AWACs!

Greetings, folks!

Our spectacular thunderschvits yesterday certainly didn’t stop us from having a truly fantastic night. We had the yummiest of suppers, with perfectly cooked pork, zesty tofu and vegetables for the vegetarians among us, supremely tasty corn muffins, and sweet and rich spice cake with homemade whipped cream. Really, what could be better?

That meal really set us off to have an amazing set of cabin nights. Cabins took camp by storm with all sorts of exciting activities!

Wombles did the classic Tipi Zip-Line, but with a major twist: they were painting! As the campers zipped away, they poured paint down onto their giant mural! The kids were incredibly energetic and had an absolute blast. The night was perfect, as campers got to be super active while creating a masterpiece.

For those craving a delicious post-dinner snack, the dragon pizza oven, per usual, was in high demand. Three cabins found their way to the dragon! Chateau Fiasco and Loons sat under the Green Red and White Tent and carefully crafted their individual savory pizzas. Counselors helped them roll out the dough and pick the perfect combination of delicious toppings. Their choices included pepperoni, cheese, and lots of veggies. When the pizzas were prepared, counselors helped pop them in the oven for a brief few moments. Soon, all the campers were munching down on their exquisite concoctions.

After having a cozy bonding session in one of our dance studios, Taj, in true Taj fashion, made Smoritzas! (S’mores pizzas, for those not familiar with the term.) The campers melted thick chocolate and ladled it over the dough. Then, they crumbled up graham crackers and spread marshmallows over it. After a brief time in the dragon, the Smortizas came out hot, gooey, and really just mouthwateringly appetizing. What a phenomenal dessert for those lovely campers!

Avalon did some fantastic finger painting in the backyard. Their artistic inclinations even expanded into a larger paint war involving lots of painty high fives. They then hunted for marshmallow sticks in the backyard and went inside the red barn to roast GIANT marshmallows. After hanging out in the comfy chairs for a bit they returned to the cabin to get ready for bed. As they began their bedtime ritual they also turned their cabin into a beautiful, diverse, and colorful scene by using glowsticks to create a glowing galaxy. One of their counselors then serenaded them with ukelele, singing songs which included the Adventure time theme song and You & I.

Lower Carriage House participated in a mass scavenger adventure (nicknamed “Local Catastrophe Heros”). They pretended there were catastrophes all around camp and they had to go and fix each one. A quite elusive bunch, they traveled anywhere and everywhere… to the End of the World and back!

Bermuda Triangle went on a foggy but peaceful hike up to the Log Cabin. Once they reached their destination they made s’mores and bonded with their fantastic cabin group. Forbidden Planet went on a mystery trip where they ended up at a candlepin bowling alley. They all had a ton of fun and got to practice their aim and technique throughout the evening.

The Burrow went in a craftier direction at the start of their cabin night. They began by painting and decorating their own mason jars. As the session goes on they plan to put cute notes in each jar to open after camp is over. They then got all their energy out through backyard games, dancing, and races. They all went to bed tired and happy.

Down Under went to the Old Dance Studio where they ate homemade cookies, drank hot chocolate and worked on crafts. These crafts included using temporary tattoo pens and making friendships bracelets. They also played some games such as The Winds are Blowing, This or That, and had a dance party in their pajamas.

French Quarter had an awesome time in (and outside!) the Hilton Dance studio. They made sea creatures out of colorful clay which included mermaids, seahorses, whales, sea turtles, and more! Once they finished up these funky creations they also played some getting to know you and tag games outside.

Paquatahnee, in line with their cabin theme (the Paquatahnee Pastries), enjoyed their evening in the barn kitchen. After baking some blue cupcakes, they decorated them with pinkish purple frosting. Once their culinary talents were put to rest they went outside to play some giant games of Ninja.

Shangri-La made some gorgeous paper lanterns while conducting impromptu sing-alongs all night. To construct the lanterns, they decorated tissue paper (in an array of colors, of course!) with doodles and notes and names of all of their cabin mates. They then attached the paper around circular wooden frames which helped to make the shape of the lanterns. At the end of each camper’s time here at HVC this summer, they will light the lanterns and let them float up into the sky. The creativity and silliness continued throughout the entire evening.

Camelot also tapped into their silly, artistic side… in the Buckhorn! They tie dyed some t-shirts and sang along to music all evening. They really enjoyed belting out to some of the Wicked soundtrack. Fiddler’s Green followed in artistic suit by personalizing flower pots with orange and yellow paint. They planted flower seeds in each pot and will tend to them throughout the session.

Valhalla had a Hawaiian Big Circle night, where they bonded and had some very enjoyable times. They also wrote messages on paper and then made paper chains out of their notes. What a cool idea!

With the campers all tucked into bed, our AWACs ran a mysterious operation in the office. They were pulled to candy sort! The AWACs also wrote cryptic messages and attached them to the candy! That means that the candy drop is coming! In fact, the AWACs held a sneak peak for those folks lucky enough to be in the office last night – they threw candy at everyone! There was plenty of candy to go around for those folks, and of course bags full are ready to fly over camp.

This morning, we all awoke to tell-tale signs of the upcoming drop. There were photos posted around camp of our AWACs rolling in candy. The AWAC shack windows were plastered in candy wrappers. Now, we’ve just got to give it our best guesses as to when the drop will be!

That wasn’t the only great surprise we woke up to! As we entered the dining hall, we were greeted by the irresistible smell of fresh pancakes. We had a pancake bar! We got fluffy pancakes hot off the press, and smothered them in flavorful toppings, like blueberry sauce and syrup.

With our bellies warm and full, we gathered for our morning meeting and then headed off to our second day of classes. The sun’s out, and it has cast an energetic spell all over camp. Plus, our puddles are beautifully painted (courtesy of Alive!, read on to find out more), so we’re surrounded by brightness. Weather-guy, today definitely is a ten!

Meanwhile, our teen programs are up and kicking! Yesterday was the first day of Alive! classes! Campers participated in activities such as Liquid Photo, Spoken Word, Sculpture Making, Alternative Firing (Pottery) and much more. In the afternoon, the group took on it’s second session of show preparation, hammering out the structure of the plot for the show to  be put on later in the session. Finally, last night Alive! had an EXTREME art night! The whole group created Jackson Pollock-inspired pieces, dyed puddles around camp, and participated in a color run to the lake where they took a quick dip to clean off. After even more showers to get the last of the paint off, the group is ready to jump back into classes and activities!

As always, check out the incredible photos and stay tuned for more!

Later alligators,

Lady of the Lake