Cool Summer Monday

Glenn Breazeale | Jun. 06, 2016

Monday morning sunshine peeked through the trees this morning, a welcome sight after several days of overcast skies and rain.  A front moved through on Sunday and brought with it cooler temps and low humidity.  Today was gorgeous.

Spirits remained high after morning watch, breakfast, and a quick cabin clean up/inspection.  We do inspection every day around here (can you imagine what a cabin full of 8 ten year olds and two 20 year olds would look like if we didn’t).  There’s big time incentive.  Winning cabin in each age group gets to be first in line for Store period after rest hour.

In the mornings campers attend their first three activities, with a snack in between 1 and 2.  We serve apples, bananas, peanut butter crackers (and an alternate for allergies) and “Alpine smart water” (cups of ice water from a green cooler!).  There’s also what we call the Powerhouse open during morning and afternoon activities.  The Powerhouse serves powerade and ice from beverage dispensers.  We push hydration around here!

For lunch we enjoyed chicken patties, green peas, creamed corn, Mrs. Gail’s homemade silver dollar biscuits, and the full salad bar with all the fixin’s.  Tonight was hamburger night.  The Kitchen boys took the night off to do laundry and maybe enjoy a movie in town with their counselors.  So the kitchen ladies and some head counselors served us burgers, chips, baked beans, etc. buffet style on paper plates.  An easy yet popular meal.

I haven’t mentioned much about how we eat.  Boys sit at assigned tables with a counselor at each end and 9 or 10 other boys.  Meals are brought out piping hot by the KB’s at the last minute and placed on tables in large platters and bowls.  We eat family style, passing the food to the right and ensuring that everyone gets some.  No one eats until everyone has been served (that’s the goal anyway!).  And it’s not total chaos.  There is much more civility than you might imagine.  Maybe not as much as your mama’s house on Thanksgiving, but we do what we can.

After the aforementioned rest hour (much needed break during the heat of the day) and store period, 4th and 5th period finish off the afternoon.  At the end of 5th it’s off to shower period.

I sat with some campers tonight at dinner.  One of them told me he wished there was another 9 day term after this one so he could stay for 9 more days.  Others excitedly told me about the two new horses that were delivered at the barn during their horseback class.  We own our own horses and occasionally make arrangements to buy a few new ones.  That was big news at the barn today. We won’t put campers on them yet.  Counselors will ride them for most of the summer to see how they do.

Project Adventure (the ropes course) sent boys off the V-swing today.  Think about two giant cables hanging from two trees about 10 feet apart and coming together with a metal rapid link in the center to form a giant V.  Then pull it up to a platform about 20 feet in the air, hook it up to a harness around your waist and swing down.  That’s the V-swing!  It’s exhilarating.  And a major confidence builder for a boy who does it.

Boys need to take risk, it’s in their nature.  In fact, they will find risk to take no matter what.  Our job is to provide risk, safely.  That’s what Project Adventure is all about.

Tonight boys are enjoying a crisp, cool night under the stars of the Team sports field and in the gym, playing games and being boys.

Thanks for reading and good night,

Glenn

Glenn Breazeale
Glenn Breazeale

Like his own father, Glenn grew up as a camper at Alpine for six summers, coming from Jackson, MS each summer. He has served on staff at Alpine since 1997, working full time as Assistant Director from 2003 to 2005 and Director since 2006. Prior to that he gained experience serving in various capacities including cabin counselor, Head Counselor, Head of Project Adventure (Ropes course), Horseback instructor, and Program Director. Glenn’s love of camping and his desire to preserve the traditions of Alpine drew him back to camp to offer young boys the same opportunities he experienced. He met and fell in love with Carter during a Square Dance with Camp DeSoto.