Counselors Rule

Summer camp is more important for kids now than ever before. Nowhere else is there a place that kids are truly unplugged. As much as Carter loves Tumbler and her British You Tubers, she loves camp more. For an only child camp is the best dose of the-world-does-not-revolve-around-you and offers a chance to have great “older siblings” in her counselors.

I am truly grateful to her last session counselors Bekah and Shaefer for creating a fun, warm, accepting environment for what Carter says was the best cabin ever. For someone who is way more introverted than extroverted camp could feel overwhelming since you just don’t have that much alone time. But if you love the people you are with your energy is increased being with them rather than zapped.

I am proud that Carter did her solo night outdoors even if it meant that she had to kill what was reported to be a copper head snake. Thank goodness she had her Rafki stick nearby. But completing the ten-mile hike up Stone Mountain really makes me happy. As I walk on a flat treadmill with no switchbacks in my site I try and imagine how hard that hike was for Carter. Doing something out of your comfort zone with a group of great friends is the kind of thing that stays with you.

I remember a time in the 80’s that I climbed the Old Rag Mountain with a group of friends. I was in way worse shape than I am now and the idea that I could shimmy between two giant vertical rocks to reach the summit seemed impossible. But my friends encouraged me and never left me behind. It gave me the feeling that I could do anything, well except jump off high places.

I hope that Carter will take what she learned about being a good counselor from the ones she has had and applies those lessons to her life. The impact that these young people have on kids is tremendous. I know they don’t do that job for the pay, or the sleeping quarters, or the time off, but for the happiness they get back from creating a family out of the gaggle of girls they are given.

Thanks Camp Cheerio for Carter’s six years as a camper. She got to learn to be the best of herself. Her times there are life changing.

Unplanned Camp Stay Over Day Visit

This past week when Carter had a small accident at camp I had the bonus of getting to actually talk with her. The good news is she is fine and has nothing seriously wrong with her. The better news was she actually said some words to me that no self-respecting fifteen year old ever says out loud to a mother, “I miss you.”

Even though she called me and woke me from a horrific jet-lagged induced nap I recognized this vulnerable moment as an opportunity for Russ and me. “Honey, we can come visit you on Saturday during your stay over day.” That was met with a, “I would love it.”

Camp stay over is a way to stay at camp more than one session and Carter has reported that it is a big time fun part of camp. So much so that she cobbled together three sessions this year, two weeks of all-girls, one week of co-ed followed by two more weeks of co-ed. Knowing that stay over kids get to leave camp for a group trip to Wal-Mart to spend $5, then go to the movies and out to dinner I did not want to mess up all that fun. So Russ and I left the house early this morning and drove to Roaring Gap to get Carter at 10:15 and take her to lunch and have time to get her back to camp to join her friends on the bus to Wal-Mart.

This jaunt to the mountains for lunch meant that we were going to be away from home for ten hours so we had to take Shay Shay with us, plus Carter would have given us a lot of S%#$ if we did not bring her dog for the visit. Luckily when we pulled into camp Carter jumped up from her friend group and ran to hug us like we had not seen each other in years rather than weeks. Carter proudly introduced us to her counselors and friends and Shay was a popular pup with the crowd who missed their dogs at home.

We knew our time was short so we got in the car thinking we would go to Mt Airy for lunch since I had found a restaurant online that was dog friendly. As Russ went to program the GPS in the car it told us that although Mt. Airy was only 22 miles away it would take an hour to get there. I should have figured this out before we left camp and the little bit of phone signal we had.

We decided to drive towards Sparta hoping to find a restaurant or Internet. Neither could be had. We stopped at a coffee shop that boasted “free wifi” in the window only for Russ to discover the woman working there did not know the password. That was when I remembered an article from “Our State” magazine that listed the best place to eat in every county of North Carolina. My recollection was the Allegheny place was off the Blue Ridge Parkway and might have had some outdoor seating. I went back in the coffee shop and asked them if they knew what that place was and of course they did and it was only eight miles down the road.

Back in the car we meandered route 18 looking for Laurel Springs. As we turned a bend we saw what had to be the place, a biker bar and motel combo that had a travel trailer park behind it and a biker “Leathers” flea market set up in the parking lot. Sure enough, they had two picnic benches outside and the good news for us was they were both free.

This was not what Carter had in mind when she agreed for us to take her to lunch. Me either. I never would have worn white pants and a pink silk top if I had known I was going to a biker bar. Talk about standing out.

I have to admit that the bar staff could not have been nicer when I asked if they had table service outside since we had a puppy. Turns out some bikers bring their dogs too. As we were leaving an old couple on a big hog pulled up and let their shitzu out of it’s carrier bag on the back of their Harley.

We enjoyed a fine lunch, which shows that Allegheny county has little competition in best places to eat. I had brought my computer so Carter could see some of the pictures from Africa and after too short a visit we had to get back to camp. As soon as we returned some friends called out Carter’s name and she was off. So much for really missing us. A three-hour visit satisfied that itch and then she was ready to get back to the business of camp fun. I have to say it was worth the trip for me. Five weeks away without talking or seeing her face is just too long.