Today was our first day of cool weather all summer. Everyone had a great night's sleep under their blankets and sleeping bags. We awoke to a light drizzle, but it wasn't heavy enough to keep us from our Chicken Fat! We had a hot breakfast of oatmeal and chocolate chip bread. The rain held off for our first two class periods, so some boaters and swimmers got to go in the lake! Second period boaters were caught in the middle of the lake as it began to rain, which made for an exciting row back to the dock! Everyone went back to their cabins to change into dry clothes before having third period indoors. Boating classes drew pictures to review parts of the boat. Swimming classes played Scategories. Arts and crafts classes were the lucky ones, as a big fire was crackling in the lower lodge. Everyone hung around in their cabins during counselor swim. Dinner was a rich meal of ravioli, salad, and baguettes, with peaches for dessert.
After the meal, we had an extended Rest Hour--a rare thing, but something we all enjoyed. Snuggled up in our beds, we read, listened to music, or wrote letters for an hour and a half. When the bell rang, everyone met in the upper lodge for a camp-wide game of Counselor Trivia, instead of going in for General Swim. Each cabin got a list of questions, with each question belonging to a certain counselor. The first cabin to match all the questions to the correct counselor won. It was a fun way to learn new things about the staff!
After the game, we began sometime that has never before been done at Asto Wamah. Everyone was given a "secret buddy." Each person in camp, staff and campers alike, drew the name of another camper or counselor from a hat. This person, who will remain secret until Sunday night, will be the recipient of random acts of kindness, notes, or any kind of positive recognition over the next few days. However, in order to keep one's secret buddy a secret, one must be nice to many people at once. The object of this activity is to be conscious of doing more kind things, and making one person's day a little brighter. In order to make sure everyone knew who their buddy was, we had everyone stand up one by one and introduce themselves--a great way to learn or review names!
We had shortened 4th and Activity Period. Activities included board games, Twister, hula hooping, and zumba!
After so much activity, everyone was ready for a hearty supper of cheese-steak sandwiches, carrot sticks, and chips. Dessert was a camp favorite, chocolate pudding pie--yum!
Now, campers are getting ready for an indoor evening program, a Skills Challenge. Cabins will compete against other cabins in their camp area to complete short challenges, such as the longest hula hooping, greatest number of push-ups in a minute, partner balancing acts, and picking up marbles with toes. It is a great way to have fun while staying dry!
As the cool weather continues, campers will get another good night's sleep. Hopefully, the sun will shine on Columbia lake tomorrow!
Until then,
-the Birch Blogger