1 2 3 4 WE WANT COLOR WAR 5 6 7 8 WE DON'T WANNA WAIT

Cracking stuff that happened recently:

The night before last I had the 'Debs' (11 year old girls) for a camp-out. I cooked them supper, then had to go do a campfire at the fireplace in the centre of camp for evening activity for 20 Robins and 30 Rangers, which was hectic even before the counselors started a marshmallow fight. I then had to go back and make a third fire for the debs to make marshmallows on and they woke up at 3.30am screaming about a bear.

Last night I had the girl horseriders for a camp-out, complete with horses (I had the boys last week, if I haven't already said). The horses all broke free at 3am last time so this time the riding staff slept by them and caught the first trouble-making one when it got loose, but I still got woken up. I then had to get everyone up at 6.30am to ride back, plus I led out and held two horses which were, of course, the last to be saddled 45 minutes later. Top stuff. By that point I gave up on sleeping so I just cleared up and joined the coed counselor staff emerging from the girls bunks, because there was a counselor switch last night in which all but one counselor from each bunk swapped with their opposite bunk. Top stuff also, especially trying to tell the girls to get dressed in the morning while sitting outside on the steps.

Since I'd missed last night's counselor meeting it was only then that I found out that the big (North) American vs Alien 'soccer' match was today at 10am. Normally it's USA vs all but this year the Canadians changed sides because it was so lopsided. Even so we still destroyed them 4-0, with about 20 shots at goal compared to a token one from the opposition. I was the No. 2 keeper in a squad of 27 and got put on as striker for the last 30 seconds as a consolation for the No. 1 not getting injured (unlike the other team). The victory was definitely all mine :p

As far as travel plans go, I'm currently planning on 2/3 nights in New York and then using prepaid 'Discovery' (Go anywhere) Greyhound Bus tickets to go down the east coast to (the streets of) Philadelphia, then possibly visiting a native counselor in Maryland before staying in Washington and on towards Florida. There's a handful of British counselors (English plus I'm-not-English-I'm-Cornish Ross, my archery accomplice) staying in the same hostel in New York, then the bus plan is just me and Andy, the other English guy in my bunk.

My kids have been pretty awesome in their sports competitions, winning the Wayne County Camp Association 5th grade baseball tournament and coming 2nd in basketball and 'soccer', mostly due to injuries in both finals.

The big final week of camp is approaching, with 'Color War', in which every bunk is split between Blue and White and there are matches and comptitions in everything, rumoued to be 'breaking' tomorrow or Wednesday. I've volunteered myself for building which, along with plaque and scenery, is one of three counselor only competitions. Plaque is painting a roughly 5ft square commerative board based on the team name (eg Blue Aztecs and White Conquistadors) that hangs in the dining hall or gym and is for heavily arty types. It gets worked on around the clock all week and some of the finished ones are absolutely amazing. Scenery does exactly what it says on the tin, for the Color War sing, which is like the division one but with much more practice and intensity. In 'Building' the two teams get given a wooden thing to construct, with the wood, nails, hammers and basic dimensions being the only things given. Previous examples were huts at the lake for storing lifejackets, canoe paddles, sails and suchlike, the boys side and girls side Ga-Ga courts and the outdoor stage, which has one side by each team. The best bit about doing it, however, is that you get off doing duty for the entire week.