Girls' Camp - Day 5

What’s up everyone,

Today we were graced with another hot day and much sunlight! Breakfast was bagels and cereal with butter and jelly toppings available. With the heat came lots of water refills during meals. First period went smoothly and rest hour was extended for some extra relaxation.

We had pick-up for dinner, where we eat leftovers like meatballs, Texas hash, rice, and tacos as to not let any food we have go to waste. During activity period, we offered the classic tower jumping for campers to cool off and I also offered volleyball.

Supper was great with barbecue-sloppy-joe type sandwiches and a variety of chip types (BBQ, sour cream and onion, and regular). After supper, we were surprised with a callback to an old game not played for years that used to be a camp classic: Triad. Essentially it is a three-way soccer game with some additives for safety and fun. Apart from that, we ended the day with a quick dip to cool off after the long scorching day.

See ya tomorrow!

Max

Girls' Camp - Day 4

What’s good y’all,

Today was another hot day to follow the trend of the week so far. We had a few thunder rumblings here and there in the afternoon, but didn’t get any rain.

The day started off with some French toast layered with butter and syrup. Campers then headed back to their cabins for cabin clean-up before classes. Everyone had a great time on the lake this morning! We were lucky to have a breeze, which helped to keep us cool.

Dinner (lunch) was Texas hash, a rice dish accompanied by tomatoes and beef. We also had bread and salad with ranch. Afterwards, campers took a much needed rest before heading off to 4th period and Activity Period. Various activities were offered today, such as hair braiding, bracelet making, and Badminton!

Supper included tuna melts, veggies, and chips, with chocolate pudding for dessert. Other than the vast variety of food we had today, our evening program was a highlight of the day. Tonight, campers played Spies and Smugglers, a game where you have to either hide a ticket and smuggle it to the A-Field, or try to steal a ticket from a smuggler by guessing where they’re hiding it. Campers had a great time running in packs to try to avoid being tagged by spies! They cooled off with a quick dip in the lake before heading off to bed.

Lots of fun stuff today and lots more to look forward to!

Max

Girls' Camp - Day 3

What’s up everyone,

Today was a wonderful day, but also super hot. Luckily, we were able to stay cool in the lake all day.

For breakfast we had some delicious corn bread courtesy of chef Laura, with some butter or jelly if you wanted. They were aptly paired with cantelope slices whose aroma filled the tables around the lodge. 

We also had eat out today since it was the kitchen’s day off and were able to have a picnic-esque meal on docks or at different places around camp. Campers and staff tuned in with nature this way.

We had a lot of time in the water because of the heat, even so much so that our evening program, King Dodge (one of the best dodgeball games!) was cut short to have an evening General Swim. This was a well needed swim after everyone had sweat so much throughout the day and especially during evening program. It was a great way to cool off at the end of the day before heading off to bed.

Max

Girls' Camp - Day 2!

What’s going on everyone,

Today at Asto Wamah we woke to the classic waffle breakfast with butter or peanut butter and syrup for options. Lots of protein and very delicious! It also made for a hard meal to clean for the dishees, which are people whose job it is to help scrape off plates at the end of meals.

Today was our first full sunny day of classes where we could actually swim, boat, and do other outdoor activities. The campers really enjoyed that today! At around 90 degrees, many campers were eager to go in for general swim after rest hour.

For activity period, we had fun activities like badminton, an intense diving competition off of grey raft, and bracelet-making among other activities.

Evening program was no different in terms of fun with another classic camp game of Capture the Flag! With many rounds and after many songs, the campers got to discuss the importance of making new friends and go in for a quick dip in the lake to cool off before bed. Thus ends another spunky day at Asto Wamah!

Max

Girls' Camp - Day One!

Hey all,

The first full day of girls camp was exciting and rainy. The rain cut down on options for outdoor activities, but we still had a lot of fun today! For breakfast we had cereal and English muffins with various options to go on it like jelly, butter, and our cook Laura’s homemade cinnamon butter. 

Classes today went by quite smoothly despite the rain like some early afternoon archery. For sports we played lots of fun games like murder mystery, and some other fun indoor sports activities. Arts and crafts started off strong with many friendship bracelets and paintings. Many Frida Kahlo’s in the making.

Activity period today had many unique offerings like yoga, board games, and hair braiding! Swimming and boating classes for the first day were very rule-based and we all learned about safety all around camp. A lot of campers learned about parts of the boat for the first time!

Dinner and supper were great with meatballs and chicken patties, respectively. With the rain still coming down after supper, our traditional evening program game was reverse scavenger hunt where campers are to get one item per person from their cabin and they go to a building at camp to act out skits based on prompts given from judges.

Overall, it was a great first day and I look forward to the session continuing!

Max

Boys' Camp - Last Day!

Hello everyone!

We had warm and sunny weather for the last full day of the session, which worked out well for testing! Breakfast was English muffins and cereal, with orange juice and hot cocoa to drink.

Campers had their final cabin cleanups this morning, and the last Camp Duties as well! Tomorrow, once most parents have left, counselors will go around camp and complete any cleaning or Camp Duties that need to be done.

Sports classes had the traditional end-of-session activity of the Trust Fall, with boating and swimming classes finishing up testing. In Arts and Crafts, some campers painted on the floor to leave their marks on the Lodge.

For dinner, we had beef BBQ sandwiches, and dessert was cake or apple crisp. Rest hour was a good break for everyone after all of the testing excitement from this morning!

Campers found out if they passed their swimming classes this morning, so during General Swim, some campers got to swim in a new area. For Activity Period, one of the activities offered was jumping off of the tower, and new swimmers in Level 4 got to jump off the tower for the first time :)

Supper tonight was grilled cheese and tomato soup, with raspberry sherbet for dessert. After supper, campers headed back to their cabins to begin packing for tomorrow morning. Clothes went in hampers, shelves were cleared off, and trunks started to fill back up. With some luck, there won't be too many unclaimed items in the Lost and Found tomorrow!

Tonight for Evening Program, we had Campfire! Campers get a s'more, their boating and/or swimming awards, Track Meet awards, kitchen awards, and a piece of candy for being the cleanest cabin in their area.

We've had a wonderful time with all of the campers this session, and we'll see you tomorrow after breakfast! We hope to see everyone back next year :)

See you in the morning!

Sami

Boys' Camp - Banquet!

Hello everyone!

For breakfast today, we had french toast, along with orange juice and hot cocoa.

Classes this morning were more intense than usual: we started testing campers in swimming and boating! Some campers today swam for the first time in Intermediate or Deep Water during General Swim! In Arts and Crafts, projects have started to finish up so that everything can be taken home once the session is done. Sports classes played the ever-popular GaGa.

For dinner, we had our traditional pre-Banquet meal of sandwiches, along with chocolate cake for dessert. Rest hour was definitely needed today, and everyone was in good spirits afterwards!

Fourth period classes went on as usual, and we headed up to the A-Field to play Nonstop Cricket for Activity Period! Our version of cricket involves protecting a trash can, hitting with a tennis racket, and unlimited outs.

Tonight, supper and Evening Program were combined into Banquet. Banquet is the second-to-last night of camp, where we have a meal with turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, corn, and ice cream, and where campers are given awards for each year of camp that they have attended. It's also the night where the LT's, our counselors-in-training, are given their clipboards! We sing a lot of songs and hand out the Birch Barker, which is our camp newspaper. It has stories, articles, and the results of Track Meet, which campers were eager to see!

Tomorrow will be our last full day of camp, and it's certainly going to be busy! The weather looks partly cloudy and warm, and it's sure to be a fun-filled day.

See you all tomorrow!

Sami

Boys' Camp - Carnival!

Hello everyone!

Today started off sunny and warm, and we got to sleep in for an extra half an hour! For breakfast, we had waffles with orange juice and hot cocoa.

Classes this morning went smoothly, with a lot of swim classes focused on learning the butterfly. Sports classes got to play spikeball!

For dinner today, we had pickup! For pickup, all of the leftovers from previous meals are set out buffet-style, where we get to choose a few of our favorites to eat. Dessert was brownies!

This afternoon was too windy to have boats go out, so our 4th period Boating class ended up playing GaGa!

Supper tonight was meatball subs, with butterscotch pudding for dessert. After supper, the LT's had their carnival for Evening Program! The theme this session was Star Wars, and they performed a skit that hit all of the highlights, featuring Stormtroopers, Yoda, and Darth Vader!

Tomorrow looks sunny, but hopefully less windy than today :)

Sami

Boys' Camp - Week 2!

Hello everyone!

Yesterday was bright and sunny, and we started off the day with bagels and cereal for breakfast! After breakfast, we had cabin pictures, which are when we take the photos that you can bring home at the end of the session!

Once cabin cleanup and camp duties were done, classes were underway. Sports classes played GaGa, swimming and boating went on as usual, and Arts and Crafts had painting, friendship bracelet making, and nature class!

Dinner was chicken parmesan and spaghetti, with pears for dessert. Of course, campers also went to the Camp Store to get some candy for Rest Hour :)

Getting into the lake for General Swim felt fantastic with the sun, and everyone had a good swim! Fourth period was super windy, and we were able to take out the Hunter, our large sailboat, for the first time this summer!

Supper was pulled pork sandwiches, with cake for dessert. Our Evening Program was "Talent Night", where all campers can put together funny skits or show off a cool talent that they have! It was a lot of fun.

It looks sunny again today, so we're hoping for another nice day!

Sami

Boys' Camp - Day 7!

Hello everyone!

Today was a bright and sunny day on Columbia Lake, and the campers were excited for their classes! Breakfast was cinnamon bread and cereal, and after breakfast it was time for campers to switch their bunks. Since it's the halfway point of the session, campers have a chance to switch from the top bunk to the bottom bunk, or vice versa!

A few swimmers passed their classes today, which was great! It's always nice when someone passes early :)

For dinner, we had ravioli, baguettes, and salad. Dessert was brownies with extra chocolate chips! Once the usual candy was purchased from the Camp Store, we had a good rest hour where everyone got some energy for the afternoon.

Campers were excited to get into the lake for General Swim today, and they dove for rings, jumped off the tower, and looked for cool rocks! If it's a hot day like today, Catherine will ask counselors if they want a quick dip, and a few counselors jumped in to cool off!

Kitchen staff had a night out tonight, so we had our second version of Eat Out: hot dogs around the flagpole! We set up buffet-style stations and have counselors serve campers, who could sit anywhere to eat around the flagpole area. There was bug juice (lemonade) to drink, and cookies for dessert.

Tonight's Evening Program was King Dodge, which we played up on the A-Field. There's a normal dodgeball game going, but once you're out, you cross the center line to your enemy's jail. While you're in jail, if you can pick up a dodgeball and hit someone from the opposite team, you're free and the person you hit has to go to jail! We played a couple of rounds until there was no man standing.

After King Dodge, we headed down to the waterfront for some snacks, songs, and a quick dip! We haven't had a lot of rain this session, so the A-Field and paths around camp have started to get very dusty. The quick dip tonight was a nice way for campers to rinse off some of that dust!

It looks like another sunny day tomorrow, which is perfect for Track Meet! The second Sunday at camp is a big Track and Field day, with lots of events for campers to have fun at.

See you all tomorrow!

Sami

Boys' Camp - Day 6!

This morning the lake was still with little bits of fog on the edge of the water. It was serene… until the first bell rang. Campers rushed out of their bunks well rested and played our assortment of games down by the waterfront, including tether ball, knock hockey, and ping pong. Once all the table were set by our cookees, we rose the flag and did our daily aerobic workout, chicken fat. Waffles and peanut butter (a camp favorite) were well deserved after that!

Classes had a little bit of a slow start since the wind was somewhat chilly, but there were only smiles once the campers were in the water, boats, canoes, and sailboats. Let us tell you, these boys are incredible! Many of our campers have moved up early in swimming and boating levels—their hard work does not go unnoticed!

Yee-haw *in a southern accent,* we took a trip down South and had some Texas Hash for dinner! Texas Hash is a mix of rice, ground beef, and tomatoes, with some delicious seasoning on top. Some campers like to top it off with cheese and ranch, however the choice of ranch is always controversial. Of course there was somethin' sweet for kids after the meal, vanilla pudding! Everyone was stuffed and all ready for a good rest hour.

Our LT boys, who are training to be counselors, worked hard in the water learning some lifeguarding skills during Rest Hour, while campers were able to rest, write home, draw, play solitaire, and have some time for reflection.

Splish splash! General swim went swimmingly! Many of the campers who moved up in their swimming levels were able to swim in their new area! Yay! Some of our older campers were hard at work building a rock pile in Deep Water, while there were rings being thrown and found in Intermediate, and lots of laughs from Aquarium.

The wind had died down by the end of the day, so our sailboating classes took the opportunity to learn how to capsize during their small craft period. There was also much fun to be had in the canoes and row boats!

Trying something new! That’s the Wamah way! Tonight everyone tried steak tips on a baguette roll. Our wonderful, incredible, amazing chef, Laura, even treated us to some homemade garlic spread that was scrumptious. There was also a special treat for dessert thanks to an anonymous donor (MATT), ICE CREAM! We certainly ate well today.

Tonight, campers were up on the A-Field playing Garbage Collector! Don’t worry, we didn’t make your kids pick up trash! This is a fun game where campers have to throw balls into trashcans, which are essentially buckets. These trashcans are held by a designated person on a chair. However, it is not so easy to score points, as the opposing team can defend their trashcan. This game gets pretty crazy especially for our basketball players.

We are looking forward to another great Asto Wamah Day!
Have a nice night! Don’t let the bed bugs bite!
Julia and Lily

Boys' Camp - Day 5!

Hello everyone!

It was gorgeous and sunny all day long, and we certainly took advantage of it! Breakfast was an egg scramble, yogurt, and toast. Camp duties switched this morning, so every cabin has a new job!

Classes this morning went well, as everyone was excited to get in the lake during swim class! For dinner, we had meatloaf, mashed potatoes, and green beans, with pears for dessert.

Rest Hour was peaceful and calm, which was a nice break before General Swim. For activity period today, activities offered included basketball, jumping off the tower, and the card game Egyptian Ratscrew!

Supper tonight was chicken patties and raspberry sherbet for dessert! After supper, we headed up to the A-Field to play the game "Step It Up". In this game, campers are split into two teams, and each team has a counselor as their "robot" that follows a path. Minigames are set up around the field (dodgeball, football, CanJam, etc.), and campers can win pea beans for how well they do at each game. Each bean given to a robot means that the robot can take one step along the path. It's a race between the two teams to win enough beans to make their robot complete the course faster than the other robot!

Tomorrow looks sunny with partial cloudiness, so we're hoping for another awesome day on the lake :)

See you all tomorrow!

Sami

Boys' Camp - Day 4!

Hi, Asto Wamah followers!

We lucked out with the weather today! It was a beautiful morning, with lots of sunshine and a cool breeze. We started our morning with blueberry coffee cake and cereal, and then cleaned up cabins and completed camp duties.

The lake was busy this morning with lots of swimming, boating, canoeing, and sailing! Campers took advantage of the weather during free time. They spent time jumping off the tower, boating with friends, and fishing on the docks. We even had a special visitor this morning: a blue heron named Henrietta. She frequently makes an appearance at camp during the summer, as she also enjoys looking for fish while standing on the dock!

For dinner, we ate ziti, salad, and baguettes, and then we headed off to Store and Rest Hour. Campers were happy to cool off in the lake afterwards. Campers participated in various activities offered during Activity Period. There was a great game of GaGa, with about 30 campers, LTs, and staff!

After supper, campers participated in Spies and Smugglers for Evening Program. During this game, camp is split into two teams. When your team members are spies, you have to tag smugglers and guess where their tickets are hidden. If you don’t guess correctly, the smuggler has another chance to race up to the A-Field to successfully turn in their ticket and earn points for their team! Each team has the opportunity to spy and smuggle. Following Evening Program, campers had the opportunity to cool off with a quick dip in the lake before heading off to bed.

We are looking forward to another fun day tomorrow!

CAW Staff (Sami will return to blogging tomorrow when she is back from her day off!)

Boys' Camp - Day 3!

Hello everyone!

Breakfast today was waffles and cereal, with some campers trying out a popular combination of waffles, peanut butter, and syrup!

It's been a cloudy and cool day today, so campers didn't want to spend as much time in the lake as they did yesterday! Sports class featured GaGa, with Arts and Crafts proceeding as normal!

Dinner was chicken tenders with rice, and dessert was vanilla pudding. After eating, campers got candy at store before we all enjoyed a restful Rest Hour!

During Boating class yesterday, most of the time was spent going over the rules of boating and fishing. This morning and afternoon, campers got to go out on the lake in canoes, rowboats, or sailboats! We're expecting a few storms this evening, so there was a good amount of wind for the sailors on their first day :)

Supper was tacos with a delicious chocolate cake for dessert, and everyone enjoyed it after a long day at camp.

Evening Program tonight is a game called "Murder by Night", in which one counselor is "murdered" by another. The campers, led by our LT's (counselors in training), split off into groups to see if they can figure out the murderer first! They also have to unscramble the name of the murder weapon, as some counselors have letters to give out to each group.

Tomorrow should be in the mid-eighties and partly cloudy, so anything that gets rained on tonight should be able to dry out quickly.

Have a nice night!

Sami

Boys' Camp - Day 2!

Happy 4th of July!

Today was a bright and sunny day at camp, which was great for our first full day! Breakfast was English muffins and cereal, and afterwards, campers headed back to their cabins to get ready for the day.

In our Smallcraft (Boating) classes, campers started to learn the parts of their boat, canoe, or sailboat! Swimming classes started off with some stretches before everyone got into the water. The lake felt amazing today, and everyone was happy to get in!

Dinner (what we call lunch) was meatballs and mashed potatoes, with peaches for dessert. Next up was Rest Hour, and each camper had a chance to get a piece of candy from the Camp Store! During Rest Hour, campers and counselors spend time doing quiet activities on their bunks, like reading, writing a letter, or sleeping. Most counselors like to sleep during Rest Hour, even though the campers don't!

After Rest Hour was General Swim! General Swim is our free swim time, where campers can jump off the tower and swim with their friends.

Our last class of the day is after General Swim, which includes Boating, Arts and Crafts, and Sports class. Next up was Activity Period, where campers have some free time! Some activities offered today included ultimate frisbee and GaGa! This is also one of the times of the day when campers can take a shower, which we hope they do!

Tonight, supper was grilled cheese and tomato soup. Dessert tonight was ice cream sundaes, which we ate after Evening Program. Tonight, we played Capture-the-Flag, with the "British" versus the "Americans"! Unfortunately, team Britain won this war.

Campers are settled into bed for the night, and since the weather looks nice again for tomorrow, we should have another fun day :)

I hope you all have a good night!

Sami

First Day of Boys' Camp!

Hello everyone, and welcome to Boys’ Camp!

After drop-off yesterday, campers went to their cabins to meet their counselors and cabinmates! After some icebreakers, it was time for a tour of camp: the lodge, the bathrooms, the waterfront, the A-field, etc. Once the tours were done, it was time for Chris to introduce the staff and LTs and go over camp rules.

Since we have 29 new campers this session, we had swim classification tests after the rules, which led us right into supper (what we call dinner). Supper was hot dogs and tater tots, with brownies for dessert!

After supper, we had our first Evening Program! The traditional first game is Medical War, which is a huge game of dodgeball with two medics that can "revive" players during the rounds! Everyone had a fun time playing, and when the game was over, Chris explained how nighttime works at camp.

Once back in the cabin, counselors picked a book to read to their campers; hopefully some campers fell asleep as their counselors read :)

The weather looks warm and sunny for the 4th today, and I'm sure we'll have a good time in the lake for our first day of classes!

Have a great day!

Sami

Coed - Last Day!

Hello everyone!

Today was the last full day of coed, and there was a lot going on! For breakfast today, we had cereal and bagels, with a new cinnamon butter that Laura, our cook, made! It was delicious.

Classes today were the final chances for swim testing and boating testing, and campers found out if they had passed their classes at the end of each period. It's not very easy to pass a class during coed with only 5 days of instruction, but all of the campers made big improvements in their swimming and boating skills :)

Dinner was baked ziti, salad, and baguettes, with butterscotch pudding pie (butterscotch pudding on top of a graham cracker crust) for dessert!

Since it was so hot today, everyone at camp was happy to get in the lake for General Swim this afternoon! It was very refreshing.

We had chicken melts for supper, a camp favorite! For dessert, campers had a choice of apple crisp or butterscotch pudding pie.

With tonight being the last night before campers head home, campers and their counselors worked on packing up all nonessential items to facilitate pickup tomorrow! Once that was done, we all headed over to the Evening Program for tonight: our campfire.

At the campfire, campers received year awards, swimming awards, boating awards, and even got to have a s'more! We sang camp songs throughout the evening, before ending with our goodnight songs.

We've had a fantastic camp session this week, and all of our campers (new and returning) did great! We'll be sad to see them go, but we hope to see everyone back at camp next year :)

See you tomorrow for pickup!

Sami

Coed - Day 5!

Hello everyone!

The weather was nice and sunny all day, and it was certainly taken advantage of! Breakfast was french toast and cereal. Camp Duties switched today, and each cabin has a new job. Camp Duties include putting away dishes, helping counselors clean the bathrooms, collecting trash from each cabin, and sweeping the lodge!

Morning classes went well, and many campers were happy to get in the water and go swimming! The lake has warmed up a lot over the last few days.

Dinner was pick-up, which means that any leftovers that we've had all session were available for campers to choose to eat! It's always nice to see campers get excited when there are leftovers of their favorite meals. Dessert was a raspberry sherbet!

The afternoon went smoothly, with a peaceful rest hour, a fun general swim, and an exciting Activity Period! Some campers jumped off of the tower, and others played the game GaGa!

For supper, we had grilled cheese and tomato soup, with peaches for dessert!

Tonight's Evening Program was the camp favorite Pirate Gangs! Two teams try to attack each other with flour "guns" while searching for treasure! The team with the most points at the end wins. For an environmental bonus, the team with the most litter picked up at the end of the game wins extra points, which helps to keep the woods clean and healthy :)

Tomorrow it looks like the nice weather will hold out for a great last day of camp, and we're all looking forward to it!

Have a good night!

Sami

Coed - Day 4!

Hello everyone!

We had another gorgeous day today, and all of the campers had lots of fun! Our day started off with a breakfast of English muffins and cereal, followed by Camp Duties and getting ready for morning classes.

Dinner today was ravioli, baguettes, and salad, with a camp favorite, apple crisp, for dessert! Tonight is the kitchen staff's night off, so after eating, campers got to order a sandwich for supper! Extra staff and directors make the sandwiches before supper, and then each cabin gets to sit somewhere outside for a picnic, with lemonade, cookies, and chips as well.

Activity period featured jumping off the tower, fishing, and campers in Advanced Boating taking Beginner Boating campers out on the lake to practice their rowing skills! Some campers also fished on boats today, with all fish being released back into the water.

Tonight's Evening Program was Spies and Smugglers, where one team is trying to "smuggle" tickets with points on them up to the A-field, and the other team, the "spies" try to tag them and guess where the ticket was hidden! A few campers even had shirts with extra pockets on them to make it tough for spies to guess where their tickets were: the more pockets, the better!

Snack tonight was fresh watermelon, and we sang a few songs before heading off to bed.

Also, counselors had fun on the water today too! We like going in the lake just as much as the campers do :)

Hope you had a great day!

Sami

Coed - Day 3!

Hello everyone!

We woke up to a beautiful morning today, with no rain in sight! Breakfast was cinnamon bread and cereal, which was a great way to start off a day full of classes and fun activities.

Campers were able to have swimming class and boating class in the lake for the first time! The water felt nice today (even after the rain!), and everyone was happy to be out on the lake.

For dinner, we had Swedish meatballs and mashed potatoes, with peaches for dessert. Everyone got candy from the Camp Store once we were done, and Rest Hour seemed to fly by!

After Rest Hour came General Swim, which was a new activity for many of the campers! We started off by going over the rules and buddying up for swimming, and then got to spend around half an hour in the lake. A lot of campers decided to have fun with pool noodles, kickboards, or diving toys :)

For Activity Period today, some campers decided to jump off of the tower for the first time this session! Others decided to make friendship bracelets or go fishing.

Supper tonight was chicken patties and vanilla pudding, and for Evening Program, we played Capture the Flag. Camp Asto Wamah puts a special twist on Capture the Flag, where we have a bunch of one-on-one tug of war matches along the centerline of the field (which is what I like to do during the game!) along with the usual flag capturing. The campers were very excited every time they won!

I hope you all had a nice day!

Sami