Hitting the Deck at Rainbow Camp

This past weekend, my Grand Officers, Grand Representatives, and I headed back to Rainbow Camp for two days of fun and sleeplessness. This sleepover was not easy to prepare for in the least; there were activities to plan, a menu to coordinate, and reservations to collect. I have to say though, given the opportunity, I would do it again in an instant.

When we first pulled up at camp, I took a moment to appreciate how serene it looked without any campers or staff around. And for a moment, it was a little sad. We had had an amazing four weeks and then, just like that, it was over. I realized that all of the Rainbow girls would be going back to school soon and would carry with them their memories and stories of this great summer. Then I realized that this sleepover would be our last opportunity to make memories together (before the Whale Watch of course) and that we better make it count. With that in mind, I went inside the rec hall and started setting up.

As 4:30 got closer, I felt like a little kid waiting for birthday party guests; excited and I kept wishing that girls would start showing up. I guess I learned an important lesson: be careful what you wish for. As soon as one person arrived, it seemed like everyone was arriving at once, eager to sign in and start the fun.

Before dinner, we introduced ourselves and received “swag bags” full of fun sleepover favors. Then we played an ice-breaker game that involved switching seats around a circle based on similarities. After this (rather dangerous) game, we watched as teams battled it out during Instructures, where one person silently directs the other as she attempts to build a structure out of wooden blocks. This game demonstrated the importance of communication, and how things get done quicker when we all work together.

After cleaning up from our games, we ate a fantastic dinner of Taco Cornbread Pizza. What’s that? You’ve never heard of Taco Cornbread Pizza? Well, my friend, you are missing out! It just happens to be one of the best new food items available at camp since the invention of Breakfast Lasagna in 2014! Taco Cornbread Pizza consists of a layer of cornbread, a layer of cheese, a layer of taco-seasoned hamburger, another layer of cheese, and (no one has verified this but I’m sure it’s true) a layer of pixie dust. Honestly, it is one of the best dinners I’ve ever had, and the sleepover was no exception. The Grand Officers and Grand Representatives were kind enough to provide their own side dishes, drinks, and awesome desserts. Concluding dinner, we moved over to the stage area, where our adult assistants and some of the girls treated us to their performance of a skit. The skit was all about planning a reception and what can go wrong when girls don’t RSVP.

Then we brought out our giant tabletop pad of paper and talked about the reasons we wanted to become Grand Officers and our goals for this grand year. I think what stood out most during this brainstorming session was that many girls wanted to become officers in order to show the girls in their assembly what Rainbow has always meant to them and what you can accomplish in one year as a Grand Officer. I am always impressed with the maturity of the girls I work with, and it is these girls who make Rainbow truly special for me.

Once our brainstorming was concluded, it was time for bed. Everyone staked their claim on part of the floor, crawled into their sleeping bag, and proceeded to chat for another three hours before settling down and actually sleeping. Of course, none of us can really complain about that, since it is what sleepovers are for. I even heard two girls planning their first terms as Worthy Advisors, so I know that this time was invaluable to them.

In the morning, we awoke to the smell of French Toast Casserole (another new camp staple!) and enjoyed our last hours together. We were able to practice some walking drill, making an anchor and a sailboat, and talked about how to successfully visit a Grand Assembly in another state. Finally, some of us stayed for the Eastern Star Family and Friends Picnic, which was a great way to end the weekend. Our gracious Eastern Star hosts created an obstacle course, which Rainbow and DeMolay both thoroughly enjoyed. The weekend was made complete when the members of Eastern Star presented a cake that featured our Rainbow emblem, showing that our organization is celebrating its 90^th birthday this year. None of us expected the cake, and it was a wonderful way to commemorate our organizations spending time together for the picnic.  

Well, I’m off to finish packing for tomorrow, when I’ll be moving back to Bay State Road for the new school year! I hope to see many of you in Plymouth for the Whale Watch on Saturday!

What is the tea selection today? Peanut Butter Cup Tea from David’s Tea’s Fall collection!

From a Van Down by the River

After Kenmore and I found our way back to Rainbow Camp, we had a very enjoyable second week. Our new campers were just as fabulous as they were the previous week, even in temperatures that never seemed to stop climbing. In fact, it was so hot at camp that we ended classes fifteen minutes early to go take a dip in the pool. I may have been a little too lenient this week and gone to dinner in my bathing suit, and I may or may not have been thrown in the pool for it after dinner. Nevertheless, the campers were all troopers and made took the unbearable heat in stride.

We left camp on Friday night, waving goodbye to all of our second-week friends and wondering what surprises lay in store for us at Vermont Rainbow’s Grand Assembly. Kenmore was intrigued, knowing that Marisa S’s theme was “A Journey of Courage and Hope with Vermont Rainbow,” and impressed because he remembered that she had decorated her own jacket with the liquid embroidery puffy paint that we use at camp (Kenmore is not very skilled in LE, probably because it is hard for him to hold the paint between his tiny paws). Her theme was also based on the “Chronicles of Narnia” movies that Kenmore and I both love.  

Fortunately, Vermont did not disappoint. Upon our arrival, we were met with a signpost that looked like it came straight out of Narnia and which pointed our way to the assembly room. The assembly room was decorated even more fancifully; the sidelines were partitioned by snowflake-covered chain, the Grand Officers marched through mystical arches, and the Grand East stood atop impressive castle walls! Additionally, all of the Grand Officers’ mascots (which were lions) were lined up in front of the stage, giving the feeling that they were protecting Marisa as she presided over her Grand Assembly.

As much fun as the Saturday morning session was, however, I think that the real fun began when someone made the mistake of giving Massachusetts some free time in Vermont.

First, a little background information. You could say that I am a bit of a fanatic when it comes to crafts. I love knitting, crocheting, embroidery, sewing, etc. You name it, I’ve probably tried it. Except for macramé. I don’t dare attempt the art of macramé. Anyway, my love of crafts must be genetic, because my Mom and Nana also can’t get enough of it. This leads the three of us to spend an inordinate amount of time in stores such as Micheals, JoAnn Fabrics, and A.C. Moore. Those of you who are passionate crafters may notice that there is one crafting supply giant left off of that list. Do you know which one it is? You do? Then let’s say it together!

That’s right, it’s HOBBY LOBBY.

I am ashamed to admit it but before I went to Vermont, I had never been to Hobby Lobby before. So you can imagine my excitement when we drove by one not far from our hotel. From that moment, I made it my mission to get to Hobby Lobby and experience the wonder that is this crafting haven.

My Mom, sharing my enthusiasm for craft-related shopping, pointed out that we would probably be able to walk to the Hobby Lobby from the hotel parking lot. Thinking it wasn’t too far, we all agreed to try it. Twenty-four minutes later, after having cut through some less-than-desirable shortcuts, we arrived at the glorious Hobby Lobby. We probably spent another thirty minutes or so wandering around and finally settled on a yard of anchor fabric. Then we made the long and arduous trek back to the hotel for the Saturday evening session, which is where the fun really began.

Every State has a Grand Assembly tradition that makes it special. In Vermont, it is their fantastic raffle baskets and their Saturday evening talent show. Let me just say that the Rainbow girls in Vermont really know how to host a great talent show. There was singing, comedy acts, and even an appearance by two pint-sized toddlers to make the evening complete. After the girls from Vermont had their time in the spotlight, the show was turned over to the out-of-state guests. Some girls got together and wrote a Broadway mash-up that incorporated the themes in different States. My friend Rebecca S. stood up and sang a beautiful song called “Amaranthine” that I had never heard before. I signed my interpretation of the song “Party in the USA” in American Sign Language. The act that I think deserves the most recognition, however, was performed by our friends in Maine.

If you are not familiar with Chris Foley’s famous “Motivational Speaker” sketch from Saturday Night Live, I highly recommend that you watch it, because it’s hilarious and this story will make a lot more sense if you’ve seen it. Anyway, the visitors from Maine got up and performed—to the last detail—that sketch. The basis of their performance was that some girls in an assembly weren’t behaving very well. Advisors had found black unmentionables and *gasp* knee-high stockings in the changing room. Needless to say, something needed to be done about the girls’ attitudes. The only solution that could be found was to bring in Martha Foley, motivational speaker. Martha’s tough love and repeated mentioning that she lived “in a VAN DOWN BY THE RIVER” was enough to scare the wayward girls straight and they vowed never again to wear knee-high stockings to Rainbow meetings.

Their performance was brilliant and funny enough on its own. What made it even better, however, was my friend Rebecca S’s question to me afterwards. We had taken up residence in an RV for the weekend, in order to keep traveling costs down. As a result, we weren’t actually staying in the hotel. So when Rebecca S. turned to ask where I was living for weekend, I couldn’t help but answer that I was living…

…in a van down by the river.    

What is spraying out my nose as a result of my laughter? Honey I Dew iced tea from David's Tea!

Here is definitive proof of our trek to Hobby Lobby:

Docking Down on the Farm

It sure has been a busy week! Kenmore Wellington arrived at Rainbow Camp on a very warm afternoon and the temperature just kept climbing from there. His first duty upon arrival was to “swab the deck,” which in this case translates to scrubbing every cabin top to bottom. He had help of course from the other camp staff, but it was a big job making sure that the cabins were spotless when the campers arrived.  

After that was done, I guess you could say that we enjoyed smooth sailing. The campers were wonderful, and Kenmore got to spend time exploring camp (when he wasn’t busy protecting cabin 18 of course!). He got to check out the lake, rifle range, jon, archery field, sports class, liquid embroidery room, and the rec hall fridge!

By the end of the week, Kenmore was sad to see his new friends leave. His melancholy didn’t last long, however, when I reminded him that we would be shipping off to Rhode Island to visit our friend Erin F. and her barnyard pals! As we waved goodbye to our new friends, we wondered what kind of adventures lay in store for us in Rhode Island. Kenmore tried to stay awake on the car ride there, but we had gotten up pretty early, so he quickly fell asleep…

…and when he woke up, we were in Rhode Island! Finding our way through the hotel was quite a challenge, but luckily we had given ourselves an entire twenty minutes to find where we were supposed to be, register, and find our seats. Luckily, Kenmore is an experienced sailing dog and an expert navigator, so we got to the Grand East without too many obstacles (although he did stop a few times to visit with the farm animal mascots).

Kenmore, my traveling companions, and I weren’t the only sailors from Massachusetts to visit Rhode Island. There was an entire group that made an appearance throughout the weekend to say hello! It was so nice to have everyone there.

Rhode Island Rainbow was very friendly to us the entire weekend. The aspect of their Grand Assembly that struck us most was their sense of humor. Watching the way that everyone interacted and listening to the words spoken from the East gave us the feeling that people were truly happy to see each other, and that they felt a mutual joy from being around one another. Rhode Island Rainbow had a contagious sense of joy and humor that made the weekend very enjoyable for all who attended.

At the conclusion of the weekend, we watched Heather D. be installed as the new Grand Worthy Advisor and got to meet her mascot, the Broadway Bears. We can’t wait to spend quality time with Heather and her Bears this year and get to know them better!

What is the tea selection today? Girl Scout Thin Mint (served iced in this hot weather)!

Here are some of the places that Kenmore and his little sister Copley visited at Rainbow Camp!