The boys are going to CAMP. V

One week down, and one to go. Jarred and Stephen did well on their campsite stools. Stephen made his with three legs that were twined in the middle and then spread out looking like the top of a Tee-Pee. He then drilled holes on the seat base corners and then shaved and sanded off the ends of the legs to fit in those holes. Twine was wrapped and weaved around the triangular shaped seat. And when the stools were done Mr. Brydare, who was a stocky 215 lbs, would sit on each to test it out. If it could hold him, "it's gonna last" he would say. Jarred made his a little different. His had a square seat and crossed legs at opposite sides that were attached by a center pole. His seat was woven a bit different too. He wrapped twine around the entire seat in one direction and then wove under and over throughout the bottom and top. This made it pretty strong. For some boys it was the second stool they had made. Some kids would give them to their dads for fishing or camping. Others would just want another for a matched set. For those who still had theirs and didn't need or want another stool, they had the option of making something else. While all the younger kids were busy pounding away at the work shop (the far end of the chow hall) Jarred and Stephen's cabin counselor Mike was working on a "special project" this year. That's all he would say about it. He took measurements, and he cut and drilled and hammered, and measured again, and wove twine, and glued and cussed once when he hit is finger with the hammer. "Sawwy." he quickly replied with his finger now in his mouth and his left eye dripping one very large tear. I still don't understand why humans do that. I stub my paw now and then but I don't see the need to chew on it afterwards. Anyway, later that Saturday night, they all sat around the camp fire on their own stool telling their best (and worst) jokes. They made S'mores, and drank root-beer. There were a few contests that night for the loudest, longest, and most creative belches. At one point Stephen had a mini marshmallow up each nostril, in each ear and several in his mouth.

Mike finished his special project and then Saturday night, while most everybody else was chewing on marshmallows, Graham crackers and chocolate, he stood up and made an announcement. He pulled an odd looking stool out from behind a tree and said "I noticed that there was a camper that didn't have a stool. And was not able to make one for himself." For a second we thought that Mike might be talking about the kid with a broken arm. Because of his cast, he wasn't able to swim either. But then he was sitting on a stool. Mike went on "He has worked and helped around camp as much as he can so far this first week. He gave us all something to laugh about" he then pointed at Jarred then at Stephen and then pinched his nose in the pee-eew fashion. "This camper has retrieved our baseballs, Frisbee's, and boat ores. He was also one of the best players we had during Thursdays Rainy Day Football game." Camp would reserve the football game for the second Thursday or the first day that it rained too hard for anything else. "And he has not complained once about the 5 mile hikes. So I thought it only fitting to make this special stool for our first four legged camper, Henry. Come 'eer boy." The boys clapped and whistled for me. So, I trotted on over to Mike. He patted the top of the stool and said "Here ya go boy." I sniffed it. It smelled safe. I put a paw up on it and it didn't wobble. So I jumped on up. It was perfect. It was long enough for me to lay down on, but strong enough for me to sit on, and jump up onto it or off of it as well. Mike had used an extra wide twine and even braided pieces of that to make them bigger and thicker for my paws to rest on with out it hurting between my toes. Yes we dogs have toes! Sort of. He also made it so it could be folded up by the boys and stowed away. It had extra wide edges that were rounded for my head to rest on, and Mike even wove the twine a special way so that my name appeared on the seat. I loved it. I licked Mike on the chin and cheek, and then for the remaining week I slept at the foot of his bed. Stephen and Jarred shook Mikes hand and said thanks too. Mike picked at the boys quite a bit, but then he was the only boy in a house of 5 sisters. He couldn't pick on the girls like he could my guys. Not without his mom swatting him with the broom. And Stephen and Jarred's only real embarrassment while being picked on was when Mike snapped his towel at them, chasing their nakedness out of the shower and right into the path of the Camp Nurse. Who also happened to be the boys middle school nurse Miss Wilson. It wasn't anything she hadn't seen before, and this incident was much easier to deal with than the poor kid with poison ivy. He had to drop his drawers for the Nurse for some calamine lotion. How embarrassing. She even duct taped oven mitts on his hands so he wouldn't scratch himself in his sleep.

Sunday Morning all the boys met for breakfast. They ate, and then like every Sunday there was time set aside for all the boys to hear a story. Most often it would be a story from the Bible. Mr. Brydare said that even if you didn't believe the exact same things as others do, where the Bible was concerned anyway, it still wouldn't hurt to hear about some of the great historical figures that did great things. This particular Sunday Mr. Brydare read about Shadrac, Meshac, and Abednigo, and how they refused to bow down and worship some statue of a King. Even the one kid that was raised Hindu, was intrigued by the story. The fiery furnace and all. Later all the boys were encouraged to go to some part of the room and say a prayer or meditate for what ever they felt was on their hearts to pray about. That usually lasted only about 3 minutes, which sometimes seemed to be the equivalent of the attention span of a typical boy. Stephen prayed for quick escape from Jarred's revenge for putting hot sauce in his milk, and Jarred prayed for faster legs and the opportunity to give Stephen a Dutch rub he wouldn't soon forget.

After the chow hall was cleaned up, they were all off for a promised hike to the area that the new "girls" campsite would be. Now here is where we get the mixed emotions. Usually boys think alike. Mud is mud and it is fun. Food is food and it's good to eat. Girls are weird or sweet or have cooties or have nice features. The older guys are thinking yeeeee haaaaa, GIRLS. And the younger guys are thinking, awe man Girls?! Well the verdict will be out on that one for a long time, since boys change their minds as they get older. Mr. Brydare was just happy that his own little girls would have a place to go when they get older. And in the back of his mind he was wondering how to dig a 12 foot moat around the girls site and possibly put up electric fencing to keep the boys out. He just shook is head at the thought and kept walking.

......Camp Olympics Competition.

Henry the Dog.