Let me start by saying I love this picture.

Susie Ma’am and I were checking out the evening activity today (more on that in a second) when we came upon the new Rookie bathroom.  If you saw the OLD Rookie bathroom, I think you will understand what a quantum improvement this one is.  I thought I might take a quick picture to show it off.

As I approached, I saw 10 campers waiting in line at the water fountain.  I then saw these two determined 7/8 year olds decide that waiting is not for them. (Note: the water in the taps is the same as that in the water fountain, so it is clean and safe.)

I like this photo for more than just the funny body positions.  It has a certain playful freedom to it.  The boys are uninhibited and adventurous.  They are simply being boys.

The evening activity was “Green Acres” for the Minis, Midis, Rookies and Letterman (essentially our campers 12 and under).  The campers chase their counselors who are dressed and painted as farm animals.  They get poker chips for everyone that they successfully find.  We do it after dinner but before torchlight, so the chasers and chasees are bathed in rich late afternoon light.

Susie Ma’am and I went out with Fenway, our 8 year-old Basset Hound.  Fenway is a lover not a thinker.

That is my nice way of saying that she is not a bright dog.  You know how some people are freaked out by clowns?  Fenway is like that with people dressed as farm animals.  She bays and howls as the counselors run around.  Of course, if one of the “terrifying” counselors pets her, she wags her tail happily - only to bay again when the petting stops.

This amuses your children.

Among the animals chased are dogs, cats, owls, cows, raccoons, rats and some chupacabras (no, it does not make sense to me either).

Check out the pictures when we post them around mid-day Tuesday.

One of the joys of being a camp director is just walking around and chatting with everyone.  My goal is to get campers excited and laughing.  I have a couple of silly things that often work.  First, I asked them for the double thumbs-up salute. Basically, this entails 1) putting both hands just below your shoulders on your chest, 2) making a double thumbs-up, 3) tilting your head to the side, 4) hunching your shoulders and 5) smiling maniacally.  Sometimes I get great responses from the campers.  Other times, they look at me like I am crazy.  In the latter case, I assure them that I am, in fact, a tad loony, but it is fun that way.  I then get laughs.

One girl calls me Mr Insane Sir.  I like the respect!  Mister AND Sir? Not bad.

The second little trick is to ask how they are doing.  If they respond “good”, I ask again.  If they repeat “good”, I tell them that “good if OK on the other side of the spur, but not here”.  Eventually, campers will start to compete to explain how excellent they are.  I have campers that are great, excellent, perfect, splendid, super, awesome, exquisite (love that), mega-awesome and supercalifragilisticexpialidocious.  I got an extra kick when one camper proudly declared that she was “superfluous”.

“That’s a word, right?”  I assured her that she was not superfluous to me!  Susie Ma’am had to tell her what it meant.

Looking forward to another great day tomorrow!

Steve Sir