Most days I schedule some time to write this blog. Of course, I am no fool. I also lay out two alternative times.

Today, I am 0 for 3. Each of the times is scheduled for writing got derailed. One disappeared due to a lovely counselor conversation, another by visitor and the third by a series of questions and refilling the slushee machine. [Note: for reasons that I cannot fully explain, I have failed to delegate the slushee maintenance. It just seems easier each time to take the 15 minutes to replenish the machine than the 30 minutes it would take to train someone else. Clearly, this is a failure of planning and management.]

In any event, I have been swept up in the excitement and chaos of the final days of camp.

Several years ago, I started to ask multi-year campers a simple question, “How long does each week of camp seem to last to you?” After talking with roughly 300 campers over 4 years, I have learned the following:

• Week one feels like 7-8 days, or just a tad longer than a normal week. The campers talk about bonding with cabinmates, detoxing from electronics and spats of homesickness.
• Week two feels like 4-5 days. The friendships have taken hold, the schedule makes sense and the camp is in full rhythm.
• Week three feels like 36-72 hours. It starts and (bam!) it is over. This phenomenon is made all the odder by the fact that the days are longer and have more activities.

I can echo this sentiment. I have been going 100% and I still think it is Tuesday afternoon rather than Wednesday evening.

Please know that a short blog means a happy camp! [Note: The corollary does not apply. A long blog does not mean an unhappy camp. It just means a rested director!]

Steve Sir