However, I’ve done something to my knee. I don’t know if it finally wore out like the rest of the family, or if I pulled or sprained something, but it hurts like hell. My guess it’s from all the moving, cleaning, stairs that I’ve been doing. Often in the heat. I’d say it started about a month ago. Then it gets better, then I do something it doesn’t like and we’re back to square one. I think this round began at the shelter lunch 10 days ago. It didn’t like standing three hours. Then the next day I had to break into the house thru the window.
The front door lock broke. I had to use the back door until it was fixed.
Friday was go to camp day. My knee was better, not great. Early in the day I received a text from Pam that she had Covid. She had been teaching swimming at day camp. The siblings were discussing whether they still wanted to go. And in fact they did. The one from Brooklyn was at mom’s. Could I pick them and all their gear up? They were flying out of Philly to the west coast on Monday. The other one was meeting us there from Philly.
The trip down was uneventful. We were unloading the car and I realized I forgot my sneakers. They were sitting, out of habit, by the front door. Now most of the roads in camp are gravel. You kind of take your knees for granted, but walking on gravel they get a workout. We picked a tent under the trees then waited for the sibling to arrive.
Friday is casual. Food is bring your own. I took all the veggies I got from my CSA and roasted them. Plus I took cukes and tomatoes. No protein. The one that drove with me is vegan, and kosher. I stayed in my wheelhouse. The other brought a Wawa sandwich. I also brought plates. It was really good and nobody seemed to care that there was no protein.
After what seemed like an hour of announcements, the dining hall became a crafting and bingo hall. And swap central. They were into Swaps. I took a box of paper Moravian Stars as swaps. I found them while cleaning and saved them from the recycle bin. After swapping, the young people decided to play bingo. I think they wanted the Smarties. As always with bingo, our table didn’t win.
Then they headed outside for what became a marathon session of Yahtzee. They played all weekend.
Our tent unit was centrally located to everything. You could get almost anywhere in 10-15 minutes. The young people could do it in 5-10. The indoor bathrooms were less than a 5 minute walk from our tent. They have no latrines at this camp. Our units facility had toilets, showers, sinks, and a washer/dryer. But no mirrors. We did have to be careful though in the middle of the night. The tent across from us — the shortest route — had a washline hung between two trees. If you went that way, you hung yourself. Not fun.
I didn’t sleep well. The cots were tiny, hard, and uncomfortable. I could not find a position that my knee didn’t hurt.
Saturday morning we did the polar plunge in the pool. It was 7 am and the air temp was in the 60s. The pool and air temp was very similar. But it was lovely to get that layer of sweat off. It was so humid. Brooklyn treaded water the entire time we were there. I just moved around in the water. I was planning on doing the Aqua Zumba at 11 if it wasn’t raining.
After breakfast my first activity — the young people signed me up — was basket weaving in the old barn. They were going to rock climbing and high ropes, as well as making gnomes. The craft barn is at the most remote end of camp. I left myself 20 minutes to get there. Philly took the class last time and said don’t be late. She starts at 10 on the nose.
So I’m walking. Clutching my dozen spring clothespins in one hand, and my phone in the other. I have a t-shirt over my swimwear because I was headed to Aqua Zumba afterwards. There are other people ahead of me walking. I walk past the pool, athletic fields, some units, the archery and end up at a bridge. Toto, we are not in Kansas anymore. If I had a map, maybe I could have found a cut-thru. Instead, I walked all the way back to the dining hall and took the other fork in the road. I arrived at nearly 9:30 with 4K steps on my phone.
They left me make a basket anyway, but I missed Zumba because I started so late. This basket has a spiral weaving pattern and a braided top. (Note the t-shirt behind me: Not waiting for permission since 1912.) The top was tough because I pulled a little too hard and it got smaller. But not as bad as some others. They were almost cone shaped.
I was walking back for lunch when I hear a “beep beep”. It was a golf cart. They asked if I want a ride. I think if I said no my knee would have just stopped working. The golf cart was taking around the less mobile campers. Three ladies had earned the curved bar. (ie: eagle scout). They started hading them out in 1947! They had been GS’s for more than 3/4 a century. And still camping. The less mobile campers were staying together in a cabin. I’d really be green with envy if they were tent camping.
After lunch was pool and pool party. It looked like rain but it waited until it was over. It was horribly humid but maybe only 72 degrees. I spent the text two hours walking the L-shape of the pool. I did laps. Then I took a break and walked a lap sideways or backwards. Sometimes I’d stop and hold on to the side and kick. It was glorious because it wasn’t weight bearing. However, when I got out of the pool my legs were jelly, so I made the mistake of sitting down. Getting up was tough.
We walked back to the tent and changed, no night swimming for us. The Yahtzee marathon restarted until it was time for the young people to help in the kitchen. I signed up for zero chores. And I feel only a tiny bit guilty about it. They looked like drowned rats when they came out of the kitchen. They said it was really hot.
We skipped the lame indoor campfire and I headed back to the tent. They stayed on the porch and played more Yahtzee. I took my fancy coloring book but there wasn’t enough light to color. I had been doodling on placemats … I mean the back of schedules … the whole time.
I tried to go to sleep but that didn’t happen till after midnight. I was over tired and there were these two owls having it out. I don’t know if it was a heated discussion or a mating ritual, but they needed to keep the hoot hoots down.
Sunday is an early day. It’s cleanup, pack up, scouts own and breakfast. Then you’re gone. We skipped breakfast. I stopped at Panera on my way home.
Food was not very good this time. Friday night we had ice cream floats. They stuck one scoop of ice cream in the bottom of a paper cup and added generic root beer or cola. Of course it foams so it was maybe a half cup of soda. Breakfast was bacon, egg bakes (I think…it was hard to tell), and 1/2 bagels. I had a bagel and bacon.
Lunch was a taco bar. In the line you got a shell and one small scoop of meat (vegan or real), a smaller scoop of cheese, and then you did the rest yourself outside. There were also broccoli salad, cole slaw (I think) drowning in mayo. As well as the grosses looking 3 bean salad in the whole world. I love three bean salad. I took none. Thankfully there was a lot of fruit. I had grapes, strawberries, watermelon, and pineapple. There were slightly burnt scones for dessert. All three of chose the same options. All those salads swimming in mayo were also available vegan.
Thankfully, Sunday dinner was good. We were hungry. Green beans, mashed potatoes, (slightly dry) chicken, and stuffed acorn squash to die for. Dessert was pie.
Overall it was a good weekend. I got to know Pam’s children well. I unplugged for the most part. And I exercised my knee off. What more could I want.
Tuesday I have exercise class at the senior center with Sharon. I sure hope I can do it. Otherwise she won’t.
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