Camp McDowell Field Trip

A few posts back I had a post titled "The Difference between boys and girls" and referred to how muddy my Elder Son was from riding the 4 wheeler, just an hour before he was due to be dressed in his sport coat and be on stage at the high school.  The difference was that girls his age would have been primping with make-up and hot rollers and manicures and earring choices and sequin dresses all day long, planning things weeks ahead of time for that moment. 

Well, I have found another difference in boys and girls, after I spent last week camping with Baby Girl for the first time at Camp McDowell.  Granted, I still had an enormously super fantastic time with her, but it was a different experience, and I thought by my 4th time at Camp McDowell I would have experienced it all. Not so.  For instance, upon a hike to a waterfall, the teacher showed Baby Girl a shiny rock.  Described some attributes of it and then carried on along the trail.  I had to miss this 1 hour hike and so upon return to camp I asked Baby Girl how it went..... All she could talk about was the rock she saw.  The "shiny, sparkly rock that looked almost like it had silver shiny sparkly sequins on it, you know, mama, like it was going to be in a beauty pageant.  That's exactly what it looked like, like it was in a pageant."

Yes. She described a rock as being a contestant in Miss America. My boys would have wandered off the path by that point and had their hands in some slime dripping off the nearest stone. 

At Camp, the kids have a 3 hour morning class after breakfast, followed by a 3 hour afternoon class after lunch. Then a canteen break and recreational time with a side of a shorter 1 hour free choice, hiking with the a guide, kickball, 4 corners, basketball, etc. with chapperones, walks along the creek/beach area, learning shelter making skills in the forest, or arts and crafts.  Then after dinner, another 2 hour group class before snack and bedtime, which is usually a night hike.  Those are my favorite by the way.

At any rate, during the afternoon canteen and rec time my boys have always needed to run out even more energy so they are eager to choose something that allows that fact to be carried through.  This was my 4th year to attend camp with a child of mine and I had never, I repeat, never, been to the arts and crafts hut for free time.

Alas, another difference of being here with Baby Girl. She was completely happy to be surrounded by mounds of glitter and glue and bags, boxes and bowls of beads.  And after our stint at the craft hut, her tree name badge was the shiniest, sparkliest, beadiest thing I'd ever seen this side of a beauty pageant.

Sorry for this next pic, but I only had my phone with me at the time...because I thought I wouldn't need my camera for this class. Sadly, a decision I would come to regret.  The kids were learning about Native Americans and their homes, trades, lifestyles, etc.  At the end of this session, as you've seen before in pics of years past at camp, they can have their faces painted with a berry (comes from poke salad) mixture that creates this beautiful purple hue.  Baby Girl was first in line, of course.  And the teacher painted a rabbit on her right cheek to represent being "wise and graceful".....after which, Baby Girl tripped about a dozen times on the rocks and tree roots...so much for having the sign of the rabbit.   However, she redeemed herself when she was chosen, or eagerly volunteered, or maybe she even begged to do it, I have no idea, all I know is I looked over from my tree I'd perched up against and saw this:

Baby Girl was painting the teacher's face with the berry mixture.  And I must say, she did a great job.

One of our afternoon classes was titled "Creepy Crawlies"....and it required a little trip out to the Pond.  In rubber boots that would resemble waders on Baby Girl.  But, even waders didn't keep her dry.  She tromped out into the pond, secure in the fact that her boots were almost thigh high, and proceeded to scroop up the detritis (where the creepy crawlies live) into her bowl.  A few times through, she ventured even further and because of the size of her adult large rubber boots mixed with a stump on the floor of the pond, she stumbled around and wound up getting wet from her toes to her bottom.   The sun may have been shining, but the temperature was still around 45 and the water was even colder.  Her feet were freezing, but she laughed the hardest when she was sitting on the bank ringing out her two pairs of socks....and yes, shortly thereafter we changed her into warm, dry clothes.

Never fear!  If you are ever stranded in the wilderness without a cabin or Marriott to sleep in, you need to pray hard that Baby Girl is on the trip with you.  Why?  Because she can build a survival shelter with the best of them.  Just look at her go:

With one of her favorite teachers, Jessica.

And with her favorite dinner visitor....Daddy.

Yes, we survived.  It was the coldest trip to camp I have ever taken. But I wouldn't have missed this time with Baby Girl for all the heat from home. We had a grand time.  She was very tired, falling asleep on the way home before we were 5 minutes from the cabins.  I was tired too....but I'll keep going every year they want me to....because I love getting to experience these moments with them. And as my kids will tell you, my favorite part of Camp McDowell.... I love the fact that I am served 3 hot meals a day, a candy bar and coke around 4 pm and pretzels and apple slices snack before bedtime.  I don't have to cook one dish, I don't have to slice one apple, I don't have to wash one fork.  And that, for me, is what makes it even more of a wonderful experience.  

Maybe I should ask T5 if he'll just hire us a cook and maid here at the ol' homestead. :)