The kids are gone, but I'm still here...
Ok, current situation: we've been invaded...by highschool football players. Last week was pretty low key and peaceful as there weren't many people around, but this week an area highschool is holding football camp up here, so things are a bit noisier. At 10 pm a week ago you wouldn't know anyone was up here. We're not involved with this camp though, they're just a host group so we just see them around.

My first week without regular child campers was actually a lot of fun, not what I had anticipated. I thought I would be almost alone staying at camp and therefore evenings would be boring (as now my work day ends at 5 instead of carrying through the night). However, there were still a few summer staffers around for various reasons, and we had a good week watching movies, going out, and swimming in the evenings. The first two days I occupied my time helping out mostly with cleaning the nature center and animal tanks. I also spent some time chatting with the director, learning a bit more about the underbelly of the camp- numbers, finances, unseen jobs, etc. Then Tuesday night MDC Goldenrod brought some residents up for two nights. Goldenrod is a Mennonite organization that serves mentally dissabled adults. I was a bit worried how my days with them would go, but they ended up to be a real joy. I led arts and crafts and gym time for them, and helped out in other areas when needed. All of the guests were fairly high functioning, and the happiness, curiosity, and laughter of some was contagious. Friday morning the full time staff and I walked the highway in orange vests with trashbags and gloves picking up trash- the yearly clean-up of Amigo's two miles of adopted highway. It was hot, but fortunately wasn't as boring as I had imagined. It was almost interesting to see all that people absent mindedly through out their car windows, it sickens me a bit. Everything from McDonald's bags, car mats and sandals to bottles, broken game controllers and Visa gift cards(probably empty, but I'm going to check it out). When you litter the trash doesn't dissapear, a concept I think many still don't understand, or rather chose to ingnore.

I still have one more week up here, and honestly I have no idea what I'll be doing the rest of this week. Today I hung out in the office, did some organizing and mailing, as well as helping to clean the lodge for a guest group. I've learned that at camp job descriptions aren't concrete, everyone sort of helps out when and where it's needed, which is why my day in the office involved housekeeping as well.

Oh, about those pictures...the computer they're stored on broke, so still nothing, sorry. I'm staying in the health shack this week, a little building with beds for three, it's own bathroom, a microwave, fridge, and tv. It's grand in comparison to the cabin lodging the rest of the summer. Well it's thundering so I'm going to go hope I can walk back to my cabin before it starts to rain.
Posted at 22:34 #