Camp Allen

Rush and I just returned from a truly great week at Camp Allen. It's amazing to me that Camp Allen can be so similar to the way it was when I was a camper and counselor in the 90's, but at the same time so much better. It's one of the rare examples of a place that has made positive additions (the Blog, the Iceberg, air conditioning in the cabins) but retained it's exact essence and not lost any of its charm. The activities that have been dropped are the activities that weren't any fun in the first place. The Holey Barrel, arguably the worst activity ever, is not even a memory for any of the current campers.

I love that there are Camp Allen traditions that seem to continue on forever. I have never eaten a summer camp meal without hearing the exact phrase "seconds if you want 'em" shouted exactly once. Wednesday night is still spent at the Eucharist at the lake, Thursday night is still the dance, cabin clean up is still every morning after breakfast. Some parts will eventually have to change (how long will the blue topped tables in the dining halls last?) but it's nice to know that Senior Staff will always make the campers vow to never share the super secret clap that follows the Camp Allen song.

My role for the week was "extra adult." Rush and I were lucky enough to be invited by Casey and Chris to participate in possibly one of the best weeks of camp all summer. The "Jamaican Me Crazy" theme lends itself so well to the added details that make Camp Allen the Best Camp Ever. One of my favorite additions to the week was the radio station that Chris and Dean (regularly known as Fr. Duncan and Fr. Lawrence) created, Shrimp 101.7. They woke up the campers with a morning show full of music and banter and sent them to bed with the soothing sounds of jazz playing at night over 101.7 After Dark: Boiled Shrimp.

Tuesday was pirate day, which is obviously when pirates invaded the camp. Pirate Day was the beginning of the campers' obsession with Rush. It all began in the morning when I started hearing squeals of "Aw, it's a baby pirate!" as he walked by them. His popularity continued to escalate throughout the week until Rush was swarmed by a paparazzi-like group of campers every time he stepped outside. It was surprising how much the boy campers loved him. They were always inviting him to come watch them at the Blog, giving him constant high fives, and generally looking out for him.

High on the list of any camper's favorite parts of camp is canteen, where every camper gets a candy bar or ice cream and a coke. Rush enjoyed a daily popsicle surrounded by a group of doting campers who watched amazed as he ate every ounce that didn't melt on him. I had my own fill of Choco Tacos and Skittles...yum. We actually ate a shocking amount last week. It's one thing to lay around on your bunk making lanyards and eating Cheetos and Starbursts when you're eleven, quite another when you're 29. I'm not sure my body is absorbing the extra food the same way these days.

We're home now, tired and content. It's great to see Trent after a week apart, especially because today is our 6th anniversary - Happy Anniversary to us! It's been a nice quiet day because after all the excitement of a week in the woods with 5th and 6th graders, it's going to take a few days for Rush to catch up on his sleep. Thanks again to Chris for inviting Rush and I to camp and thanks Camp Allen for being so great.