So many comings and goings. It's trip season!
Beach Day for the Freshmen! But first, some community service. They volunteered for an environmental nonprofit called Friends of Casco Bay and were assigned to pick up trash at Riverbank Park. Once the work was done, they headed to Crescent Beach State Park for relaxing on the sand and splashing in the very cold ocean. Next it was on to the movie theater for “Jurassic World”. A few who took a pass on the movie instead had a card game marathon with Blake. New for this year is the Portland Hearts of Pine professional soccer team, so the group caught a game at Fitzpatrick Stadium. Lots of fun to root for the home team, especially at such an awesome venue.
The Lions headed to Portland for lobster fishing. They loved wearing the heavy bibs that the lobstermen use and actually got to pull a trap... and throw one in as well. Lots of interesting lobster facts such as -- Did you know the ones we eat are at least seven years old? The traps have an opening for lobsters to come in and out of, until they reach the size that they can’t fit through the hole. So over the years the lobsters think it’s a good place to get free food, till that one day when they get too big and that’s all folks. Once the Lions returned to shore, they cooled down in an air-conditioned movie theater for the new version of “How to Train a Dragon”. Then they met up with the Freshmen at the soccer game just long enough to grab some pizza and watch a half. These guys were exhausted.
The Tigers went to Bates College and saw what it was like to be a college athlete for the day. They played a full flag football game on Garcelon Field in the center of campus. Lunch was at The Commons, which Princeton Review considers to be one of the top college cafeterias in the country. Our guys thought it was the best because you could put lots of different kinds of soda into one cup. Funny part for the staff was that there was a psychology conference going on, so our sweaty boys got to mingle with the professors. Then on to the movie theater to see “The Smurfs”. No need to see that one again….
The Acadia Trip was an overnight, which departed long before breakfast. The Juniors reported that the 2.5 hour drive was well worth the ride. As they drove to the Fort Knox historic sight, they had a powerful discussion about rural America and got to see a wide variety of ways that people live. Once at Acadia State Park, they headed to Sand Beach for a giant Junior cold plunge. There were rocks to climb and shells to find. Counselor Leo is a marine science major, so he taught the group a bit about marine life. They even got to see a seal.
Back at the campground, it was chicken quesadillas for dinner. During the campfire, each camper took a turn speaking about who they aspire to be like and why. Quite a few said mom or dad. Dion Sanders and LeBron James were mentioned too. In the morning, they hiked Beech Mountain and took in the spectacular ocean views. They too stopped at the movies on the way back. The new “Superman” gets excellent reviews from the Skylemar critics.
Half day trips have been lots of fun too. The Cubs went blueberry picking at Goss Berry Farm. These berries actually grew on tall bushes, sort of like small trees that were bigger than the kids. They were proud to bring back 65 fresh-picked boxes for the entire camp to enjoy. Blueberries, yogurt and granola are now the most popular part of breakfast.
Some of the Stars had a special afternoon at Camp Sunshine. That’s a camp for terminally ill children and their families, where we have the honor of volunteering. Our guys played with their little ones, and helped with craft projects. Very impactful.
And finally…congrats to Miles B, Oliver G, Elliott SR, Palmer, Ryder K, Jack L who traveled to the Chess Intercamp Tournament. Elliott SR made it to the semi-finals!
Speaking of trips...Bunk 27 learned how to change a tire today. And Bunk 9 learned how to distill water. You just never know!
Heard this today…
After lobster fishing, eating an ice cream cone and spilling something at dinner, a certain Cub refused to change out of his shirt and put on pajamas at bedtime. “But my mother always lets me sleep in my dirty clothes”, he explained.
... only at Skylemar.
And this...
A camper in Bunk 27 (which means there are 8 possible teenagers) comes into the office and says, “I need the thing that covers my mattress.”
“You mean a sheet?” Cory asks.
“Yeah,” he replies. “I think that’s what it’s called. It’s the thing with the four corners and one of them always pops off.”
... only at Skylemar.
