapped up we all headed back to our cabins for a good night’s sleep.

This afternoon during Interest Groups we’ll start our Valleyfest auditions! Valleyfest is the camper talent show that will take place on Monday night. Campers will come out and show us what they got, everyone is included and welcome to perform! We’re so excited to see all the amazing talent that our campers have to bring.

It’s about time for a little Community update! This past week they went berry picking with Outreach Outdoors, helped out in the Tipi garden, and tomorrow they’ll be going to nearby Camden. Later on this week they’ll also be voyaging to Acadia National Park.

Speaking of Tipis, our new bunch of Tipis campers are moving up the hill today at rest period. They’re super excited to be experiencing nature and the great outdoors. More news to come soon!

That’s all for now, be sure to look at the awesome photos and check back in tomorrow to see pictures of Haley’s Comet’s trip to Islesboro!

Ta-ta for now,

Olive

Rock Band jamming out!

Hey there, friends! Olive Oyl here with a bunch of lazy day news!

Pajama Day got off to a great start this morning, with cabins showing up fully decked out in their comfiest attire at breakfast. Be sure to check out the photos of loons in their funky headwear! After breakfast we headed over the pool for a special pool activities, with a game of Capture the Flag, Parachute games, Tennis, and of course Slip N’ Slide, reading circles, and friendship bracelets. We also filtered in and out of the red and white tent to sign up for classes, get a camp t-shirt, and a book. We also welcomed our new two-weekers, who settled into their cabins, headed to the pool for swim evals and the nurses for head checks, and met all of their new counselors and bunkmates! We’re so excited to have new faces joining us, and what a perfect and relaxing day for them to arrive!

After a yummy lunch and cabin clean and rest period, we had cabin day activities! It’s been a gorgeous day and we have definitely utilized the beautiful weather getting in the water and being outdoors. Wombles were building robot suits and Avalon went for a ride on the Tipi Zip. LCH went on a creek walk and partook in the workshop with the Half Moon Jug Band, our musical performers for the evening, so we’ll hear what they worked on tonight. Loons played knockout and helped our AWAC Max and Dan the Pottery Man with the new water fountain by the Hilton. Bermuda Triangle worked on a cabin sign and Chateau Fiasco went to the lake for some extreme art and sugar bananas. Wabanaki skipped lunch on camp and had a picnic lunch at nearby Frye Mountain. Forbidden Planet worked in the woodshop making signs for their cabin bathroom. Down Under did a camp tour and circle games, as all of their campers are new two-weekers. The Burrow did a giant finger paint and Paquatahnee did Tipi Zip and an Amazing Race scavenger hunt. French Quarter was also a part of the Half Moon Jug Band workshop, plus they made chocolate chip cookies. Fiddler’s Green did some tie-dye and Shangri-La decorated cabin t-shirts and had a dance party in the Foothills. Valhalla decorated picture frames for cabin photos and Camelot had a spa at the lake, complete with face masks, cucumbers, and painting nails. Deer Meadows played Charades and made root beer floats and Taj Mahal made some glass beads. Lastly, Haley’s Comet went off camp all day for a lovely trip to Isleboro (pictures to come tomorrow!).

We had a very exciting evening last night with the first Sharing Night, where we saw all kinds of classes show us what they’ve produced the past couple of weeks. The Tipis program came up and spoke about what they’ve been up to atop Tipi Hill (and beyond!). We also had skits from skateboarding, running, and Mosaics. We also saw videos from HVC TV and Video classes, plus Fort Building and Archery. And we of course had our many dance classes show us their moves, like contemporary, ballet, tap, lyrical, and even our Zumba class. We also had some drama with The Play and The Musical giving us a taste of their final shows, plus the Monologue class. We also heard from our music classes, guitar and ukulele. Our rock band classes performed at lunch yesterday, where they rocked out in the gazebo featuring many instruments, such as trombone, trumpet, and of course, guitar, bass, and drums.

With the last day of classes yesterday we also had some fun stuff at evening meeting, like Iron Chef’s The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly. This is where the class makes three dishes, one tasting good and looking good, one tasting good and looking bad, and one looking bad and tasting bad. The judges are unaware as to which dish is which and must try them all. Lucky them! Be sure to check out the pictures of these delightful dishes.

Well, that’s all for now! We’re off to enjoy the grooves of the Half Moon Jug Band and get a good night’s sleep (we’re already in our pajamas, so it should be pretty easy). More to come tomorrow!

So long,

Olive

Our Tipis folk!

Hey there, friends! Olive Oyl here with some news on this bright and sunny last day of classes (for the first two weeks)! It’s hard to believe that we’re nearing the halfway mark of camp. We’ve already experienced so much- multiple Cabin Nights, a trip to Lake St. George, and of course The Candy Drop, just to name a few. We also still have so much to look forward to- the Wheel of Misfortune is fast approaching, as is Valleyfest, and of course Fair Day.

Tonight’s evening program is Sharing Night, where classes get a chance to share what they’ve been working on since we first arrived. Some of the classes going up will be dance, gymnastics, guitar, and video. We can’t wait to see what everyone put together! To maximize this beautiful day, we’ll have most of the night outside the Rec Hall with a cool breeze blowing as we relax in our Crazy Creeks and see what our community has produced!

Last night’s evening program was Bazzinga, which was loads of fun. It all started at evening meeting when Peter told campers to close their eyes as counselors shuffled around to their new cabins for the night! We then had dinner with our new friends and went off to one of four activities. The older girls’ cabins played Quidditch- with Taj as Slitherin, Camelot as Ravenclaw, Deer Meadows as Hufflepuff, and Valhalla as Griffendor. We had our younger ladies playing Cascade, a ball game in the pool, which was refreshing and super fun! Our younger boys were playing Staff Hunt, where they were figuring out a list of clues and riddles in order to find hiding counselors all over camp. Lastly, the older boys were playing Man Hunt, where they first played in two teams and then switched it up to counselors versus campers.

Tomorrow marks the laziest of all lazy days, Pajama Day! All of camp will be here for a relaxing and fun day before we start our new batch of classes. Tomorrow is also especially exciting because we will be welcoming our two week campers! We’re having a reloaded Pool Activities tomorrow, where we’ll have our usual friendship bracelets and slip n’ slide, but also a game of capture the flag, a creek walk, some tennis matches, and parachute games. During this time our new campers will also be arriving, so we’ll be sure to welcome them and show them the ropes around camp. After a big cabin clean we’ll have cabin day activities, which is just like a cabin night during the day. It’s a perfect opportunity to get to know any new campers and also have some more bonding time with cabin mates. More details on these activities to come tomorrow. In the evening we’ll be enjoying a lovely performance by the Half Moon Jug Band, which is sure to get us movin’ and groovin’. Throughout the day we’ll also be filtering in to pick our new classes for the rest of the summer and get a camp t-shirt!

It’s about time for a Tipis update, as they are starting to wrap up their time together after a wonderful two weeks. The group took a camping trip to Cadillac Mountain, where they had a picnic lunch and a hike. They then built a fire, played some games, and cooked a lovely meal. There was then a bit of rain, which made for some perfect story time by the fire. They then traveled to Acadia, where the boys of Tipis hiked the Beehive Trail, which was rocky and challenging, but awesome. The girls went to Bar Harbor’s Sand Beach for a relaxing time by the ocean. They closed their time together with a circle sharing thoughts and memories, which from Tipis counselors can only be described as magical.

Speaking of magic, we had some pretty incredible strawberries both last night and this morning. Our desert last night was a strawberry shortcake made with fresh and local Maine strawberries. We had round two this morning with some strawberry sauce on our waffles. Yum!

Well, I’m off to soak up the beautiful sunshine! More updates soon!

Adios,

Olive

Twin candy drop!!!

Hey friends! It’s Lady of the Lake with more news for you all!

Yesterday’s lovely morning activities were followed by great afternoon ones. While the Older Half cleaned their cabins, the Younger Half had pool activities. Pool activities happen every lazy day for one half of the camp, and give campers a great time to relax, cool off, and hang out by the pool and do fun activities around Dear Meadows. There are always the classics like making friendship bracelets, reading circles, slip and slide and of course, swimming. Yesterday was a perfect day for everyone to take a dip, either at Lake St. George or at the pool.

At meeting, we heard the results of the cabin inspections. The Younger Half cabins were inspected by a dinosaur and her keeper trying to find a new home (two counselors dressed in quite the costumes). Some highlights of the inspection were that the dinosaur and her keeper decided that Wombles was the messiest, Loons the smelliest, LCH had the best bathroom, French Quarter was the most colorful, and that Fiddler’s is where the dinosaur was going to move in.

The Older Half Cabins were inspected by two gymnasts trying to find the best location for their gym. Among the highlights they decided that Taj was the most eerily quiet, while Deer Meadows was certainly the scariest cabin. In the end, they decided that the gym would be best placed in either Wabanaki or Shangri-La.

Then, after meeting, we headed to the dining hall for a delicious lazy day meal of pizza and colorful salad bar. Our dining hall cooks make mean pizzas in all different varieties, like Hawaiian, veggie, and white. Because it was a lazy day, we ate outside on picnic tables and under the apple tree, enjoying the sunshine after a few days of schvitz.

In true lazy day style, we had a relaxing evening program watching The Emperor’s New Groove. It was a hit among the campers, that’s for sure. And of course, the movie featured something all of us at HVC can really relate to – a llama.

After we were set in our cabins last night, we had an incredible flash thunderschvitz. For about five minutes, it poured outside, setting the perfect tone for a relaxing sleep. This morning when we woke up, it was sunny and bright once more, and so today is sure to be a spectacular day. And there was the egg bar and biscuits for breakfast, so that perfect start to a day guarantees that the rest will be great.

For morning meeting we celebrated Aloha Tuesday, which of course happens every Tuesday. Campers and counselors dress in Hawaiian shirts and skirts for the day. We also summoned the spirit animal of the day, which was the spirit of campers searching Dear Meadows for candy drop candy. Tuesday also means that it’s No Mail, No Meal! Campers will surely be writing letters during rest period to send, and if they forget, there are always postcards outside the dining hall!

We have an exciting day ahead of us, now that we are back to classes. Today is the 7th day of classes, which means that after tomorrow we’ll be picking new ones! Tomorrow’s an especially lazy Lazy Day (Pajama Day), where in addition to picking new classes, we’ll be greeting two-weeker arrivals, doing cabin day activities, and hanging by the pool. Stay posted tomorrow for news from our exciting evening program tonight and everything else that is happening here at HVC.

Until then,

Lady of the Lake

P.S. Our Tipi Village campers and counselors are currently exploring Acadia National Park, so stay tuned for some more Tipis photos. In the meantime, check out the following photo from their cabin night a few nights ago!

Enjoying some s’mores during cabin night at Tipi Village.

P.P.S. Finally check out the Candy Drop pictures! There are some really awesome ones…

Hello world! Lady of the Lake here, reporting in.

Well, of course the big news of last night was the epic Candy Schvitz of 2014 – otherwise known as the Candy Drop. As a few campers were presenting the answers to a riddle last night at evening meeting, a low flying plane was spotted heading our way. The entire camp raced to the soccer field, where it schvitzed candy on us four times. After rejoicing in the incredible drop, we headed back to meeting to read aloud the mysterious notes attached to some pieces of candy. Then we feasted at dinner, per usual.

After dinner, we had cabin night. Each of the cabins did something exciting and different. Wombles headed up to Community to hang out and play games with the campers out at the Blodgett House. Avalon had a scavenger hunt that ended with the delightful prize of s’mores. Lower Carriage House built shelters on the lake path. Loons made delicious pizza at the dragon pizza oven. Bermuda Triangle took a creek hike and then baked a cake. Chateau Fiasco also took a creek walk and then built dams and covered themselves in mud. Wabanaki painted at the basketball court right next to their cabin. Forbidden Planet also made a pizza dinner and then had s’mores at the dragon pizza oven. The Burrow made tie-dye t-shirts. Paquatahnee had a spa night and then made poem bracelets. French Quarter had a paint party at the animal house. Fiddler’s Green decorated cupcakes with different color frostings. Shangri-La headed down the Tipi Zip-Line. Valhalla had a scavenger hunt where they took pictures and it also culminated in s’mores. Camelot had a similar night, except after their scavenger hunt they made s’moritzas (s’more pizzas) in the pizza oven. Dear Meadows had a very relaxing night in the hot tub. Taj Mahal headed to the lake where they enjoyed a fantastic night of swimming and watching the sunset. Finally, Halley’s Comet played games, made stationary, and drank yummy hot chocolate. It was a great night for all, and be sure to check out the pictures.

This morning, we had a late sleep in because of the lazy day. After breakfast, the Older Half headed out to Lake St. George. We couldn’t have asked for better weather to enjoy a day at the lake. There, campers swam and enjoyed many other activities. Meanwhile, back at camp, the Younger Half cleaned their cabins and then had Candy Land day! There were activities like castle building, hopscotch, candy jewelry and hats, a candy race, a chop stick relay race, a candy toss, pin the candy, and musical chairs. We also had some characters around camp, like Princess Lolly, Ms. and Mr. Mint, Frostine, Gloppy, Grandma Nut, Jolly, and Lady Licorice. This afternoon, the Younger Half will have pool activities and the Older Half will have a rest period and time to clean up the cabin. Then, we’ll reconvene for evening meeting, dinner, and our evening program, which is a movie. The movie is still a surprise, but I’ll tell you this – the movie is about a llama!

More photos of the candy schvitz to come tomorrow, so stay tuned in.

Over and out,

Lady of the Lake

It’s here! It’s happening! It has happened!

More news to come on the amazing candy schvitz of July 6, 2014 later in the day tomorrow! Tomorrow’s a lazy day, so we’ll be posting in the afternoon.

So much more news later,

Lady of the Lake

The best of friends

Hello, friends! Olive Oyl here happy to report that the sun is once again brightly shining here at HVC!

We had a fabulous evening last night with out Under the “C” dance (combination underwater and the letter “C” theme). There were so many Creative Costumes, like carrots and rotten carrots, a chihuahua, a cactus, and of course, campers and counselors, plus some aquatic-style outfits, complete with swimsuits and goggles. The Rec Hall was abuzz with tunes and dancing, while we had a bunch of other activities going outside. There was octopus tag, costume making, face painting, go fish, and basketball. We also had a new game called Save the Ducks, where you had to use a hockey stick to move rubber ducks into a giant puddle. We also made rainbow puddles and ended up making something beautiful out of a rainy day. We also had candy fishing where you had to guess the number of swedish fish in the jar–Shangri La and Bermuda Triangle walked away the winners.

This morning marked the second Bagel Sunday of first session, and the sun definitely got the memo as our puddles are drying up and we’re soaking up some rays. Meg and Tom played on the courting dulcimer this morning and it made for a musical and beautiful start to the day. It almost seems like the perfect day to go for a little plane ride…we’ll just have to wait and see!

French Quarter and Fiddler’s Green were on our first camping trip of the session last night. They arrived back early this morning and we heard it was a great success. Many more camping trips will be leaving throughout the session, and they’re a great way to be in nature and bond with your cabin for a lovely evening. We also started our Hope Elephants trips, so be sure to check in soon for pictures!

Tonight is cabin night and campers are super excited. I’ll fill you in tomorrow on all the details and the photos. Until then, we’re enjoying the sunshine and warmth as we digest our bagels and start another awesome day of classes!

Over and out,

Olive

The twins of Hidden Valley!

Hello, friends! Olive Oyl here with some news for you on this schvitzy morning. We’ve managed to stay warm and dry despite the wet weather, holding morning meeting in the dining hall after breakfast and having outdoor classes announce their rain plans for the day. If there was one thing that lifted our spirits this morning, it was the delicious breakfast feast that lay before us. There were English muffins, eggs, cheese, ham, and all the other fixings for a breakfast sandwich. If that wasn’t enough, there was also apple cinnamon oatmeal, homemade plum jam, and an array of fresh fruit like pineapple, banana, oranges, and melon.

Our weather guy’s trusty weather report predicts that most of the rain will let up by lunchtime, and things will only get less wet as the day progresses. Our evening program, the Under the “C” dance, will definitely still be on and now quite appropriate due to the amount of ocean-like puddles around camp. We’re making good use of the rain here, with puddle jumping during interest groups and a warm sauna waiting for those who take a dip in the pool. Also during interest groups will be discussion of candy drop conspiracy theories, with rumors flying (pun intended) as PDs sport their candy drop t-shirts and campers scheme about their own crazy candy drop plots.

Last night’s evening program, the staff talent show, was a wonderful success, with our MCs introducing acts as the U.S. President and his two secret service agents looking for acts for the presidential fourth of July celebration. They definitely had a lot of local talent to choose from- there was a lot of music, with Adam singing The Cheese Song, Ivan doing an acoustic version of Britney Spears, Olivia doing some oldies on guitar, Ada singing sweetly on ukulele, and of course our lovely PDs James and Mel with a lovely piano tune. We also had Steph play flute from Peter and the Wolf, and Elise showed off her special talent of talking without opening her mouth. We had Robin do a rap about Zombies and Ross looped his voice and beat-boxed. Some of our international counselors got in touch with their homeland roots, doing a dance and lip-syncing to the Spice Girls, while AnnaClaire did her amazing Marcel the Shell voice and George did an act as his altar ego, Sporty McGee. Our final act was a big group of counselors doing a choreographed dance to I’ll Make A Man Out of You from Mulan, which was an excellent way to wrap up an evening full of laughter and talent.

We’re super excited for the dance tonight, where there’ll of course be dancing, but also underwater-themed activities and games happening around the Rec Hall. Can’t wait!

Be sure to check out the main photo of all of the twins on camp (whether or not there twin is here at HVC)! Hilary was missing her buddy Seth, who was on a super secret mission at the time…candy drop anyone? But we do have PD twin thing going on with both Shannon and Hilary as twins. So cool to see everyone that’s a part of the special twin club.

Talk to you soon,

Olive