Reunited and it feels so good!!

Greetings, friends! Hummingbird here, and boy oh boy has it been a while since we last spoke! Since the summer came to a close, things have been quite a bit quieter in the Valley. The temperature has begun its gradual dip into that crisp fall feel, the leaves are slowly yellowing as they rustle in the breeze, and camp road is untrafficked during the day save for the occasional llama walk. Quite the contrast to our bustling summer!

But for a few folks, summer continued on juuuuuuust a bit longer into the fall with our Alumni Reunion at the end of September! Former campers, counselors, program directors, and their relatives descended on the Valley singing camp songs and practicing their swimming strokes for a weekend of the Princess Pat, Chris and Lillian’s cooking, and (of course) llamas!!

Participants enjoyed a contra dance Friday night followed by a Saturday full of classes that included the Ropes Course, yoga/meditation, swimming at the lake (FUNNER!!), basketball, arts and crafts, and glass beads! And in the afternoon, THERE WAS A MINI FAIR DAY!! Saturday evening after the LOBSTER BANQUET, folks gathered at the base of Tipi Hill to walk together in a reflective silence up to the Pinegrove, where friends of all generations shared stories and songs from camp through the years! Some songs have withstood the test of time, like the Princess Pat and Ayo Bo Diddly Bop, while others still hadn’t graced Pinegrove’s ears in decades! From 70s-era counselors to this very summer’s campers, there were songs for everyone, and a fire to keep us warm well into the night!

After a beautiful morning of more swimming and ropes on Sunday, folks gathered for another flawless Chris and Lillian meal and reluctantly drove back up Camp Road and into the real world…. Parting from the Valley is SUCH sweet sorrow!

I suppose we must admit now that summer really is over 🙁 although if I close my birdie eyes and think hard, I can still feel the glow of that Pinegrove fire on my feathers! I’ll carry it with me as autumn continues to ~fall~ (hehehe get it??)

Keep checking back here for more updates throughout the off season, and enjoy pictures below of the beautiful reunion weekend!

I’m off to the lake…. Stanley the llama dared me to dip my wings in the cold, cold water!

Brrrr,
Hummingbird