Mountain Mornings

I know I say it a lot, but I really enjoy the morning at High Rocks. I start my day typically just past 6 am. My dog Barley and the coffee pot are typically my first two interactions of the day. I enjoy sitting on the deck listening to the peace while Barley enjoys his morning rub. He typically settles at my feet when I return to my coffee. The day starts early here. The air is cool and damp usually with a little sun to contrast the cool with a little cozy warmth. As I sit, sometimes I hear a few early risers working out or staff getting ready for a trip.  Sometimes I read, other times I just sit and listen…

While it seems like I could sit there for an hour, It is usually about 15 minutes tops before my busy mind takes over and I start to think about work.  I usually hit a few emails and then get ready for my morning meeting. I have an early morning meeting with a small team most mornings around 7:30 am. I enjoy my stroll with Barley up to the dining hall. I like to stop in to see the kitchen crew to check out if there may be anything lovely that might be ready. I love a warm biscuit with my coffee. I typically meet back up with Zoob at this point. I head off to the coffee pot for just a touch more and then settle in for a quick overview of the day. We talk about campers, staff, the daily events, office tasks, and plans on the horizon. We do it all for those wonderful young men who are not even awake yet.

Suddenly, the bell rings mid-meeting, and a few campers and staff scream out “Good Morning High Rocks” to the quiet masses.  Calmness turns into excitement, and even a little chaos as a new day begins at High Rocks and boy is it going to be amazing!

It certainly was an amazing day!  The boys played hard as the cool morning warmed up to almost hot.  Not quite, but if you were active, it was hotter than you like.  Nobody was complaining, it just meant the lake felt even better. The pictures tell it all! You should see a number of Hawian themed shirts out there today in honor of Waikiki Wednesday!

Overlook, Windswept, Sprucepine, and Connestee headed out for their cabin overnights.  It should be fun to hear the stories when they come marching back in tomorrow morning.  The rest of the guys enjoyed some rope swing time, games on the field, and even some dodgeball in the gym. 

While we are still cohorting with our cabin buildings, the boys are taking advantage of working through some group norms early on in the session.  More on that tomorrow.

Breakfast: Eggs, oatmeal, warm coffee cake, mixed fruit, and assorted cereals.

Lunch: Chic Filet Sandwiches with all the fixin’s, fries, roasted broccoli salad, and tossed Greek salad

Dinner: Beef roasted to perfection with a nice salted crunchy rub, topped with chimichurri sauce (if you wanted), mashed potatoes, grilled vegetables, yeast rolls, tossed salad, and caramel bars for dessert.

Tomorrow just gets better!

Until then, have a great night!

-Don

Today’s Pictures