My First Day At Camp Falling Waters

Hello future readers!

Today Vivienne and I woke up (in the same bed! *giggle* ), pretty early. We had to eat breakfast and get dressed so her mom could drive us to day camp. My mom packed my registration packet (had to ask Mrs. Walton how to spell that!), and I had to turn everything in before day camp started. On the way there, Mrs. Walton told me that Camp Falling Waters was a privately owned day camp that was in rural part of town. There's lots of trees and grass. There was a Rec Hall in the gym, an amphitheater, a pavilion, a mess hall, a trading post and a swimming pool. (Wow, I have 3 new vocabulary words and I'm not even in school!) We didn't need to bring lunches because they even feed us! It sounds like an outta site place!  It has almost the same hours as school, from 8:30am-3:30pm. When we got there, we went to the registration table set up outside.. I saw my friends Betta and Evelyn, and met my counselor, named Laura. She's really pretty.

We shook hands and I handed her my packet.

Laura gave me a camp t-shirt and had me make a name tag. She looked at my own t-shirt and said I almost didn't need a name tag! *giggle*

                                    No one is gonna forget my name with this shirt on!

All the other kids were wearing their camp shirts, so I put mine on, too along with my name tag.

I went over to Betta and Evelyn and gave them each a hug. I was so happy to see them!

Laura says every day the schedule is posted on the chalkboard. So I checked out what we were gonna do today.

It looked like we were gonna have a really terrific day. At 8:55 we went over to the other side of the main building where the flag pole is for the morning flag ceremony. It's kinda like Color Guard at my school, except they raise not only the American flag, but the West Virginia state flag, too. Every day,  2 people are chosen every day to unfurl the flags, connect them to the lines of the flag pole, and raise them so we can start the day with the Pledge Of Allegiance and the "Star Spangled Banner". Vivienne told me that at the end of the day before we go home, the same 2 people lower the flags while the rest of us sing "Taps". They fold the flags properly and store them in special cases so they can be put away until the next day. Vivienne also said that all campers have to take a flag etiquette class before they can be chosen to raise the flags. But they already had that class at the beginning of camp, so I guess I won't be getting a turn. *sigh* Today it was Kevin and C.J.'s turn to raise the flag.

After we did the Pledge and sang the "Star Spangled Banner", Laura talked about the West Virginia flag. The white field is for purity and the blue is for the Union. In the middle is the state's Coat Of Arms that has the state flower, the rhododendron (whew! another vocab word!) on the bottom of it. I thought the ceremony was pretty cool. When we were dismissed to go to Arts & Crafts, Vivienne asked Laura if I could help her tomorrow with the flag raising, even though I hadn't taken the class with the other kids. She said she'd teach me the rules, and I could practice on a pillow case tonight after dinner.  Laura told us if  we could show her tomorrow morning before the ceremony that I could do it, that I could have a turn tomorrow! Far out!

We went inside where a craft was set up in the gym. We were gonna be making bead people. Cool! I love working with beads. You could make them smaller to fit on a key chain, but we were gonna make them a little bigger, like a doll.

While we worked with the beads, Evelyn, Betta and I rapped about stuff we'd been doing since the last time we saw each other. Betta said Little G (her baby brother) was getting into everything and dropped her dad's wallet in the toilet! EWWWW!

Evelyn told me that she started a dog walking business this past Spring. Her favorite was a German Shepherd named Hector. Even though he looked big and fierce, he was afraid of everything! If a smaller dog barks at him, he tries to run away!

                                   I finished! Isn't it cute? I think I'll call her Beady Betty!

Laura announced that it was time for Music. We all went outside to the grass and sat near this beautiful pecan tree on a blanket. What a groovy place for a music class!

A girl I didn't know sat down next to me. She told me her name was Marcie and shook my hand.

There was another girl sitting next to Laura named Lydia. It was gonna be neat to make new friends. Kevin was helping Laura play guitar. I remember how good he was from the talent show last summer at Camp Echo Hill.

I don't think C.J. wanted to sing, he stretched out on the blanket and went to sleep!

The first song we sang was the camp's official song. It goes like this:

"It's Camp Falling Waters, it's Camp Falling Waters
It's Camp Falling Waters for me!  
(clap 6 times and repeat)
We can go on field trips and go take a hike
And we can learn to paddle a canoe (clap 5 times)
And we can sing 'round the campfire
Or go for a swim, 
And we can do some arts and crafts too!(clap 5 times)
'Cos it's Camp Falling Waters, it's Camp Falling Waters
It's Camp Falling Waters for me!  (clap 6 times and repeat)
And you!"

I don't know how C.J. slept through all that clapping! He must have been awfully tired! Then we sang "He's Got the Whole World In His Hands", "Kum Ba Yah" and "The Song That Never Ends". (that one made everyone crack up!)

After Music, we went back inside to have lunch. We had peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, apples, potato chips and milk. Then it was time to change into our swimsuits and go over to the pool! YAY!
Laura packed the towels and the tanning lotion and we walked in a line behind her.

The pool is really big! There was plenty of room to swim and splash and play.

Laura was actually a certified lifeguard and she was really strict about us following the rules:
No running
No food, bottles or gum in the pool area
No diving in the shallow end
Obey the lifeguard (that's Laura) at all times.

I slowly stepped into the pool. It was really cold! But since it was a super hot day, it felt good.

Lydia wanted to work on her tan.

Marcie did too, only she stretched out on a lounge chair.

When I was done getting wet, I decided to dry off on a floatie.

                                                                 Ahhh.......this is the life!

Evelyn dove in the water near me! Don't you sink me, Evelyn!

The boys wanted to know if we wanted to play with the beach ball they brought with them.

We all got in the shallow end to play. We had fun, except Kevin wanted to play Keep Away, and kept hogging the ball! Boys!

                                            "C'mon Kevin! Give someone else a turn!"

Finally it was time to go back and change our clothes and get ready to go home. Kevin and C.J. lowered the flags while we all sang "Taps", and Mrs. Walton came to pick us up.  She asked me how I liked day camp, and I told her it was super groovy. We showed her the bead dolls we made, and she thought they were great. When we got back to the house, an ice-cream truck was passing by, so Mrs. Walton bought us both an ice-cream cone! Wasn't that nice of her? I got strawberry and Vivienne got chocolate.  Then we both sat on the sun porch to play records and eat our cones.

Vivienne's got some really groovy records, and her record player and record case looks a lot like mine!

We rapped about our day. Vivienne said she was really glad I could come out here and go to day camp with her and meet Laura and some of her other friends. I told her I was a little worried about the flag ceremony tomorrow. She told me not to worry, and that we'd practice after dinner. I really hope I'll be good enough for Laura to let me raise the flag with Vivienne. So that was my first day at Camp Falling Waters, future readers. Are there still day camps in the future? If there are, I hope you have fun at yours with your friends, just like I did here with my West Virginia friends,

Until tomorrow, future readers,
Your friend,
Julie Newman