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May. 30th, 2014 01:31 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
the_rckMy ride to fifth grade camp showed up right on time, early enough that Scott hadn't even left work yet. We got on the road about 3:30 and hoped we might arrive in time for dinner. Unfortunately, there was an accident on 94 west that closed both lanes for quite a while. We lost about an hour to that.
The other mother had downloaded some Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me, and we listened to that. We stopped at an Arby's for dinner. I would have liked to have eaten more, but I didn't feel secure enough to buy more food.
We got to Camp Eberhart about 7:30 and found Cordelia's teacher in the parking lot. That was lucky as we'd no idea where to go next. He took us to the building where the girls were staying (and where he was staying in a separate apartment that the kids weren't supposed to know about).
It was a lot nicer than we expected. Apparently, the other school group there this week was supposed to show up with forty kids but brought eighty, and that bumped our kids out of the lodge where they were originally supposed to stay. The girls got lucky, getting nicer quarters. The boys were not so lucky. I understand that some of them had to sleep on the floor. The girls were in the space that, during summer camps, houses the camp infirmary (the teacher was in the nurse's quarters). There were four rooms with six bunks each, and we had thirteen girls and four mothers. It was air conditioned. The biggest drawbacks were that there were only two bathroom (one toilet and one shower stall each) and that nobody's cell phone got reception in the building. There was quite a line for the showers both nights we were there. I was surprised at how many of the girls wanted to shower (Cordelia didn't. She'll do that tonight).
The mother who gave me a ride there read a bedtime story, something Shel Silverstein had written that was aimed older than his usual audience. Several girls laughed, and it seemed to settle them right down.
There was some fuss in our room because Cordelia wanted light on, but the light we could leave on was too bright for all of us, and she decided that she could live with the lights off after all.
The room we were in faced east and had skimpy curtains. The girls were up by about 6:15 (I know this because Cordelia grabbed my phone which was right by my head and checked the time). I tried to pretend that wasn't happening and stayed in bed until seven. Nothing really needed to be done for the girls before breakfast but to make sure everybody got a chance at the bathroom.
Breakfast was uninspired (all the food was). It was English muffin sandwiches with egg (which I couldn't eat) and a choice of bacon or sausage (they wouldn't give both. I asked) and potato patties. I had a banana and a scoop of yogurt, too. There was, in fact, coffee. It was more bitter than I'm used to, but it was welcome.
I went back to the cabin for the morning and read and wrote for a bit. I ate some beef jerky and chocolate covered espresso beans.
Lunch was ravioli (exactly four per person), almost certainly Chef Boyardee (sp?). There were mixed vegetables that were mostly potatoes and garlic bread. They also had a small salad bar, so I had a salad (and dripped dressing on my shirt). There was a sandwich bar which I didn't try then.
Our kids cleaned up after themselves, sweeping and wiping tables. The other grop of kids didn't do anything of the sort. I have no idea why. My impression is that our kids were told up front that it was expected of them.
After lunch, I went back to the cabin. In between about 1:30 and 2:30, I stood outside in hopes that Scott would call (that's generally when he gets his second break and calls me). He didn't call, probably because I'd texted him to say that there wasn't cell service in the cabin.
The kids came back mid-afternoon to change into their swimsuits. Two girls didn't want to go swimming and asked if I minded if they stayed. I had no objection. They didn't bother me any. Everybody came back to the cabin for about forty-five minutes before dinner.
Dinner was beef stew, mashed potatoes and biscuits. I made myself a sandwich, too, because I was hungry and the salad bar was pretty much empty by the time I looked at it.
I had to go along for the after dinner activities because we parents were expected to see the kids back to their cabins in the evenings. That night, they did an egg drop and a campfire with s'mores. Some parents had provided gelatin free marshmallows for those who couldn't have the regular marshmallows. I think there were six kids who needed the gelatin free kind.
I was stupid and didn't put on bug spray before the egg drop. I remedied that before the campfire, but I still had mosquitoes trying to bite through my socks.
After the campfire, the kids played for about forty-five minutes, running around like crazy and generally cutting loose. The teacher had bought enough Capri Sun pouches that each kid could have one.
There was just me and one other mother that second night. I had to fight the instinct to retreat to my bunk and pretend that the kids were fine on their own. We had to keep track of who got to shower when and try to get other girls into the bathroom between showerers so that they could brush their teeth and such. The other mother got called away for a while-- She has a son in the class, and he was feeling homesick and upset.
We turned out the lights about 10:30 and started to prepare for bed ourselves. Then the power went out all over camp. We had emergency lights because we were in the infirmary, but the bathrooms were dark. I'm very glad I packed a flashlight.
Power was back on by 4:00 (when I got up to take my thyroid medicine). I was pleased by that because I couldn't imagine how they'd manage breakfast if the power was still out.
We got most of the girls packed up before breakfast. Some of them were very prompt about it. Others seemed really reluctant.
Breakfast was scrambled eggs (which I couldn't eat), roast beef hash, and waffles. I had more yogurt, this time with granola, and another banana. After the meal, they sent the girls back to the cabin to get their things and move them to the boys' cabin. Some girls had to make more than one trip. There was one girl who thought she was going to get everything in one trip. Then her sleeping bag came unrolled about a third of the way there.
The kids had a chance to buy junk at the camp store. Cordelia spent every cent of the $20 I gave her. I know she bought a hat. I'm not sure what else she got.
After that, the other mother and I left. I needed to be home by noon for the air conditioner repairman, and we were cutting it close (I got home about 11:55). My chocolate covered espresso beans melted on the trip home because the car had hardly any air conditioning.
The repairman came around 1:00. He says we have a freon leak. It would be $3600 to replace the unit versus $500 to refill the freon. He offered to put dye in so that we can see where the leak is. It may not be a bad one (it's been seventeen years, at least, since the thing was last serviced) or it may be something repairable. He did say that there's one part that, if it's leaking, simply can't be fixed. We'll see how we do as the summer progresses. We might still have to bite the bullet, though, and buy a new air conditioner.
Cordelia's class will be back at the school in about another hour. I'll have to go pick her up as they won't release her if I don't. Plus, she has trouble carrying her suitcase and the bag with her bedding at the same time. She can do it. She did it this morning. I just bet that I'm carrying the bedding home.
The other mother had downloaded some Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me, and we listened to that. We stopped at an Arby's for dinner. I would have liked to have eaten more, but I didn't feel secure enough to buy more food.
We got to Camp Eberhart about 7:30 and found Cordelia's teacher in the parking lot. That was lucky as we'd no idea where to go next. He took us to the building where the girls were staying (and where he was staying in a separate apartment that the kids weren't supposed to know about).
It was a lot nicer than we expected. Apparently, the other school group there this week was supposed to show up with forty kids but brought eighty, and that bumped our kids out of the lodge where they were originally supposed to stay. The girls got lucky, getting nicer quarters. The boys were not so lucky. I understand that some of them had to sleep on the floor. The girls were in the space that, during summer camps, houses the camp infirmary (the teacher was in the nurse's quarters). There were four rooms with six bunks each, and we had thirteen girls and four mothers. It was air conditioned. The biggest drawbacks were that there were only two bathroom (one toilet and one shower stall each) and that nobody's cell phone got reception in the building. There was quite a line for the showers both nights we were there. I was surprised at how many of the girls wanted to shower (Cordelia didn't. She'll do that tonight).
The mother who gave me a ride there read a bedtime story, something Shel Silverstein had written that was aimed older than his usual audience. Several girls laughed, and it seemed to settle them right down.
There was some fuss in our room because Cordelia wanted light on, but the light we could leave on was too bright for all of us, and she decided that she could live with the lights off after all.
The room we were in faced east and had skimpy curtains. The girls were up by about 6:15 (I know this because Cordelia grabbed my phone which was right by my head and checked the time). I tried to pretend that wasn't happening and stayed in bed until seven. Nothing really needed to be done for the girls before breakfast but to make sure everybody got a chance at the bathroom.
Breakfast was uninspired (all the food was). It was English muffin sandwiches with egg (which I couldn't eat) and a choice of bacon or sausage (they wouldn't give both. I asked) and potato patties. I had a banana and a scoop of yogurt, too. There was, in fact, coffee. It was more bitter than I'm used to, but it was welcome.
I went back to the cabin for the morning and read and wrote for a bit. I ate some beef jerky and chocolate covered espresso beans.
Lunch was ravioli (exactly four per person), almost certainly Chef Boyardee (sp?). There were mixed vegetables that were mostly potatoes and garlic bread. They also had a small salad bar, so I had a salad (and dripped dressing on my shirt). There was a sandwich bar which I didn't try then.
Our kids cleaned up after themselves, sweeping and wiping tables. The other grop of kids didn't do anything of the sort. I have no idea why. My impression is that our kids were told up front that it was expected of them.
After lunch, I went back to the cabin. In between about 1:30 and 2:30, I stood outside in hopes that Scott would call (that's generally when he gets his second break and calls me). He didn't call, probably because I'd texted him to say that there wasn't cell service in the cabin.
The kids came back mid-afternoon to change into their swimsuits. Two girls didn't want to go swimming and asked if I minded if they stayed. I had no objection. They didn't bother me any. Everybody came back to the cabin for about forty-five minutes before dinner.
Dinner was beef stew, mashed potatoes and biscuits. I made myself a sandwich, too, because I was hungry and the salad bar was pretty much empty by the time I looked at it.
I had to go along for the after dinner activities because we parents were expected to see the kids back to their cabins in the evenings. That night, they did an egg drop and a campfire with s'mores. Some parents had provided gelatin free marshmallows for those who couldn't have the regular marshmallows. I think there were six kids who needed the gelatin free kind.
I was stupid and didn't put on bug spray before the egg drop. I remedied that before the campfire, but I still had mosquitoes trying to bite through my socks.
After the campfire, the kids played for about forty-five minutes, running around like crazy and generally cutting loose. The teacher had bought enough Capri Sun pouches that each kid could have one.
There was just me and one other mother that second night. I had to fight the instinct to retreat to my bunk and pretend that the kids were fine on their own. We had to keep track of who got to shower when and try to get other girls into the bathroom between showerers so that they could brush their teeth and such. The other mother got called away for a while-- She has a son in the class, and he was feeling homesick and upset.
We turned out the lights about 10:30 and started to prepare for bed ourselves. Then the power went out all over camp. We had emergency lights because we were in the infirmary, but the bathrooms were dark. I'm very glad I packed a flashlight.
Power was back on by 4:00 (when I got up to take my thyroid medicine). I was pleased by that because I couldn't imagine how they'd manage breakfast if the power was still out.
We got most of the girls packed up before breakfast. Some of them were very prompt about it. Others seemed really reluctant.
Breakfast was scrambled eggs (which I couldn't eat), roast beef hash, and waffles. I had more yogurt, this time with granola, and another banana. After the meal, they sent the girls back to the cabin to get their things and move them to the boys' cabin. Some girls had to make more than one trip. There was one girl who thought she was going to get everything in one trip. Then her sleeping bag came unrolled about a third of the way there.
The kids had a chance to buy junk at the camp store. Cordelia spent every cent of the $20 I gave her. I know she bought a hat. I'm not sure what else she got.
After that, the other mother and I left. I needed to be home by noon for the air conditioner repairman, and we were cutting it close (I got home about 11:55). My chocolate covered espresso beans melted on the trip home because the car had hardly any air conditioning.
The repairman came around 1:00. He says we have a freon leak. It would be $3600 to replace the unit versus $500 to refill the freon. He offered to put dye in so that we can see where the leak is. It may not be a bad one (it's been seventeen years, at least, since the thing was last serviced) or it may be something repairable. He did say that there's one part that, if it's leaking, simply can't be fixed. We'll see how we do as the summer progresses. We might still have to bite the bullet, though, and buy a new air conditioner.
Cordelia's class will be back at the school in about another hour. I'll have to go pick her up as they won't release her if I don't. Plus, she has trouble carrying her suitcase and the bag with her bedding at the same time. She can do it. She did it this morning. I just bet that I'm carrying the bedding home.
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no subject
Date: 2014-05-30 11:53 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2014-05-30 06:17 pm (UTC)I did not know that chocolate covered espresso beans would melt!!
Blecch about the air conditioner repair being expensive. I hope it turns out to be something that can be fixed with duct tape. :)
no subject
Date: 2014-05-30 09:15 pm (UTC)The bed was unpleasant. It was better than I feared it would be, but sleeping on it hurt enough that I had trouble staying asleep.
Thanks for the good wishes about the air conditioner.
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Date: 2014-05-30 08:43 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2014-05-30 09:13 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2014-06-03 05:42 am (UTC)Great job momming up. Both you and Cordelia really rose to the occasion several times and overcame limits.
I love how protectively and thoughtfully you and Scott nurture Cordelia. She needed a soft landing when she got stuck with a slightly wonky nervous system; I'm sure she'll be forever grateful that you were the parents she picked.
And good luck with the air conditioner! I haven't put mine in the window, yet, but it's getting to be time. :P
no subject
Date: 2014-06-03 06:08 pm (UTC)We're trying to encourage Cordelia to adventure on her own, but she's kind of reluctant. She wants clear boundaries. I'd love to have her start riding the bus into town, but she's still too scared. I don't want her life to be limited in the ways mine is.