A Giant Success

If you’ve been paying attention, as we do, to the weather forecasts for this area over the last few days, it would seem that rain would be a constant companion for us. Everyday we’ve been told there would be a 70, 80, or even 90 percent chance of rain. Indeed it has rained every day this week, but happily we’ve been lucky about when it has rained. For example, today we took a group of seniors whitewater rafting, and when we left camp at 7:15am there was a steady, drenching rain. Most of the camp was asleep, but these brave, determined girls woke early and headed out, nervously glancing to the sky. As we drove through the rain toward the Nantahala River, and as the sun rose to heat things up a bit, the clouds parted and we found bright sunny skies. This made for a perfect trip… Fun splashing around, “accidentally” falling in, and the thrill of crashing through each rapid’s waves. The ordinarily cold water of the Nantahala even felt a little warmer than usual for some reason. The girls had a blast on the water… the kind of outdoor adventure we love around here … enjoyed a picnic lunch by the “Worser Wesser” Falls, and were back at camp in time for their afternoon activities.

In the craft cabin tucked into the woods just below the first cabin of the lower line, the cabin we call “Hobby Nook,” the girls taking “Folklore” have been up to something cool. They’ve been making these neat leather purses. Just a few instructions, and even fewer materials, are needed to get started. The girls cut pieces of soft leather into shapes, punch holes and sew everything together with other strands of leather. Some girls trimmed their creations with beads, while others attached braided friendship bracelet patterns… mixing media and craft activities at RBC! As you can see, the results are dazzling, and a clear source of pride for the girls.

I should probably write more about the food we are all enjoying at camp, because it’s been so yummy and good. Rick and his crew constantly amaze and satisfy us all.  There are so many examples— his baked cheese grits (with scrambled eggs and bacon) we ate for breakfast, the massive bowl of secret-recipe guacamole he added to our “taco lunch,” the baked chicken, homemade tomato soup, fresh steamed broccoli and warm focaccio bread —all examples of Rockbrook eating well. Don’t be surprised if your daughter comes home with a new favorite food. Maybe it’ll be something simple like raspberries and blueberries on waffles, but it might be lemon hummus with roasted red peppers and pine nuts!

The scattered rain showers of late haven’t stalled the action at our riflery range. The girls down there, girls of all ages, have been steadily improving their shot. And they have been shooting a lot! From the gym and even from near the lake, you can hear that “pop pop” sound of the .22 caliber rifles discharging. From this photo, you can also see that the coaching provided by instructors Leah and Haley is really paying off. Each day we hear (usually announced to cheers in the dining hall) of new members joining the riflery “Bullseye Club.” Check out Anna’s perfectly centered shot!  Awesome!

Dinner tonight was another surprise, and a first for Rockbrook. Our 9th graders who are staying for the current mini session presented a banquet to the camp, just as the full session 9th graders will do in a couple of weeks. We ordinarily don’t have a mini session banquet, mostly because planning one (painting decorations, rehearsing skits and dances, designing props, etc) takes more time than is really available in a short session, but this group of nine girls really wanted to do it. And they did an amazing job presenting “Rockbrook Under the Rainbow,” their banquet celebrating “colors.” Each CA dressed in a different color, all the colors of the rainbow plus white and pink (ROYGBIV + WP), and their counselors in tie dye t-shirts. Colorful designs like spirals, stripes, polka dots, and stars covered every wall. A multi-colored parachute hung from the ceiling, and the centerpiece was a “ball pool” filled with bright plastic balls and a rainbow of colored balloons. While this banquet didn’t pull out all the stops of our full session banquets, it showed the CAs’ impressive enthusiasm and their hard work. And judging from the other campers’ excited response— the dancing, singing, cheers and applause —the whole event was a giant success Thank you CAs!