Monday, August 29, 2011

One more year, forever left behind

Greetings from Hilltop. Junior Session, and Summer 2011, are over. As I write this, the boats have left Camp, and the campers and staff are organizing at Skyline Marina in Anacortes – Airport kids are going in Four Winds vehicles, Museum kids on the bus, and Anacortes pickup kids are meeting their parents.

It’s been a wonderful week. I’m so proud of the adventurous spirit the campers displayed. They played, made friends, tried new things, and had a wonderful time. Sitting with campers at meals yesterday, they were all talking about the great time they had, asking questions about the four week sessions, and getting in one last lodge deck cheer or song.

At Evening Fire last night, we gathered in the Lodge, as Four Winds campers have for 85 summers, and shared poetry and songs. Afterwards, we went to the amphitheater to see the driftwood boats that the campers had made, alight with candles, floating out in Four Winds Bay, a special Junior Session tradition. It was a lovely evening, and a great way to close out the week.

Many campers and families will be eager to sign up for next summer, I’m sure. For returning families, the easiest way to register is to go to fourwindscamp.org/login, and log in to the same account you used to fill out forms. Click on “Registration Form,” select the 2012 season, and you’re on your way. Your information will be automatically entered into the new Registration Form. Please verify the information to make sure it still correct. New families can register at fourwindscamp.org by clicking on “Register Now.”

Of course, many Junior Session families will be evaluating whether their camper should attend Junior Session again or a four week session. Here’s some information to help you make that decision. First, children entering grades 2-5 in September 2012 are eligible for Junior Session 2012, and children entering grades 4-10 in September 2012 are eligible for our 2012 four week sessions. Second, because Junior Session is extraordinarily popular, and because it is intended as an introduction for families considering the four week sessions, we will not register campers for their third Junior Session until February. At that time, if Junior Session is not full of first and second year campers, we will enroll third year campers. You are welcome to register your child for a third Junior Session anytime – we will put them on the wait list until February. If you have any questions or concerns about our process, or just want to talk about whether your child is ready for four weeks, please give us a call.

Make sure you keep in touch with us over the winter. You can continue to follow us on Twitter, and we’re also on Facebook. In the summer, we concentrate all of our social networking efforts on Twitter. In the off-season, we spread it over both sites, and don’t post every day. We will post in this space very rarely during the off-season. When we do, we’ll always announce it on Facebook and Twitter.

It’s hard for me not to reflect on the entire summer. It’s been a great one. Camp is so valuable to the children that come here, and it’s been a great privilege to be a part of their experience. I’ve taken to quoting Four Winds songs this summer as titles to my blog posts. It’s a bit of a trick, and an easy way for me to get around the fact that good titles are hard to write. I feel compelled now to use that trick again, to close out this blog for the summer. To quote an Andrew Roberts song, “this tough and treasured life goes on just as it should.” Until next summer…

Posted by Paul on August 29, 2011 at 9:59 am.

Friday, August 26, 2011

We’ve got all the time in the world

Greetings from Hilltop. We’re about halfway through Junior Session, and it’s been fantastic. I’m so impressed with the adventurous spirit these young people have brought to Four Winds this week. All of them, in one way or another, have tried something that was a little scary for them in a new and different environment. Whether it was jumping in the water, riding a horse, getting up in front of the Camp at Moonraker, or just being away from Mom and Dad, all these kids have taken on a challenge this week, and it’s great to see them spreading their wings.

So far this week, the campers have participated in all our activity areas – Dock, Garden, Barn, Land Sports, and Arts & Crafts. Half of them have already had a half day sail on our big boat, Carlyn (the other half will get theirs in later this week). We’ve had Junior Session sized versions of some of our favorite Evening Activities – Capture the Chicken (which is suspiciously like capture the flag, except with a rubber chicken) and Moonraker (where we do silly songs and skits on Moonraker Point, one of the most beautiful spots in Camp). Tonight we’ll have Sports Night, and tomorrow we’ll make boats out of driftwood. On Sunday night, after Evening Fire, we’ll put candles on the boats and float them out in Four Winds Bay – a lovely day to close out the session.

This afternoon is particularly adventurous. During our post rest hour meeting, where we normally split up to go to our activity areas, Carlyn Captain Gerry (who for some reason turned malicious) kidnapped our Assistant Director Emily and our Head Counselor Claire. I begged the campers for help, as this incident might reflect poorly on Camp. As I write this, they’re out receiving pirate training in preparation for a battle royale with Captain Gerry. If they defeat him, and free Emily and Claire, I think I’ll reward them with treats. They’re intrepid, and I have every confidence.

Thank you for sharing your children with us this week. It’s been great so far, and I know that this taste of the Four Winds experience will be well remembered. I’ll post here when the campers are on their way home. Until then, be sure to follow the daily updates on Twitter.

Posted by Paul on August 26, 2011 at 4:28 pm.

Tuesday, August 23, 2011

Summer comes laughing

Greetings from Hilltop. Junior Session 2011 is off to a fantastic start. All the campers that we were expecting have arrived safely. As usual, our chartered boat pulling around Victim Island into Four Winds Bay, with campers and staff cheering on the boat as well as on Greenie Hill, is a wonderful way to start the Session. As I write this, campers are with their cabin and tent groups, getting acclimated to Camp, and meeting new friends.

In a few minutes, we’ll have our first flags of the Session, then dinner and an all Camp meeting. After that, camper will get their bags (which arrive about two hours after the campers themselves) and unpack with the help of their counselors. Tomorrow morning, we’ll have a miniature version of Rotation Day – we’ll all see the nurse, take the swim test, and have our cabin photo made. In the afternoon, it will be straight into activities – Junior Session campers will have a chance to experience our Dock, Arts & Crafts, Landsports, Garden, and Horseback Riding programs while they are here.

Junior Session is a blast, in its own special way. The campers, with their playfulness and imagination, are just a ton of fun. It’s great to see the youngsters having their first (or one of their first) big, independent experiences. We know that they’ll have that experience with the support of fun, supportive, insightful staff, and the magic of Camp will do its work.

You can follow along what’s going on at Camp in a couple of ways. We encourage you to write letters to your camper, and we’ll encourage your campers to write letters home to you. Of course, due to Junior Session being shorter, many of those letters will be delivered after Junior Session is over. If you haven’t written a letter yet, I’d encourage you to write one right away. If you’re concerned about homesickness in your child, keep the letter upbeat, and ask lots of questions.

In addition to letters, I will post here again on Friday, and after the campers leave on Monday. You can get daily updates on what’s happening at Camp at twitter.com/fourwindscamp. You don’t have to be a Twitter user to get the updates – you can just go to the website.

Thank you for sharing your children with us. They’re going to have a fantastic adventure!

Posted by Paul on August 23, 2011 at 5:27 pm.