Day two started at the obscene hour of 5:30. I have no one to blame but myself, as I had noticed that there was a early-morning hike for the first-year campers, and had asked if they wanted a guy on board. They decided they did, and would I be so kind as to come along? Of course, but it didn't sound so appealing at that wakeup call. Being dutiful above all else, I dress and throw the necessities in a backpack, including bug spray and the first aid kit.
After a slight delay, our sleepy-headed first years arrived and we set out. We got to see a lovely sunrise over the lakefront, and chance to feel the cool air for about the only time all week it felt anywhere near cool. Then we headed into a lovely tree-lined amphitheater called the Green Cathedral, where Chris had started making some yummy Dutch-oven breakfast with cinnamon rolls and hash browns and scrambled eggs. We then hiked back and rejoined the rest of the campers.
The four of us men all got together and set out to set up two more canopies before the skies, which had grown progressively more grey, started to open up. I caught up to them just as they had finished setting up the first canopy. Gale said that he still had a funny feeling about the camp and asked me to offer a prayer of blessing on the site. That's when the miracle occured.
Last year, I had lost so much weight that my wedding band no longer fit, and it was literally hanging off my finger. Well, two days into Girls Camp I lost it. I told Melissa right away, and we were bummed but not overly stressed. The campers were shocked and appalled, and many of them spent time combing the campground looking for it. I figured it had fallen onto the ground somewhere and had been lost, and when no one could find it, I gave up hope, and we replaced it with the ring I wear now.
Back to the present day, right after I offered the prayer, Jim grabbed the bag that held the spare parts for the canopy we had just set up when he noticed something round and silver fall out. He held it up for me to see, and sure enough, it was my old wedding band. The four of us looked at it in amazement, then we tried to figure out the best way to tell everyone. I finally hatched a plan with the camp leader, who took the band. We'll return to it later, I promise.
The rain started falling, so plans for outdoor team-building exercises were put on hold, and indoor workshops were held instead. I was invited to demonstrate "putting on the armor of God", which involved me getting shot with a Nerf gun with no protection. I got one stuck on my upper lip, another on my neck. Then I was suited up with a breastplate and helmet, and given a shield, and asked to defend myself. Exce3pt for one shot the eluded the shield and hit me in the upper thigh, I was totally protected. We then read Ephesians 6:11-17 and discussed at length. We then repeated the process for the other half of the campers, with similar results. You would have been so proud of my shield-weilding prowess.
Now would be a good time to hit the red button.
After this, Chris and I decide that we had best go check on last night's work and ensure that our canopies are still standing. We head down to the waterfront, but not before being alerted by the camp leaders that girls were trying to sneak down to the waterfront without supervision, a big no-no. We head down and inspect our work, and after tightening a few lines, head back. As we're walking, we hear the unmistakeable sound of giggling girls up to no good, so we investigate. After walking along a way, we find two girls crouching behind some trees, hoping we wouldn't see them. What they had not noticed, and what we immediately point out, is that they're standing in a nice batch of poison ivy. We send them immediately to the nurse's station for a checkup, laughing inside that they had been so addled-brained to jump into some weeeds without looking. (They were fine, no worries.)
Lunch this year was a revelation, as the girls were expected to cook their own lunch two days. Day two was one of those days. I was invited to come and eat with the first years, and was happy to see that they had laid out the fixings for some yummy ham-and-pineapple kabobs, with lots of onions and green peppers. Delicious, and it didn't mess up my diet at all. That's right, for the most part I kept up with my diet, despite the extra workload.
After lunch, it was decided that we would try to open the pool so the girls could go swim, and I volunteered to assist there. The kids were playing along, and having a good time, when I heard a rumble of thunder. I hoped it would be a one-off, but I heard another one shortly thereafter. Caring for the firls' safety above all, I stood up and asked everyone to get out of the pool. There was quite a bit of grumbling, but they did leave the pool. Maybe a minute after everyone left, KA-POW! a HUGE peal of thunder sounded right over our heads. After regaining our bearings, the next sound we heard was the camp leaders running to the pool to get everyone out. I reported that everyone was already out, to their immense relief. Yay for foresight! The lightning and rain clear after a few minutes and the pool repoens later.
Not long thereafter, Melissa finds me and reveals that she doesn't think there will be enough pulled pork for tonight's finner, and asks if we would be willing to grill some burgers for dinner to supplement the pulled pork. We dig up the grill, find cleaning tools and charcoal, and proceed to cook 80 hamburgers. At the same time, some of the girls decide it would be great fun to squirt the men with water guns. I do my best Roadrunner impression for a while, but finally let them soak me good, which felt nice standing in front of the hot grill. We deliver the cooked patties in time for dinner, where the girls predictably wolf down the burgers but barely touch the pulled pork. Figures.
Ah yes, back to the missing ring. There is a tradition at camp that if someone misplaces anything, and it gets turned in to lost and found, the owner must sing for the missing item. It's a cute way to remind the girls to take care of their stuff, and provides free entertainment to boot. This time, the camp leader gets up and asks if anyone lost a silver ring with the words "Families Are Forever" etched thereon. I make like I'm embarrassed to get up, then start walking up to a rising chorus of cheers, as the girls who were at camp last year realize what's happening. Someone pulls Melissa out of the kitchen as I sing "Love At Home." Melissa then slinks back into the kitchen, since she's not a big fan of singing in front of crowds, unlike her weirdo husband.
We had a light load the rest of the night, as everything was set up. I did have to flex my PC skillz, as we had some difficulty with a presentation running from a laptop, but nothing I couldn't handle. All in all, a great day, one for the books.
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