What a Picnic!

July 26, 2024

I am talking about the day, not just the outdoor supper!  I was confident that blue skies would return and the weather was delightful when my forecast came to pass.

Sara got to snapping before the clouds had fully departed and got some pix of morning waterfront clinics, a birthday bit at lunch, the first round of the uppers touch football tournament and an intramural basketball game (announced by Klaus.)

That skit at lunch took the form of Family Feud and it was as if everybody in the skit had practiced his lines.  Totally spontaneous, it was Kingswood creativity at its best and hats off to the staff personnel who actually conducted a survey on boys’ favorite flavors of Moose Scoops ice cream and put quite an effort into the parody. (All the flavors sounded foreign to me.)

I got moving when the sun came out for good and was on hand for general swim during B Block, 4:30 to 5:45.  This time of day is always a picnic of sorts as boys are free to do whatever they please within the supervised areas of camp. I learn so much about the campers and the quality of their summers just by sitting in an Adirondack chair and taking in the action and talking to whomever passes by.

By 6PM the atmosphere became electric as everyone anticipated the arrival of about 30 or so girls from Camp Waklo.  My photo album includes lots of photos from this lively event, partly because it was such a pleasant evening and partly so that you might find your son in one of the shots.

“Yes, that is him,” is my standard response to parental inquiries, even though many of you nowadays are armed with tagged-photo applications. Please, however, do yourself the favor of looking at all the pictures since they capture the vibrations of camp in a manner that truly allows you to be a fly on the wall.

By picnic’s end, it was the younger boys who were drawing attention away from the dancers-to-be since they were being treated to a movie – with candy!  Honestly, I thought I spotted some wistful faces amongst the older set!

Last evening’s sunset was a beauty and I was so pleased to see several great photos of the event in the assorted counselor album that keeps getting added to, as promised. Even before these colors arrived, a first-time camper told me “it sure is pretty here.”  He even thanked me for continuing to run camp for 40 years so finally he could get his chance to enjoy the picnic that is Kingswood Camp for Boys.