What a great start we had to our 2003 Summer Season today. Twelve campers tried out our new pool at the Elks Lodge in Gallup and what a great site! There is a large pool plus a wading pool, it is outdoors, with a nice view of the golf course. Our big thanks to the Elks Club... We will have exclusive use of the pool every morning and will take a picnic lunch for after swimming. Aaron, Josh, Mary, Monica, Patrick, Geoffrey, and Robert had a real treat when we went to the Arts and Cultural center in Zuni and happened upon a huge ceremonial dance with at least a hundred dancers in traditional costumes.

Campers back on camp were enjoying their first day with archery and cooking. A big thanks to cabin three for the chocolate chip cookies. Drama got started today, Deb has fourteen campers participating up from nine last year. They will be putting on a Best of Broadway with excerpts from beloved musicals such as Chicago, Grease, Lion King, and the Sound of Music.

The evening activity was the ever popular "It's a Knockout". This event consists of a lot of crazy relays including "make a cake on the counselor's head" and "paint the counselor". Our program director, Bill, is as creative as they come and no matter how many times he stages this event he always comes up with something new! A wild and crazy time was had by all.

I went to tell you a little about our staff. Our kitchen crew is headed up by Barb who has been with us for five years, she has recruited a good friend (and good cook) named Mel to help her out. Our nurse is Heather, she is doing a great job as a nurse after having been a counselor for three years. I am assisted as always by Deb from New Zealand, her forte is arts and crafts and drama but she also helps on all organizational levels and always is willing to lend a hand in the cabins. Bill is again our program director, he has been at Easter Seal Camps for ten summers and is not ashamed to proudly state that New Mexico is his favorite. Of our twelve counselors only three have never been Easter Seal Camp counselors before. In addition to our six returning New Mexico Camp counselors, Jen has been at Easter Seals in California as has Joel and Casey has been at Easter Seals Rocky Mountain Village in Colorado. We all feel it is a privelege to wrok with a group as great as our New Mexico campers. For me having an experienced, hardworking, enthusiastic, and committed staff is a pleasure. I have directed six Easter Seal Camps and New Mexico is my favorite, we are small, but we are an active and energetic group.

Stormy weather tonight, but the Sun will come out tomorrow!!!

Jane Carr
Camp Director

This letter is really for Sunday... got caught up in the fun of talent show so that I forgot to write. So a brief update on Sunday... great day swimming for the younger boys... love that new pool! We all spent the afternoon in camp together with wheelchair races, olympics and Campo... our own personalized version of the ever popular bingo. Our evening activity was the talent show... it is so great to have everyone clapping and cheering for our campers. Everyone deserves their fifteen minutes of fame and camp provides that for many of us. To see Daniel G. do his muscle demonstration, Tim lip syncing as a blond bombshell, Aaron D. and Hayden showing off their wheelchair manuevers... and watching the counselors be outragious... another fun and high energy night. We hope everyone not in camp is having as much fun as we are here.

Another successful day at Camp... Eighteen of our campers went to the Z Lazy B Dude ranch for lunch, horseback riding, and a wagon ride. It was Mary's first time on a horse and she enjoyed herself immensely, Patrick was so proud reflecting on how nervous he was last year but how relaxed he was this year. The group arrived back happy but tired and took a rest, while the twelve campers who had not gone to the dude ranch then got to go on the first bowling trip of 2003.

The competition is heavy between Orlando who was the camp bowling champion in 2001 and Dana who was the high point bowler last year. Dana was victorious today with a 98, but Orlando was close behind with an 85, Aaron D. had 84 and Rudy had 82. Our "perpetual trophy" at camp goes to the high point bowler of total games and all bowlers should be back to the alley at least one more day. Tonight's activity was new for the kids' session, Casino Night and a live appearance by Elvis Presley. You haven't lived until you've seen Bill as Elvis!

Cabin 5 is on their sleep out tonight and the weather seems to be cooperating. Older campers who signed up for the sleepout are looking forward to their chance tomorrow. Goodnight, until tomorrow...

Tuesday today and we are over half over... the session is flying by... everyone is in good shape, getting a little tired. However, the enthusiasm is still high. Our day had its typical swimming and bowling trips, but this morning we also had a crazy all camp scavenger hunt where the teams had to find such things as "The counselor with the craziest hairstyle", and "A decorated wheelchair" and an original song and original poem. A very creative effort by all concerned.

Our evening activity was Kangaroo Court. This provides an opportunity for campers to accuse their counselors of things like "Making me get out of bed in the morning" and "Being unable to carry a tune" our Judge meted out swift punishment including such things as making the counselors eat ketchup coated marshmallows, and jalapeno stuff olives. And of course there was lots of the ever popular ice water on the head and chocolate pudding on the face. The campers seem to enjoy getting their counselors very messy!

Play practice is getting intense as the performance is tomorrow night, Deb has been busy making props, and the campers have been practicing their parts on their own as well as during play practice. The bowling tournament is heating up with Josh taking the lead today with a record 107 and Rudy close behind with 105. Ashley represented the ladies well with a 99. I need to cut this entry short as I am going on the sleep out with the older teen girls, a beautiful warm night, and those 'smores await!

We've just finished our production of "A Night at the Movies" and I think maybe this is Deb's best effort yet. How she manages to put together costumes, props, backdrops, and choreography in a matter of two hours a day for four days... it's incredible but really a fun production and it generates a lot of enthusiasm. The pictures will give you only a taste of the banquet we enjoyed. Of course we had a full day before the play. This year David has brought some computer activities to the campers, many of them have made imaginative magnets of their own pictures and this has been a lot of fun. We had another good cooking day, campers helped put together the luncheon that our President and Board of Director visitors enjoyed.

Please, parents, if you and your campers enjoy the camp experience take the time to write a letter of thank you to Marlis Hadley at the Albuquerque office and she will share it with her volunteer board members. The Society does a great job raising money for camp and supporting us in all of our activities. We went swimming, and bowling as well today. It is so great to have our new campers telling us that they want to come back, Saman has really loved camp and been a positive addition as has Daniel F., Daniel G., Brittany and Monica. Saman and Brittany were both in the play tonight. The Daniels went bowling, and Monica enjoyed being on the campout with her new friend, Mary. Hard to believe that tomorrow is our last full program day. Which means we will see all you parents on Friday... 10 am no later than eleven please.

Session one has ended... on the high note of a luau and dance. Of course the luau theme was a little inappropriate for our biggest thunder storm of the session which resulted in a power outage for almost three hours. Never mind, with a generator to power the boom box for those dance tunes and lanterns and flashlights for lights a good time was had by all. The power has gone back on so hopefully everyone can neatly pack up all their belongings (and ONLY their belongings) for the trip home tomorrow.

Tears flowed here, but tears of "I don't want to leave" and "I will miss you"... the very best kind. Tears that tell us we have shared a wonderful time with people who care and let that caring be obvious. We hope we are sending your son or daughter home a little more independent, a little more self assured, a little more joyful. We gain so much as staff and we hope our campers gain as well. We did not send one camper home for homesickness, ill health or behavior. I think that speaks well for our staff's abilities to provide good care. If your camper is a little dirty, if some of their clothes don't make it home, forgive us. But rest assured that every attention possible was given to providing your camper with a fun, safe, time... let us know if we didn't meet our goals, let us know if we did. Your appreciation and the pleasure your campers have here at camp are our greatest rewards. And by the way, Adena was our top bowler with a 118... that doesn't break Orlando's all time camp record of 121 but it's impressive, and this year's best! Drive safely, please try to be here by ten or soon thereafter, and start planning for 2004... we already are!!!