E.G. FOLEY
  • Home
  • About
  • Books
    • The Gryphon Chronicles
  • Fan Art
  • Contact
  • Blog
  • Store
    • Store Home
    • Discounted Book Sets
    • $5 Off Paperbacks
    • Autographed Paperbacks
    • Bookstores, Libraries, & Schools
    • Return & Shipping Policies

Summer Camp Memories

8/19/2013

0 Comments

 
Summer may be winding down, but there's still time to wax nostalgic over that old summer ritual of going to camp. (Also known as Mom's Vacation from Summer Break, haha.) For experienced summer camp-goers, maybe you've already started thinking about what you'd like to try next summer.

Did you go to camp this summer? Not every kid loves the idea. I know it can be scary to go away to a strange place where you don't know anyone and you're not sure what to expect. Maybe the friends you'd like to hang out with aren't going there with you. But it's great to get out of your same-old, same-old routine and try some sort of a new adventure.

These days there are sooo many kinds of camps kids can go to it's amazing. If I were a kid, I have no idea what I would pick! Just right here in my hometown of Pittsburgh, PA (go Pirates) kids can choose anything from Science Camp (different than Inventors' Camp!) to Performing Arts Camp for the budding stage stars, to camps for particular sports (football camp, soccer camp, etc), to spiritual themed camps to help you grow in your faith.

There are service camps where you go with a group of kids to help build houses for the poor or help a town rebuild after tornadoes or that kind of thing--even Camp Cadet for kids who want to find out what it's like to be a cop! Oh, and there's also Zoo Camp for the animal lovers. There are Arts and Craft Camps, Cooking Camp for teens interested in a career as a chef, and one of the funnest-sounding ones (to me), Outdoor Adventure camps that have stuff like kayaking, ziplines, and rock climbing.
Picture
Still a horse-girl
As a kid, I was a horse-obsessed girl (you may know the type!) so my parents knew they would never send me off to summer camp unless there were horses involved. They found Faith Ranch Camp in eastern Ohio for me and my little sisters to go to, a non-denominational Christian camp with tons of outdoor activities centering around horses and other outdoor stuff.

One of the things I liked about it the best was that you were assigned your own horse for the whole week so you could bond with the animal. Everybody had to groom their horse first thing in the morning, cool him down after riding, and you were responsible for keeping the tack in top shape, too - so it really reflected the experience of owning a horse (we were never rich enough for that, though I worked at stables back at home taking care of horses and helping train them in exchange for riding privileges for most of my adolescence).
A couple of my best memories from camp were swimming the horses across a pond on a hot summer day. Horse camp version of lake swimming. The campers would have our bathing suits on for this day, because the highlight would be riding the horses bareback into the water.

I remember how amazing it was when I felt myself start to float in the deep water, hanging on tight to the horse's mane as he started to swim. I could feel the animal's enormous strength in a different way as those powerful legs began kicking when the horse couldn't touch the bottom anymore. You had to be careful not to get kicked! Then the horse would come clambering up on the opposite side of the little lake, and both horse and rider would be nice and cooled off.

Another favorite memory was getting out for a trail ride before dawn on Sunday morning to a beautiful hilltop where we had our sunrise worship service. My other favorite memory was when the kids built a maze out of haybales in the loft inside the gigantic barn. You would crawl through it on your hands and knees, and along the way you'd meet dozens of adorable fluffy little kittens who lived in the loft (at least before they were old enough to go out into the world beyond). Of course, no farm can function without a goodly number of cats to keep the mice out of the grain!

Happy memories. :)  I'm sure things are different there in some ways nowadays, since that was a long time ago, but I was so pleased to find that Faith Ranch Camp is still going strong today. Take a look! (Promotional video from their youtube channel, or see http://www.faithranch.org/)
E went to camp in Upstate New York at a camp where his dad and his grandfather before him had both gone as boys. Neat, huh? He told me he went when he was twelve and he was amazed to see an old photograph on the wall there that his grandfather was in when he was twelve and a camper there!

Unfortunately, he can't remember the name of the place, lol, but it had the normal camp activities of hiking, archery, canoeing, arts and crafts, songs, and of course, practical jokes and scary stories around the campfire. Just thinking of such things makes it even harder to say goodbye to summer! Oh, well, it's almost back to school time, but why rush it? *smiles* 
Lastly, thought I'd share this item of interest. Celebrity gossip lovers might like to find out where some of the rich and famous went to summer camp when they were kids. Click here: http://www.summercampculture.com/famous-summer-camp-alumni/. Well, that's all for now. Visit us again soon!
xo,
G, with a wave hello from E, who is off to get his classroom ready for the incoming middle schoolers!
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    ADVENTURES IN
    ​WRITING
    Welcome to our blog! Here we'll be sharing the constant surprises, delights, challenges and endless twists & turns of our lives as full-time novelists. 

    Join E.G. Foley’s Mailing List

    Sign up for News, Events, and Behind-the-Scenes Fun!

    Almost There!

    To complete your sign up, please go to your inbox and verify your email address. If you don't see the confirmation email, check your "Spam" folder or "Promotions" tab.


    RSS Feed

    Picture
    Picture
    Picture

    Our Latest Release!
    Picture

    Archives

    November 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    November 2021
    October 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    December 2020
    October 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    May 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    January 2016
    December 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    May 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012

*FREE shipping on orders of $75 or more!
Picture
Picture
Website Links
Home
About Us
The Gryphon Chronicles
Fan Art
Blog
Contact
Store Links
Store Home
Discounted Book Sets
$5 Off Paperbacks
Autographed Paperbacks
Bookstores, Libraries, & Schools
Return & Shipping Policies
Policy Links
Privacy Policy
Cookies Policy
​Terms of Service
​
Return & Shipping
​©​ E.G. Foley 2023
  • Home
  • About
  • Books
    • The Gryphon Chronicles
  • Fan Art
  • Contact
  • Blog
  • Store
    • Store Home
    • Discounted Book Sets
    • $5 Off Paperbacks
    • Autographed Paperbacks
    • Bookstores, Libraries, & Schools
    • Return & Shipping Policies