Thursday, July 18

Today was a very special day, it was banquet. Our day started off normal, we had banana chocolate chip bread for breakfast. After our morning classes we had sandwiches for dinner.

The big excitement today was supper. Our banquet supper is on the last Thursday of every session, except for coed. Campers and counselors dress up in their cleanest clothes for a Thanksgiving like meal. This meal consists of turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, corn, bread, and more. All filled with essential amino acids which give us protein.

Also at banquet, we debut the camp slide show filled with both funny and sweet photos from the session. Another part of the meal is year awards. Each camper is called up and given a different award depending on what year it is for them at camp. Our hardworking LTs also received their clipboards which signifies the end of their time as an LT, and the start of their time on staff! Congratulations to them!!

Finally, we end the day with candle light. Each camper and staff gets a candle and we go around the circle to light them. This is a very peaceful and reflective time about our time here at camp. The day ends in silence as campers went to go get ready for bed.

See you tomorrow for our last day at camp!

Melissa <3

Wednesday, July 17

We started off today with camp’s favorite breakfast, waffles! After breakfast was cabin pictures. Parents, look forward to seeing these pictures at pick up!

After our morning classes, we had Swedish meatballs for dinner and delicious cookie bars for dessert!

Today for activity period many campers were very excited because they were able to take out paddle boards for the first time this session! We rode them all the way out to the red buoy and the campers were able to feel it, some for the first time.

Because it is Wednesday, the kitchen had another night out and we ate sandwiches for supper. Unfortunately, due to some rain we were unable to eat around camp, and had to eat in the lodge.

The rain also led to our first rainy day evening program…reverse scavenger hunt! In this game, campers are able to bring a prop, such as chopsticks, and they work together as a cabin to put on a funny skit of an assigned topic. One of the more popular topics was “boys camp vs girls camp.”

Stay tuned for tomorrow… banquet!!

Melissa :)

Monday, July 15

After an exciting track and field day, today was back to our regularly scheduled programming. Our day started with waffles for breakfast.

One slight difference about today was during cabin cleanup we switched bunks. If the cabin counselors wanted to they allowed campers to switch from bottom to top bunk, and vice versa.

After our normal classes of swimming, boating, arts and crafts, and sports, lunch was pickup!

Pickup is what we call leftovers. It is served buffet style, cabins go up one by one and can choose what they want for lunch out of all the leftovers we have. Choices ranged from spaghetti and meatballs, to chicken melts, to hot dogs, and more.

The rest of the day was also normal. Activity period conditions of an intense Gaga tournament, as well as card games, and people going out in sunfish!

Supper was a classic meal of chicken tenders, with brownies as dessert.

Evening program was another dodgeball game called King Dodge. Dodgeball games are really fun at boys camp. Balls flying left and right, having to run around and dodge them in order to stay in the game.

I can’t believe we are already into our last week, time flies so fast!

Melissa <3

Sunday, July 14

TRACK MEET!!!!!!!! Today started off normal with English muffins for breakfast, but our regular schedule was replaced with one of the best days of the session, track meet!

Campers split into two teams, green and white, to compete in various track events. The first part of the day consisted of softball throw, running long jump, and standing long jump. Then was the 50 yard dash and a new event, a 400! Because of the heat we had an early general swim to cool down.

Lunch was track and field classic, ham and noodles! We had another break from the heat with popsicles for dessert.

After rest hour the campers ran an optional “marathon”, 0.5 miles. We then had our camp wide triathlon. Campers were either runners, swimmers, boaters, or passengers. We ran, swam, and boated throughout camp passing a baton. Following the triathlon was our last individual race, optional swim races.

Supper was meatball subs with green and white cake for dessert, depending on your team.

Evening program was some more relay races. We had typical running races, as well as fun competitions such as “Outrageous Obstacles,” “Soccer Soirée,” “Hula Hoopla,” “Kickball Khaos,” and “Ping Pong Palooza” where the winning teams won points.

We ended such a great day with songs, including a boys camp favorite, “Titanic.”

Melissa :)

Saturday, July 13

Today was a great day, especially for the counselors, because we got to sleep in an extra half hour! Due to the rain we unfortunately had to skip chicken fat and go straight into breakfast, which was bagels and cereal.

Because of the rain the first three classes were moved inside. Swimming played scattergories, boating drew pictures of boats, and sports played games inside.

Lunch was chicken parm and spaghetti, with butterscotch pudding for dessert.

Luckily the rain let up, and we were able to have a normal general swim and fourth period. After activity period the kitchen had another day off, so dinner was hotdogs by the flagpole and cookies for dessert.

Evening program was campers against counselors in an intense, but not close, game of Cops and Robbers, with counselors coming out on top. The counselors were bandits, running through the woods trying to tag and steal campers’ “treasure” before they found their partner and were safe. Counselors and campers were sweaty after that game, so we ended the night with a quick dip!

Tomorrow will be another sweaty day because it’s track meet! So stay tuned!

Melissa <3

Friday, July 12

We are back today, starting off strong with chicken fat and waffles for breakfast. Today was a great break from the heat, with intermittent showers, but not enough to effect swimming and boating! Because of the rain, there was no pogo sticking on the A field for sports. Instead, we were inside the lodge playing a fun game of “Roll or Die.”

Dinner was a camp favorite of Shepards pie, and dessert was pears. Activity period was filled with a ping pong tournament and fishing with a view of a rainbow over the lake.

Supper was another camp favorite of chicken melts. Some campers went up for sevenths and eighths!

Today was filled with camp favorites as the evening program was Pirates! Campers ran around in the woods, wearing dark clothing, engaging in pirate battles and looking for the treasure.

See you tomorrow!

Melissa :)

Wednesday, July 10

What a windy Wednesday here at Wamah! We started our day with some delicious French toast. After a normal day of classes we had Texas Hash for lunch, and vanilla pudding for dessert.

Categories was played on the tower today during general swim. “Name a cartoon character!” “Scooby Doo!” shouts the camper as he jumps!

Due to the great wind today, activity period was filled with sailboats! Many small sunfish sailboats went out, as well as the hunter, our 17-ft sailboat. It was our best sailing day so far!

Wednesdays are also special because it is our hardworking kitchen staff’s day off. Because of this we often get former and current counselors to come visit and help make sandwiches. Cabins then eat at various places around camp, including our many docks!

Evening program today was step it up. Campers participated in various activities such as tetherball, archery, dodgeball, and more. They then win beans which are used to move each team’s “robot” in a race to the flagpole.

We ended the night with some snack and songs before heading off to bed.

Best regards,

Melissa <3

Tuesday, July 9

Camp is up and active today! After our morning exercise, “chicken fat,” we relieved our hunger with bagels and cereal for breakfast.

It was another hot day today, perfect for swimming in the lake! The boats were finally able to go out, and campers learned how to rowboat, canoe, or sail.

We had another delicious meal of ravioli for lunch, and peaches for dessert before a very restful rest hour.

General swim was another great break from the heat where campers were splashing and floating around like otters!

One very popular activity during activity period is jumping off our tower, which many boys took advantage of today!

For dinner there were chicken patties, and our amazing chef Laura made some delicious cookies for dessert!

Our day finished with a fun game of garbage collector (don’t worry there was no actual garbage), and another extended quick dip to cool off before bed.

See you tomorrow for another great day!

Melissa :)

Campers jumping off the tower, and the Hunter (our large sailboat) in the background!

Monday, July 8

WOW! What an amazing first full day of camp!! We started off the day strong with waffles with peanut butter and syrup, camp’s own breakfast reese’s peanut butter cups!

After the cabins cleaned up we started our first 3 classes of the day. It was so refreshing to jump in the lake for swimming!! Sports played their classic first day game of nuk-em and the painting table was a hit in arts and crafts.

For lunch we had chicken tenders and rice, then filled up with butterscotch pudding for dessert!! Then it was the campers’ favorite part of the day…STORE!! Where they are able to pick one piece of candy! While campers were eating their candy and relaxing during rest hour, our 5 amazing LTs completed their lifeguarding prerequisites.

General swim was another great break from the heat where the whole camp was able to splash around! Then was 4th period, followed by activity period where many boys went fishing on a dock or a boat!!

Our final meal of the day was tacos, even though it’s not Tuesday. Our kitchen staff is so amazing and made some delicious chocolate cake for dessert!!

Tonight there was a camp wide game of Capture the Flag, complete with friends fighting friends in tug of war battles, it was intense! To cool off we ended this amazing day with a quick dip to cool everyone down!!

So excited to see what these two weeks will bring!

Melissa <3

Coed - July 4th!

Today was filled with Fourth of July fun! After a yummy breakfast of cinnamon bread, the campers and staff got on their patriotic outfits and the festivities began. The rain showers held off until the afternoon, so our morning classes proceeded as usual.

The counselors were dressed up on the dock wearing red white and blue, and some even had fun hats and glasses. For dinner we had an Asto Wamah favorite, sheperd’s pie. A lot of the campers had never had it before, but everyone loved it from the first bite. As a treat we had Independence Day themed cake with colorful sprinkles. After a peaceful rest hour, the campers got in the water for general swim. The Columbia Lake bald eagle made an appearance, soaring over the lake in the middle of general swim!

There was a little rain shower during 4th period, but boating class still went out! Campers watched the boat parade happening on the lake, and we saw Uconn, Olympics, and USA themed boats come by.

After a competitive king dodge game on the A field for evening program, the campers enjoyed ice cream sundaes by the flagpole. We had chocolate chip flavored ice cream, with caramel, hot fudge, whipped cream, sprinkles, and m&ms! We sang songs, and everyone went off to sleep listening to the sound of fireworks across the lake.

Happy Fourth,

Sophie and Kate

Coed - Day Three!

“Time for Chicken Fat,” said our camp director, Chris. Our morning warmup included toe touches, jumping jacks, and some campers even did push ups! After working up an appetite, the whole camp enjoyed bagels, yogurt, and perfectly ripe bananas.

The campers were more than ready for their second day. Each camper had a turn to go boating on the calm water and cooled off during their swimming classes. The A Field had many games to be played during sports classes. Footballs in the air, frizbees tossed, and laughs at the gaga ball pit displayed a perfect camp scenery.

Right on schedule, the campers set the table, kitchen staff served some wonderful Swedish Meatballs alongside some corn, potatoes, and for dessert: peaches! Very refreshing for a warm day.

Campers lined up for candy and hardworking staff handed out letters from families and friends as campers settled into their bunks for an hour of hard earned rest.

Another beautiful day for swimming, fishing, and cartwheels on the A Field for some talented campers (and staff.)

Our staff participated in a lifeguarding drill, which they practice often to perfect a life saving plan of action. This awed the campers as they cheered staff members on for this difficult task.

Our well mannered cookees grabbed chicken patty sandwich fixings after lowering the flag and finding out cabin cleanup winners.

Capture the flag for evening program was a close game. Campers and staff alike were competing in tug of war games over the center line to earn just a few more points for the game.

Tonight we had quick dip for our campers who prefer to cool off quickly before bed. A quick jump in the lake refreshes the kids and gets all of the dirt off from a full day of enjoying the outdoors.

Campers again astounded the staff today with their skills in boating, swimming, sports, and creativity in arts and crafts.

Looking forward to another beautiful day,

Kate and Sophie

Coed - Day Two!

First full day of camp!!! Woohoo!

This beautiful day was full of blue skies and the perfect warm weather for waterfront fun. The campers all had a good nights rest before first of boating, sports, swimming, and arts and crafts classes. After enjoying their waffles and peanut butter, the campers went to clean their bunks and get ready for their busy first day.

Ring ring ring! The first bell initated the campers’ start of exciting experiences. By the waterfront, a duck family swam by the swimming area as campers stretched for some swimming fun. Over at arts and crafts, creative cabin paintings and friendship-bracelet-learning was . Giggles on the way to the A Field with Drew to play Nuk’em was sure to be heard as campers grabbed an extra waffle or two for the road. Orange life jackets could be spotted from the waterfront when kids practiced their skills during free periods.

After our filling meal of chicken tenders and green beans, the whole camp settled into their bunks for rest hour alongside their choice of candy from the store.

General swim was a hit! We had swimmers eager to cool off in the water and buddy up to dive for rings and float on noodles.

Card game laughs, tower jumping splashes, and fishing pole casts were heard all around camp as soon as the Activity Period bell rang. The Hunter, camp’s beautiful sailboat, was certainly coasting, full of excited campers.

It was then time to raise the flag, give out cabin cleanup inspection awards, and enjoy some delicious tacos. After cleaning up, campers headed up to the A Field for Evening Program. We played medical war dodgeball. The goodnight song was sang as campers faced the lake and finished their Goldfish crackers.

Today was full of first day of camp excitement and we all are looking forward to an AMAZING week.

Yours truly,

Kate and Sophie

Coed - Day One!

The first day of camp was one to remember. Thunderstorms, winds moving side to side, did not stop our fearless campers and staff from getting our first session started. On this treacherous day, many had to step in to help. Generously, after a tree fell on camp road, a former counselor, now father, helped our strong staff move it out of the way in order to allow more campers to move in and families to say goodbye to their campers. Among the tree on camp road, a couple more fell on our power lines, which caused a few brief power outages as families waited for the storm to clear.

Once our fearless campers settled in to their new homes for the week, the whole camp played board games. When the storm cleared and the waterfront area was safe, campers headed down to the calm water to begin their swim tests. Everyone did so well, and will be placed in their swim classes for the week.

Next was cookee bell. Campers and staff set the tables for us to have our delicious supper. Tonight we had hotdogs, tater tots, pickles, baked beans, and for dessert: brownies!

It was then time for evening program. Due to the rain, we all played a game of Reverse Scavenger Hunt indoors. Each cabin grabbed a few props from their cabins to use in their skits. Flashlights, brooms, blankets, and sunglasses were all used in order to liven up the performance. Cabins acted out dinosaur graduations, caveman school, and many more prompts which sure brought laughs to our judges.

Our campers and staff sang many songs as we waited for Hilltop’s tree extraction to be cleaned up. New campers enjoyed “repeat after me songs” and returning campers were quick to teach and lead. 

After having animal crackers and goldfish for snack, our campers sang the Goodnight Song and went off to brush their teeth, get into pajamas, and fall asleep to their cabin’s book being read by our hardworking counselors. 

Campers and staff alike are looking forward to a beautiful day on Columbia Lake tomorrow, and to build special friendships and connections that are unforgettable.

Sophie and Kate

Happy Banquet!

Today marks one of the last days of this session…and to celebrate, we had banquet! The day started with some warm bagels for breakfast, all of our morning classes with LOTS of campers passing, and then dinner!

Dinner was a variety of sandwiches and then came rest hour!!! Definitely one of the best parts of the day. Instead of doing our typical after-rest hour general swim, the campers went up to the A-Field and played Run Around Town. They LOVED this change of pace, but did miss the warmer weather that would have allowed another swim.

Fourth period came along, then was activity period. Lexi hosted archery, Hailey hosted basketball, and there were some other varieties of activities as well!

Then came time for the best part of the day…banquet! The campers all got dressed in green and white clothes, the counselors got ready to reminisce, and we all sat in the same room to eat a huge thanksgiving dinner! Thank you to all of the guests that came! We showed a slideshow of pictures from the session, sang some songs, and then it was time for candlelight service! Campers enjoyed this sentimental tradition, and then were sent to bed and given a chance to silently reflect on the past two weeks.

Tomorrow will be our last full day of the session; we are hoping for sun!

Wednesday, August 9th

Finally, a day of great weather! We kicked the day off with some chicken fat and delicious blueberry bread. The girls worked hard in their swimming classes to perfect their strokes and get ready for testing. Many campers took out rowboats with their friends during counselor’s swim!

For Dinner, we had spaghetti and chicken melts, along with Rice Krispie treats made from scratch by the kitchen. We had a relaxing rest hour while the LT’s finished up their final lifeguarding test. Activity period was filled with fun; hair-braiding, jumping off the tower and more!

We had our last eat-out for supper. Evening program was the famous game, PIRATES!!! Green versus white… stay tuned to find out the winner.

We can’t believe banquet is already tomorrow! We are sad to see the session coming to an end, but love seeing all the strong bonds the campers have made with their peers and their counselors :)

Tuesday, August 8th

Yet another rainy day! When the wake up bell rang this morning, campers awoke to a down pouring haze outside their doors. For this reason, we slept in 30 minutes! After skipping flagpole, we had English muffins for breakfast and got on with our day!

Sports was inside for the morning since the field was too wet to use; swimming and boating were still able to run since the sun did start to peek out with only a few rain sprinkles! For dinner, we had beef barbecue (which is generally a boys’ camp meal) but nonetheless the girls enjoyed it! The best part was our dessert: vanilla pudding!

Rest hour was much needed today for counselors and then came our general swim. It was still sunny enough for this with some slight showers at the end. Fourth period passed through, activity period went well, and back to another meal! For supper we had meatball subs which were a hit!

Evening program looked a little bit different today since it was time for the LTs to showcase the carnival they have been planning all session. They decided on a Taylor Swift Eras Tour theme which the campers LOVED! There were so many activities like face paint, freeze dance, and water balloon tosses! The karaoke was probably the biggest hit of the night! It was so fun for the kids and staff! For snack, everyone got ice pops which were of course a hit! We then sang goodnight songs and got ready for bed. Everyone is eager for the warmer weather to wrap up this session! 

Monday, August 7th

Classic rainy day at Camp Asto Wamah! Although some people get bummed out from bad weather, others love to get the chance to play fun indoor games in replacement of regular classes. In sports class, we played play-doughnary (Pictionary but with play dough), and Sweeney’s famous invention- roll or die. Of course for swimming class, we played scattergories in the activity room! The morning boating classes did board games led by their instructors, and arts and crafts classes ran as they normally do.

Today’s meals were filled with some new surprises- lemon poppy seed bread for breakfast, Mac and cheese for dinner, and lemon bars for dessert after supper! We are LOVING the new meals (the mac and cheese was especially a hit). We had a nice, soothing rest hour where we relaxed to the sound of the rain drops hitting the tops of the cabins.

In replacement of general swim, we played counselor trivia! Campers had to figure out which fun fact belonged to which counselor. For activity period, we did hair braiding, friendship bracelets, board games, and ukulele lessons. Evening program was a BLAST! We played murder by night. The LTs each led a group of campers in finding out who “murdered” Fatou and how. Turns out it was her co-counselor CC! The murder weapon was dad jokes (she died of laughter). After the game, we all sang songs in the upper lodge and headed to bed. I’ve always loved a good rainy camp day :)

TRACK AND FIELD DAY!

This is the one day of our session where we have no classes and instead participate in competitive track and field activities! It’s a nice way to keep things new and interesting for campers as we enter into the second week of the session. The camp is split into two teams- green and white.

In the morning after regular camp duties, we had the standing long jump, running long jump, and throwing events. After that, we did the 50 yard dash. Then, we had an early general swim to cool off from all the excitement. Some races were so close, we had to tie for the top places!

For dinner, we had our T&F classic- ham and noodles and white/green cake for dessert. After a well-deserved rest hour, the fun and cheering resumed with the marathon and the team triathlon. The triathlon starts all the way from the start of camp road to main dock, and the last runners pass the baton to the swimmers, who pass it to the boaters, who then pass it back to the runners on Cook’s Dock, who then pass it all the way to polywog back to the final senior swimmers. Long story short, white team was the winner!

After that, we did swim races! This was a great time for everyone to be involved in something they excel at! For supper, we had pickup (leftovers) which the campers enjoy since they have unlimited choices for what they want for dinner. Following that was evening program! We all did relay events (such as obstacle courses, team building activities, etc) to allow more points for each team! Since these events went on for a bit, we went straight to bed. It was a great day for track and field…beautiful weather and great energy!

Saturday, August 5th

Today was a very warm day, which was a nice change after our cooler day on Friday! The campers were enthusiastic about the sun and warmth, ready for their first 3 classes of the day! Breakfast was cornbread and cereal! Many campers had minimal complaints about entering the water as it cooled them off!

Dinner was lasagna, a camp favorite! Everyone LOVED this meal! Following rest hour was a general swim, and then fourth period! During activity period, the campers had lots of options to choose from: basketball, soccer, hair braiding, and friendship bracelets!

Supper was hot dogs outside the lodge to let our kitchen staff have a day off! The campers really enjoy this meal, as it’s a little change of pace for them! Evening program looked a little different tonight…it was talent night! All the campers got together and made several skits ranging from singing, dancing, and Lorax impersonations! It was hilarious, the campers loved it! After that, we all headed to bed. A great day to take us into tomorrow…TRACK MEET!!!!

Thursday, August 3rd

Today was a day filled with great weather and lots of camp songs! For breakfast we had waffles! Many kids tried out the classic peanut butter-maple syrup combo.

It was a bit breezy on the lake, which gave our boaters a challenge. Nonetheless, we still had several campers pass! The water was warmer than the air, to our surprise! For dinner, we had raviloli, salad, and baguettes! The campers LOVED this meal; the perfect fullness for rest hour.

General swim was cut a bit short due to the weather and then it was time for fourth period! For activity period, there were lots of counselors hosting! Lexi and Kyleigh jumped off the tower, Sawyer played nukem, Hailey and Riley did yoga, and Carmela took out a sunfish!

Supper was grilled cheese with a famous dessert: chocolate pudding pie! Evening program was Step It Up: essentially a bunch of smaller games to earn beans (points) to help your team’s “robot” get to the finish line! There were so many games; archery, basketball, freeze dance party and more. The two teams (pink and blue) went head to head… and pink team was the winner! A few kids went for a quick dip after goodnight songs and headed off to bed. We can’t believe it’s almost the end of the first week already!