Hashtag-#Runningoutoftime

Hello Chippies!

I am sad to write that this will be my last 2011 Cliff Notes edition. It really is beyond belief that camp is coming to a close. I typically take this opportunity to reflect on the summer. I also tend to get obnoxiously sentimental about camp, the season's memories, and the wonder of Chippewa... This blog will be no different :) However, I will keep it short considering the fact that I have 60 more staff evaluations to complete by Thursday night... and a summer camp to run!

Last night was Chippy Awards. Most of you have no idea what that is or what it means, but at Chippewa it's a red carpet event and it is as big as the Grammys! Different dress code of course: clown outfits, princess dresses and sports jerseys as opposed to... well... you've all seen the

Grammys I presume. Chippy Awards is quite the glamorous affair and is the place to see people and the place to be seen (and where all campers HAVE to be at 7:15 pm on the last Monday of every camp season). The event was put on (as always) by our oldest cabin of Lakeview, and the whole night was filled with laughter, music and the giving of awards. Now i'm not talking about "who is best at what" kind of awards, but rather who has the brightest red hair, who smiles a ton, and who loves to dance the most. Cute things like that. Lisa and I always get great seats for this particular event too (stage left, floor level, nowhere near a ceiling fan, in front of a window that is painted shut and covered by a thick black fire retardant wool curtain. Who the heck is running this place anyway??). Bottom line... we were schvitzing. It didn't help that I was wearing a Russian wool ushanka hat (don't ask). Rest assured that your little kittens were much more comfortable in their seating accommodations..ish. Anyway, so I am watching a Silverspurs camper (4th grader) as she leaps to her feet to accept the Curly Q award (for having pretty curly brown hair). In a cute blue princess dress and flip-flops she steps over some other inconveniently situated campers, weaves around two camp dogs and eventually makes her way to the stage. All the while she has this huge grin on her face (ear to ear) as if she has just won ... well... a Grammy. The smile widened following a big hug from the 15 year old camper that gave her the thoughtfully designed, construction paper covered cardboard award. At that moment I was reminded of just how amazing this place actually is! I'm not being arrogant here because I fully recognize that Lisa and I are simply privileged passengers on this ride. Someday (a long time from now), someone else will also get the benefit of seeing camp's work from the best seat in the house- on an an old wooden bench, beside a stage that shines green, gold, silver and red from years of excessive glitter use.

Another quick story comes to mind and then I have to call it a night. I was looking through the window of "Tom's Office" the other day and saw a little camper making her way to the volleyball court. This camper is of special interest to me because she had a hard time transitioning into camp life. She was homesick for the first week and came to camp really not knowing anyone. She sat in the sand by herself and began to dig a hole. For a brief moment I felt a little sorry for her, but just before I got to the door two other girls from her cabin entered the scene. They sat down on either side of her and immediately joined in the digging operation. I sat back down and continued my work. About ten minutes later I peered out the window again to see how the digging was going and to make sure that they were still guarding the holes (digging is a common sand project at Chippewa, but holes have to be filled back in relatively quickly to prevent ankle sprains). The girls were indeed gone but something else caught my attention. I walked out to the volleyball court and saw something pretty cool. The girls had not only filled in the big hole that she was digging, but they had also flattened a spot above it and engraved their initials surrounded by a big heart. Please tell me there is some kind of metaphor in this... Again, we're just passengers here, but we wouldn't spend our summers on any other ride!

There is still plenty of camping left, but Lisa and I want to once again thank you from the bottom of our hearts for entrusting us with the care of your children. We will never take this responsibility lightly, and are frankly looking forward to keeping it for the rest of our lives.

Last night was the staff show (thus the staff heavy photos), today brings Pony Express & Request Night, and Thursday evening is our Final Banquet celebration. From there we bid 'ye all farewell until next season. Enjoy the rest of your summer and I look forward to talking soon!

All best,

Cliff