Camp Winnarainbow is located at Laytonville a couple of hours south from Nina's. We headed there the day before camp and stayed the night at John and Melissa's where Nina had her wedding four years ago when we met my other siblings for the first time proper (not counting when I saw them as little babies). John and Melissa live on a beautiful 150 acre property up in the hills.
The girls and I slept in a tepee out there in the woods with the bears... and skunks. We weren't too afraid!!!!! Next day we headed to camp.Camp is really special to these guys and something they really wanted to share with our girls, which is why Frances and Abbey came here by themselves three years ago, and one of the reasons why we even took the trip around the world. The girls so loved camp when they came that they were desperate to come again, before Frances was too old.
The story goes that back in the 60's, The Hog Farm, which is the community that originally kept hogs on a farm in New Mexico and drove six buses from the west to the east coast of USA, decided to keep on travelling to Britain, where my dad, recently separated from my mom, joined them. From there they took a couple of buses to India and Gypsy joined them along the way. My dad and Gypsy stayed in India when the Hog Farm headed back to the USA and some of them bought the land where the Hog Farm live now and where Camp Winnarainbow became established by Wavy Gravy and Jahanara.
PapaG and Gypsy travelled India and Europe, with Nina being born in France - I visited when she was only a few weeks old - and Saharah Moon was born in the Sahara Dessert, I met SMoon in the USA when she was two... before Neptune was born (in India). Anyhow during their travels back and forth and to the USA and while they were living in the dessert near Palm Springs they would spend their summers at Camp Winnarainbow. Eventually they became Teen Staff, counsellors and teachers. It was the highlight of their growing up and as I said they so wanted to share it with Frances and Abbey and so here we are.
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| Wavy Gravy at morning reading |
PapaG and Gypsy travelled India and Europe, with Nina being born in France - I visited when she was only a few weeks old - and Saharah Moon was born in the Sahara Dessert, I met SMoon in the USA when she was two... before Neptune was born (in India). Anyhow during their travels back and forth and to the USA and while they were living in the dessert near Palm Springs they would spend their summers at Camp Winnarainbow. Eventually they became Teen Staff, counsellors and teachers. It was the highlight of their growing up and as I said they so wanted to share it with Frances and Abbey and so here we are.
the shady grove for hoola hoops and then the tepee circle with 17 tepees each capable of holding 10 campers. In the centre is the fire circle. Around the outside there is the toilet block, the costume barn, the living room (a place to hang out and relax on the outside sofas), the unicycle track, the rainbow stage, the big top (for gymnastics), the stilt track, the martial arts grove, and the aerial grove. Across the creek is the office, the snack shop and vegetable garden. Far across the field is there is the lake (a very large dam) with diving platform, a raft and an enormous 350ft water slide.The first day of camp was arrival. The second day was orientation where they got to see each of the activities and learn about the rules. The third day was camp proper.
Each morning begins with early risers being shepherded toward the kitchen for quiet hot chocolate with marshmallows. At 8.30 the conch is blown and all remaining sleepy heads must rise and meet at the kitchen for morning circle - songs, announcements and appreciations. The guitarists are pretty well crazy doods (in fact most of the camp staff are... all performers... as well as being typically American – boisterous and enthusiastic), the campers are all well versed in the camp song repertoire so the singing is rowdy. Announcements are made, usually in performance style (opera singing, rap, etc). Then appreciations usually include birthdays, singing someones praises, someone yelling out some random appreciation like 'This morning I woke up and realised this is the next day of my life!' to which everyone responds with a resounding yeah!!!! Anyhow its all very positive and rabble rousing. 
Next, everyone heads to the tables, there is a grace of sorts, anything from Hindu, thanking the mother earth or God to just a nice big 'YUM' that sounds like 'Ohm'. There are three cooked meals a day and they are all very good!After breakfast the campers do tepee cleanup, getting dressed, brushing teeth etc. Then its time for Wavy Gravy to read them a story. After story comes warm-up and then the staff tell them (theatrically) what's on for activities for the day. Then away they go for the first two lessons.
Just before lunch they get together for show-time which is when they show what they have learnt if they feel so inspired, followed by announcements and appreciations and then to lunch.
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| 350 ft water slide at the Lake |
After lunch the Lake is open plus free time where the kids can just hang out or continue with an activity. Then there is another class after that. The lake closes at 5.00pm and there is more free time till tepee circle before dinner. The staff give some feed back, more announcements, appreciations and strokes (a camper with a certain number of strokes gets to make a special trip to the labyrinth to choose a special crystal). Then its dinner time, free time and clean-up before the evening program.
The evening program changes from night to night. So far we have had the Teachers Talent, the Fire Circle (and some of the tepees go to walk the labyrinth which is out in the field – its supposed to be pretty specky this time of the year because there are loads of falling stars), the Tornado of Talent (the children's talent before instruction) and tonight is another staff talent display.
After the evening program its bedtime!!!!
So far Frances has found a great bunch of girls in her tepee to hang out with. They have been enjoying the hoola hoop classes and a bit of art... plus last night they did a dance to a song on stage and Abbey and a couple others bopped in the back ground so there was a bit of practise to work that out.
Abbey is working on her stilts. Today she 'electrified' on short stilts and progressed to the tall stilts. I don't know if she got to electrifying on them or doing the 'kitchen walk' as I haven't had a chance to check in with either of them. I did see Frances' tepee on dish duty but I didn't chat.
Nina told me she saw Abbey working on her uni-cycling in evening free time. Unfortunately she hasn't found a group to hang out with yet. Not that there's any shortage of great kids its just she would prefer Frannie's group... Its a shame really because she came to the lake and qualified to swim to the platform but she can't find a 'buddy' to swim with and Frannie's lot are just too girlie to spend time at the lake. Ah well,Meanwhile I have been kept busy. There are a range of jobs that I have been assigned. Early Riser keeps them from making too much noise while they drink their cocoa. Costume barn helps dress for performances. Uni track and stage watch just watches them in free time. Lake Shuttle drives the campers back and forth to the lake, a little scary because its the wrong side of the road but I am used to it now... three hours of back and forth each day!! But by far the most terrifying job was Beach Mop who signs the kids in and out at the lake... and does a rap about it at camp circle in the evening!!! It begins by everyone singing 'holler at the Beach Mop, Baby' and then I go out there and embarrass myself!!! Then I do some announcements about what happened at the lake, all in all a job for someone else!!!! I'll stick to the shuttle.
Its been fun hanging out with SM and Nina and Jasmine when we aren't busy. Nina is the camp nurse and Saharah is the trapeze teacher, only she broke her toe yesterday (stubbed it hard) and so the teen staff are teaching for her while she supervises. This evening is her evening off and she has headed to San Francisco to see her man. So when this rush of bedtime medicines are over Nina and I will sit and enjoy a cuppa before I head to my tent by the stream that I have been sharing with SM. Hopefully I don't get sprayed by a skunk on the way!! These skunks aren't too scared of people so they get real close. If I bump into one by mistake in the dark I am going to be in big trouble. 
It apparently takes along long time to get rid of the stink.Its really really hard to get to use the camp internet, the hours are ridiculous but I will endeavour to tell you the news when I can.I'll leave you with the words of my rap, Nina videoed it but I won't inflict it on you!!
Down at the lake
The day was great
The sun was hot
But its a cool cool spot
Kitty and her team are there to see
You all have fun so safely
The damsels and the dragons fly
While campers leap from the platform high
The slide is pumping lots of fun
The lake is great for everyone
But hey y'all, I just gotta say
There's one more thing to make the day
You gotta check in and buddy up
You gotta sign out with the BEACH MOP
Camille
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