Day One Hundred and Forty-Seven

The staple diet of a camp counselor, its the final few days and I need anything that will give the energy to make it to the end. The irony is that I ran had to run 4 miles in 90 degree heat to buy these! Yup, there's definitely still some Irish in me.

Day One Hundred and Forty-Six

I took the camera out with me on my morning 3 mile run today. The only time to get some good exercise in at camp is before the kids wake up or after they go to bed. Its not all bad though, as sometimes it the best time of day to get away from it all. Here are a few shots...

The camp road

The famous junction for all the morning runners, "to turn or to go straight?"

I always make the turn for the longer run and end up in this park just inside Decatur boundary line

Day One Hundred and Forty-Five

arrrrrrgggggghhhhhh

This is the turtle Amanda rescued from the road, tried to keep as a pet, but ultimately released back by the lake. He's an ugly fella, but was happy to be back where he should be!

Day One Hundred and Forty-Four

Here is a picture of us NOT doing the dreaded camp cook-out, this evening with took the kids out to a Chinese restaurant and a movie!

Day One Hundred and Forty-Three

Its 'International Day' at camp today, where we raise flags representing the different countries that the councillors come from and also have to sing our national anthems in front of the camp.

Day One Hundred and Forty-Two

Day trip down to Indiana and want felt like a million miles away from camp. This is the campus of the Fighting Irish, The University of Notre Dame. College is out of session right now and it made it feel like one of the most tranquil places on earth.

Day One Hundred and Forty-One

Night off this evening and enjoying a few pints of the black stuff. This one's for you Dad...

Day One Hundred and Forty

These are my boys in Mohawk East Cabin at Greenwoods camp.

Day One Hundred and Thirty-Nine

Just another day at the office for the British boys on the lakefront....

Day One Hundred and Thirty-Eight

I know I'm living in a remote part of the world....but I didn't think it was so far behind the times until I saw this Pepsi bottle in a store.

Turns out it wasn't as bad as I first thought, its still 2010 and just a 'throwback edition'.

Day One Hundred and Thirty-Seven

CAMPLIFIED! Today's special event at camp was a concert with a number of up and coming American music acts. To open the show though, George, Joe and Michael warm up the crowd with a original number.

Day One Hundred and Thirty-Six

Its the staff show today at camp, where all get to show off our talents and perform for the kids.

Day One Hundred and Thirty-Five

Caught relaxing at the end of the day in my cabin.

Day One Hundred and Thirty-Four

Things you previously had to go to the circus to see but now can just come to America:

Fat tattooed women, over-enthusiastic people, world's smallest frog....

Day One Hundred and Thirty-Three

OK, so its just a picture of some clouds, but we only get one day off a week and we'd gone to the beach. Prayed all the way there that the clouds would clear in time, and right on que as we laid out beach towels out the blue sky came too. Someone was looking down on me today!

Day One Hundred and Thirty-Two

Its not easy to find time to train at camp, so more often than not we have to do it unsocialable hours, very early in the morning or as the sun sets.

Day One Hundred and Thirty-One

The sailing dock at camp closed down for the day, one of the few areas where you can catch a moments peace and quiet!

Day One Hundred and Thirty

This is the early morning mist clearing from our lake, its also my favourite time to go swimming.

Bliss.

Day One Hundred and Twenty-Nine

I saw this in a store window and thought they were one of the creepiest things I've ever seen.

Day One Hundred and Twenty-Eight

Just another day at the office...

Day One Hundred and Twenty-Seven

Here are some of my boys, cold, wet and incredibly tired after a long day trip out of camp which didn't exactly go to plan. We were supposed to be canoeing along a river for a few hours and then camping overnight before returning back to Greenwoods the following day. One enormous thunderstorm in the middle of the canoeing through a gorge soon put an end to that. We pulled the kids out of the river and started hiking through bush and into someone's camp-site. The

Good Samaritan's there soon helped us out and we used their fire to keep warm whilst we waited for a ride back to the campsite to pack up our stuff and head back to camp.

Day One Hundred and Twenty-Six

For reason I don't think I'll ever find out, here is Frick with unusually long socks dancing like a ballerina!

Day One Hundred and Twenty-Five

Only in America would you find a game which actively encourages kids to drink Pepsi as fast as possible

Day One Hundred and Twenty-Four

This is the opening camp fire for second session at camp this summer. Its usually full of skits and and songs, here are two of my boys performing in front of the camp.

Day One Hundred and Twenty-Three

This photo doesn't go halfway to capturing the size of the desert here...

And don't be deceived by the two spoons either, there was only one person eating this!

Day One Hundred and Twenty-Two

Time for one last photo with two of the boys from my camp taken by his mum, this morning all the parents came to pick up their children.

Day One Hundred and Twenty-One

Its packing time at camp, the kids have been in for four weeks and leave in the morning. This is what the cabin looked like today, a far cry from four weeks prior.....

Day One Hundred and Twenty

My boys in my cabin were convinced I've written a book when they saw this, and I'm sure I've got a few friends that would think the same (Dozza!).

Day One Hundred and Nineteen

Following on from the previous nights Olympic Days Opening Ceremony the kids dress in the colour of their team. Here is the Green Team lining up for flag raising in the morning.

Day One Hundred and Eighteen

Olympic Days Opening Ceremony at Greenwoods Camp. Late in the evening we get the kids out of bed and walk to this huge bonfire where the ceremony to open three days of competition is held. It pretty spectacular and the kids love it. My boys are the oldest and the camp and its their last year there, so for them its extra special.

Day One Hundred and Seventeen

Our camp t-shirts arrived today, with most inappropriate nicknames for everyone...

Day One Hundred and Sixteen

A recognisable scene for any Greenwoods Camp Counsellor, this even we took our boys, along with all their girlfriends from the neighbouring camp for girls to the movies

Day One Hundred and Fifteen

Its staff show at camp this evening (I cunningly ducked out of this on the basis I've made a fool of myself on stage too many times before!). Here are my friends jumping back to the 90s as the Spice Girls :)

Day One Hundred and Fourteen

My favourite meal at camp! Friday Night is Pizza and Pepsi Night!

The sugar hit makes the kids go nuts and dance around the dining hall though!

Day One Hundred and Thirteen

The big news of the day was where LeBron James was moving (or staying). Will managed to hook up a live feed for the kids (mainly from chicago) to watch the announcement, needless to say none were very happy...

Day One Hundred and Twelve

One of my boys raised a very good question about this sign. Why would the pool be dangerous when closed? Surely its when it open and in use when the danger exists. I really didn't have a response other than stop asking questions and go get dressed.

Day One Hundred and Eleven

Took my boys for a pool party this evening, one of my co-counsellors was particularly scared of sinking though....

Day One Hundred and Ten

This is my office, not bad huh?

Day One Hundred and Nine

Its 4th July and apparently some sort of holiday here in America, not really too sure what its all about, but we do get the best BBQ food of the summer.

Day One Hundred and Eight

The evening event every camp counsellor dreads.....Camp Cook-out. Here some of us take a well earn time out.

Day One Hundred and Seven

Its a holiday weekend here in America (Independence Day this sunday) and our lake is beginning to get pretty busy. Its easy to understand why, its a gorgeous place to spend a hot hot summers day.

Day One Hundred and Six

Day off at Saugatuck, a picturesque town on the Lake Michigan coast.

Day One Hundred and Five

Evening at Formula K in Kalamazoo, we took the boys go-cart racing. I was particularly worried though, about number 3 on the rules board.