Camp Tales - High Ropes

At one camp, part of staff training involved teamwork activities, one of which included a high ropes course that was a part of the offerings at camp. For those not sure what a high ropes course is, it is like an obstacle course build up high in tress or poles. Ours was located up in a bunch of trees that were reached by a high ladder and ended with a zip line across a field. Every person who went up on the course was required to wear a harness for safety and support that high up. (Part of our naturalist staff was trained and certified in this.)

The first year, I made it up the ladder to the platform, but my fear of heights was so severe that I didn't make it any further and ended up coming down. I helped catch people when they came off the zip line.

The second year, I got a little braver. Despite my nearly debilitating fear of heights I got up the ladder, hooked up to the harness, and through the course... somehow. My high ropes course partner was just about as afraid of heights as I was and we spent a large amount of the course with me wrapped around a tree and my partner wrapped around me and the tree. We made it through, taking the shortest route we could and even made it across the field on the zip line. Facing our fears is not always an easy thing to do, but it can be done and there can be great rewards as a result.

Camp Tales - A Clown in Camp

It's not easy been a clown... but it an be a lot of fun.

My first summer at camp my roommates learned that I did a little clowning on the side, not the typical side hobby, but since do I go for typical. One of my roommates had her own county coming into camp and asked me if I would be willing to clown for her county for their carnival night. I agreed and we let their staff know, making the necessary arrangements.

My roommates had never seen me in clown costume and make up, let alone watch me get ready The guys were watching TV when I started getting ready but putting on my top and tights then laid out the colorful make up. I started with my layer of white make up, covering up my skin thoroughly then sat for a few moments in front of the fan, letting it dry completely. The guys soon seemed more fascinated with watching me put on clown make up than whatever they were watching on TV (probably a movie they had already seen, since we had no cable and only got about 1 1/2 channels depending on the day and the wind being just right). Before long they had watched me transform from me to a face painted, costume wearing, wig wearing clown. Then I headed down to the recreation hall for the carnival.

I am a silent clown, often prone to bouts of shyness in response to shy kids. (It also helps keep my identity from kids who might know from the Craft Hall.) I spend the time making balloon animals for kids and having visiting adult staff trying to catch me up and get me to talk (which I did not let them succeed).

After the carnival, the kids headed to the next event on their evening agenda while the staff got to play on the bouncy thing without them.... even the clown. (And there she did talk.... or scream as she played with the rest jumping, pushing, and being pushed.)

Ceramics Flashback

This jewelry box was from my eighth grade art class. (I re-found it recently packed away in a box.) Once upon a time it had a square lid with a handle that fit it approximately. The lid seems to be a casualty of time, but the box itself is in one piece. It still is engraved with my last name and class period on the bottom (from before it went in to kiln) as well as my full name, year, and what appears to be y teacher's grade penciled on the bottom of it. (Pretty sure it was an A.)

 It may not have been perfect but for a kid it was my way from the shape to the heart on one side to the rough rainbow on the other and the green and brown glaze.

I have a lot of great memories from that lass... it seems some that even have something to do with art. It was the last art class I took in school choosing to spent my high school arts in music.

SNake Bracelet

This was a gift a friend made. She makes all sort of jewelry designs from wire. (The snake was one of my favorites, without question.)

Camp Tales - Underground Railroad

Many camps offer a variety of activities that not only get the kids outside and having some sort of adventure, but also teach. At the camp I spent the most time working, we offered an Underground Railroad program. It was a combination project that gave the kids a background in the Underground Railroad, then divided them up into groups, and sent them through the woods to go through a number of "Railroad Stops", while not being caught or shot (water gun) by slave chasers (often their counselors). Each stop had different things they had to successfully maneuver, while getting their entire "family" group safe into the North. It was a combination of adventure mixed with history. One summer one of the staff decided he wanted to bring an new element to the project and offered to dress like a runaway slave and give an mini scene as part of the presentation. He came to me about creating a costume for him.

Using an old white shirt from the paint shirts in the Craft Hall I went to work dying it in multiple couples from my tie dye buckets to give it a dingy appearance, let it dry. I even rolled it in the dirt, stomping on it as I went. (Receiving a few interesting looks from passing campers and staff that didn't know what I was working on) I placed it on his body then armed with a pair of scissors I went to work shredding the sleeves and edges, then made slips across his back like whip marks.

Using what I had on hand, which happened to be make up, I bloodied up the edges of the whip marks with red lipstick mixed with mascara and blush.

We completed the costume with an old pair of jeans he had, a beat up pair of unlaced boots, a chain we borrowed from something on camp, and a walking stick he found on camp. Using more of my make up, I made marks on his skin underneath the slits on his shirt with my light colored concealer (it looked great on his dark skin for this effect), red lipstick, black mascara and eye liner, with a mixture of eye shadow and blush.

He prepared his own scene to introduce himself as a runaway a slave before the kids were sent off on the journey and was waiting for the in the "North" when they got there. The reaction of the kids to his character and the whip marks we created was amazing to us both. A couple of the kids forget we were playing and were afraid that touching his painted arks would cause him pain. It had a definite impact on a number of us and brought a new depth to the project that any of them had participated multiple summers.

"Golden" Bracelet

Props and costumes in theater often have to be done on the cheap, and when I say cheap I mean really, REALLY cheap. And often that cheap means for as little as possible. For a production of "The King and I" there were a number of actors portraying wives and royal children all needing to be well dressed this included gold bands for both children and adults The costume designer (which I helped) was able to create a number of gold bands by cutting thick cardboard tubes from rugs into bands Each band was then deorated with glue to give a textural design then sprayed with gold spray paint and let dry. Viola!

 

Fiery Top Hat

Sometimes we all need a little fire in our life. This hat was a plastic top hat that I painted with a combination of red, yellow, and orange paint to give a fire appearance. I'm sure I'll fine the perfect costume for it. (I always do.)