Monday, October 16, 2017

"Camp is a Home For Everyone": Especially Owls

We recently had a unique off-season surprise at Camp when we found...

 
One of our residents...

Camouflaged in ferns and foliage:

An injured Great Horned Owl!

Shout out to Woodrow (The Good Boy) for discovering the owl...




AND for not doing anything to make the situation far worse AS he discovered the owl.


Fortunately, we knew just what to do. We transported...

(Wait. How do you transport an injured Great Horned Owl?)

Carefully, of course. 

Yes, we transported her for a check-up with our friend...

Bill Streeter of the Delaware Valley Raptor Center.

Bill gave our new great-horned-acquaintance...

A close medical examination.

He determined that unfortunately,

She had suffered a pelvic injury...

And her return to the wilds of 4-H Camp was questionable.



BUT THEN!

(Wait in suspense...)
---
ONE

MONTH

LATER
---


On a lovely October morning...



We received word...

Our Great Horned Owl was rehabilitated and ready to return home to 4-H Camp!

Even T-Nivi was overjoyed!



So Bill brought the owl...

Back to Camp...

And looked for the perfect spot to reintroduce her to our woods. 



Ohh. The wide open bowl.

Nice choice.

And...


Look...



Who it is!

Back home...

Safe...


And sound.

After time under...

Careful observation...

Getting her strength,

Health,

And ability to fly back...

Bill was confident our Great Horned Owl was ready to get back to living here in Stokes State Forest.

And you all know what that's like!

Cause what's better...




Than coming back...

To Summer Camp...

After...


You've been away for a while.

And so,

We took once last dramatic pause...

...And she took flight.

Headed right back to where she left off...

And to the end of another...

4-H Camp...

Success story.



Thanks go to Julie for immediately (before she even told me about it) calling the Delaware Valley Raptor Center for help once Woodrow located the owl, and for taking these nice photos of the owl's return to Camp. 

And of course, the biggest thanks go to Bill Streeter and the DVRC for the wonderful work they did not just for our owl, but for the countless other birds of prey in their care. 

You can check out and support the fine work the DVRC does not just on their website, but here at Camp as well! 

Join us for Spring Family Weekend May 18th-20th, where we're planning on the Delaware Valley Raptor Center giving one of their spectacular presentations on Saturday night, and bringing several more impressive birds (akin to our Great Horned Owl) to visit Camp. You won't want to miss it.

Monday, October 9, 2017

From the Archives of Summer '17: And what do we do Thursday Nights at Summer Camp!?!


Yes!

You've earned it!

We're taking another...


Deep dive...

Into the...

Unseen...

Photo Archives...

of Summer 2017!

And what's...

In store...

For this installment?

Well,

If you haven't figured it out yet...

We're going to take you through...


A whole summer seasons worth...

Of one of our very...

Favorite nights...

Of the whole camp week...

The whole wondrous summer...

And the whole...


Live-long year.




Yup,

You know I'm talking about...

Thursday nights, 

At Summer Camp.

You know this,

Not just because...

It was clearly stated...





In the title of this blogpost.

You know it...


Because if you're...

Reading this blog post...

About Summer Camp...

In the middle of..

OCTOBER...


You're a big enough...

4-H Camp fan...

To be well aware...

That these pictures...

Could ONLY...

Be taken on Thursday nights...

At Summer Camp.

Because these pictures...


Could only be...

Of...

What is...


(In this humble director's opinion...)


The greatest...

Most spectacular...

Traditional (in all the best ways)...



Most outrageous...




Most affirming...


Straight up fun...

Straight up funny...

Never know what...


You'll see next...

And never forget...

What you just saw...

Event we have.

Talking about...

(Say it with me now...)


Talent Show.

Talent...



Show.


Talking about...


THE...

TALENT...


SHOW!

Now of course...


As these...


Huge amount...


Of never before seen...

Talent Show pictures...


Fly by...



It's important to point out...




That looking at pictures of...

The Talent Show...







Is nothing like...

Actually witnessing...

The Talent Show.

(Even a Talent Show...

With it's second Act...

Moved off the DH Porch...



And into the...

Rec Hall...

Due to inclement weather.



In fact...

All gathered in the rec hall...





Singing over...



The...



Pouring rain...


Is a pretty good...

Talent Show variation...

To haul out...

Every so often.)

But if pictures of the Talent Show...

Are nothing like witnessing...

The Talent Show...

Itself...

Then what...

ARE...

Pictures of the Talent Show like?

Well,

Honestly...

They're essentially...

Just like...

Pictures of the Talent Show.

But that's okay!

Because pictures of the Talent Show...

Can be pretty useful.

In their own right.

They can bring you back...

To the last time...

It WAS Thursday Night at Summer Camp...

And you DID witness a Talent Show.

And you DID...

Enjoy the punch line...

Even though we all...

Knew it was coming.

The last time...

We all gathered together...

On a warm evening...

In front of a porch...

That was temporarily...

No longer a mere porch...

And we were...

ALL audience...

ALL performers...

And we were...

All entertained...

And all...

In awe...

Of the pure...



Goofiness...


And pure sincerity...


That unfolded around us.

It's nice that pictures can do that!

Especially now,

In mid-October...

When we're about two months away from the end of Summer 2017...


And about two months away from sign-up for Summer 2018...

And could probably all use just a little...

 Camp Talent Show in our lives...
To hold us over...

In the mean time.