the rest of camp

We had a fabulous rest of the week at camp and now we are trying to simultaneously get rested, wash an enormous amount of laundry, and get ready for school, which starts for Finn and Elizabeth in 2 days!  What a whirlwind of a week!  I hope to be back in this space more regularly once things calm down a bit (not sure when that might be though!)

at camp

We are at camp again this summer, our beloved camp in the mountains.  Elizabeth is the only one who joined me this year, but she is having a blast in her 5th year at this amazing place.  The photos above are just a glimpse of what she and I have been doing over the last few days.

Elizabeth is spending her time in archery, canoeing, tie-dyeing, handbuilding pottery, collaborative stick painting, weaving God's eyes, basket-weaving, hiking, face painting and running off to join her friends, both old and new.

I'm teaching knitting, cooking, various other arts and crafts, and getting in a bit of hiking, learning basketry and whatever else crosses my fancy while I'm here.

I'll fill you in on more of our adventures later in the week!

at camp

It's a different experience, to be sure, to attend camp with the kids this year rather than just send them off to camp. Instead of just being proud of the experiences they are embracing and the ways they are stretching their comfort zones while learning new skills, working hard on jobs like preparing bread and sweeping the dining hall, and gaining greater appreciation for the natural world, I get to watch in awe as I catch glimpses of these accomplishments. I only see each of the kids for a few minutes each day, either in the dining hall or in group activities, but knowing what they are participating in, and seeing the exuberance on their faces as they triumph over various challenges makes being here with them a joyful quest.

And as for my own challenges, well, I get to do things like attempt to teach 25 girls at once, how to wet felt a rock. Despite my limitations in helping 25 girls, they each caught onto the task quickly, and amazingly, we had 25 beautiful rocks in various colors felted to perfection.

{this moment} - hug a fish

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. See Soulemama to play along.

off we go...

It's hard to believe that it's been 3 years since we first dropped Paulie and Elizabeth off at camp for the first time. They seemed so tiny and exuberant about their new adventure at hand. Now it's Philip's turn to join the adventure and experience the joy of cabins and camp friends and new skills.

The best part (for me) is...

with my basket of felting supplies in hand, I get to join them this year!

I'll be sure to fill you in on all the details when we return. Have a fabulous week!

leaving camp

Our departure from camp today was fraught with all sorts of emotional ambivalence. Paulie and Elizabeth were, of course, eager to see us and excited to fill us in on all the goings-on around camp, but they were equally sad to leave their friends and the camp they love so dearly. Between gardening, dancing, canoeing and earth arts, which were Elizabeth's classes, and fishing, various sports, earth arts (with Elizabeth) and warrior training, which were Paulie's classes, they had so many new and exciting experiences that they were bubbling to tell us about.

We first approached Cabin 2 in search of Elizabeth.

And we found her with a group of amazing cabinmates.

including a warthog in disguise!

Then we headed down to find Paulie.

He was eager to show us his warrior staff.

Lightfoot, his warrior name, shows great promise in his warrior training.

A few last hugs from wonderful counsellors.

Until next year...