Coed - Day 2!

Campers woke up for the first full day of camp this morning, and it did not disappoint!

Breakfast was waffles, cereal, and yogurt! Some campers and staff (like myself) ate our waffles with peanut butter and syrup, and to drink we had orange juice and hot cocoa.

Unfortunately, today was rainy from around 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., so all classes and activities were held indoors. Boating classes learned the rules of boating and the parts of a rowboat, while swimming classes played Scattergories! Arts and Crafts was held as usual, and sports classes were in the upper lodge.

Dinner was chicken tenders and rice, with butterscotch pudding for dessert. After the meal ended, campers went to the Camp Store to get a piece of candy for the first Rest Hour. During Rest Hour, campers have options of different quiet activities, including sleeping, reading, writing letters home, playing cards, or anything else that won't disturb the cabin!

Many counselors like to sleep during Rest Hour :)

With the weather still cold and rainy, there was no General Swim today. Instead, we had a camp-wide sing-a-long! Songbooks were handed out so that everyone could learn the words to popular camp songs, and we sang for nearly half an hour.

Tonight for supper, we had tacos! Dessert was a delicious vanilla cake, which the campers all loved! After supper was our Evening Program, and tonight we played Reverse Scavenger Hunt. In this game, each cabin brings 10 items with them and acts out different skits. The cabin with the best skit in their age group wins a point!

The rain has stopped for tonight, and the weather looks nice and sunny tomorrow! We'll have our first classes on the lake, and everyone is excited for the morning to come.

See you all tomorrow!

Sami

Welcome to Day 1 of Camp Asto Wamah Coed 2022!

Today was drop-off day, and we had a great time meeting all of the campers and their parents! We have 66 new campers this session, so there was a lot of explaining to do about the way camp runs! After campers settled into their cabins and got to know their counselors, we all met in the council ring to start going over rules. 

Once rules were done, it was time for swim classification tests! If they weren't in the water, campers played tetherball, knock-hockey, and ping pong, with a snack of peanut butter crackers to tide them over to supper.

Supper was the traditional hot dogs and tater tots, with brownies for dessert. This was the first meal with our new cook Laura, and she did great! The campers learned how to "cookee" and "dishee", which are the people from each cabin that help to set tables before meals and clear tables after we eat.

After supper we had our first Evening Program, which was Medical War! It's a massive dodgeball game on the field, where each team has two medics to keep “reviving” players during every round! Many campers had turns being a medic or a guard for the medic, and everyone enjoyed the game.

We sang a few camp songs after the game (Bill Grogan's Goat, the Moose Song, and Mrs. O'Leary) before explaining what bedtime looks like at camp! Tonight, each cabin is going to pick a book to read at night throughout the session, with the hopes of having a few campers fall asleep as their counselors read :)

Happy first day of camp!

Sami

Goodbye Summer 2021

It is sad to say that this is the last camp Birch Blog post for this summer, but there is lots to tell of our beautiful day out here on Columbia lake. The campers awoke this morning to bagels with cream cheese for breakfast, or the choice of cereal. It was a good day to have a swim class, as all of our campers were able to have a fun Friday and do something special with their class. Some went swimming to cooks dock, some jumped off the tower, others dove for rings, and some played aquarium games. Our row boating and canoeing classes were able to go out one last time, and there appeared to be lots of good news in terms of passing. Sailors were told yesterday about their level, so today they helped with the cleaning of the sailboats. This was a ton of fun, as we played lots of music and sprayed each other with water to make the cleaning more than bearable. For dinner we had baked ziti served with veggies and rolls. For dessert we had delicious chocolate cake with a whipped cream frosting. After rest hour we had an extra long general swim given how hot it was again. This afternoon we tried to keep the campers in and out of the water since it was the best thing to cool us off. For supper we had tacos and vanilla cake with vanilla frosting for dessert. We close out this session and our summer here with our traditional campfire. At campfire the campers will get their boating, swimming, and track and field awards, and of course, s’mores! With campfire also comes lots of camp songs, and I am sure it will be a great night. Thank you to everyone who has shown love to Asto Wamah this year, we greatly appreciate you. Only less than 365 until the first day of camp 2022!

The Final Banquet of Summer 2021

This morning we woke up to more heat! But before we were able to get back into the lake to cool off, we had breakfast. Today’s food: waffles! We continued on with our camp tradition of putting peanut butter and syrup on top to make it a true camp meal. After breakfast everyone headed to their morning classes. Today was a big day for many, as it was the final day to test. There seemed to be lots of smiling faces after classes, given the good news of moving on up in swimming or boating. For dinner we had a pickup meal to rid the fridge of leftovers. Plus we still needed to save some room for our big meal later in the day. Dessert was pears, and the campers of course got their candy at store right before rest hour. Everyone was chomping at the bit to get in for general swim post resting. After general swim, the day continued on as normal up until banquet. We all gathered for our thanksgiving-like meal with turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, corn, cranberry sauce, and gravy. Dessert was ice cream and the campers had a choice between chocolate chip, cookie dough, or caramel crunch. We continued with our year awards and slideshow after everyone had eaten. In the middle of the banquet festivities, we cooled everyone down with a quick dip before ending the night. We then continued with a couple more songs which led into our candlelight service. We were fortunate enough to have a beautiful night and put our candles out on the lake. It was truly a perfect ending to another great day here at Camp Asto Wamah. It is sad to say that our last day is tomorrow, but we are looking forward to it.

The Best Day at Camp All Summer!

What a day today was! It could have been a movie!

We woke up this morning with bagels and cereal for breakfast, and of course orange juice followed by hot chocolate. The weather was absolutely perfect today, making getting out of the lake the hardest part of the day. We saw many smiles from campers who were able to pass out of their swimming and boating levels this morning. For dinner, we had meatloaf with mashed potatoes, corn, and many glasses of water to stay hydrated in the heat. Dessert was marble pudding, aka chocolate and vanilla pudding together as one. After rest hour we had general swim which felt so nice as the temperature was only rising throughout the day. For activity period we had lots of fun water activities such as jumping off of the tower, going on the sunfish, paddle boarding, and going on the Hunter. For supper we had our final eat out meal. I had a great time with cabins 7 & 8 where there was lots of laughs and cookie sharing. After supper all of the campers gathered up on the A-field, when all of a sudden the staff came running up dressed head to toe in black and face paint. Tonight’s evening program… Cops and Robbers! This is a game where the staff chases the campers and steals their given piece of paper if we are able to guess the correct color. The campers have to try and find their twin number to get points. It was tons of fun, although I am pretty sure that team staff crushed team camper. Afterwards we went in for a quick evening general swim which was the perfect way to end the day. We even did something never before done: sing goodnight songs in the lake! It was a sweet and precious moment for all of camp. This day most definitely goes down in the books for one of the best at camp ever, and we are hoping for our last two days of the summer to look similar as well.

Frog Island and Carnival!

This morning the campers woke up to our new blueberry bread for breakfast. Sweet and delicious! This of course was served with orange juice and hot chocolate once the OJ was all gone. The air was humid this morning, but the temperature was still on the cooler side, making it the perfect weather for our Frog Island swim. Campers who are in level six or super stars for swimming are allowed to make the journey across the lake. We had an exception this year for our fourteen year olds in our water safety class, given our odd COVID gap year, so they got to swim as well. I heard it was a ton of fun and the campers brought back rocks as souvenirs. Our morning continued normally, as campers worked hard on their skills to pass their classes, play hard in sports, and continue on with their creativity in arts and crafts. For dinner we had lasagna, salad, and rolls—a favorite meal by most. Dessert was our chocolate pudding. After rest hour we had general swim and the afternoon continued on our regular schedule. For supper we had hamburgers and had leftovers for dessert. There was an assortment to choose from: vanilla cake, chocolate cake, sherbet, chocolate pudding pie, etc. This evening is very exciting since our amazing LTs have prepared a carnival for all of camp. The theme this session is superheroes! They are running different stations, each of which have a fun game or activity to do, and we are all looking forward to it! We are so proud of them and so thankful for all of their hard work! Until tomorrow!

Time to Catch Up

Apologies for the two day break in blogging—there has just been so much excitement and so much to do! Sunday was our track and field meet which was tons of fun. The weather was perfect for the day, as it was cooler and overcasting making it easier to run around camp. There was lots of cheering, running, jumping, swimming, and the campers loved it all. Stay tuned for updates on who won!

Today started with cinnamon bread for breakfast paired with orange juice to drink. Secret sister was announced this morning as well, which is where a camper randomly picks a name out of a hat and gets to do nice things for their person. This could be something as simple as giving them a compliment, or it could be a more timely endeavor such as painting them a tote bag. It was a windy day, making it perfect for sailing. Despite the breeze, the water today was comparable to bathwater, and the campers were eager to swim in it during their swimming lessons. For dinner we had chicken parm with spaghetti and a side salad. Desert was our delicious sweet peaches. After rest hour, we all gathered up on the field for a game of Non-Stop-Cricket. Essentially, it is like baseball, but one team keeps hitting until everyone is out rather than three outs. It was lots of fun, and close too (33-31)! For supper we munched on grilled cheese and tomato soup! Dessert was a camp favorite: chocolate pudding pie! Yum! Due to the small amounts of rain we had this afternoon, we played Murder by Night. This is a game that is like a camp version of Clue, where the campers try to find the “murderer” of a staff member on their day off. RIP Emma:( Apparently our counselor Devon was the “murderer!” The game was lots of fun, and so was today. We are looking forward to the predicted hot days ahead!

A Beautiful Day on Columbia Lake

The sun was shinning bright this morning and the heat finally started to move on in. Even before breakfast campers were talking about how excited they were to have a nice hot day at camp. For breakfast we had bagels and/or cereal, all of which was also served with orange juice. Classes could not have come any quicker, as all of the campers were so eager to hop on into the lake. The water was refreshing and most certainly felt good after being up in sports or out on a boat. For dinner we had ravioli with a side of bread, and it was delicious! Dessert was peaches, which many campers tried and liked. After rest hour we finally had a real deal general swim. There was lots of jumping off of the tower, rings being thrown, and floating around on noodles. Clearly everyone was happy to get cooled off by the lake. Our big sailboat, the Hunter, was finally able to go out today, as the conditions were perfect. The senior girls who went on it had a great time and were able to relax and have lots of laughs. Paddle boards were also taken out, and the campers enjoyed jumping off the best from what it looked like. For supper we had a camp favorite: chicken melts! Rumor has it that cabin 7 ate 40 chicken melts total! As you can see, we sure do love our chicken melts here at camp. Dessert was brownies which everyone was happy about. Evening program tonight was Step It Up, a game where you win beans at mini games and put them in a bucket. Each bucket is held by a counselor who takes a step every time they get a bean. The first team to get from point A to point B wins. The donut team was the clear winner, and it sure was a lot of fun! We are hoping for more days like today!

Rainy Day, Talent Night

This morning for breakfast: English muffins! The campers were able to top off the muffins with jam or butter, and also have cereal and orange juice. Though it was a little cloudy and rainy today we still made it a good day. In swimming, the campers were able to play Scategories—and let me tell you, it was competitive. The boats were able to make their way out once the rain let up and it looked like there was lots of fun happening out on the lake. Sports class was in the upper lodge where they were able to choose from a variety of games which sounded like a blast. Arts and crafts continued per usual! It is looking more colorful in there each day. For dinner we had Texas hash with bread. A good hardy meal for a cold and rainy day. Dessert was butterscotch pudding which appeared to be a fan favorite among the campers. After rest hour we all gathered in the upper lodge to play an assortment of board games. The campers were able to pick which game they wanted to play. We had anything from Life, to Bananagrams, to the Survival Game, all of which were convivial. For supper we had chicken patties with chips, apple sauce, and chocolate cake with vanilla frosting for dessert. Tonight’s evening program is a camp favorite… talent night! This is a great time for the campers to express themselves, bond with their cabin, and simply have a good time. I am personally looking forward to it very much. It looks as though there will be singing, dancing, acrobatics, and some good skits from both campers and staff. Fingers crossed this will be my only rainy day report to you all for this session, but even so, it was a good day at that.

First Eat-Out!

This morning the campers awoke to a camp favorite for breakfast: cinnamon bread! This of course was paired with orange juice and cereal if the campers wanted. This morning ran as usual with campers excited for their favorite classes. The sun was peaking out a little bit here and there, and hopefully we will get more sunny days soon. For dinner we had chicken tenders with rice and green beans. Dessert was pears, which many of the campers tried and were pleasantly surprised with. We love it when campers try new things! After rest hour we decided on doing a game up on the A-field rather than general swim due to the chillier weather. We played Run Around Town, which is essentially a kickball-like game where a person kicks a kickball and scores by running around their whole team. The defending team stops the other team from scoring by getting the ball and rolling it through everyone’s legs. It was so much fun and there was lots of cheering for everyone, bringing the group together as a whole. For supper tonight we had our classic eat-out since the kitchen has their days off on Wednesdays. This means that everyone was able to order a sandwich and eat them out with their cabin somewhere in camp. The docs are a very popular place, and I personally had a great time chatting and playing telephone with cabins 7 & 8 during this meal. Evening program tonight is Garbage Collector and you can currently hear all of the fun coming down from the A-field. We are hoping for warmer weather on the way and more good times!

Another Beautiful Day on Columbia Lake

The lake was perfectly still this morning when we came together as a camp for breakfast. On today’s menu: pancakes! They were a sweet start to a sweet day! Morning classes continued as normal with many very eager to best their skills in swimming and boating. The arts and crafts room floor has many more painting on it—a beautiful camp touch to the lower lodge! You could hear the cheers and laughter coming down from the sports classes up on the A-field all day. For dinner we ate baked ziti paired with delicious Italian bread and a garden salad. Dessert was peaches! Rest hour followed as usual, and after we were able to explain the rules for general swim. Since the weather has been on the cooler side, we offered an optional general swim and many were still wanting to get in the water. For those who opted out, we hosted a pretty intense gaga game that was a whole of fun! During activity period there were many campers out in the water on boats, with many friends teaching other friends how to better their skills to pass. For supper we had grilled cheese with tomato soup which was fitting given that it is still a little chilly out. Dessert was sorbet where the girls were able to choose between orange, cherry, or raspberry. I think the all around favorite is raspberry for sure. Tonight’s evening program is spies and smugglers!! There was clearly quite a bit of excitement from the cheers after the announcement that hinted it could be the game for tonight. Everything is going well and we are hopping for more days like today, maybe a little bit warmer, but we won’t complain!

Ice Cream Surprise and First Day

This morning the campers awoke to blueberry bread for breakfast! It has been a new bread this summer that everyone has loved thus far—I think the icing drizzle on top really makes it. The meal was paired with orange juice and cereal of the camper’s choice. After breakfast it was time to get ready for the first day of classes. The girls were eager to hop on into the water for their swimming classes, start up their boating skills again, play hard in sports, and have some fun creating in arts and crafts. For dinner, which is what we call lunch here at Asto Wamah, was Swedish meatballs with mashed potatoes and squash. We happily gobbled down vanilla pudding after the meal for dessert. After dinner, it was time for rest hour, a time for the campers to relax and reflect in their bunks quietly for an hour. But first… store! Before rest hour everyday campers are allowed to purchase a candy of their choice or any other necessities. After rest hour the girls gathered up to the A-field because we had a little twist to our normal day. Two of our most beloved twins at camp, Sami and Leann, had their birthday today, and their mom got an ice cream truck to come and treat the whole camp to frozen treats. I think the most popular choices were the chipwiches and the bomb pops. After this excitement we headed to fourth period to finish up our classes for today. Supper was pulled pork with chips and apple sauce, and a camp favorite, apple crisp, for dessert. Currently the girls are up on the A-field playing capture the flag which is always competitive and fun. Everyone seems very content and excited for tomorrow. Until then!

Second Girls' First Day

Welcome to our new readers, and welcome back to all of our returning Birch Blog followers! Our last session of the summer, second girls’, started today. The weather for moving in was pretty perfect, as it was not too hot or cold, and there was breeze flowing throughout camp. Happy campers came marching in with smiles and excitement, followed by the LTs who helped move in their things. After everyone was settled on in their cabins, we went around to ask the girls if they wanted to try archery or tennis during sports, their boating levels, and their swimming levels. The girls then went on tours around camp to refresh or introduce themselves the lay of the land. We then all gathered to do introductions and some general rules for camp. Afterwards we got the new girls in the water to get tested for their swimming levels. Everything went well and many were ecstatic to get in our beautiful lake. We all gathered for supper, which of course was our traditional first meal: hotdogs, tater tots, baked beans, and brownies for dessert. Evening program tonight will be our classic Medical Wars! We hope that the rain holds off! There is so much positive energy around camp— this session looks like it will be a good one! We are really looking forward to the next two weeks. Until tomorrow!

Campfire to End a Fabulous Session

This morning began with beautiful weather rolling on in for our last full day at camp. We had English muffins for breakfast! The girls were eager to get their final results for their classes, and we had many smiling faces after classes. The swim classes that had already been tested were able to go out on paddle boards, have diving contests, and/or jump off of the tower. For dinner we ate ziti and chocolate pudding for dessert. There were many more happy faces after the afternoon class with more girls passing up. We had many sailboats out this afternoon because the conditions were fantastic for sailing! For supper we had tacos and vanilla cake with chocolate frosting for dessert. Evening program tonight was our classic campfire. During it we sang many of our favorite camp songs, presented boating and swimming awards, and of course, ate s’mores. Track and field day results were also announced, with the Green Team beating the White Team. It was bittersweet to see all of the girls hugging their friends at the end of campfire—I am sure that they will all miss each other. This group was outstanding and we cannot wait to see these girls again next session or next year! Pickup is from 8AM-9:30AM, and we will see you all tomorrow! Thanks for reading this session!

Banquet!

This morning we woke up to blueberry bread for breakfast! I believe that it may be the all around favorite breakfast meal for this session. Though it was a bit chiller today, the girls were still eager to hop on into the water and boats in order to get tested for their classes. Tomorrow will be a big day, as they will all find out if they passed up to the next level. For dinner, we ate sandwiches since everyone had to save some room for our big feast later in the day. Dessert was pears. Since it was still chilly this afternoon, we decided to play a fun game called Murder by Night rather than going in for general swim. Murder by Night is kind of like real life clue where we have a fake murder at camp and the campers go around to see which one of the counselors “murdered” another staff member. The girls have to see whose alibi checks out, and whoever does not have a matching alibi may be the “murder.” After our game the day continued with activity period and counselors’ swim. Finally, it was time for banquet! Everyone chowed down on turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, corn, and cranberry sauce, followed by either cookie dough or caramel ice cream for dessert. Once the eating portion was done, we displayed our slideshow of pictures from this session, followed by camp songs, and then year awards. We finished our day with our candlelight service. It was a peaceful end to another great day. We cannot believe that there is only one full day left! This group has been amazing and we are looking forward to tomorrow!

Another Wonderful Wednesday!

We started off our day this morning with the revealing of our secret sisters. It was great to see the girls thanking one another for all of the nice things that they had done for each other. For breakfast we had a surprise… banana bread! I can say that it was delicious and filling! This morning, classes continued on as normal, although it was on the chillier side. For dinner we had beef barbecue and vanilla pudding for dessert. After rest hour we all headed up to the A-field and played Run Around Town, which is essentially a kickball game where you score points by running around your teammates. It was a close, competitive, and fun game, with the score being 20 (Team Quack)-19 (Team Moo). As the day went on, the more beautiful the weather became. Thus many of our newly passed boaters were able to go out on the lake and soak up some sun while utilizing their recently developed skills. For supper we had eat out due to the kitchen having their final night out, so we had many cabins out eating on the docks together. Tonight we have LT carnival for evening program! Their theme this year is outer space. Many of the campers are excited to see which games they have prepared. It will be fun for sure! We are looking forward to banquet tomorrow and a great last two days at camp!

What a Day!

Today started off in the best way possible… waffles with peanut butter. This amazing camp tradition is the best way to start any day, but the day only got better from there. Swimmers who were eligible were able to swim to Frog Island this morning, and very very shallow spot across the lake from camp. Swimmers are supervised by rowboats and take a leisurely pace- but it is quite the achievement! When they are done they get to add their name to the Frog Island Swim Book, the current version began in 1997, so they’re adding their names to history. Secret Sisters continued today with crafting going on all day long to spoil our Secret Sisters. It is so wonderful to see how thoughtful people are- learning about favorite activities, favorite colors- all so they can be surprised with bracelets and paintings, among other things. Tomorrow morning everyone will reveal themselves to their Secret Sister. It is so hard to believe that tomorrow is Wednesday already! Banquet and Campfire will soon be upon us, and it all comes to a close…. much too soon for my liking! We will continue to make the most of every day we have here though, fun in the sun, playing in the lake!

Secret Sisters and a Good Day

This morning for breakfast the campers awoke to cinnamon bread, back by popular demand! At breakfast, two of the senior girls announced that we would be doing secret sisters this session. Essentially, secret sister is when you choose a random name out of a bucket and do nice things for the person you chose. You can make something for them in arts and crafts, write them a nice letter, or even do something as simple as giving them a compliment. The catch is that you cannot tell them that you have them until the reveal that we will host within the next couple of days. This prompted many to start making even more arts and crafts. So far I have seen some pretty cool tote bags, bracelets, necklaces, acrostic poems, and sweet letters. I am excited to see the kindness continue around Asto Wamah via secret sister. The weather was extremely nice today, making it a great day to be in the lake. Swimming classes continued with even more girls passing up out of their levels. We really have some hard workers this session! For dinner we had noodles, ham, and sorbet for dessert to help us cool down. It was a beautiful day to be on the lake, as many campers chose to spend their activity period in the water after general swim and forth period. Supper tonight was grilled cheese and chocolate pudding pie for dessert. We had a thrilling evening program tonight, a camp favorite, Pirate Gangs! The campers clearly had lots of fun since I saw many girls covered in flour as they ran past me. We are hoping for another great day tomorrow with lots of water time and more secret sister fun!

A Day Full of Talent

This morning started off with french toast for breakfast. It was delicious! Due to the colder weather, we did alternate activities for our classes. In swim classes the campers played Scattergories which was very competitive, but loads of fun. During boating the girls were able to create people with pipes and give them a backstory. I think my favorite person had to be Willy from the 43rd of May created by cabin 8. In sports, the girls played a variety of games such as Roll or Die, Wild West Showdown, Follow the Leader, and Who’s missing. The campers continued on their projects in arts and crafts, all of which are beautiful thus far. For dinner we ate chicken parm with spaghetti. Dessert was peaches. At dinner we announced that tonight’s evening program would be talent night. So, after rest hour we gave the girls time to rehearse their acts since it was still a bit chilly for a general swim. The campers then went to their forth period class followed by activity period. For supper we chowed down on meatball grinders, followed by green and white cake for dessert. After all the anticipation it was time for the talent show! We had many great acts such as a beautiful song, “You Are My Sunshine” on the trumpet, and some great cabin skits. One cabin imitated what boys camp is like, another did an infomercial for our iconic dishee rags, and one did a bunch of mini skits as if the audience was flipping through TV channels. All around it was a great talent night filled with laughs and applause. We are hoping for better weather tomorrow so we can return to our classes, and it looks like it will be full of sunshine. Until tomorrow!

Track and Field Day!

Apologies for the two day gap in the Birch Blog, things around camp have just been so busy and fun! As all returning readers already know, track and field day is usually on Sunday, but since it is supposed to rain tomorrow we decided to push it to today. This morning the girls ate English muffins for breakfast before the start of their athletic day. After breakfast, the campers headed on up to the A-field for the morning events. This included: the softball throw, the standing long jump, and the long jump. After all the different areas of camp were able to give it their all at each station, we set up for the 50 yard dash. There was lots of cheering echoing throughout camp, and of course the sportsmanship was superb. For lunch we had a camp favorite: shepherd’s pie. Dessert was banana pudding. After the girls stuffed themselves full with food after their active morning, they were able to rest for rest hour. In the afternoon we started off with the marathon, followed by the relay triathlon, and then the swim races. It looks to me as though the green team may be in the lead! We also offered a diving contest during activity period where the top three girls won free store! Since the kitchen had another one of their nights out, we had eat out in our backyard barbecue style. Meaning that the girls were able to grab hot dogs, chips, pickles, and bug juice and pick somewhere to eat with their friends. Tonight we will finish up our track and field day with relay races and more fun events! I will be keeping you all updated on who will win first girls’ track meet! Do we think white will pull through, or will green continue to dominate?