From the Ridiculous to the Sublime

July 8, 2024

You’ve got hundreds of photos to observe in search of evidence to back up the claim of today’s blog title. My album alone goes from the sublime to the ridiculous and back again to sublime. To wit:

Deep Clean Sunday kicked off the day yesterday and I went searching for lofty things of moral worth. I did not have to go far to find fingernail clipping and water bottle washing happening out in front of the Infirmary.   And, those tetherballs tied off at the top added confirmation of how seriously we take these weekly re-set chores.

I was stunned to find such cooperative attention the boys gave to reorganizing their trunks.  In my day, we just folded a shirt or two on top of the junk beneath. The Guides even used a vacuum cleaner in their high-class joint. Practically unheard of in camp annals.

Seriously, cabin meetings occurred in what was a most pleasing setting as the sun had not yet reached the scorching point and the all-camp meeting on the “grassy knoll,” the most shaded part of the grounds at that time of day, was downright comfortable with a bit of breeze coming off the lake.

Rob, Mike and Klaus ran a wonderful meeting where the boys both listened and participated in a discussion of how to deal (happily) with the hot conditions we face.  Hydration was not only defined, but several examples of how to recognize the need to water up were offered.

Then, they took a vote on how much campers missed using their various devices and many hands went up in the air to signify a “no big deal” about that variance from the norm. Rob pointed out that this attitude indicates that many of the boys are now feeling quite comfortable in their camp skins. “But don’t fall to the temptation of the loosening effect,” he suggested, a word we use to describe any drifting from the rules.

But my blog must conclude today with a story about Mat ball, that ridiculously sublime game that draws a big crowd every time it is sponsored after dinner.  Go to my photo album, please, as a reference.

Here you will find boys bolting around the bases (wresting mats) again and again and again. One is never “out” until he is tagged by the ball.  Some guys probably went the full hour without being sent to the back of the line a single time. Counselors sometimes will delight in chasing down a lone person as countless numbers of boys advance a countless number of bases. One batch of boys circled the bases several times when the ball rolled all the way down the hill.

Sublimity 101:  The boys love it. It is immensely social.  Age makes no difference whatsoever. It is out of doors in a pleasant setting. They get fantastic exercise. And, they all pledge that after the action ends, they will take a shower.