Camp Spirit

Goodbye Campfire Annual Day Camp.

With wide-open spaces to run,

campers were able to enjoy a variety of activities in the gorgeous,

summer sunshine.

Water balloons soared

while children ran,

giggled,

and explored.

Both local and those on vacation visiting took advantage of the weather to make memories spending a day at Tumalo State Park.

It was mind-blowing

to see the energy and excitement of the counselors,

counselors-in-training and

the campers

…and to wrap up- the wonderful week of camp with entertaining skits.

All in all, it was a blissful week.

I got some amazing kids,

super nice shots,

and everything worked out!

My own kids–one as counselor, one counselor-in-training, and one camper–had a great time, made new friends, and are excited to go back next summer!

Campfire USA provided our kids with the opportunity to discover their potential,

explore the world around them,

and develop the abilities and character traits

that will allow them to be leaders in the future.

It is about letting kids be kids

and guiding them on the road to becoming great people.

My personal goal is simple:  to grow happy, healthy kids,

and I choose to do this through the wonder of camp.

Now I am back home with a weekend to recover, it is time to finish up a couple of neglected sweater samples two weeks ago!

Happy crafting and keep those creative juices running!

(still doesn’t do texting, MySpace, Facebook, Twitter, StumbleUpon, DiggIt…)

Rainbow Magic

a full circle at Campfire Day Camp.

I sat in the corner of the park

and closed my eyes

I felt the wind as it shorn around my body in flight,

carrying the crisp, clean air from the land and river to wash over me.

I felt light piercing my eyelids, warming my face, my arms, my legs.

I soared above the fields and the park.

The land rolled by under me, vibrant and alive.

The colors were deep and rich, radiant and glorious.

The greens, browns and yellows of the trees and brush were accented by the reds, violets and blues and oranges of hundreds–if not thousands–of flowers.

The creatures of the air acknowledged my presence, squawking and calling out their acceptance.

I felt the sun, warm, soothing and alive on my skin.

The wind carried the fragrances of creation to me, the earth, the mountains, the river, mingled them together into one glorious bouquet of life.

I was Free!

The world is a lovely,

supportive,

nurturing place!

Day Four of Campfire Day Camp was glorious.

Let children experience the wonder of camp

and the opportunity to benefit from the self-confidence, trust, friendships, fun and memories created by the camp experience.

Life is good.

Happy crafting and keep those creative juices running!

(still doesn’t do texting, MySpace, Facebook, Twitter, StumbleUpon, DiggIt…)

Favorite Animal Day

Acquiring a respect for all living things is an important value campers learn in the outdoors at Campfire Day Camp.

Third day of camp continued the fun

and traditions of the week.

One of the most unique aspects of the camp is the rustic outdoor setting.

Exploring trails,

wilderness survival,

bushcraft,

nature/safety awareness (building candy fire,)

primitive skills,

finding hideouts in the trees,

and just plain getting dirty

are all part of roughing it

in the great outdoors.

My campers practiced today outdoor living skills like reading map,  starting/putting out fire safely under adult supervision,

outdoor cooking (grilled cheese on pie iron,)

and keeping pie-irons/BBQ skewers in front of them at all times.

DD#2 and DS are camping out with their troops tonight while older teen (too a counselor herself with second-graders this year) in her own room/bed sound asleep.

Me…hubby and I are enjoying some down time a little bit now before heading to bed.

It’s been another long, yet, fun day.

Tomorrow is full of new possibilities for more goodness…most delightful part of summer.

Happy crafting and keep those creative juices running!

(still doesn’t do texting, MySpace, Facebook, Twitter, StumbleUpon, DiggIt…)

Hello July!

Goodbye Campfire Annual Day Camp.

Today was our last day in the park!

It was one of the best days we had!

With wide-open spaces to run, campers were able to enjoy a variety of activities in the gorgeous, summer sunshine.

Water balloons soared while children ran, giggled, and explored.

Both local and those on vacation visiting took advantage of the weather to make memories spending a day at Tumalo State Park.

It was mind-blowing to see the energy and excitement of the counselors, counselors-in-training, the campers, the parents, the grandparents, and the siblings…and to wrap up- the wonderful week of camp with entertaining skits. (accidentally deleted these best part of the photos!)

All in all it was a nice week, I got some amazing kids,

super nice shots,

and everything worked out!

Now I am back home with a weekend to recover, it is time to finish up this long neglected sweater since early May!

Happy crafting and keep those creative juices running!

(still doesn’t do texting, MySpace, Facebook, Twitter, StumbleUpon, DiggIt…)

Freedom and Privilege of Life

I sit in the corner of the park and I close my eyes

I feel the wind as it shears around my body in flight, carrying the crisp, clean air from the land and river to wash over me.

I feel light piercing my eyelids, warming my face, my arms, my legs.

I soar above the fields and the park. The land rolls by under me, vibrant and alive.

The colors are deep and rich, radiant and glorious. The greens, browns and yellows of the trees and brush are accented by the reds, violets and blues and oranges of hundreds–if not thousands–of flowers.

The creatures of the air acknowledge my presence, squawking and calling out their acceptance.

I feel the sun, warm, soothing and alive on my skin. The wind carries the fragrances of creation to me, the earth, the mountains, the river, mingles them together into one glorious bouquet of life.

I am Free!

The world is a lovely,

supportive,

nurturing place!

Day Four of Campfire Day Camp was glorious. Life is good.

Happy crafting and keep those creative juices running!

(still doesn’t do texting, MySpace, Facebook, Twitter, StumbleUpon, DiggIt…)

Roughing It

Acquiring a respect for all living things is an important value campers learn in the outdoors at Campfire Day Camp.

Third day of camp continued the fun and traditions of the week. (I had to borrow a camera from camp leader to take pictures…will update this post when I get them uploaded.)

One of the most unique aspects of the camp is the rustic outdoor setting.

Exploring trails, wilderness survival, bushcraft, nature/safety awareness, primitive skills, finding hideouts in the trees, and just plain getting dirty are all part of roughing it in the outdoors.

My campers practiced today outdoor living skills like reading map,  starting/putting out fire safely under adult supervision, outdoor cooking, and keeping pie-irons/BBQ skewers in front of them at all times.

DD#1 and DS are camping out with their troops tonight while younger DD in her own room/bed sound asleep.  Me…hubby and I are enjoying some down time a little bit now before heading to bed. Below is the last of the Spring Romance batts spun and plied

It’s been another long, yet, fun day.  Tomorrow is full of new possibilities for goodness.

Happy crafting and keep those creative juices running!

(still doesn’t do texting, MySpace, Facebook, Twitter, StumbleUpon, DiggIt…)

When Ten Minutes is All I Have

Day two of Campfire USA Day Camp has come and gone.

There was spotty slight drizzle in mid-morning after a night of thunder, lightning, rain showers given dry air aloft and residual low-level moisture. The rest of the day was relatively dry as a desert.

Being gone a day sure cuts into the fiber-playing time…

Those little kids are pretty darn cute though.

I did have a few minutes when I got home last night. So, I made a new sample out of 2 grams of Romney mohair locks–from Kirsten Holbo of Iron Water Ranch in Albany, OR.

spun on my newly acquired Vegas Turkish spindle

while I was at Black Sheep Gathering on Saturday.

I knew I wouldn’t have enough to complete two motif designs.

So I used some gorgeous silky bamboo silk for the intarsia framing borders. This is relatively simple–great way to try out both intarsia and Estonian lace knitting!

Thanks to my friend Monique for the introduction. This may just be the gig/connection I need to further my spinning and designing portfolio

Happy crafting and keep those creative juices running!

(still doesn’t do texting, MySpace, Facebook, Twitter, StumbleUpon, DiggIt…)