One day's happenings at Sprucelands.

"Let's ride well, Bugler. Eileen is taking our picture!"

I am having a hard time keeping up. There is so much happening at camp that I've taken more pictures than I can share on the blog. Always, always there is some event that I scramble to capture in my camera. The problem is I don't have enough time in my day to share all those photos with you.

Here is an example from Thursday. The riding program is of course bustling all day long. Riders at all levels work on skills that meet their level. That means there are a multitude of classes taking place that address all skill levels, and I have a hard time capturing every rider. Above you can see Rachel is working with Bugler in the circular riding arena. She is so proud of the work she is doing for herself and with Bugler.

Stream hike, here we come!

In the afternoon after lunch, I was fortunate to capture stream hikers before they journeyed out on their stream hike. Mark VanDerwater came into camp for a 'campeo' appearance, sharing his love for nature. Hard to make this picture so you can see the hikers well because the sun was at their back.

This smiling bunch will one day look at this photo and groan, I'm sure. Doesn't matter though. On Thursday they were geared up and ready to adventure their way into the stream waters, exploring, hiking, laughing, and asking lots of nature questions while they splashed in the water. They had a ball and were so grateful that Mark shared his expertise and enthusiasm.

Our drill team practices routines first on the tennis court.

Right after dinner the drill team practiced their routines on the tennis court. Over and over again, they reviewed the patterns they want to demonstrate on horseback for our fourth of July celebration on Monday. This particular drill team will be staff and counselors in training (CITs) primarily, although Jenny is a level four rider that is happily joining them. Once they put the patterns to horses, I promise to show you the results on our blog.

At evening program there were more fascinating games. I am amazed at how much fun this bunch has with their games. They can't seem to get enough of them, partly because the games are delightfully interactive, partly because they all love to laugh.

Do they look like they are having a good time?

Thursday they played Rock, Paper, Scissors. Sprucelands style, it is a game where you start with one partner. You play Rock, Paper, Scissors. The person who wins is then cheered by the losing partner. What happens is they say their partner's name over and over again.

The pair moves around to look for another person to challenge. The person who wins this time is then cheered by three people. They move around to find yet another they can challenge. The person who wins is cheered by more people, and the cycle continues until there are two players remaining...with the entire camp split in their cheers.

Oh my gosh! The kids had more fun with this. I never saw such spirit and heard such noisy enthusiasm, unless maybe at a football game I attended in the past!  What a riot!

Please, don't let me smile. Please, don't let me smile.

The game was replaced next by another with a different kind of challenge. The kids lined up in two lines facing each other. One at a time, a player from one line and then the other line walked the gamut, so to speak, while the kids on the opposite team challenged them to smile. If they smiled or laughed, the player walking the gamut had to join the opposite team.

What I enjoyed watching were the faces made before walking the gamut. Each player took themselves into a no-laugh-mode so they would succeed. You can see Tori working very hard on a serious look so she would not laugh. I don't remember whether she made it or not, but I know she had fun.

Rachel is good at staring the silly tormentors down.

Then there were the faces of those who were saying things or making noises to make the player laugh. Rachel put on her serious face and just look at what confronted her! Oh my! To hear the silly things the kids said  to Rachel, I do not know how she managed her serious face. I have a sneaky suspicion she made it through the gamut because she is a class act when it comes to taking on a challenge like this one.

This long post takes you through the busy work and fun of just one day. Imagine how close the kids become with each other. They are truly building friendships to last a lifetime, and that is what we are all about at Sprucelands: connecting with each other. In the process, we learn, test ourselves, and embark on projects that show our pride in this wonderful camp.

Your comments are welcome because then I know you are reading the blog!