Retro Week -- The Good Ol' Days?

Retro means different things to different people.  For our youngest campers, their idea of retro is “Frozen.”  For some counselors, “High School Musical” qualifies as retro.  For me, “West Side Story” is retro.

Retro is often associated with the good ol' days.  At Doublecreek, we want to keep in touch with our roots and we are proud of our history.  But, do we want to go retro?  Let’s think about it.  Were the good ol' days better than now?

What did we do then that we don’t do now?  Well, we had a fishing period.  That’s right – a fishing period!  Originally, there was a small pond on the property with very small fish.  Uncle Carter said he saw some decent-looking bass in the pond.  I have to take his word for it.  When campers caught a fish, they could take it home.  Now that made for some fragrant bus rides!  Aunt Trudy fielded several calls from perplexed moms inquiring how to prepare a six-ounce fish.  We also had a garden; we hauled hay; we had horned-toad races; and when we had a trail ride, it was a real trail ride.  This all sounds quaint and idyllic

I should point out that in the early 70’s, we didn’t have a covered riding arena and the trees you see now were recently planted saplings.  We had one, that’s right, one water fountain.  If a week went by without a leak in the pool, Uncle Carter considered it a very good week.  I might as well say it – when Doublecreek opened, it was more suitable for lizards then campers.  All this didn’t really matter.  Despite the growing pains, Doublecreek was a very special place.  We learned early on that any activity could be fun.  Hauling hay doesn’t sound like a thrill a minute, but campers and counselors didn’t mind the heat and dust.  A dip in the pool cured that.

Until enrollment prohibited it, we had our own “fire drill.”  When the temperature reached 100+ degrees, Uncle Carter would put the flag at half-mast and everyone, except those at horseback, would jump in the pool.

Time has changed things.  Development has boxed us in.  The pond is gone; the garden is gone; horned toads have disappeared; there isn’t a hay field within miles of Doublecreek.

But, we now have a pool that rarely leaks with a waterslide, a rockwall, a paintball course, a miniature golf course, Gaga Ball pits, a covered 4-Square area, trees and grass everywhere, and we have a whole row of chilled (and filtered) water fountains.

So, do I long for the good ol' days?  Not really.  I remember those days fondly. But time moves on and so does Doublecreek.  Physically, Doublecreek has changed dramatically and will continue to change.  When I look at pictures of Doublecreek from the first summers, I’m amazed at how stark it looks.  When I look closer, I notice a common thread with recent pictures.  I see smiles, lots of smiles, on the faces of campers and counselors.  Over the course of 47 summers, Doublecreek has produced lots of smiles – whether they are riding or going down the waterslide, campers are smiling.

When I think of “Retro,” I think of fashion, music, types of entertainment and technology from the different periods of time at Doublecreek.  Fashion doesn’t matter and music doesn’t matter, it’s smiles that matter.  The smiles in photographs covering 47 summers will always be in style!

-- Joe Ray

Here's the link to this week's video:  https://vimeo.com/223770443

Gotta Dance!

This week’s theme was “Dancing With the Counselors.” Counselors were selected in a semi-random manner and paired with a camper in a totally random fashion.  After the dancing partners were announced, they only had a brief amount of time to work up a routine, which they performed in front of the whole camp!

It’s always a pleasant surprise to watch counselors and campers perform together.  Considering they have had maybe, 30 minutes of practice time, the routines are highly entertaining! We often see campers watching their dancing partners and trying to imitate them.  Okay, so campers and counselors usually aren’t in sync, but this isn’t “Dancing With the Stars.”  We don’t have judges or scorecards, but by monitoring the cheering from the audience, it doesn't seem as though the crowd has an overwhelming favorite team anyway.

Costumes are important components of "Dancing with the Counselors".  Wigs are good – if the wig matches the concept - that’s a bonus.  Gaudy hats, coats, vests and bowties are common if you get your costumes off the Doublecreek costume rack.  More suitable costumes are supplied by the dancers themselves. Props help.  We’ve seen everything from tables, chairs, water guns, balloons, shaving cream, whipped cream, ladders...well, you get the idea. Oh, I forgot the goat, horse, and a long time ago, a pig.

I suppose you’ve figured it out.  The dancing is good, but it’s creativity that really drives the bus!  This year we had some couples that combined both – creativity and dancing. Some were heavy on creativity, light on the dancing.  But, all fifteen couples were heavy on having fun!  There were no mirror ball trophies handed out after this competition.  Some will say that we had no winners.  That’s not how we see it.  We had a fifteen-way tie for 1st place.  Besides, when everyone has a good time and there are smiles all around, why bother with a trophy?

Don't worry though, our counselors didn’t go home empty-handed.  Each contestant received a paper sunflower with candy attached.  Who says we don’t have tangible awards for excellence?

-- Joe Ray

Here's the link to this week's video:  https://vimeo.com/222848002

The Cold Doesn’t Bother Us Anyway!

This was Prince & Princess Week at Camp Doublecreek.  In the past thirty years or so, most stories with a prince or princess in the center, have been movies or Disney musicals.  In these stories, you will typically have a protagonist and an antagonist.  For every Simba, you have a Scar; for every Penny, you have a Madame Medusa; for every Ariel, you have an Ursula; and for every Briar Rose, you have a Maleficent.

In celebrating Prince & Princess Week at Doublecreek, we ran into a big problem.  We really didn’t have an antagonist.  For our skits at Sing-Song, we created one – a mildly scary villain who kidnapped our lovely princess.  This villain was dispatched by a 5th grade camper wielding a bow and arrow with a rock on its tip.  It was true drama rivaling anything Shakespeare or Hugo could come up with.  Okay, maybe it would rival something Ed Wood would come up with.  If you are curious about Ed Wood, google “Plan Nine from Outer Space.”

But back to Camp Doublecreek -- we’re not a Disney movie.  Fortunately, we don’t have that kind of drama – no evil stepsister. When your finger gets pricked, you don’t fall into a deep sleep – our nurse is happy to put a band-aid on it and tell you how brave you are.  Some campers may equate our lifeguards to Ursula when they tell them “no running at the pool,” but, hey. . .safety before beauty!  We don’t have silverware singing “Be Our Guest,” in perfect harmony nor do we have Elsa singing “Let It Go" in perfect pitch.  But, we have countless campers and counselors singing all types of songs – not caring about how they sound, but enjoying being at Doublecreek.  One thing Doublecreek has in common with “Frozen” – the cold doesn’t bother us!  Ever!  Of course, we are not worried about having a frozen heart, either. 

-- Joe Ray


Here's the link to this week's video:  https://vimeo.com/221896522

The Making of a Superhero

This week is Superheroes Week at Camp Doublecreek.  The word “superhero” dates back to at least 1917, which means we’re celebrating a 100th anniversary.  I’m not a superhero expert.  When researching this article, I took a superhero quiz.  I scored around sixteen --- so I know precious little about superheroes.  I was surprised to learn that by definition, you don’t have to have supernatural or superhuman powers to be called a superhero, although almost all superheroes today have extraordinary or superhuman powers.  It also helps to be rich.  The main purpose of superheroes is to fight crime or save the world from imminent destruction.

Remember you don’t have to have x-ray vision, superhuman strength or the ability to fly to be a superhero.  Superheroes don’t start their superhero careers conquering arch villains or forces of nature.  They start small and realize they can do greater things. 

I see superheroes begin by letting go of their parent’s hand and getting on a bus.  That has to be intimidating for them.  Some superhero careers begin by getting on a horse – the biggest animal they have ever been on or by shooting a bow and arrows – which isn’t as easy as it looks.  Some channel their inner superhero by taking their first strokes in the pool without someone helping them, by climbing a tower or going down a waterslide.  I’ve seen many fledgling superheroes discover the thrill of flight when they launch themselves from the top of a 40-foot tower and sail down a zipline. 

I’ve seen superhero movies which have elaborate set pieces which go on and on and on.  In reality, campers discover that they have the stuff of superheroes in the blink of an eye.  At Doublecreek we’re fortunate to there when it happens.  

-- Joe Ray

Here's the link to this week's video:  https://vimeo.com/221032411