Visitor’s Weekend was a great success; approx. 140 people attended on Saturday and another 100 came to visit on Sunday.  While the numbers are significant I would guess that less than half of our campers actually have family come to the property.  Saturday and Sunday are run as usual for us, so campers without guests are fully engaged in the program and guests get a chance to observe what happens during a regular Saturday/Sunday at camp.

Because of the transportation timing guests coming on Sunday do not arrive in time to come to Chapel, our all -camp gathering on Sunday mornings.  Last Sunday the Mariners were the hosts and the topic was “Identity”.  They lead us through a discussion of private, camp and community personalities.  As always there was audience participation from the various units.  In discussing private identities – those things that are a part of who we are, but that are not generally shared with others- we discovered that many people, both staff and campers, still sleep with the stuffed animal/blanket that they have had since crib-life!  A very unifying discovery.

Monday night the Troubadours hosted Coffee House, our open mike evening for the 4 oldest units.  The theme was Lumberjacks, complete with pancakes, lanterns and cut-out thumbs for stirring their coffee.  It was a great success.  The Foresters and Voyageurs did not attend as they were on their Little Big Trips.  Early Monday morning a  group left for the Cascades for an alpine hike.  Later that morning the bikes left for Lopez Island and the Hunt canoes pushed off for 4 days of paddling around the San Juans (they saw whales their second day out!).

The younger units in camp have full access to the program and they make the most of it.  The craftshop is busy with people finishing up projects, drama is preparing for Opry House which happens Friday night and the Adobe oven has be cranking out all sorts of delicious items.  Croissants were even attempted – remember, we celebrate effort as well as success!

Last night was the last overnight of the session.  Our luck held and the weather was wonderful.  This overnight marks the start of the final phase of the session.  Units spend some time in reflection – sharing their experiences during the session, what went well for them and what didn’t.  Younger campers arrive back before lunch and the Little Big campers will be back on the property before dinner.  Camp thespians will put finishing touches on their parts in Opry House which will be presented to the camp Friday night.  The younger campers are performing Eighteen Reasons Not To Be In A Play, while the older campers will perform This Is A Test. Then we swing into the closing activities of Potlatch Games, the Native Dances and the Potlatch Gift Exchange.

During the Games the camp is divided into the Raven and Bear teams and they compete in 2 days of activities hosted by the various departments.  The evening the first day we have a Salmon BBQ and then head for the Bighouse to enjoy an evening of Native Dances presented by Bill and Marty Holm and friends.  Calvin and Marie Hunt, from Vancouver Island will be here with some of their relatives to present some of their dances to the community.

Sunday night we will all come together for our final banquet, speeches by team leaders and a mini-musicale.  Then it’s back to the Bighouse for a evening of gift giving.  Campers from second session and all staff members draw the name of someone at camp and make a gift for that person.  This is our “Play-latch”.  The gifts are given as ‘payment’ for witnessing the session we have shared with each other.  It is a very special evening that can run late into the night.  But we all come prepared with pillows, blankets, flashlights and water bottles.

Monday we pack!  How did we get here so fast?  Keep in mind when you open trunks that laundry does indeed get sent out 3 times during your campers stay here and we make every effort to have them rotate through all the clothes that you carefully packed 5 weeks ago.

Thank you for sharing your camper(s) with us.  It is a gift to be able to spend extended time with them and be witness to their growth.

As I mentioned last week, on Sunday we gather as a camp for Chapel. Last week the Pioneers hosted the gathering and lead us through a discussion on the topic of sharing.  It was a thoughtful presentation, with just the right amount of humor.  Monday night the oldest units participated in Older Unit Specials, where activities normally not offered at camp are hosted by staff and open to coed groups of campers.

Our second overnight on Thursday was very successful.  The weather couldn’t have been better.  Units spent the evening sharing stories and relaxing together, away from the rest of camp.  The Wayfarers sailed Lightnings to Jones Island.  This is the first Lightning overnight since we moved to Johns Island and it was very successful.  Other units leaving the island included the Foresters going to Reid Harbor and the Islanders kayaking to Prevost Harbor, both on Stuart Island.  Our youngest units enjoyed prime overnight locations on property – the Archers went to Magic Beach, the Explorers were at Eagle Rock and the Woodsmen chilled out at Cottonwood Cove.  The attached may will give you an idea of the camp layout.  Color Trail Map

Friday was Island Fair Day, an all-camp celebration when units bake pies, build milk-carton boats and host a carnival booth.  The weather cooperated, kicking up a little wind in the afternoon, but otherwise remaining sunny.  Booth topics included:  Court House by the Islanders, Face Painting by the Wayfarers, Knock-Knock Jokes by the Explorers, and You-Tube ‘video’ by the Rangers.  The Foresters took Best Pie for their Chocolate Oreo ice cream cake as well as winning the milk-carton boat race.  The Islanders came in first in the kayak race against the 5 oldest units and the Pioneers came in first in the canoe race.  The evening was brought to a close with the oldest units gathering in the lodge to watch the video from last year and the youngest units gathering for story-telling at the craftshop.  A well deserved ’sleep-in’ breakfast was enjoyed by everyone Saturday morning.   We serve a continental style breakfast from 8:30am – 9:30am.  Attendance is optional and pajamas are welcome.  A camp favorite , it is a very low key way to ease into the morning schedule.

This past week we had the first precipitation since June.  Yesterday was definitely rainy and activities were adjusted accordingly.  Most impressive was the positive attitude that permeated the camp.  It was almost like people were relieved by the rain.  It gave the property a fresh look and gave people a chance to unpack their rain gear.

Last night the Mountaineers hosted the all-camp campfire that was focused on saying goodbye to the youngest campers.  Today is another Sunday, but not as laid back as our first.  Older units will spend most of the day orienting and packing for their Big Trips, youngest units will spend the morning locating lost and found, packing trunks and saying goodbye to older campers.  Chapel, hosted by the Rangers is about begin and we have another full line-up for Musicale.  Unit clean-up is also on the schedule.  For a quiet day it’s pretty busy!

Coming up this week:  Nell Robinson Day on Wednesday, when we celebrate the life of Nell Robinson, the previous owner of our property.  Campers will participate in an all-camp scavenger hunt and special activities.   Thursday we will have the third overnight of the session, Friday the Big Trips return, and Visitor’s Weekend is Saturday/Sunday. Weather reports indicate that the rain is behind us and we are entering another week of sun and scattered clouds.  I’ll check back with you in a week with an update.

While their unit mates are cleaning up the unit, a couple of campers will stay back in the lodge preparing Nosebags.  This is our sack dinner of PBJ, fruit and 1/2 a Twix bar.  Our main meal on Sundays is served at 1:00pm and the Nosebags will be shared sometime after 5:00pm.  Each unit will walk out to a beautiful spot on the property to enjoy some quality unit time together.

Most notably Sundays bring us together for Chapel in the morning, where a unit will present a reflective topic for the entire camp.  Past topics have been Friendship, Courage, Honesty, Communication.  Then, after our mid-day meal we have Musicale – our version on ‘open-mike ‘.  Campers and staff perform for the whole camp and the audience is truly appreciative of their efforts.

Since their arrival on Wednesday campers have been through orientation, had a day of regular activities and enjoyed their first overnight.   This first overnight is always significant.  Camp crafts are taught, and everyone learns the importance of checking packs for necessities,  checking food crates for supplies and checking stoves for fuel!  The weather has been remarkably cooperative for many weeks and this one was no exception.  Tarp shelters were constructed on the overnights but most everyone slept out under the stars.  The Wayfarers kayaked to Spirit Cove on San Juan Island, the Islanders hiked into the Helsell property on Orcas, the Mountainers paddles canoes to Reid Harbor on Stuart Island and the Troubadors paddled our 8-person Hunt canoes to Satillite Island.  Everyone else spent the evening on Johns Island.

One of the things units do on their first overnight is work on their Code of Conduct.  This document guides the unit through their time together; identifying the behavior everyone feels is essential to unit health.  When I receive copies from all the units I will post excerpts.

Upcoming events this week include:

Older Unit Specials on Monday – campers from the 6 oldest units will get to select an evening activity not typically taught at camp.

Island Fair Day – a carnival type day filled with festivities.  Units will:  create boats from milk-cartons and race them (with or without wind); make 2-3 pies of their own creation; and host a carnival booth.  The morning is spent in preparation and the fun begins in earnest in the afternoon.  A Fun Run around the island will kick things off just after lunch.  After dinner the younger units will spend an evening of story telling with Bill and Marty Holm while the older units get together to watch the camp movie.

In between those events everyone will participate in their second overnight (Wednesday).

The weather seems to be changing slightly; cool, foggy mornings turning into warm, partially cloudy days. The schizophrenia of outdoor living is very apparent:  jackets and hoodies at breakfast, t-shirts and shorts at lunch and back into jackets (if we can find them) at dinner.

I’ll touch base next Sunday and get you caught up with life on Johns.

A quick summary of last week:

Little Big Trips to the Cascade Mountains (Alpine), Lopez Island (Bikes) and several local marine parks (Sailing) enjoyed fantastic weather, beautiful surroundings and lots of laughter.

While they were away the Mountaineers hosted a very successful Coffee House Sunday evening, with a Las Vegas theme.  The amount of talent we have in our community never fails to amaze me.  Monday and Tuesday morning were filled with regular activity days.  Tuesday afternoon everyone left on their last overnight of the summer.  The weather continued in our favor, allowing groups to sleep out under clear skies and to take in the beauty of our solar system.  Most units remained on property for that last overnight with the exception of the Rangers and Vagabonds.  The boys paddled canoes over to Reid Harbor on Stuart Island while the girls checked out Satellite Island a bit to the north.  All overnights returned before lunch and the trips were back on the property in time for evening activities.

Since then we have been moving at warp speed.  Wednesday night the camp was treated to our dramatic presentation, Opry House.  The younger campers performed Planet of the Perfectly Awful People while the older campers presented Brothers Grimm Spectaculathon.   It adds another layer to the day when you have lines to memorize and rehearsals to attend.  Both productions were fantastic and the casts deserved all the applause showered upon them.

Thursday and Friday it was all about the Olympic Games.  The camp is split into the Red and Blue teams and they compete for points at various activities hosted by the different departments.   Team Captains, song leaders, and mascots encourage cooperation and sportsmanship.   This is a great leadership opportunity for the older campers.  Both teams are given an assigned song and select a secret song, which they perform at the Friday night banquet.  The Red team performed Henry Martin and My Girl.  The Blue Team sang Greenland Fisheries and Upside Down.

Over the two days team scores are announced through staff skits – this year Scobby Do and members of the Mystery Machine were the main characters.  In the end the Red team had the highest score, but that is really secondary to the shared excitement everyone experiences.  After the final scores were announced  we sang “Keep on truckin, don’t stop truckin, the Reds beat the Blues today.  But that doesn’t really matter cause tomorrow’s another day”.

Nestled into the Olympic Days was Art Night on Thursday.  Artistic creations by campers and staff are displayed for the whole camp and groups rotate through various activities like Face Painting, Silhouette Drawing, Origami, Jam Session, and Snacks!  The finale was the Fashion Show where campers strut their stuff, showing off multiple versions of the tie-die T, wonderful and funny silk screens,  felt hats, etc.  Another great evening with friends.

So today we prepare for saying goodbye.  Trunks will be packed and ready for the uhaul by noon.  Units will clean their temporary homes with the goal of leaving them free of any evidence that campers have been living there for 4 weeks and giving second session campers the impression that no one was here before they arrived.   All their efforts will be rewarded with our all-camp dance tonight.  200+ people will gather at Mission Point to enjoy one last evening of contra and square dancing, with the Olympic Mountains as the backdrop.

It will be an early breakfast tomorrow – 6:15AM, and then loading the boats by 7:00am.  But the bittersweetness of the situation – anticipating reunions with family while saying goodbye to good friends  - will not be lost in the blurry eyed hour.  It is typically a tender time for all.

Thank you for sharing your child with us.  It has been a wonderful First Session.

As I type, three of our Big Trips have arrived back safe and sound.  The kayak, Hunt canoe and sailing trips are busy getting gear and left-over provisions taken care of, enjoying much needed showers and greeting friends.  The Alpine and Baker trips are in the ferry line in Anacortes and the bike trip is enjoying a leisurely ride back to  Roche Harbor.  The barge will bring all three trips back to Johns just in time for our famous “Killer Mac” dinner.  Reports from all the trips are very positive.  After a blustering departure on Sunday the weather was perfect – not too hot, not too cold and no rain!

Those of us left behind had a great Nell Robinson Day – all the watermelons were found and subsequently eaten.  Each of the five teams presented a skit at the camp fire that night – a great potpourri of topics and costumes.  Our sleep-in breakfast the next day was sparsely attended.  Most of us enjoyed a few extra minutes of sleep and swung through the lodge to grab a muffin just before the buffet closed.

All but one unit stayed close to home for the third overnight.  The Foresters ventured over to Satellite Island – an adjacent island owned by the YMCA and generously made available to us through out the summer.   Back on Johns the Ranger went to Read’s Point, Pioneers to Chapel Rock, Mariners to  Eagle Rock, Vagabonds to Cottonwood and Voyageurs were at Rocky Top.  Check out the attached map to learn more about the property.  CNW Map 2008

Tomorrow night we will gather at the Bighouse to witness North West Coast Native dance performances by Bill Holm, his family and some of our staff.  This will be a very memorable evening – button blankets, masks, drumming, all by fire light.

Then Visitor’s Weekend will be upon us.   From noon until 5:00pm each day we will have families and friends enjoying the property, peeking into tipis,  and joining us in singing.   It may appear that most of the campers have visitors the reverse is true.  Less than a third of the campers actually have guests.  The program will run as usual, with units going to activities through out the day.  Families will bring picnic lunches (and contraband! which they typically share with the entire unit)

I’ll touch base again early next week.  Although it happens every summer, I continue to be amazed at how quickly the time passes.  It’s almost time to say goodbye…

This morning the four oldest units, Mountaineers, Troubadors, Islanders and Wayfarers left on their 5-day Big Trips.  Two groups headed to the Cascades for alpine hiking and moutaineering – leaving the property by 5:30am.  The bike trip will be touring the three major San Juan Islands.  They were boated over to San Juan Island at 9:00am.  The kayaks, Hunt Canoes and Lightnings will be navigating around the San Juans, staying overnight at some of our beautiful marine parks.  The Lightnings left the beach at 9:00am.  The remaining waterfront trips waited for favorable currents and were on their way by 11:00am.  The forecast for this week is for mostly sunny days in the high 60’s low 70’s – perfect weather for all the trips.  They will return to camp Thursday afternoon before dinner.

Their departure leaves six units on the property.  The Foresters and Voyageurs become the oldest campers on site, Rangers and Mariners become the youngest, with the Pioneers and Vagabonds filling in the middle.  The Pioneers took advance of a leadership opportunity by hosting Chapel this morning.  The topic was “Sharing”.  They led us in singing “One Tin Soldier” and “Where Have All the Flowers Gone”.  They asked Units to come up with their definition or description of Sharing:  Foresters – to push the boundaries of ownership; Rangers – (acronym) S-haring, H-appiness, A-lways doing it, R-espect, I-magination, N-on exclusive, G-reat people; Mariners – letting people borrow your things, sharing your time with others; Vagabonds – generosity of one’s knowledge, property and love; Voyageurs – giving or splitting a value/item for the other person or people’s benefit.

Highlights from last week include:

• our second all-camp overnight – much warmer weather and lots of star gazing;
• two dances – one with the Pioneers, Rangers, Vagabonds and Voyageurs and the other with Archers, Explorers and Woodsmen;
• some very serious crafting by all units in the craftshop

……

Just back from Sunday inspections.   There is time after breakfast and before the first activity of the day for everyone to go back to their units to clean up.  On Sunday everyone does a ‘deep clean’, emptying trash cans, filling water cans (fire fighting preparation) and cleaning around the unit.  Departments also tidy up and prepare for the upcoming week.  The units are inspected that day and passing units enjoy a rare treat on Johns – an ice cream sandwich!  I don’t know the results yet, as not all the inspectors have completed their rounds but I am very optimistic that everyone will pass with flying colors.

Prior to going out for inspections we  enjoyed our Sunday midday meal at 1:00pm, which was immediately followed by our Sunday Musicale, an open mike type gathering where campers and staff perform for the entire camp.  Today we were entertained by various vocalists, a pianist, several guitarist, and a great performance on a Diabolo Yoyo!

Now (5:30pm) all the units are out enjoying some relaxing time together and sharing a light bag-lunch dinner.  Then it’s back to evening activities – an all camp game of Capture the Flag!

This week we will celebrate Nell Robinson Day on Tuesday, in honor of the woman who owned this property for several decades, raised sheep and enjoyed her solitude.  Our third overnight will be Wednesday and then we prepare for the return of Big Trip campers and staff – oh how the lodge will vibrate at Thursday night  dinner.

More next Sunday -

The day started with Pie Making, Milk Carton boat construction and Carnival booth building.  Each Unit made 2 pies of their own choice.  There were many with the Red/White/Blue theme, some baked- some not, and many variations of the ‘mud pie’, either in name or appearance.  There was no shortage of creativity.

Afternoon activities began with a Fun Run around the property, then down to the beach for Canoe and Kayak races.  Due to strong breezes the Canoe race was cancelled (younger campers are paddlers).  Then the Waterfront staff launched the Milk Carton boats.  With the strong easterly wind the boats actually MOVED.  There is some debate as to which Unit actually won – the Islander boat was the first to actually make shore, but the Woodsmen boat covered the greatest distance.  It may have ended up in Canada if it hadn’t been pulled from the water!   Dinner was a salmon bake with all the fixings – potato salad, baked beans, garlic bread and watermelon.  It was delicious.

Then it was off to Carnival!  Booth themes  included:  Life Advice (Mariners), Marriage (Rangers), Friendship Bracelets (Archers), Pet Rock Making (Vagabonds), and Face Painting (Foresters).   Pies awards were announced – pies were eaten.  The evening came to a close with the youngest units hearing stories told by Bill Holm at the craft shop and the older units watching the movie filmed at camp last summer.  As you can see, the Sleep-In breakfast today was well deserved.

Looking Back

We have been together for a week and it has been packed with activities.  After a day of orientation to all the departments as well as seeing our camp nurse, Units started their regular schedule last Wednesday.  Thursday everyone went out on the first overnight of the summer.  As is traditional, the weather was questionable and tarp shelters were the first thing to be constructed when Units arrived at their destination.  Some Units went off island – Troubadors and Islanders spent the night on Stuart Island, Mountaineers rowed Hunt canoes to Satellite Island and the Wayfarers hiked into the Helsell property on Orcas Island.  All the other Units stayed closer to home on Johns.  Fires were built, dinner cooked, songs sung, and Codes of Conduct (more later) worked on.  The anticipated rain did not materialize and everyone came back dry.

Part of our program is to have all Units develop a Code of Conduct during the first week.  This document becomes the guiding principles for the Unit during their time together.  Our staff write their own Code during staff training.  It helps everyone focus on the fact that sharing space and time together requires some thought and preparation.  Below are excerpts from the various Codes.

Explorer (9/10 year old boys)

• Listen
• Let others live
• Only throw things at the waters edge, facing the water, with nobody in the water.

Woodsmen (9/10 year old boys)

• Don’t leave the tipi before the wake-up bell
• Respect each other’s belongings
• No sticks higher than the waist

Rangers (11 year old boys)

• Have a positive attitude
• Everyone is equal
• Encourage each other

Pioneers (12 year old boys)

• Group goal – to create a strong community
• Be nice and respectful to others and their wishes
• Listen to others

Foresters (13 year old boys)

• Follow the Golden Rule – for people and property
• Listen the first time
• Treat this island as if it’s the last island on earth – take pictures, leave footprints

Islanders (14 year old boys)

• Be punctual
• Respect the Unit
• Don’t be a jerk

Mountaineers (15/16 year old boys)

• Respect
• Responsibility
• Remodel

Archers (9/10 year old girls)

• Being nice is contagious
• The Golden Rule rules
• Like ME for who I am

Mariners (11 year old girls)

• No secrets about others
• Let everyone in your tipi or no one
• Accept everyones differences

Vagabonds (12 year old girls)

• Venture out of your comfort zone
• S’More smiles, please
• New friends ROCK!

Voyageurs (13 year old girls)

From the 5-B’s

• Be Respectful – space, others, property
• Be Nice – include
• Be Honest – open, truthful

Wayfarers (14 year old girls)

• Be open minded
• Be a good friend
• For every negative thing, think of 10 positive things

Troubadors (15/16 year old girls)

• Branch out – reach a hand out
• Share ideas without judgment
• Talk it out – Walk it out

As we begin our second week Units are looking forward to a full schedule of activities.  The four oldest Units have made their selections for Big Trips (5-day coed trips during the 3rd week) and will find out which trips they are on by Wednesday.  Our youngest campers will be out and about, making the most of their last 5 days with us.  A campfire in their honor will be held Saturday night.

I’ll post again next week and get you caught up.

Campers and staff are now in their units getting settled into bed.  Orientation day tomorrow!

Enrollment is very good for first session – 162 campers arrive tomorrow!  This is up significantly from last summer and we are looking forward to a lodge full of laughter, singing and good conversations.

We will update this blog on a weekly basis, to give you a glimpse into what’s been happening on Johns Island over the past week.   We’ll give you the highlights and you get the details from your camper.