|
The Diamond
Kidz that went on the summer trip to Tennessee called in daily to
report the day's activities to your friendly neighborhood web
slinger. Below are the daily updates. Friday, June 20 Okay, the most stunning thing that happened was the huge accident in Madison, Wisconsin. Drake, Joe & Jack were in the iHOP waiting for their pancakes when a Pontiac Grand Am (the make was a very important detail) hit the restaurant building , bounced off, skidded over a grass hill and actually jumped over three cars. Did you get that? It was airborne! The driver ran away but was eventually apprehended. Our boys saw most of the action, took a few pictures, and ended up with a free dinner due to the delay that they encountered as the wait staff peered out the window. Rest assured, none of our kids were either responsible or involved. For more on the crash that did NOT injure any of our own . . .
Oh, one more thing . . .
Ross is doing a great job sitting on the sidelines and not pushing Saturday, June 21 Most of the day was spent en route -- much to everyone's dismay. Your humble webmaster interviewed a carful at about 8:30 central time -- they were 29 miles from Clarksville and very squirrelly. Me thinks they were VERY anxious to get OUT OF THE CAR! Webbie is in Mountain Time at the moment, so we will be two hours apart. Hopefully, I'll get a better update tomorrow. Kids sounded pretty tired. The entire group had a civilized sit-down dinner at Friday's. It was a nice time to be together. Pastor Amy is providing many inspirational and uplifting devotionals throughout the journey. I forgot to ask about accommodations, but I will add that later. The one detail I have is that no one has bathed since Friday morning. You needed to know that, right? Stay tuned for more on the continuing saga . . . Sunday, June 22 Listened to a message that Julie left last night -- the church they stayed at last night is in a strip mall. Guess we Yankees find that kind of amusing. The church in the mall is Christ Lutheran -- they're in the process of erecting a new building, so the digs are temporary. The kids sang for the service. Afterward, they chowed down (second breakfast) during the fellowship hour. There had been a wedding the previous day and there was a ton of food leftover, including cake. So, waste not want not! The cake was a great excuse to celebrate Anna Y's birthday!
The next stop was Chattanooga for lunch. They fanned out to favorite spots for lunch. Jess & Addie slept the rest of the way to Copperhill while Jack & Drake watched movies. They arrived in Copperhill about 4:30p, had orientation, and then off to supper. It was hot earlier, but the weather is beautiful now. The cabins are your typical rustic accommodations, so they're warm during the daytime. However, a fifty-nine degree great-for-sleeping night is in store. The evenings are pretty free, so the entire crew had an opportunity to take showers. Notice I said "opportunity." We think they all bathed, but hey . . . you can lead a kid to the shower but (did use that metaphor already?) The guys' cabins are up the hill, so four-legged Ross had a little trouble negotiating the terrain. His buddies stepped up and carried his gear for him. They even got his food for him at supper since two crutches + tray = well, you can picture it, can't you? On a personal note, I wonder how long Ross can drag this thing out? One of the camp leaders brought her miniature long-haired Chihuahua today. I don't know what one of these looks like, but the girls think he's adorable. I'm guessing he looks something like this. They were playing with it fifteen minutes ago when I got the update. The guys were playing a volleyball variation game. Dinner tonight was spaghetti -- the tried and true feed a large group stand-by. I don't think any of the kids are going hungry anytime soon. The whole gang is just happy to be at the destination -- no more car rides. All the kids are happy, healthy and safe . . . even the youngest member, Anna B. See ya tomorrow! Monday, June 23 Today was a work day for our gang. Group A painted an entire house, trim and all. Group B cleared brush from public trails. Some of the indigenous wildlife made an appearance including lovely water moccasins. No incidents. It rained a little today which caused a delay in the wiffle ball game which is to be resumed later this evening. The camp is sponsoring a volleyball tourney, but the Diamond Kidz opted out and will play wiffle ball instead. Will H. led his group in devotions today . . . without prodding or prompting (this was an important detail). Katie laid claim to the environmental "question of the week" as they worked to rid the trail of brush. Daniel W. is having a ball. Even though he is one of the newer kids on the block, the Diamond Kidz have embraced him and have even dubbed him "Dan the Man." When you get a nick name, you know you're in. We're glad you're having fun, Dan! Willis,
cousin to Ben, Katie, & Anna, is not a Diamond Kidz regular, but he
is fitting right in. He's teaching the group about being
vegetarian. The DK's are amazed at his commitment to
veggie-hood, but it's no big deal for him since that's the way he
was raised. Of course, the camp menu isn't vegan-friendly, but
A few of the DK's went shopping at the canteen today and bought tee shirts and souvenirs. A few of the adults took naps today -- they are worn out! And, the younger DK's are a little wasted, too. It was a long day of hard work for all. Hopefully everyone will have learned that a good night's sleep is the most important ally. See ya tomorrow! Tuesday, June 24 Wow! I got quite an update today! I listened to the Blue Grass band that was playing in the background before getting the skinny on the day. One of the members, a 15-year-old youngen is a world-champion picker. He has won pickin' championships all over the country. Cooooool! The groups basically switched places today -- Group A cleared brush and Group B worked in a facility that makes suspenders & straps of all kinds. First, Group A . . . Group A included Beck, Joey N., "Dan the Man," Ben, John M., and Nicole. They had to march their coolers and other gear into the brush 3 miles before commencing work. Beck hauled the cooler full of food the entire 3 miles. The other kids showed immense fortitude hauling all the other stuff into the brush. Then they cleared the 2-mile trail of brush and other impediments. Julie said it took 23 hours . . . but I think she was talking about how it felt, not real time. Every kid on the crew pitched in and worked hard without complaining or grousing even though it was hot and a lot of work. They were warned about bears, bees, snakes, and other scary things. They didn't see any life-threatening creatures, but the kids made sure that Julie stepped around a couple of bee hives on the trail since she is allergic. Very thoughtful. Group B helped mentally challenged folk on the job today. They had an order from WAL-MART for a zillion pairs of suspenders and the kids helped them get the job done. Gabe & Connor worked with a woman named Laura whom they said was very fun and funny. She couldn't quite get their names straight and therefore they have been renamed "Gage" and "Cody." Works for me. Willie, Jack, & Drake were not assigned to work with a regular employee, so they simply set about the task of making suspenders. They hauled bum and actually broke a manufacturing record for the facility. The best part is that the employees get paid based on production, so those three earned wages for the regular group. And, they were very proud of the work that they did and enjoyed the experience. The facility also offers basic skills classes, so Tiana taught the group how to multiply using the "nines" trick. They were thrilled! At the present, (8:30p), the girls are braiding each others' hair, and the boys are playing NUKEM, that volleyball game to which I previously referred. There are also a few that are line dancing to the Blue Grass accompaniment. Robb has been doing the schlepping for the group, an honor awarded him because of his mega-burban. But, he's been a cheerful bus driver and the kids love having him on the trip. Each morning and evening the group has devotions, headed up by a different faction each day / night. They also have small group discussion each day and decide among themselves when a good time for that will be depending upon the activities. There is also a question of the week and a question of the day that provide a catalyst for discussion. Just one last thing: be sure to ask Ross about his special "blended" drink upon his return. I hear it's very cleansing! A demain Wednesday, June 25 Once again, Wednesday provided another switch-around with groups performing community service. The last bunch went to the "suspender" factory. The one update on this is that all are coming home with party-colored suspenders! I tried to find the employer on the web, but failed. Our group referred to them as IOI, but I don't know what that stands for. What I did learn, however, is that they have military contracts for heavy-duty straps and apparel contracts with Cabelas, LL Bean, as well as Wal-Mart. Cool. The other bunch painted a large house according to Frank. However, based on other input, I think that might have been Tuesday and that they actually painted a very small house yesterday. Anyway, it was extremely hot, so the kids really had to give it their all. The report from one of the underwhelmed teens was "lame." See? I knew that word would surface eventually. Last night they went to FOPA (friend of Pastor Amy) in nearby Georgia. They were treated to Georgia Barbeque and a tour of the friends' fish hatchery. They raise sturgeon for the caviar. Everyone got to "pet" a sturgeon. I'm sure this will be a lasting memory!
Thursday, June 26 Okay, we're back. Had some technical difficulties with cell, wireless, etc. Soooo . . . Everyone except Ross & Griff went white water rafting. They had a ball! Other than one or two folks getting ejected from the vessel, it was an incident-free event. And, Ross did not go rafting because of his knee surgery and Griff stayed back to keep Ross company. Griff -- your heart is as big as you! Mid-day, the older boys went tubing. I don't have a lot of details . . . I'm guessing what happens in the river stays in the river. They apparently had a good time. Yet another group went rock climbing. It was a little scary for the newbies, but the vets cheered them on to victory and everyone made it to the top of the climb. Again, rumor has it they had a blast. Okay, not enough to do in one day? How about horseback riding? This group had a wonderful ride through beautiful trails. They saw babbling brooks, hills, valleys, and many lovely landscapes. Other than the horse taking a bite out of Julie (no comment), this, too, was incident free. Read on . . . I have some details about today, Friday. Friday, June 27 Friday was mostly a drive day. However, dinner was at B.B. King's Club. I just talked to my source who said it was "cool." And, they are still there (11:00p) and still having fun . . . and still spending money as far as I can tell. This is not supposed to be an editorial, but these kids are pretty fortunate to be able to participate in such a fun trip! Tomorrow they drive and drive and drive. I will post updates on Sunday if the arrival time needs updating, so stay tuned. Saturday, June 28 Forgot to tell you that they had a talent show Thursday night. The choir kids sang lots of favorites including "Kiss the Girl" from The Little Mermaid and "Operator." The
Saturday night report was mostly about the stop at Subway in
The final word on the BB King evening was fantastic! Everyone had a really fun time. Willie even bought the shirt and put it on right away, a testimony to a great event. (Or, maybe all his other clothes were trashed - who knows?) Robb literally let his hair down and was rockin' out with the kids. And, the incident of the day belongs to Gabe. He busted his toe open. Apparently he's a "when in Rome" kid, and chose not to wear shoes like Billy in "Where the Red Fern Grows." (I guess that was the Ozarks, but close enough.) Anyway, no shoes = split your big toe open. He's gone through a gross of Band-Aids but doesn't need stitches -- just SHOES! Is this a good time to say, "Duh?" They didn't get out of Nashville on Saturday morning until noon, so they were really behind. (Hence the late supper at Subway.) When I talked to Julie last night, she said that they bagged the church stay and were in the process of trying to secure hotel rooms. Monica K. was working on it from the home front. Since my kids aren't on my doorstep this morning, I'm assuming they found someplace to sleep last night! That also means that they will not be attending service this morning (I assume), and therefore, they may be back earlier than 5:00p. This last bit is speculation, so be sure to check back for the facts. Sunday, June 29
Our kids come home today! Check back for arrival time and other details. I will post the update later today.
Wow! Got to the Motel 8 in Sun
Prairie, Wisconsin at 3:30a. Most slept until 10:00a this
morning, so hopefully you won't have crabby kids on your hands
tonight. They will probably not stop for lunch, but if they
do, they may arrive closer to 4:00p. Plan to stick around the
parking lot for a while as we have devotions and a proper sendoff
for Ben.
|
HAPPY
BIRTHDAY ANNA!
Okay, they stopped for lunch, so they'll be here around 5:00!