VERMONT - PITTSFORD

New kids.
Except for one who is staying on for the first 2 weeks of this session).
New cabin skits.
We didn’t win any icecream this time but considering we did the first two session, I think that’s okay.
Another cabin cook out bites the dust. Only 2 more to go!!!!
There was a skunk near our cabin last night. Apparently a counsellor from another cabin decided to throw a rock at it. Naturally it was scared and so it sprayed near our front door. Our cabin now stinks (the rain we had last night has helped a bit).
I won’t mention the counsellor’s name in case it is the wrong person although from all sources it appears to be someone whose name starts in N and ends in K.
Thanks a lot!!!!!!!!!!!!

VERMONT - PITTSFORD

Remember how I went to the doctor the other day and he said I didn’t need any drugs?
Well he was wrong.
I went back today as I got worse. I actually have infected sinuses which has spread to one of my ears and also have conjunctivitis.
As you cam imagine I am looking my most gorgeous!
I also took 2 kids to the doctor plus had to go to the hospital for one for an x-ray and then to the chemist to get prescriptions filled (which are very expensive here unless you have health insurance - no wonder so many people go without proper medication here).
So that took up most of my morning and unfortunately meant that I didn’t get a chance to say hello to my boys’ parents when they came to pick them up. I managed a quick goodbye to the boys before I left and gave them all a little koala but that was it.
I feel completely shattered now (have spent the afternoon clearing out arts and crafts ready for the new kids tomorrow and then to the shops to top up the supplies) and really want to go to sleep. I know I can as there is hardly anyone here and not too much to do but I feel kind of bad.
But I will go in awhile so I have a good sleep ready for the onslaught of new kids tomorrow.

VERMONT - PITTSFORD

Amazingly enough I had kids in drama today.
On the last day of the session.
Better late than never I guess.
We also had awards after dinner which takes a lot of time and then cabin night which is basically spending the last night of camp all together as a cabin and eating lots of goodies.
We took our boys out to one of the shelters on camp and finished the story we had been reading to them which was called “Mr. Poppers Penguins”. I love the age group of kids that we have as they still really enjoy having stories read to them.

VERMONT - PITTSFORD

I woke up today feeling pretty wretched. I am sick again. My throat has been sore since Sunday and yesterday my sinuses seemed to be infected. I would normally just ride it through at home. But it can be full on here with the kids and we have one more session to go so I need to do something more pro-active than just cold and flu tablets from the nurse. I was pretty sure that there would be at least one kid that needed to go to the doctor so I wouldn’t be doing a doctor run just for me. I know that’s okay but I just feel bad as it usually means it takes hours out of your day.
I ended up being correct and actually had 2 boys to take.
One ended up having a cold, one had strep throat and I had a upper respiratory infection. The Doc told me it was viral so there was no point giving me antibiotics. I think I have infected sinus’s as that’s where all the green stuff (sorry!) is coming from.
Today we also had the big banquet for the end of session 2. It was a broadway theme and went really well.

VERMONT - BURLINGTON

Today I went to see my first baseball game.
Vermont Lake Monsters vs. Brooklyn Cyclones. It was the minor leagues but still fun.
And very “all American”.
We drove to Vermont University in Burlington and then they bussed us to the sports ground. In a yellow school bus. I know the Americans think nothing of those buses but we don’t have them so the international staff think it’s hilarious to actually be in one.
It’s grilled cheese night for dinner.
The boys get soooooooo excited.
It’s kind of scary really.

After dinner we had our weekly social and this week it was an 80's night.

I was the D.J.

Probably because I am one of the few staff who grew up in that decade and knew all the music.

But let's face it - there's not much that beats 80's music.

If anything.

VERMONT - PITTSFORD

Because we were still on our day off, Tim and I had yoghurt, banana and raspberries for breakfast.
It was sooooo good.
I miss that.
Although at home I used to have it for lunch not breakfast. But still.
It started raining this afternoon and kept going well into the night. The place is a quagmire.

This is Amy and I at the pond at staff free swim - which basically means no kids allowed.

VERMONT - PITTSFORD

Today I had to take a camper to the doctor. Funnily enough it was the brother of the boy I took the first time. We went after breakfast and didn’t get back to camp until about 1pm. I have a cold again - round two! Tim has had it so I think I got it off him. We like to share things in our cabin. Anyway I felt so sick and shattered waiting in the doctor’s room that I could barely keep my eyes open. You know that feeling when you are so tired that you feel like you have been drugged and are struggling to stay awake?
No?
Well anyway that’s how I felt.
Thank goodness it was my day off at 4.30.
Tim and I went to Gary’s house (same place I went last week) just to relax. I spoke to my Mum which was soooooo great and I cooked us salmon and vegies. It was so nice. Haven’t had salmon in ages.
We also ran into the Mum of one of our first session kids when we were at the store!

This is a photo of Karen (who has replaced Monica in my cabin) and me!

VERMONT - PITTSFORD

It’s Sunday which means we do seminars in whatever we want.
Within reason of course.
Although as long as it’s safe and not inappropriate you can pretty much do whatever.
Like “throw things at other things”. That kind of one is popular with boys.
Amelia and I made Anzac biscuits. They didn’t work out as nice as at home but they were still good. The coconut wasn’t desiccated so it was a lot coarser and it was also wet not dry like ours. The first batch was made with baking powder (because that’s what they gave me) and the second with baking soda. Only when we put the baking soda and water into the golden syrup and butter it didn’t froth up. I think that’s the other reason they were a bit strange. And they probably needed to be cooked a bit longer.
We discovered later that the baking soda was out of date so maybe that’s why it didn’t froth up.
We still ate them though.
Can’t let Anzac biscuits go to waste.

VERMONT - PITTSFORD

We played staff softball again this morning
We lost.
Again.
But I got a home run in my gumboots without slipping over which was pretty good considering the field was mega muddy from the rain we had.
The weather is a lot warmer which is great but it still rains. It turns camp into a big mud pile in particular places but at least it’s not cold.
In the afternoon we had Star Wars day. The staff all dresses up as Star Wars characters (I was a Storm Trooper) and the goal was for the kids (who were on the good side) to capture Darth Vader. To do that they had to get past the Storm Troopers and get the tags we had tied to us. But they had to do that without getting squirted by us with water guns.
Anyway you can imagine how much fun they all had running around in the woods trying to capture staff. We had a great time chasing them all over the place too.
I also went to see Harry Potter that night. Although it was good it was kind of complicated and hard to follow so I struggled to stay awake.
I guess it may have helped to see the last one.
Or to have read the books.

VERMONT - PITTSFORD

We got back from our day off to find a snake under the steps at the office door eating a frog. The frog was halfway in the snake’s mouth and still breathing.
It was an amazing thing to see. Revolting, sad and amazing all at the same time.

VERMONT - PITTSFORD

It’s my day off!
Five of us decided to have a girly night at Gary’s house in Pittsford (which is camp‘s house but Gary has been living there over the winter).
Gary and Farney came too so it was kind of a girly night.
We bought some food and had a lovely chicken stir-fry for dinner with cookies and ice cream for dessert. The cookies were the ones you buy from the fridge that come in a packet like sausage meat or dog food and you just cut off the part you want and cook it. So Amy made really huge ones and we had them while they were still hot and runny.
Sooooo yum!

VERMONT - PITTSFORD

I got hold off the guy about the van so Farney and I took it for a test drive today.
Farney thinks it’s worth taking the next level which means taking it to the mechanic to get him to have a look at it. Ken (that’s the man selling it) told us all the things that he has fixed on it and a bunch of things that are wrong with it. So we just need to see if they are fixable at a reasonable price and if there is anything else.
We also had the social with B.C. as it’s Wednesday. We went to them and had brownies and icecream and then danced the night away on the tennis court.
Well, until about 8.45.

VERMONT - PITTSFORD

Tuesday, Tuesday.
No-one came to Drama.
I called a guy about a van I am looking at buying (see the photos) but had to leave a message.
He called back and left a message for me.
I couldn’t call back after dinner as I had a homesick camper who needed some love and attention.
Was on Row duty tonight and it was sooooo cold.
I ate some M & M’s to make me feel better.
Some staff went to see Harry Potter (didn’t ask me the dodgy bastards!) and some horses got out.
That’s the day in a nutshell.

VERMONT - PITTSFORD

It’s Monday and the first full day of activities.
Did anyone come to Drama?
Uhhh…….no.
It’s gonna be a loooooooong two weeks.
Anyhoo. Arts & crafts is going great and now we have Sarah to help too. She is visiting for 2 weeks from Melbourne! She lives at Phillip Island, grew up in Mt. Martha and even went to Padua for 2 years.
Small world blah-de-blah and all that.
I also did a hospital run and left straight after dinner at 6pm. It was a busy night in the ER and if it wasn’t for the fact that the camper had suspected appendicitis then I think I would still be there (it’s Wednesday as I write this). He did have appendicitis and had them out the next day. I stay at the hospital until his Mum got there so I got back to camp around 12.30-12.45am.
It was a long night but at least I got my cabin letters from session 1 written up (we write letters to the parents on how their child went at camp) and a lot of reading done.

VERMONT - PITTSFORD

Today our second session campers arrived! We have about 22 boys that have stayed on from the first session and something like 70 new kids. We are packed to the rafters (that’d be a good name for a t.v. show). In cabin 1 are full with 9 campers and a new staff member. Monica has moved up to the hill to work with the older kids and Karen who is from Ireland (but is marrying Trevor so lives here now) has moved in.
I was a “greeter” today which consisted of welcoming each family as they drove in and directing them on the signing in process.
In the arvo we had activities.
No-one came to drama.
Surprise, surprise.
I actually think activities would be better to start on Monday and that Sunday afternoon would be a great time for the kids to settle in and the cabins to spend time getting to know each other and organise their skits (see photos).
But I also get that they want to introduce the kids to activities on Sunday to give them an idea of what they can do and then they can really get into it on Monday.
We had to do getting to know you skits again just before dinner. Yay.
And Sunday means cabin cookout. Double yay.
I know, I know. The kids love it and it’s all about the kids. It’s just one of those things that is never going to be at the top of my list of fun things to do at camp.

VERMONT - PITTSFORD

It’s Saturday and the end of Session one. I can’t believe that the first session of three weeks are over. There are about 22 kids staying on for the next session but all of mine are going. I will really miss some of them as we had some really good kids.
Half of the staff had the afternoon off and I was one of the lucky ones (which means I will be working on the next change over weekend) so a van load of us went out for the day. The weather started out sunny and lovely so we went to a watering hole with a rope swing (via a bridge that Amy and some of the boys jumped off). I decided to pass on the bridge jump (a wise thought I believe although I am impressed that Amy did it) but eventually decided to go on the rope swing.
I am glad I did but #!*$ the water was cold!!!!!!!
Late in the afternoon a storm came through and we got drenched getting back to the van. We had dinner at a place in Killington (can’t remember the name) and then got some Ben and Jerry’s ice cream.
Cookie dough of course.

VERMONT - PITTSFORD

What a day Friday was. We got back from our 24 hour day off at lunchtime and in the afternoon we had to go through all the kids trunks, sort through their things and re-pack them. We also had to get ready for the farewell banquet which had a children’s book theme. So the main dining hall was decorated as books like Charlotte’s Web, The Hungry Caterpillar, Alice in Wonderland etc. It was a pretty hectic afternoon painting, decorating and getting ready for the night.
After dinner we had the play that I had been working on in Drama (with 3 staff members in the cast as it’s so hard to get the boys to come to Drama) and the song performance that we had been doing as well. One of my campers and I (it was mostly him) re wrote the words to All Star by Smash Mouth to make it about camp and called it All Camp. Some of the older kids also did a skit that one of my boys had written. It all went okay but I have absolutely no idea what to do for the next session of Drama or how to try and get the boys there. They’re just not generally into it and there is other stuff they would rather be doing.
After that we had award for the kids from each department.
It’s hard to give awards when you hardly get anyone to your activity.
It was okay for Arts and Crafts but Drama was a struggle. Lucky I had managed to get most of the kids in my cabin to come to Drama so both of my awards went to two of my boys.

VERMONT - PITTSFORD

Today I had a 24 hour day off. I know that seems odd as I have been talking about my days off but they actually only go from 11.45am until 8.30am the next morning so they are not full days. But there are a few times over the summer where we get 24 hours off and today was one of mine.
We started out going to a watering hole but the weather wasn’t cold enough to swim (at least not for me) but it was nice to sit around, relax and chat. Then after that we went to the mall for a quick shopping trip - no clothes this time but some great presents to send home. Then off to dinner at a place called “99” and then we got a room at the Best Western. Well actually it was more like an apartment as it had a kitchen/living/dining room as well. There wasn’t anything outstandingly exciting that happened, it was just a nice relaxing nice of talking and laughing.
We did play some games but it’s probably best I don’t write about those.
They would also be too hard and tedious to explain in writing.
In the morning we had brunch at a lovely place called “Sugar and Spice” before we went to Chittenden to just relax in the sun.
Amazingly the rain has stopped and the weather was absolutely gorgeous.

VERMONT - PITTSFORD

Wednesday again already and the weather is pretty average again.
Not a lot has happened today.
I have the Chirrup ready really early which is good as tomorrow is my 24 hour day off and then the kids leave Saturday morning for the end of the first session so I have one day less to have it done.
Lucky I’m an organized kind of person.
There’s a social tonight again at B.C. but I have stayed her to make sure the Chirrup is printed and folded tonight.
I also played a game of soccer today. There are a lot of firsts happening at camp and this is one of them. I actually kicked the ball three times.
I’m not sure it was in the right direction or to the right team.
But still.

And here's an all camp photo for your viewing pleasure.

VERMONT - PITTSFORD

Today was Boardwalk night - well it was supposed to be except it rained (again) and we all stayed inside playing bingo.
Anyway during the week the kids can earn boardwalk money (kind of like monopoly money) doing chores and jobs for the staff. Then on boardwalk night each cabin has an activity set up where the other campers have to pay to have a turn but they can get more money if they win. Then they can buy lollies and chips (candy and soda for the Americans) with the money they have.
I can’t believe how much it is raining.
It’s summer for crying out loud.

VERMONT - PITTSFORD

Today I took an injured camper to see a Doctor - he had hurt his knee the previous night. We went to the medical centre after breakfast and by lunchtime there were still seven people in the queue in front of us.
So we went to McDonalds for lunch. The large fries here are so much bigger than at home - everything is supersized. It was great to have a latte though and they also had these really yummy things called cinnamon melts.
It was sooooo good so it must have been sooooooo bad for me.
Then we went back the medical centre and waited some more. By the time we got back to camp it was nearly 2.30pm. I got some reading and writing done while I was waiting so that was good.
Tomorrow Bec is leaving to go home to Australia so we went to Dunkin Donuts for a coffee (two latte’s in one day!!!!!) and some donuts.
Obviously.
Although you can get other stuff there, like muffins.
I have attached a copy of the second Chirrup as I had photos in my post yesterday.