Happy Wednesday! My name is Abby Golden, second year staff and seven year camper writing this post about our Wednesday at Camp Robindel. Following the elemental concept, Wednesday’s theme was water, focusing on emotional reflection, boundary setting, and overcoming obstacles.

We started the day with a breakfast of waffles, bacon, scrambled eggs, and fresh fruit. We moved from the cafeteria to the outdoors for our 10 minute morning watch, which challenged our campers to reflect on navigating the ebb and flow of emotions.

After a short meeting and cabin break to prepare for the day, we moved into small groups to discuss a variety a topics related to Wednesday’s water theme, including the “lighthouses” in our lives that guide us through difficult times. We played a “Tap It Out Telephone” game similar to telephone- instead of whispering something, campers used their finger to draw the word on another person’s back for them to guess. Campers also particiapted in a creative activity where they drew a body of water representative of their emotional energy.

For lunch we had chicken patty sandwiches, seasoned fries, and pineapple slices. To kick off extended spree time after lunch, we had our 3v3 basketball tournament, with counselor Jonathan Dimodica’s basketball team with campers Mason Dore and Bowie Leposa coming in first.

Next we moved down to the waterfront for the kayak tournament, with Quinn Edwards taking the first place trophy. Extended spree time offered our campers a number of other activities including face paint, tie dye, and friendship bracelets. They also had the oppurtunity to take advantage of the waterfront to swim, paddleboard, and kayak. The rain came through just in time for our campers to take a break in their cabins before chapel.

Chapel included fan favorite songs like Washed By The Water and Children Go Where I Send Thee, but the main event was the singing of Will The Circle Be Unbroken to celebrate our seniors who will be going off on their own journeys after camp this year. Our chapel message was shared by Katherine Kelly, who touched on setting boundaries and reflected on the message of the Starfish Story that left a lasting impact on her as a camper.

For dinner we had pasta with red sauce and cheese, roasted chicken, green beans, garlic knots, and chocolate chip cookies. Our evening group program, The Search For The Lost Element, sent our campers around the field with their color group teams to play games in exchange for clues to discover the “Lost Element” of camp.

Vespers was led by Colin Liebert, who touched on the concept of going with the flow and not letting yourself get stuck in a loop of unproductive behavior. Finally, our campers returned to their cabins for another night of well deserved rest in preparation for Thursday. We are looking forward to it, and we look forward to reporting back to you!