Oh, joyous mismatched day!
Helloooooo, friends!! HAPPY DRESS IN THE DARK DAY!!! Campers and counselors alike have dressed “in the dark” this morning… meaning their clothes clash (a lot…)! Although, I think I personally spend more time picking out my mismatched clothes on this beautiful day than I do when I’m supposed to match!! We have some fabulous outfits today, including chicken hats, tutus, stripes with polka dots, and some eye-shattering colors!! And THIS JUSTIN!!!! (Geddit? Because this is the Justin Report! But it’s like “this just in!” Hahahahahahahahahaha!) PETER KASSEN IS WEARING NEW SOCKS TODAY!! Every Dress in the Dark Day for as long as anyone here on camp can remember, Peter has worn his classic Superman socks– with capes on the backs, of course! But today, Peter unveiled and debuted a new pair of Dress in the Dark Day socks! He payed homage to the classic Superman socks by wearing one, but his other foot sported a shining new Wonder Woman sock (this one also fully equipped with a functioning cape)!! What could this new addition to the classic PK outfit mean?? Perhaps Peter really DID get dressed in the dark today! Or maybe this gesture is intended to honor the female superheroes that make the world a better place every day!
At interest groups yesterday the whole camp gathered on the soccer field to watch the Soccer Team’s game!! Campers and counselors played side by side, mixed together within the teams! They fought hard, while bystanders chowed down on yummy hot dogs!! And no one can even remember who won– because everyone was so busy having a good time!!
After everyone won the soccer game, Evening Meeting held a special surprise! Our fifth-year campers received their FIVE YEAR VESTS!!! It’s an exciting honor to receive these vests, and those campers who have stuck with HVC for so many years, and who have contributed so much to this incredible place, undeniably deserve that honor! Thank you to those campers, and their folks at home, for being such an invaluable part of Hidden Valley!!
Last night we enjoyed another wonderful cabin night, with so many creative activities (as follows)!!
Loons did an egg drop from the Upper Carriage House!
LCH made Rube Goldberg obstacle courses from materials they found at the End of the World!
Avalon made a slingshot in Deer Meadows Field!
Gimme Shelter dropped stuff off the tree house!
Bermuda Triangle played Capture the Flag!
Chateau Fiasco had an astronomy night up at Tipis!
Forbidden Planet had a pancake race!
Wombles had a pool party!
Down Under made terrariums and s’mores!
French Quarter had a photo shoot with our resident photographer, Eden!
Paquatahnee joined Inge and Kristy for some glass fusing!
Shangri-La glazed the pottery projects they had previously made!
Valhalla made a yummy stir-fry dinner in the barn kitchen!
Camelot made s’mores pizzas in our pizza oven!
Wabanaki made glass beads with Carmi!
Taj Mahal had a hot tub party!
Fiddlers Green had a pool party!
Deer Meadows went to the lake with Phillie!
Halley’s Comet went jumping in the horse ring!
Everyone had a super duper time last night, check out the photos below!!
Our Community campers have been super busy recently! Yesterday they went to an elementary school in Portland and helped run some activities for students! What a treat for everyone involved!!
This morning we had a special surprise! But first, some backstory! We celebrate birthdays a little differently here than many other people do. We begin by calling up our Birthday Guru at Morning Meeting (this year she is an 80s Prom Queen/Valley Girl, you may have seen pictures of her in past posts). She announces whose birthdays we are celebrating on the given day, and leads the camp in a rousing rendition of Happy Birthday. This classic American tune is followed immediately by a rolicking rendering of the Dutch birthday song! We have sung this song for 19 years here at camp, and in that time, sung by people who don’t necessarily speak Dutch, the song has become a little warped from its original form. The current version is more of a race to see who can clap and sing the fastest, with little attention paid to the actual words we are singing. Thankfully, our resident Dutch expert, Inge, was at Meeting today, and helped us touch back with the original version she brought to camp 19 years ago! Dank je wel, Inge!! (That means “Thank you, Inge” in Dutch… Dank je wel, Google!)
We have a beautiful day ahead of us here at camp, ending with a fun evening program of Electives!! Stay tuned for pictures of that to come tomorrow!!
I’m off to find my matching socks!
Humming Bird