Greetings from Hilltop:
Earlier tonight we completed our first Evening Fire in the lodge. For families new to camp I should explain that Evening Fire is one of our most important traditions. At Evening Fires we come together and share songs, music, poetry and celebrate our camp community and our amazing natural surroundings. This tradition has been happening every summer at camp for the past 82 years. Tonight’s event was beautiful. A warm gentle breeze from the bay filled the lodge as our campers and staff sang, recited poetry and played a variety of instruments including piano, guitar, cello and a large gourd. I was so impressed with all our campers and staff for having the talent, courage and trust to participate so actively in our first Evening Fire. For me this was a clear sign that we are succeeding in our goal of building a camp community where people feel respected and appreciated.
In case you missed the news the Olympics were held today at Four Winds! Our outstanding staff once again demonstrated creativity and a passion for working with children. They set up events where every age group could be challenged and experience success and fun. Who knew that trivia, obstacle courses, flag making, face painting, and song writing were all Olympic events? Or that you could get bonus points in kayak racing for style, or in archery for getting a blunt tipped arrow to hit a target on the ground? It was a great Olympics that filled camp with laughter and cheering.
Today we also completed work projects in cabin and tent groups to help keep our camp looking good and held a Sunday Assembly at Madrona point. Madrona point was a beautiful location for the assembly and a bald eagle could be seen circling Victim island just before we began. Clipper (a boys tent group) and Seven Seas (a girls cabin) did a great job leading the assembly, including a discussion about the importance of empathy and being concerned about others.
Other highlights of our warm and sunny first week were time spent learning new skills and having fun in our five main activity areas: the Barn, Landsports, Crafts, the Waterfront and the Garden. In addition, we had a folk dance, soccer games and lots of opporunities to take trips in sailboats, canoes, and kayaks.. For example our 62 foot wooden yawl the Carlyn had a crew of 12 fortunate campers on a sail around San Juan Island where porpoises were seen by all. It has been a great first week.
I’d like to close this update by sharing a few lines from an original poem read by a camper for tonight’s Evening Fire:
throwing small rocks into the sun soaked waves of the sound
the music rings in my ears and drowns out the buzzing of my worries
This magic music is why Breakfast Beach is my favorite place in camp
