Camelot enjoying Quidditch!
Hey guys!
Lady of the Lake here, but first a message from Peter and Meg:
Reading the blog, you are now aware of the tremendous effort that staff put into community activities at HVC. These events are fabulous and fun, nearly impossible to produce outside the world of camp, and – in the absence of the “color war” activities at more traditional camps – enhance our efforts to create a meaningful, positive group life here. We have long believed that these positive community experiences – taken back in to the “real world” – are an ideal for young people to aspire to in their daily lives.
Even more importantly, we see so much individual growth here. Some campers are spending their 6th or 7th summers at HVC and not only are they taller, but these children have truly become themselves, making contributions all over camp, aging as role models and demonstrating that values of love, friendship and mutual support can truly be brought to life. And our brave new campers have shown that they too can make contributions – as together we build “family” life in the cabins, learn skills all over, etc. – while establishing creative independent indentures away from home.
So, there you have it … Independence and Interdependence, both at once! Our thanks go out to counselors and instructors who have set the stage odor so much success. And hats off to our campers, a truly generous, comfortable and open-minded group, always thinking outside the box, but too far! – MEG & PETER
Well, there you have it – this is a pretty great place to spend a summer. Yesterday, we had Bazzinga! At meeting, Peter had all the campers close their eyes. When they opened them, each cabin had new counselors! Kids ate with those counselors and then participated in fun evening programs with them! It was completely exciting for both campers and counselors alike.
Four different evening programs took place last night. The youngest cabins took part in a staff hunt, where they searched for hidden and camouflaged counselors. The middle girls cabins played Cascade. Cascade is played in the pool, which is divided length wise. Hundreds of colorful balls are poured into the water, and then teams compete to eliminate the balls from their side. It’s a great way to splash around in the pool and have some fun. The oldest girls played quidditch on the soccer field. Cabins painted themselves to represent their different teams and had a blast playing the fantastic game. The oldest boys had an active night as well, as they played a rousing game of man hunt.
After we gathered in the Rec Hall, Peter had the campers close their eyes once more. Counselors headed back to their original cabins, and soon order was restored. Then we all joined in on loads of camp-fire classics. We sang call and response songs, rounds, and active songs.
When we were dismissed for bed, no one headed back to their cabins. Instead, we all headed to Deer Meadows field, where we were surprised with Fireworks! We saw all sorts of incredible light displays – bright colors, fizzling fireworks, fireworks that changed as they made their way through the sky – it was truly fantastic. It really was a highlight of the summer.
The surprises kept coming this morning. It was french toast day! We’ve been eagerly waiting for french toast day all summer. In fact, we have not had french toast once this summer, including first session. But this morning, low and behold, there was french toast! For toppings, we got to lather on whipped cream, a strawberry rhubarb sauce, and of course syrup. One of our counselors, Jenny, even has a french toast shirt, and of course she wore it this morning. All of camp is just in the best of moods after that incredible wake-up!
Well, that’s the news for now.
Peace out,
Lady of the Lake
Check out all the fireworks: