It begins

Thank you for dropping your sons off today for our 2015 First Term.  It is a joy to see them arrive and a privilege to have them with us at camp for the next 25 days.  Today was one of the smoothest opening days I can remember with “chamber of commerce” weather and lots of happy campers.  And have no fear if any of you left teary campers (or maybe you were a bit teary - perfectly normal!).  Smiles abounded this afternoon as boys reacquainted or met for the first time.

I work the front of the store each opening day afternoon, passing out knitwear forms to each boy.  I do this because it gives me a chance to see each camper face to face on the first day, greeting returners and meeting the new boys.  I can tell you that there are some excited boys here.  I also get to witness our counselors at work.  Many played games with the cabin while waiting.  Others gathered the entire cabin around and asked a series of questions for each boy to answer, little icebreakers.

My name is Glenn Breazeale.  My wife Carter and I direct camp. We hope to bring you little updates every few days, little glimpses into camp life from the director’s perspective. And from a parent’s perspective too.  We have twin girls, Caroline and Gigi, who are 9.  Tomorrow we take them to camp to spend 25 days at one of their favorite places on earth.

Carter grew up at Alpine, as her parents Dick and Alice O’Ferrall owned and directed camp.  Most probably know, but Dick, Mr. O as he’s known at camp, started Alpine in 1959.  He’s been here every summer since.  That’s 55 summers.  He still remembers most everyone who’s driven through these gates.  Alice will be quick to tell you she has not been here every summer.  They married several years later.

Carter camped and counseled at Camp Desoto, eventually carrying several different leadership positions in her latter college summers there.  I grew up in Jackson, MS and camped at Alpine for 6 summers.  In fact, my father camped at Alpine during some of the earliest summers.  His mother, my grandmother, was one of Dick’s first camp “representatives” hosting slide shows (with real slides back then) in the cozy south Mississippi town of McComb, MS.  When I was a kid, my mother and a few other ladies would host Dick every year in Jackson, MS.

We did take care of quite a few necessities today, like the swim check and activity signup.  But what was really happening today was counselors spending time bringing cabins together, through games and conversations.  They are the foundation of camp.  In fact, the counselors really are camp for these boys each summer.  I look forward to telling you more about them throughout the term.

So many of you love to know what we are eating (a big deal at camp!).  We’ll try to give you a sample most days.  Lunch continued a decades long opening day tradition of chicken and dumplings, green peas, corn, homemade biscuits, and jello (the ladies always say it soothes nervous stomachs on opening day).  Tonight we enjoyed spaghetti with homemade meat sauce, green salad with tomatoes, and toast.

Thanks for reading and good night for now,

Glenn