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Laughter + Learning = Camp Merri-Mac

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Every day is better than the last at Camp Merri Mac. Sleepy girls rubbed their eyes and tumbled out of beds this morning as they hurried to do their chores and get ready for the day. Songs were sung as the girls walked down to the Tucker Inn. The “Dream Team” girls from the cabins Dreams Begin and Dreams End all wore pink because it was Wednesday. There was good natured joking about their movie inspired apparel that would continue throughout the day.

Tummies full from a breakfast of sausage, eggs, fruit, and hash browns, the girls walked/skipped up to the chapel hand in hand. Snuggled up together on the pews overlooking lake Doris, campers sang praise songs, like an old time favorite “Let My Light Shine Bright.” Our camp director Adam spoke on who is God. After chapel, girls scamper off to their cabins to grab gear for their next classes and spend free time with friends.

The bugle sounds for the first activity and off the girls scamper; what follows is too beautiful to capture in pictures or even the best article. It can only be described as “Camp magic”. Before heading off for their special Sunnyside cabin trip, girls throw football on the green in front of “Big House”, eliciting awed grins from Tweedles who have never picked up a football. Vans of girls headed out for a rafting trip on the Pigeon River lined up. Allie W., Honor W., and Isabel E. all experienced rafting for the first time today and said “We loved it SO much and want to go again!”

In diving class, many of the girls learned how to go in head first for the first time, as well as how to break the water so as to make less of a splash. They also got to show off some of their favorite dives at the end which was a treat to witness. Our climbing class met in the Mike to tackle the overhang and all kinds of knots and techniques. Jessica T. and Rigby P. worked extra hard to perfect their nature anchors and knots for the multi-pitch climb this weekend. Morgan P. proudly worked towards her silver in climbing, conquering the Munter/Mule hitch/knot.

In the pottery shed girls quietly talk to each other as their hard work appears under their hands in the form of mugs. They paint beautiful designs, many of which are tribe signs, and grin when their instructor praises them. Over at the stables and in the riding rings, they girls chat with instructor and love on their favorite horses. Caroline R. determinedly rides A Boy Named Sue around the ring as the head riding instructor corrects and praises her.

Walking up the hill to riflery, you can hear the girls talking excitedly and braiding bracelets (a new favorite pastime) while they wait for their turn to shoot. As the girls get up on the firing platform the talking quiets and the girls are all professionalism; they wait patiently for the command to fire. Tweedle camper Haley B. deftly loads her bullets into the rifle and shoots her rounds with a calm demeanor. On the other side of camp at the Archery range, Chapel D. works for her silver with her personal bow, conquering her 30 yard objective with practiced ease.

At lunch the winners of Color War (a new Merri Mac game favorite) from the previous evening was announced. Drum roll please…THE COUNSELORS! Despite defeat, our Merri Mac girls will tell you that it was a blast getting to play against their counselors and instructors. After lunch has ended and benches are back on top of tables, girls head back to cabins to sleep, read, or write for rest hour. The bugle signaling the end of rest hour, or in some children’s minds, the opening of Trading Post, rings and off they go again! Campers spread out around lower camp, battling it out at tetherball, or coloring Disney princess pictures with counselors. Then off for third and fourth period activities.

Up on the porch of Little Dipper, Izzy O. works on her cords for guitar class, focusing extra hard. Just down the hill in chorus class, Anna O. works on the song “Never Fully Dressed With A Smile” from Annie. Only a few steps away on lake Doris, girls are more active; Mary Ellison Mc. grins from ear to ear as she practices floating and her back stroke in swimming. Christine T. got her first roll in kayaking class and Shelby M. works on perfecting hers as well. Kade D. is all grace in gymnastics class as she works at the beam, tackling handstands with the help of her instructor.

The activities for the night are all different as tonight is the beloved Cabin Night; the activities for cabins are chosen by counselors to the surprise and delight of all. You can hear the squeals of joy and laughter echo across camp as the girls head off to their cabins to get ready for their surprise activities.  Many of them will be “raiding trading post”. Stardust will be acting as a traveling dance troupe, going from cabin to cabin to spread lots of love and giggles. Comet will be having cabin initiation, slip n’ slide, and as happens often at camp, lots of face paint will be involved. There is just too much fun going on to mention every cabin; bonfires, cabin raids, and so much cabin pride.

A lovely night to you all and go Team Merri Mac!

Anna S.

Comet Counselor

Climbing Enthusiast

Fierce Iroquois

Life is good here at Camp Merri-Mac

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The morning dawned bright and beautiful on Camp Merri-Mac this Tuesday. Your daughters and granddaughters awoke from their slumbers to greet another blessed day, started in on their chores until our cabins were sparkling clean (in the hopes of getting a Cabin Cake for the best chore scores at the end of the week), and scampered down to Tucker Inn for breakfast! Today we fondly call “Tuck ‘Er In Tuesday,” so we saw many girls tucking in their shirts into their shorts, which is just another example of the way this camp encourages girls to be girls.

Filled up with pancakes and bacon, we next headed to the chapel, past the lake, where we enjoyed a stunning view of the fog rising from the mountains. After singing worship songs such as the beloved “Banana Song” and “All in All,” counselor and knitting instructor Molly spoke about who we are as humans. We are God’s children and have a perfect Father in heaven, as shown here on Earth through the Holy Spirit. Molly read from Romans 8.
Intermittent rain greeted activities today, especially in the early morning and early afternoon, but this did not stop the girls from learning nor the staff from teaching. Activities that thrive in good weather tweaked their plans and locations: Swimming moved to the Mike (the gym), where they did fitness exercises; Climbing learned knots and climbed the wall inside of the Mike, which features a tricky overhang. Larkin S. says, “Even though this is my first year taking Climbing, I’m already close to getting my Bronze bar!” Prentice A. climbed the Traverse Wall, which climbers complete left to right instead of down to up! This is one of the requirements to get the Bronze bar.
When the weather cooperated, water activities on Lake Doris went swimmingly. Girls in Kayaking perfected their hip snaps for their T-rescues, which happen when a boat flips and another boat bumps into them to help get the flipped boat right-side-up again. Kayaking also played an enthusiastic game of Kayak Polo, which allowed the girls to practice their paddling strokes. Diving learned how to make their splashes smaller for smooth dives.
Everyone was famished by the time the bell rang for lunch, and mini corn dogs and macaroni and cheese were greeted with shouts of joy and quickly moving utensils. Tribe songs sung after lunch were especially loud, and the Choctaw tribe rejoiced after it was announced that they won last night’s evening activity, Inferno! Amazingly, they also won the Spirit Points for Inferno as well, signaling their ability to not only put out the other tribes’ fires (the goal of Inferno), but also cheer and demonstrate good sportsmanship at the same time.
After a much-needed rest period and time to get candy and beverages at Trading Post, afternoon activities continued on. In Pottery, Carter K. worked on the dinosaur she molded, and other budding potters worked on the wheels and painted their creations fresh from the kiln. Pottery is a brand-new activity for this year at Camps Merri-Mac and Timberlake, and it has become a quick favorite. Amy J. describes the joy of Pottery: “Pottery is more quiet and gives us the opportunity to create and express ourselves.”
In Camp Craft, girls such as Aidan B. participated in a funny game affectionately called “Poop School 101,” in which campers learn the proper way of disposing of their waste while in the woods – hey, it’s gotta happen sometime!Shelby M. and McKenzie M. battled it out in Fencing today after learning about right-of-way and proper parrying techniques.
Just up the hill in Archery, Chapel D. embraced her inner Katniss Everdeen and aimed her bow to the bullseye. She says that Archery is appealing and fun because it is “something that everyone is able to do.” Next, I walked by the kitchen and had to pop in because of the delicious smells wafting out. I had some of the egg cups that the girls made in Cooking today. They were absolutely delicious, and I know the girls are eager to share their new cooking skills with you at home – don’t forget all of the recipes learned in Cooking class are available on the website! You won’t want to pass by the opportunity to eat your daughters’ Camp Merri-Mac cookies, egg cups, or macaroni and cheese.
Just outside the kitchen, Sydney G. knit away on the pink blanket that she’s been working on for about a year! Knitting is a relaxing activity and allows for great fellowship and conversation as well as patience and creation. Speaking of relaxing, today’s Fitness classes broke up their usual ab workouts with some yoga moves.
Dinner this evening consisted of yummy lasagna, tortilla chips, and vegetables. The evening activity is a brand-new one for this year, and we are calling it “Color Wars: America Style.” It consists of red, white, and blue clothes, many,many American flags, and field day-style games. As I sit here writing this, I can hear “God Bless America” coming from a speaker somewhere outside and girls screaming and shouting for their respective American color/team. I am sure this new activity will be a great hit, and I can’t wait to hear about it later tonight.
Thank you for sharing your incredible girls with us for these few weeks, for we as staff learn just as much, if not more, from them as we hope they do from us.
Good night, and God bless America,
Maddy M.
Big Dipper Counselor
Guitar Instructor
Spirited Seminole

Life is good; Camp is great!

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Smiling faces, laughter, and pure joy accurately describes a typical day at Camp Merri-Mac. After a must needed night’s sleep, the bugle projected over the loudspeaker at 7 this morning.  Many sleepy Merri-Mac girls rubbed their eyes, but were eager to get out of bed for another fantastic day at camp. After floors were swept, beds made, and cabins cleaned, we all headed down the hill for breakfast.

We arrived at the beloved Tucker Inn, where we were met by a delicious morning meal of breakfast casserole, blueberry muffin bars, fruit and yogurt, and cereal. Sunnyside, the oldest cabin, lead the younger girls in singing morning songs, which included “Hip Hooray”, a camp favorite.

From there, we skipped past the lake and up to the chapel, where we sang some camp chapel songs including “Light the Fire”, “Father I Adore You”, and “Star of the Morning”. Elizabeth C. and Audrey E. helped to lead the singing. It was a cloudy morning, but the chapel’s highlighted verse, Psalm 46:10 “Be still and know that I am God,” shined bright as ever. After singing the Camp Hymn, we listened to a compelling message from Adam, where he spoke on the topic of “Who is Man?” Adam emphasized that we are God’s creation and are each made in His image. We learned that God created each of us with a purpose because He loves us.

After chapel, we headed back towards our cabins for free time. Girls played riveting games of tetherball, while others played card games inside their cabins. The Tweedle Girls were extremely excited to discover that a mama duck and her ducklings had made a home in Tweedle Creek. We spent much of free time taking pictures and admiring the baby ducklings.

At 10:25 the bugle rang, announcing that it was time to go to our morning activities. Girls raced in all directions, in order to be on time and ready for all of their classes. Since today was only our second day of camp, we spent time going over safety talk and bar requirements, so that girls could learn basics about activities, while still getting the chance to practice their skills.

In backpacking, girls learned how to pack and properly carry a backpack on a trip. Maddie P. and Sarah Frances E. helped to demonstrate these skills. For climbing we met at the tower, where Merril S. successfully climbed the tower, while Anna M. and Amy J. worked on getting their bronze bars. Further up the hill in riding, Olivia Faith D. and Olivia K. practiced trotting, cantering, and going over poles in their advanced class.

At the beautiful Lake Doris, girls enjoyed soaking up the summer sun while practicing their waterfront activities.  In kayaking, the new girls worked on mastering their T-Rescues and basic strokes, with the advanced campers continuing to practice their kayaking role. Swimming class perfected their freestyle, while girls even had the opportunity to play water games at the end of class. Tweedle Dee camper, Kindle H. loved getting to practice her swimming skills in the lake. In canoeing, girls learned their basic strokes and parts of the canoe. Counselors Mary Becker M. and Madison M. taught a camp favorite song to learn the parts of the canoe paddle. Sang-Mi L. practiced her solo canoe skills, as part of earning her silver bar.

After a very lively morning of activities, we enjoyed a delicious lunch of Greek Chicken Gyros with homemade potato chips and ice cream sandwiches for dessert. Greek Day is a beloved camp meal and many of the older girls were thrilled with today’s cuisine. With tummies full and spirits high, we enthusiastically sang our tribe songs and cheered for the Iroquois, Choctaw, and Seminole tribes. Later on, it was announced that the winner of last night’s game of Base Jumping was…. IROQUOIS!

Squeals and tribe songs were heard all the way up on senior hill, as the Iroquois tribe celebrated their victory. After lunch, we headed up the hill for a much needed rest hour. At exactly 2:30 the bugle sounded, signaling to a pack of candy-loving girls that it was time to stampede down the hill to storm the “Tray Po.”

From there, we were off to our third and fourth period activities. In Guitar, Sydney A. and Morgan P. worked on learning the open chords and string names, in order to try and get their bronze bars. Other girls worked on learning Taylor Swift’s hit songs “Trouble” and “22”. In Archery, Zoe R. and Caroline A. had the opportunity to work on their bar requirements. On Senior Hill, drama class worked individually on memorizing their monologues.

After activities, a sense of tribe spirit and competition was in the air. The girls excitedly anticipated this evening’s tribal event: Inferno. In this game, the three tribes compete to keep their fire alive, while attempting to put out the other tribes’ fires. Girls could earn additional logs by completing various skills and tasks in activities, while other campers are attempting to pour cups of water on their competitors’ fires.

It was a very long and tough battle for all of the tribes, but everyone played with persistence and encouragement to others. The girls are anxiously awaiting to find out the winner of Inferno at lunch tomorrow.

After a long, but joyful day at Merri-Mac, it was almost time for bed. Dreams Begin girls surprised Milky Way with a secret raid to trading post. Each of the younger girls were paired up with an older camper, which was a true treat for both cabins. Other cabins had campfires and other fun bonding activities.

As a counselor, I am pleased to report that it has been an incredible day at Merri-Mac. Every single camper here is so special to us and we are beyond thankful to have this opportunity to get to know each of them and watch them make lifelong friendships. Thank you all for sharing your beloved daughters with us.

From this haven,

Lucy D.

Dreams Begin Counselor

Merri-Mac Guitar

Proud Iroquois

A day at Camp Merri-Mac: The Camper’s perspective

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I got to be Officer of the Day today, which meant I took pictures and am writing this article! Usually Sundays at camp are a rest day where we don’t have our usual four-class activities, but since a lot of new campers arrived Saturday, we had our regular schedule to help them get into the swing of things. And the swing is…

Reveille: This is the bugle call that wakes up campers up 7:00 am. I’m in Sunnyside with 12 of the oldest girls at camp. They’ve been here for a week now and have started being able to sleep through the bugle alarm, so it’s up to my two co-counselors and I to wake them up so that they have time to do their morning chores before breakfast.

Breakfast: Breakfast begins at 8:15. We pray, and then the counselors serve the first plate to each camper. Camp food is actually really awesome, and everyone is always excited for meals, perhaps because as with everything at camp, there is singing and dancing involved. After breakfast we sing silly fun songs, lunch is tribe songs, and dinner is cabin songs. I imagine for a new camper, there is comfort in the consistent routine of meal times.

Chapel: After breakfast, everyone heads over to the chapel to worship and hear a short sermon from a counselor. Today Rachel explained how she teaches pottery, and how like she shapes a pot and means for it to be beautiful, we are molded by God and He creates us with intention to be beautiful creatures that show Him, imperfections and all.

First through fourth periods: These are our activity times. I’ve taught fitness, cooking, tennis, and backpacking (camp craft), so it was really fun to see all the other activities, particularly because I was able to watch the other counselors and see how much fun they have hanging out with the campers. Even so, some of the best moments were just watching the campers be goofy with each other. Merri-Mac really is such a joyful place. Also, since today is Father’s Day, we followed the tradition of getting “Happy Father’s Day” photos of campers that made signs for their dads (they will be posted on campminder). I could tell some of them really missed their dads, which was so sweet. But don’t worry, they ran off with their friends or to the Trading Post for some candy after their photos. Here are some quotes from counselors and campers about their activities today:

Meg Jameson (counselor): “I taught swimming today. We worked on bars, which was exciting because a few girls are close to getting their bronze. For swimming, a bronze includes a 25 freestyle, 25 breaststroke, 25 backstroke, a standing dive, 10 minutes water tread, and 10 minutes survivor float. I love it when the girls start working towards a bar because they get to see themselves excel in their activity and mark their own progress.”

Aiden Bell: “I was in rock climbing today at the traverse wall, and I really liked how encouraging the teachers were. They want you to succeed, so rather than just sitting there and watching you, they give you ideas for a move.”

Caroline Alessandra: “In kayaking, we worked on paddling and our wet exit without a Kayak skirt. Today was actually my first day ever kayaking, and it was great. I love being in the lake, and it is something I don’t get to do at home.”

Chloe Ryan: “I learned how to pick guitar with my fingers!”

Tibby Burgess (counselor): “Today there was improvement in every person in my fourth period tennis class. We split them into beginner and advanced groups, and I fed balls to the beginners. In the beginning balls were flying everywhere, but they were staying in by the ends. I love seeing girls come in the first day saying, “I’ve never played before,” and then by the end of their time they have improved in stroke and can build up to a rally.”

Britta Broyles: “Today riflery was my favorite because I like the feeling when I hit the target. I hit three out of three. I’ve been doing riflery for a while, but I want to shoot better and know more about how guns work so I’m taking it again.”

Katelyn O’Connor: “Pottery was cool today because I got to use the wheel for the first time ever. It was a rough start, but I wasn’t disappointed because I expected a rough start and Annie was so cooperative with me. I actually ended up getting a plate at the end!”

Claire Bonds: “Swimming was fun! I just like swimming and I feel free in the water. This is my second time at camp, and I came back to have more fun. I love meeting new people in my cabin.”

Davie Boone (counselor): “We played Queen of the Court in basketball, and I loved it when the bell rang and one of the girls wanted to keep playing and was excited that she would get to play more when she had basketball again.”

Hunter Skidmore: “Cooking was awesome because we made brownies, and it’s fun to actually make stuff anyways. I cook at home, but I get to do a lot of things at camp that I don’t do at home, like kayaking and backpacking.”

Olivia Faith Diamond: “I’m about to get my roll in kayaking. I just need to move my paddle a little bit more once I’m flipped over. But one of my favorite things about camp is the tribes. They are like a more condensed family. That’s who we play evening activities with, like Sock War.”

Lillie Klein (counselor): “In riding today, I was leading a Tweedle who just didn’t know what she was doing at all. But when she started trotting, she got the biggest smile on her face and was loving it, and that moment made my day.”

Virginia Doran: “In rock climbing, I made it the second ledge of the wall. It was my first time ever rock climbing, so I felt proud of that.”

I’ve found that it is hard to summarize a day at Merri-Mac. Everyone is learning, growing, and having fun in so many different ways. But I think it speaks volumes that when I was asking girls about what they had done today, the common thread (including the Tweedles) was that they spoke so easily about what had been fun, and almost everyone included that they love camp because they get to try new things and spend time with their friends. Happy Sunday and Happy Father’s Day from Camp Merri-Mac!

By Sarah H.

Black Mountain Farmer’s Market Adventures and other recipes

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Last summer we discovered the Black Mountain Farmer’s Market, which is a small market with locally grown and produced foods and crafts. We took the girls down there for a Saturday morning trip and purchased local produce, then came back to the Merri-Mac cooking kitchen to create a meal. It was so much fun that we couldn’t wait to get back there this year, and so on this first Saturday we commandeered a van and headed out. It’s early in the growing season here in the NC mountains, so our options were limited, but we still had a wonderful trip and found plenty of great local food to bring back to camp to cook. We purchased a variety of lettuce, including microgreens—a very nutritious and delicious addition to our salad, an assortment of goat cheeses from a local creamery, breads from two local bakeries, and mushrooms, onions, peppers, and sausage. On returning to camp, we decided to make a large tossed salad, pasta pesto with roasted vegetables, and bruschetta with feta and olives or parmesan and sundried tomatoes. For dessert, we had some brownies (a test batch I had made for an upcoming class) and some locally made chocolate—dark Hawaiian with sea salt! Everything was delicious and the girls had a wonderful trip. It was great to see what was in season and to work together to plan a meal that incorporated these fresh local ingredients! Hopefully, when the girls get home, they will think about looking for their own local farmer’s market and finding ways to add fresh local foods into their family’s meal plan. Happy cooking!

Cook Leslie

 

Recipes

As our starter campers arrive back at home, I hope they are excited about cooking for you. It was a short week, but we made a variety of things including chocolate chip cookies, French toast, and quick breads. Many of the recipes were posted last year and can be found by clicking on the NEWS tab (at the top of the camp website on the blue bar). Once the news page opens, click on the red word SEARCH and type in Leslie’s Cooking Corner. Then click again on the red title Leslie’s Cooking Corner and all of the recipes we made last year will pop up, including the cookies, French toast, and banana bread. In addition to baking banana bread on Friday, we also baked lemon yogurt bread, pumpkin bread, and blueberry zucchini bread. I would love to take credit for these recipes, but alas, all I can take credit for is finding them on the internet and testing them at home. I hope you and your girls enjoy cooking together at home as much as I enjoyed cooking with them here at camp!

Recipe Links:

Barefoot Contessa’s Lemon Yogurt Cake: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/lemon-yogurt-cake-recipe/index.html

My Baking Addiction’s Blueberry Zucchini Bread (we drizzled some of the lemon glaze from the lemon cake onto this and thought it was the PERFECT addition): http://www.mybakingaddiction.com/blueberry-zucchini-bread/

My Baking Addiction’s Pumpkin Bread (this made two loaves so we added chocolate chips to one—what doesn’t taste better with chocolate chips? And instead of pumpkin pie spice we used 1 teaspoon cinnamon, ½ teaspoon nutmeg, ¼ teaspoon allspice, ¼ teaspoon ginger.): http://www.mybakingaddiction.com/pumpkin-bread-recipe/

Reunited and It Feels So Good!

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It was a beautiful day in Black Mountain as parents were bringing their excited campers to have the summer of a lifetime! Anticipating their friends to arrive, 1A and 1F campers chatted excitedly at breakfast. The Tweedles spent a fun day at the Boyd’s house swimming, the older girls in cooking class enjoyed the morning by heading off to the local farmers’ market to buy fresh vegetables, and everyone else hiked to Catawba Falls to enjoy the fresh mountain water.

As our new campers arrived, they headed up to the Mike to check in, found out which cabin they will call home, and shopped for the latest Merri-Mac styles. They met their counselors, made new friends, and were reunited with old ones. After helping move their daughters in, parents enjoyed a delicious lunch and headed home with heartfelt goodbyes.

Campers and counselors played games to break the ice and make way for new friendships. The dinner bell rang and everyone ran down to enjoy chicken tacos in our beautiful new Tucker Inn. Cabins had fun singing their cabin songs before filing up to the Council ring for Initiation.

At Camp Merri-Mac, the tribes are the campers’ families. They are the best way for new girls, whom we call “Pale-faces” to become true Merri-Mac girls. The tribes are the Choctaw, whose colors are red and gray, the Iroquois, whose colors are black and white, and the Seminoles, whose colors are blue and gold. The tribes are led by the oldest campers and help girls form friendships from all ages of camp.

These are the brand new members of the tribes:

Choctaw: Nettie P., Ellizabeth R., Katherine W., Kindle H., Kaci M., Emily W., Sarah R., Anna Myers., Kate A., Alexis., Lucie F., and Shannon M.

Iroquois: Hallie B.

Seminole: Harmon K., Carolyn S., Mary Ashton R., Eliza K., Reilly B., Gaby F., Kennedy D., and Chloe J.

New initiates joined their tribes for a first tribe meeting to learn new cheers and meet their leaders. After the meetings, the girls all went up to their cabins. The Tweedles got ready for bed while the cabins on the hill could be found making mischief whether it be raiding Trading Post or sneaking off for their own cabin initiations. As Taps sounded, the girls crawled into their cozy bunks, excited to start their activities tomorrow morning.

As former campers, we understand how difficult it can be to be away from your daughters for weeks at a time, but we are so thankful that you have granted them this opportunity and shared them with us. Our camp memories are the best of our lives and we can’t wait to join your daughters in making some of their own.

With love and blessings,

The CITs

A Busy Day at Merri-Mac

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It has been one busy day at Merri-Mac! Starting off with a brief chapel talk with Adam about who God is and why we need a real God. During activity periods, the girls were going into their 2nd day of that activity. In volleyball, the girls learned how to serve and had fun a scrimmage. In horse riding, the girls rode their horses around the camp trial. In camp crafts, the girls did a low ropes course. In cooking, the girls learned how to make some delicious French toast and ate all of their hard work! In knitting class, along with having conversations about their favorite movies, the girls learned the Gardner stitch and made headbands with it. A lot of things were happening in pottery class with some girls throwing on the wheel and others making texture bowls and painting ceramic frames. At the waterfront, many campers went on the exciting blob, did some fun dives, and practiced their freestyle and backstroke. On the other side, older campers learned how to make a wet exit in a kayak and younger campers paddle around in a canoe. Moving to climbing class, the campers learned how to make a double fisherman knot and traverse the climbing wall. In the gymnastics class, the girls learned how to do a tap swing, a pull-over, and a back hip circle. The moves are much more impressive than the name it is given. At the tennis courts, the girls learned how to do backhand hits. At the basketball courts, the girls played an intense game of Knock Out. In guitar class, the campers learned some chords and how to play Free Fallin’ by John Mayer. These were only some of the many activities that happened during our 4 periods.

For the evening activity, Merri-mac planned the most exciting, competitive, amazing race ever known: Apache Race. This race incorporates almost all activities on camp. The tribes compete against each other to finish all the obstacles and become the first tribe to raise their flag up on the pole. Many of the girls are competing in their favorite activities while others are cheering their teammates on. After the race, the girls come together for the White Feather Ceremony. These are the girls that got recognize for achieving a bar this week: Allie Grace O. received a bronze in diving, Kate P. received a bronze in drama and swimming, Ansley B. received a bronze in gymnastics, and Mary Avrett B. received a bronze in tennis.

For Junior Camp Promotions, these girls were promoted to Tumbleweed: Bella Rose G., Kathleen B., Carson C., Amelia D., Eliza D., Leslie (Aggie) E., Isabel D., Grace K., Hillary R., Aubrey C., Austyn D., Izora G., Danyael I., Madison K, Sarah L, Lucy L, Miranda P, Evelyn R, Julianna A, Madison C, Anna D, Ella J., Olivia R., Kate S., Olivia S., Katie T, Hastings W., Helen C., Ellie H., Jillian L., Molly P., and Alexis W. These girls were promoted to Ground Hog: Ferrell W., Kaydon I., Merrill S., Gabriella W., Tieran S., Reece R., and Gabrielle A. These girls were promoted to Badger: Betsy B. and Kathryn N.

For Intermediate Promotions, these girls were promoted to Arrow: Kendall G., Sarah W., Merrie Katherine A., and Kate P. Sang-Mi L. was promoted to Long Bow.

For Senior Hill Promotions, these girls were promoted to Running Deer: Olivia Faith D., Martha Kendall C., Chapel D., Madeline H., Shelby B., Jessica T., Libby C., Olivia W., Larkin S., Claire D., Elizabeth M., Caitlin O., Anna P., and Sarah P. These girls were promoted to Red Tail: Rigby P., Leah F., Aiden B., Lainey G., Mary Helen P., and Maddie M. These girls were promoted to Junior Feather: Elizabeth C. and Bailey A.

For Junior Camp Commendations, these girls received Camper Commendations: Reese R., Mollie P., Kayden I., Hillary R., Gabriella W., Merrill S., Ella Grace J., and Kate S. These girls received Counselor Commendations: Reese R, Kaydon I., Hillary R., Gabriella W., Miranda P., Julianna A., Olivia R., and Kathryn N.

For Intermediate Camp Commendations, these girls received Camper Commendations: Reese A., Kendall G., Isabel R., Merrie Katherine A., Irely I., Bryn A., Alice C., Olivia G., Kate P., Bianca B., Bailie S., Allie Grace O., Sydney M., Ryan H., Grace E., and Anna C. These girls received Counselor Commendations: Kendall G., Mya B., Anna Carolyn B., Caroline R., Merrie Katherine A., Elise O., Isabella L., Bryn A., Sophia B., Sarah F., Song-Mi L., Hannah K., Isabella P., Leah Cate B., Ansley B., Julia Grace K., and Mary F.

For Senior Camp Commendations, these girls received Camper Commendations: Hannah G., Anna W., Caroline C., Kate C., Rigby P., Madeline H., Chapel D., Lillian H., Isabelle C., Shelby B., Anna Blair P., Anna P., Anna M., Bailey A., and Olivia W. These girls received Counselor Commendations: Hannah G., Olivia Faith D., Isabeau C., Sarah K., Rigby P., Madeline H., Lillian H., Sammie O., Anne Dillon L., Anna Blair P., Anna P., Anna M., and Lainey G.

 

Camp Merri-Mac Chocolate Chip Cookies

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Chocolate Chip Cookies:

Last year I started writing about chocolate chip cookies with one word:  INGREDIENTS!  Who knew how prophetic that would be?  We started the summer again this year with chocolate chip cookies, but with ENTIRELY different results.  Our first two classes made cookies that looked like flat lace cookies studded with chocolate chips—they were delicious, but extremely flat.  We increased the amount of flour by ¼ cup for the afternoon classes, but the cookies came out exactly the same.  The second day, I bought new baking soda and baking powder, which we used with our first class.  Our second class reduced the amount of butter (from 2 sticks to 1 ½ sticks)…but the results were the same.  At lunch, I went out and bought an oven thermometer and discovered that my oven temperature was off by 25 degrees.  So, we made more cookies-correcting the temperature, but again, the results were the same.  By the time my fourth and final class came in, I was ready to try anything.  The girls were all from senior hill, so we made three different recipes:  one group made the recipe from the back of the chocolate chips, one group made a recipe that was given to me by someone who lives in Black Mountain (maybe it was an altitude thing?), and one group doubled the amount of baking soda in camp’s recipe.  The recipes were all equally disastrous!  What on earth?!

I spent that evening on the Internet researching reasons for ‘flat chocolate chip cookies’.  Alton Brown has a great episode of ‘Good Eats’ where he discusses flat vs. thick vs. chewy chocolate chip cookies—I read the entire transcript from the show.  The next morning I came in early (camp was done with chocolate chip cookies, but I wasn’t) and made a batch myself—maybe the girls put in 1 ½ cups of flour….maybe they weren’t creaming the butter and sugar….maybe they forgot an egg???  But my cookies looked exactly like theirs.  The only thing I hadn’t changed was the flour…so I drove into town at lunchtime and bought three bags of the same all-purpose flour I had used last year.  With great trepidation, I made ONE more batch of cookies…and stared at the oven as they baked…lo and behold, they turned out perfectly!  It had been the flour all along—a 25 pound bag I had purchased last week at Sam’s Club!  And while they will be hearing from me when I return the rest of the bag next week, what I wanted most was for the campers to hear from me—we CAN make a great chocolate chip cookie.  We DO have a great recipe.  And cooking is a process…and an opportunity for all of us to learn!  Happy baking!

Leslie

Ingredients:

  • 2 sticks (1 cup) butter, softened
  • ½ cup sugar
  • 1 cup brown sugar, packed
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla
  • 2 ½ cups flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions:

  • Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
  • In medium size mixing bowl, cream butter, sugar, and brown sugar until it is light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
  • Add eggs and vanilla and beat for another 2 minutes.
  • Add flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt and mix until all ingredients are fully blended.
  • Add chocolate chips and mix to distribute throughout dough.
  • Use small ice cream scoop to drop rounded scoops onto lined baking sheets.
  • Bake 10-12 minutes or until golden brown.
  • Remove and cool on wire rack.

flat cookie

full cookies

 

 

 

A Merri Day indeed!

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Today was a hot one at Camp Merri-Mac. The sun finally broke through the clouds, allowing the campers to enjoy all of their activities to the fullest. Kayaking, water-skiing, and canoeing all had day trips while the campers at Merri-Mac started to earn bars. The day was started off with a lovely chapel on the subject of God’s grace in our lives even when we mess up. At the lake, campers beat the heat by learning how to roll their kayaks and racing canoes. On the other side of camp, the fitness instructors taught campers yoga including warrior poses. At the base camp girls helped each over conquer their fears in low ropes by encouraging one another and using team work. In the Enchanted Barn, campers used pottery wheels for the first time ever while other campers glazed plates in their tribal colors.  The sweet smell of french toast, from the cooking class, and smores pockets perfumed the camp. Tribal volleyball as the evening activity made a perfect ending to another great day at Camp Merri-Mac.

-Sarah-Anne

Today was a special day!

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“RISE AND SHINE AND GIVE GOD YOUR GLORY… GLORY!” Today was a WONDERFULLY SUNSHINEY day at Camp Merri-Mac! It was refreshing to feel the sunshine after yesterdays rain. Rain or shine, we are always having a grand time here at camp!

“7 am wakin’ up in the morning… “ We were awoken with the wonderful smell of breakfast…biscuits (my favorite), circle eggs, sausage, and hash browns. After breakfast we stood on our benches and sang morning songs! Merri-Mac’s morning songs are happy and silly, a perfect way to start our day!

Today is a special day at camp—our very own made up weekly holiday. Today is “Tucker Inn Tuesday” (named after the Tucker Inn Dining Hall). Girls of all ages can be seen around camp rocking their favorite t-shirt tucked in all day long!

We headed to chapel lake side, and sang  “I’ve Got a River of Life”, “Jesus Cast a Look on Me”, “For All the Saints”, and “How He Loves Us” before hearing a message from Blue Heaven’s very own counselor Meg M. She spoke of Genesis 1:27 and Psalm 139 reminding us that we are fearfully and wonderfully made in God’s image. Like a painting, each “brushstroke” was intentional and had a purpose, just as God paints the picture of our lives.

As Officer of the Day, while taking pictures, I learned many new things along side our girls.  It is a blessing to be OTD, as not only did I capture the smiling moments of your campers today, but I also get to communicate that love and happiness, from our Haven, to yours!

Today in Pottery our girls expressed their creativity with pinch pots with demonstrations from Counselors Sadie and Sara Ann. In Camp Craft, they learned how to build tarps, practice knots, and learned how to build a shelter. Madeline H. and Hannah W. practiced their knot tying skills by tying me to a tree with a taut line hitch knot. In Volleyball, they practiced bumps, sets, and spikes and showed off their skills scrimmaging each other. Riding took a trail ride throughout camp, practicing their 2-point position going up and down camps beautiful hills.

For Lunch we had mini corndogs and mac-n-cheese. We love singing tribe songs in the new Tucker Inn, and the echo’s of songs is SO much louder than last year! If you listen closely, you might be able to hear it too! Each girl screamed her heart out cheering for her tribe then headed up the hill for rest time.

In Kayaking, campers learned to paddle and played tag with their new skills paddling around Lake Dorris. In Climbing Jessica G. practiced her knots and the overhang-climbing wall. Today in Tennis, everyone played “Queen of the Court” after learning her forehand swing. In Cooking our girls experimented changing the recipe to Chocolate Chip Cookies. In Archery, Amy J., Jessica T., and Larkin S. practiced their proper stance and shooting. Campers also learned the method of determining which eye dominant they are. I got to try too (I’m right eye)!

Today in Guitar Lucy and Maddy began class with Exodus 15:1. “I will sing to the Lord God for He is highly exalted”. The girls learned that the reason we play is to glorify God. With this perspective, they practiced basic cords and learned the parts of the guitar. Fitness learned an upper body workout with cardio, and basketball practiced layouts, jump shots, and rebounds.

For dinner we had Sweet and Sour Chicken, egg rolls, rice, snow pea, and sugar cookies for dessert. The girls sang cabin songs, and then headed outside to Sock War. Sock War is one of the evening activities girls look forward to all year long! This competitive game is played like “capture the flag” only using socks. Each sock is dipped in a bucket of water and girls use them to “tag” each other for points for her tribe. For about an hour, the Iroquois, Choctaw, and Seminoles was entertained chasing each other trying to outsmart and out run the opposing tribe. Stay tuned for the winner announced at lunch tomorrow!

Thank you again for giving us the opportunity to share your daughters with you this summer! They are such blessings and we look forward to another wonderful day at camp tomorrow!

From this Haven,

Madeline C.

Stardust 2003, 2011, and 2013

Swimming Extraordinaire and PROUD Seminole