A Day of Thankfulness!

Dear Camp Westwind Family,

I wanted to stop and take a moment to let you know how thankful the ywca and Camp Westwind are for each of you!
I hope that you have each had a lovely day full of family, friends and food!
We are in the process of updating the website so keep checking it!
http://www.ywca-pdx.org/campwestwind/index.html
The registration dates and information are posted!
Thanks again for giving us the chance to serve you and your children!

Thankful,
Janette "Pickle"

Yummy Moroccan Stew recipe from Wine Down that ya'll have been asking for!

Many of you have been asking for the Moroccan Stew recipe that we served at Wine Down so here it is!
Thanks to Sassy for making the delicious dish and for providing the recipe!
It's a great dish for a cold and blustry November day!


Moroccan Stew (Vegan and Gluten Free)

1/3 cup Oil
3 cups Onion, diced
3 cloves Garlic, minced
1 tsp Cumin
1 tsp Turmeric
½ tsp Cinnamon
¼ tsp Cayenne
½ tsp Paprika
1 cup Carrots, lg dice
4 cups Yams, lg dice
3 cups Eggplant, lg dice
1 Red Bell Pepper, lg dice
4 cups Zucchini, Yellow Squash, lg dice
2 Tomatoes, lg dice (or 1 can diced tomatoes, reserve the juice)
1 can Garbanzo Beans
1 Pinch Saffron
1 cup Raisins
Liquid as necessary (use the reserved tomato juice, V8, or water)
Chopped Parsley to garnish

Sweat the onions, add garlic until fragrant, add spices until fragrant. Add each vegetable, one at a time and briefly sauté between each addition. Add the beans, saffron, raisins and liquid (not too much liquid, this should be a thick stew!). Serve with couscous (not Gluten Free) or rice.

Summer 2012

I can't believe the winter hasn't even set in and here I am planning for summer camp. Today Sassy and I finally took the lost and found to the Goodwill and when I dumped the final container into the big donation bin sand covered the top of it and I couldn't help but smiling as I apologized to the worker.

Camp is the gift that keeps on giving. I am not just talking about the sand that comes pouring out or sticks under your fingernails when you put your hands in your pockets six months after you were at camp. I am talking about the camp songs that come to you at random times, the confidence you see in your child in this new school year and ability to make friends a bit easier. I am talking about the feeling you get when you see someone else that is wearing something that says "Camp Westwind" out in public and you want to give them a big hug like they are long lost family (because they are family!).

Even though we haven't even had our first frost, we think to warmer days frolicking in the fountains at day camp in the city, building sandcastles and kayaking at the beach or maybe even white water rafting during travel camp. Will you be there? There are camps for everyone of every age. Mother child camp, Father Child camp, CampOUT family camp for the LGBTQ community, youth camps, Teen Leadership camps, day camps with amazing themes, travel camp, volunteering at camp-there really is something for everyone!

So, as you look forward to the winter season, don't forget that camp is right around the corner! Registration will be opening the first week of December! New registration dates are posted on the website: http://www.ywca-pdx.org/programs/program.html Just think, you could give the gift of camp! You could even purchase a camp hoodie or t-shirt or finger lights to keep the camp memories fresh for a bit longer!

Want to get involved before camp happens? We are looking for people who are passionate about Camp Westwind and want to see it keep thriving to join our "Friends of Camp" advisory committee. Email me if you want more information: janettek@ywcapdx.org

Fondly,
Janette "Pickle"

Follow Up to State of Camp Address

If you would like the notes and handouts from the State of Camp address, please email me: janettek@ywcapdx.org
Thank you.

State of Camp Address

Just a reminder that tomorrow Thursday October 13th is the State of Camp Address at the ywca building 1111 SW 10th Avenue in the 3rd floor conference room. Come hear about what is happening with camp, the future of camp and how you can be involved.
See you there!
Janette "Pickle"

Day 2 of Wine Down at Westwind!

What a day! Waking up this morning to blue skies and the sun in the air was a treat after all of the drizzly rain yesterday!
There has been plenty of wine during the wine tasting, happy hour and dinner.
The kids loved making the desserts for their parents: apple and pumpkin pie were enjoyed by all (some before they even got cooked!).
Today is sure to be a lovely day with the kayaks out in the water, candle making in mini pumpkins and amazing food (I can smell the bread pudding baking or maybe it's the homemade brandy sauce). You won't want to miss this weekend next year!

Wine Down at Camp Westwind!

Come to Camp Westwind on October 7-9 for an amazing weekend packed full of activities for everyone!
All are invited-individuals, couples, families, friends or get a group together and book a whole cabin! The site at Westwind on the Oregon coast is not to be missed no matter what the weather is!
The weekend will be full of the traditional camp activities like crafts, hiking, kayaking, playing at the beach, campfire PLUS wine tasting, football live streamed in our comfy couch filled lounge, pumpkin candles and more!
Saturday will be filled with more of the same and will wrap up with a fall family carnival with apple bobbing, ring toss to win bottles of wine, pumpkin seed shooting, dancing and hot cider!
Sunday will be packing up, enjoying brunch and then strolling along the trail to the river to say goodbye to new and old friends as you barge back to your cars.

The food menu is not to be missed and promises to be amazing! Massage therapist will be there to make sure you are taking care of yourself, summer staff will be there to sing the songs we all love and lead activities and babysitters will be on hand to help with your children and give you time to relax as well!
For more information email westwind@ywcapdx.org or to register go to www.ywca-pdx.org
Spots are filling quickly!

Wine Down for the Weekend At Westwind!

Want to have an amazing weekend at camp alone or with your family or partner or maybe even a group of friends?
October 7-9 ywca Camp Westwind will be offering a weekend to come relax, taste wines, take a course on wines and what to pair them with, hike, watch football, play football, sit at the beach, kayak, shoot archery,let your kids make new friends and be entertained by our quality camp staff, eat great camp food, dance, sing, have campfire on the beach...this weekend is just for you!
Registrations are filling quickly!
For more information or to register go to: www.ywca-pdx.org
Or call Sassy at: 503-294-7476

Resident Camp Wrap-Up

This has been one crazy, amazing, EPIC summer at the BEACH. Resident camp was a pretty happening place, with many firsts.

Session 1: First campfire of the summer
Session 2: First "Royal Marriage" at camp
Session 3: First time away from camp, some made their very first sandwich.
Father Child: Enough said!
Session 4:First time using under the Cove as an overnight spot.
Mother Child 1: First MoCho hanging out in the Cove
Mother Child 2: First trip to Cascade Head
Session 5: First week of 2011 Teen 2's
Session 6: First session each unit took a trip to Cascade Head
campOUT: First experience with daily kids groups & babysitters.

Those are just a few that I can remember, I'm sure there were many other memories that happened this summer.

BUT, the summer isn't over yet! Day Camp still has another week left of camp! They are having some great weather, and currently are engaging in Mad Science & Geocaching!

campOUT day 3

The sun is still shining! We really have been lucky the past few days.

So, are you ready to find out about our amazing few days? We are having a blast. We nearly didn't stop to write the blog! It's just been so exciting.

So yesterday...our adventures, well, lets explore your imagination to fully appreciate the day...

Picture this.....a sunny sky...a mud pit...that smells delicious....and a group of families. Ready to get dirtier than ever before! YES WE WENT MUD MUCKING! It was amazing, exciting and down right crazy, but that is why we love it so much. If you have been mud mucking with us before, I want you to picture that smell and the consistency of that mud! mmmmm lovely! If you haven't -Why not?! you need to get yourself here next year to explore the authenticity of our amazing mud pit. You really will have an amazing time.

Any who, moving away from that excitement to another...we had a battle of the bands talent show last night. The pictures will describe all. If you were here session five, we had a visit from Glitter Shake Explosion! A very famous boy band here at Westwind.

We then experienced some great Karaoke over at the Cove, which really was great!

So all in all, an epic day at Camp Westwind

For today, we leave you on a high, and remember, even if you aren't here with us, you are all 'Camp Westwind Born and Camp Westwind Bred'

Share the lessons you learnt here and embrace the differences, because it really does make the world a brighter place.

campOUT, Day 2

Good afternoon to everyone!

Hope you are having a pleasant day and soaking up the sunshine like we are!

Wednesday morning our Camp-Out session begun! We were all in full swing ready for a great week, it's the last session of the summer so we are going to go out with a bang!
The families happily arrived yesterday at around noon, they made their journey across to the Island on the barge and then walked up to the lodge for a BBQ lunch. It was a great success, we had plenty of burgers, hot-dogs and watermelon! It was just lovely.

Next we had kids groups! The majority of them went towards the beach and played fantastic beach games and enjoyed the beautiful landscape. The red group, in company with Mac, went to a secret cave to tell stories! They had a blast!

Last night we had campfire, which was 'Westwind Survival Skills' Platypuss amazed us by becoming a survival expert! We all now feel like we can survive any Westwind expedition!
The blue and green group their skits, it was fantastic, and everyone had a great time.

After that, the parents were able to have some chill time in the Cove and the Lodge, doing arts and crafts and playing cards.

Already today,people have been on various adventures! But you will have to wait until tomorrow to find out !

for now...enjoy you day
Love Camp Westwind

Hope you are all having a great weekend wherever you are!

We are having a lovely time here at Camp Westwind, the sun is still shining and we are making the most of it!

As you can see Alpine had a fantastic time on their Cascade Head hike yesterday! The view was 'Amazing'. They got back just in time for dinner last night which was Chicken Strips, Herby potatoes and green beans. It was simply delicious! Today Alpine are dressing up whilst exploring their creative flare in the Art Palace! Let's see what they can create!

Teen Ad got back from their overnight, they were lucky enough to hike back through the salt marshes! They came back needing showers, but they were all very enthusiastic about their trip. They also dropped by the art palace and created a Diversity Mural- They were inspired by their value session they took part in last night. It really is a great mural, and is currently being placed on the lodge wall!

Highlands were embracing their adventurous side this afternoon and have took a trip to Cascade Head, let's hope they have as good time as Alpine!

Sherwood this afternoon have taken part in a Wiggle Walk! It looked extremely fun! The aim was to find things in their cabin that matched a certain criteria.

Finally, our amazing Teen Twos are preparing for their All-Camp. We know it is going to rock! Their theme is Peter Pan- Pictures will follow tomorrow.

Have a great weekend, until tomorrow,

Session 6, Day 5

Today we are enjoying the glorious sunshine at Camp Westwind!

Alpine have been very lucky with the weather and are currently hiking up to Cascade Head. The view will be amazing, pictures will follow tomorrow of their adventure.

So, last night everyone went on their overnight, to spend a night under the stars making smores and playing games outside (aswell as burying several campers in the sand!). It really was quite the expedition, Sherwood and Highlands ventured to Pirates Cove! A brilliant spot on the beach, they had hotdogs for dinner and were playing a game of shoulder tag when disaster struck! A Racoon was spotted trying to get near their belongings...the staff decided to deter the racoon by making loud noises, eventually this seemed to work! However the weather took a turn for the worst and the wind picked up significantly...it was decided to change spots! Both units moved to nearer camp, still staying outside, and enjoyed sleeping out in the wilderness, being away from racoons and wind!


Alpine went to the beautiful Estuary Spot! They ate up chicken tortillas and played a variety of games. Everything went well on their overnight and they were all excited for their hike this afternoon!

The Teen Ads are currently enjoying their two night overnight, last night they stayed at firebreak and have been hiking this afternoon! They will end up at the Estuary Spot and develop their survival skills by making their own fires, and cooking their own food!

Finally, our Teen Leads 2s have been shadowing counselors and leading value sessions, two of them said how fun it has been, even though it was tiring they are having a great time!

That is all for today, enjoy the pictures of the boys being buried and the Teen Leads assisting in art palace!

Session 6, Day 2

This session is off to an amazing start! The weather has been perfect, we are so fortunate to he here at camp!

Yesterday after all the campers arrived and checked in, after beach time and fun, we gathered round the campfire to sing our campfire songs! It was movie themed, and the campers thought of movies and the staff had to act them out without any prep! It was lovely!

Right now, I am sitting watching the talent show. Some of these kids have fantastic talent! Their singing, beat boxing, guitar playing, and more. The theme for the talent show is "Oregon's got Knowledge with Dr. Camiro and Miss. Daisy. They have been asking questions about the state of Oregon. One of their questions: What is the best camp in Oregon?! Can you guess what their answer was?

Let's see, besides the Talent Show, Teen 2's went kayaking to Otis for their dinner. Don't worry, they loved it! It was a lot of work, but it was well worth it (or so I heard, I didn't go!).

Teen Ad spent time on the Challenge Course

Alpine spent some time on the beach, and is currently doing the Virginia Reel Hoedown in the lodge. It is very entertaining!

Highwood had some fun on the beach, elimination, and other games.

Check out our Twitter account for more up-to-date posts!

Session 5, Day 3

Today was another great day here at camp. The sun is shining, the wind is blowing and all the campers are out on overnights now. Alpine is headed to the Estuary Sport, Highlands to Old Ropes, Sherwood to Pirates Cove, and Teens to Neverland.

This morning's program was fantastic! The Alpine girls had a slumber party in The Cove, and Bagira & Bola brought them waffles, sausage, bananas, and more deliciousness. Later, the whole Alpine unit was together and they did a wiggle walk! Those are always so much fun.

Highlands spent their morning preparing for their value session this evening. They spent time outside, in the lodge, and the art palace, decorating and designing pictures that describe them.

Sherwood's morning was really busy! They were "breaking all the rules" here in camp, including dumping cold water on the directors! Other things they did: making their own flag, moving a counselor's bed to the middle of the unit, putting out of order signs on the bathrooms, swinging on the ropes, and a kitchen raid!

Unfortunately, Session 1 Travel Camp has come to an end after spending the day at the BEACH.... Before they left this afternoon, they were able to go kayaking, tie-dying, and to the camp store!

A dismissal for you:
I like Waffles

I like waffles,
I like waffles,
I like waffles,
I LIKE WAFFLES!!!!!

Session 5, Day 2

Camp, it's such a great place to be!

Here is a song to help you feel as if you were here:

On the Loose
Have you ever seen a sunset
Turn the sky completely red?
Have you slept beneath the moon and stars
A pine bough for your bed?
Do you sit and talk with friends
Though a word is never said?
Then you’re just like me and
You’ve been on the loose

Chorus:
On the loose to climb a mountain
On the loose where I am free
On the loose to live my life
The way I think my life should be
For I’ve only got a moment
And a whole world yet to see
I’ll be looking for tomorrow on the loose

There’s a trail that I’ll be taking
Just to see where it might go
Many places yet to visit
Many people yet to know
So in following my dreams
I will live and I will grow
I’ll be looking for tomorrow on the loose (Chorus)

So in search of love and laughter
I’ll be traveling through this land
Never sure of where I’m going
For I haven’t any plans
So in time when you are ready
Come and join me take my hand
And together we’ll share life out on the loose (Chorus)


Today was a great day! The weather report this morning said it was going to rain, but alas it was wrong! No rain for us today, which is great, because our amazing Teen 2's left for their two night overnight. They are headed to some new overnight spots, Mirkwood & Neverland.

I must tell you about how amazing our Teen 2's are. The first day, they already exhibited signs of leadership when running to catch up to those of us carrying the 15 bags of already lost bags from the river. They have jumped in to lead songs, and help out cabins, as well as sweep the lodge! It is great to see a group of teenagers pitch in to help the community.

Now, Sherwood today learned how to be spies.... They went around and scouted out other units to see what they were doing and to keep an eye on them. They found some treasures as well!

Highlands at the current moment is coming back from starstomping! This of course was the icing on the cake! Today they also visited the camp store, art palace AND did challenge course!

Alpine also had a great day, hanging out and being at camp. They had a spa party and painted their nails! Link (Alpine's support staff this week) even had his nails painted in many different colors!

Today ended on a fabulous note for everyone. First, Travel Camp made their final stop at the beach before heading back to Portland for the final leg of their trip. It was great to see them, and hear a few of their stories! Secondly, we had a Talent Show tonight! We were visited by the Glitter Explosions (boy band looking for another talented person). We had quite the groups performing too! Many new original skits and songs, some keyboard playing, and birthday singing. Lastly, Sherwood & Alpine had their own dance parties! They spent their evening dancing the night away!

Tomorrow, the campers will start packing up for their overnights! WooHoo! A night to spend out under the stars!!!

Mother Child 1, Day 2

Good evening friends and family of Westwind. I bet you can't imagine what I am looking at right now. Only the most beautiful sunset ever! It's nice and orange. I'll try uploading the picture, to see if it works (cross you fingers!).

MoCho has been having a great start! Of course, the weather...Not so much... It has rained the both days, but that's not stopping us! We had a BBQ yesterday, played games on the beach, had campfire, with some lovely skits by the Blue Group & Teens, tidepooling this morning, challenge course, tide-dye, hiking, archery, slip 'n' slide, and crafts of course!

Tonight, Shrek & friends visited us and put on a Talent Show. Great skits from families, and of course Balto's annual burp! :D Man he's good at that! Although, last week we had a camper who burped her ABCs!

Tomorrow is another fun filled day, with the camp store, challenge course, hiking, kids activities, art, ocean dipping, High Meadow hike, s'mores, archery, kayaking, and more!

Now the kids are in bed (mostly) and the mom's are having some nice relax time on their own, while the babysitters are watching the sleeping kids.

Oh, did I mention that some of the moms are getting massages?!

Session 4, Day 5

We sure have had a lot of fun this session! I can't believe that the camp session is over tomorrow! It has been a quick week yet again! I'm not sure where all of our time went.

Since our overnight, we've had tons of fun. Yesterday was our all-camp event. It was (of course) Harry Potter themed. The campers were able to get their "fortunes" read, grab some butterbeer, decorated wands, hot cocoa, sought out the horcruxes, and watched the staff act out scenes from the movie. It was great! It ended in a dance party, and all the children seemed to really enjoy it.

Today, we did some service projects at camp. They did garbage pick-up, pulled up thistle, moved the benches down by campfire, and the teens built stairs. They did a fabulous job and both Camp Westwind and the Westwind Stewardship Group both appreciate the campers taking care of our magnificent program.

This afternoon:
- Sherwood spent time at the Barn (archery, bouldering wall, soccer) and at aquatics (kayaking, mudmucking, ocean dipping - their choice).
- Highlands spenti time at aquatics and the Barn as well! There is a really awesome video that Daisy (our own camp paparazzi) took... Unfortunately, I can't get blogger to upload any videos! But, they will be on the DVD.... ;D If you are interested in purchasing that, you can do some on your UltraCamp account. Questions about it, feel free to call Sassy Sarah, the Office Manager, she would love to help you out!
- Alpine had a sleep in breakfast, beach games, lodge hangout, challenge course and had a few value sessions.
- Teens, they are awesome! Today they prepared for the campfire, taking gravel to Highlands, and SHOWERED!! I have to say, Harry Potter + High School Musical + Teens = one EPIC campfire!

I hope you all and a wonderful evening and week!

Happy Camping!

Session 4, Day 3

Welcome to the third night of camp! Right now, camp is quiet. The campers and staff are having overnights (around camp). Fortunately, the weather held off long enough for them to have afternoon sun, and were able to cook their meals outside. Now, it has begun to rain again, so campers are sleeping all over main camp. Alpine is under the LC, Teens kayaked to the Estuary Spot, Sherwood is in the program side of the lodge, and Highlands has split between the program side of the lodge and are braving outside the lodge in the sand.

Today in units, the camp participated in Interest Groups. A favorite of Alpine was Extreme Napping. This is where they discovered how cool it would be to sleep under the LC! Highlands had build & burn, where they built projects, and then had the opportunity to burn them (in the fire rings of course!). Sherwood's continuous favorite are the fairies! The campers love building fairy houses and writing notes to the fairies! It is so cute!

Now to talk about Teens. Our teens this summer are amazing. The session 4 Teen Leads are on top of their stuff. They are engaged in campers, and are becoming more actively involved in the camp program at a leadership level. They have shadowed counselors twice now, and the staff love having them. They have truly stepped up to the plate!

For those of you who are reading this, I'd like for you to know that we still have openings in our travel camp program. One of the trips leaves Sunday. That program is looking for at least one more camper!! The program is open to teenagers. If you have questions, please contact Sarah "Sassy" at westwind@ywcapdx.org, or Janette "Pickle" at janettek@ywcapdx.org.

Happy Camping!

Session 4, Day 2

I don't think that I can describe in words, what camp at the beach is like. The community and energy out here is amazing, and the Talent Show. Oh man! Before I go into that though, I think I need to go back a few days, to Father Child Camp.

This weekend, we ran our first ever Father Child Camp. Now, these dads were amazing with their children, and very involved in the activities we offered. While I was at the archery range, three kids got a bulls eye, not to mention, the dad's were getting all their arrows in their targets! Besides archery, the dads and kids participated in tide-pooling, kayaking, mudmucking (although I don't think anyone did that one), tie-dye, elimination, and more! I know that we are so grateful for all the families that went through this first ever session for dads and their children!

Now, as the families were leaving yesterday, our new set of campers were movin' in! I for one can't believe how fast summer is going! Just yesterday, I felt like I was writing Session 1's blog... *sigh* Okay! Back to Session FOUR! This week, we've decided to be a bit themed... I'm not sure if any of you readers like Harry Potter, but this week... This week is Harry Potter week! We've had campfires, talent shows, and other fun activities that are themed. Now, for those of you who are not a fan of HP, not every activity is HP themed, so don't worry!

The talent show tonight was amazing! One of the campers borrowed Gnarwhal's keyboard and played a song, Alpine had everyone doing a dance party, and there was a great little improve skit with one of our staff (who teaches it out of camp), and her out-of-camp students!


Sad Note: Unfortunately, our Internet out here is too slow, and won't let me upload pictures tonight! Oh NO!!! I'll try again tomorrow...

Sleep tight friends of Camp Westwind!
These sessions are continuing to become more and more amazing as we continue down the summer!

Session 3, Day 3

Hello Friends and Family!

We have had a pretty busy week at camp! For example..Tonight, after dinner we had our last campfire in which a story was told that took us on a ride down to camp. On this ride, they met Murray the Rabbit Boy, Frampton the Crab, a Fairy, a Giant, Poor Boy, Rich Girl, and Baby Moon. (Those are all camp songs) Following the campfire, we thew our hands up in the air, and had a dance party! The Sherwood boys had s'mores while Maid Marion got their snow cones for having the cleanest cabin!

Also, you're never going to guess what happened! The Fairy Queen wrote to the Sherwood girls, and explained that the fairies were all away at camp, but would return and sleep in their new houses tonight. I wonder if they will get more letters tomorrow!

This week, one of our campers made their first sandwich ever! On this sandwich, she put: 2 pieces of bread, mayo, cheddar cheese, strawberry jam, mustard, ketchup, slice of turkey, 2 slices of tomato, and one grape. She was so proud of herself, ate the whole thing, and enjoyed it!

This evening, at sunset, there were 27 elk in the field today too! And, a deer came to visit us at the archery range.

Okay, it's time to say goodnight! I can't believe that Session 3 ends tomorrow! Bring on Father Child Camp! WooHoo!

Session 3, Day 1

Daisy on my Toe
I’ve got a daisy on my toe
It is not real, it does not grow
It’s just a tattoo of a flower
So I look groovy while taking a shower
It’s on the second toe of my left foot
Doo-doo loot doot doot
It has a stem, but has no roots
Cause it wouldn’t look good!
Oh pretty daisy on my toe
My right foot loves my left foot so-o-o
Doo-doo loot doot doot

Welcome parents and campers to session 3, Mini Camp/First Timers! Today was a wonderful day!

Our small session of campers was greeted today by lots of sun and enthusiastic staff! While crossing today, the lifeguards today worked on their kayaking skills while the campers played games with the staff on the beach. They had an active day of games, emergency practice drills and campfire; not to mention our Tuesday Sundaes!

Did you know that the Olympics came to Camp Westwind tonight?! These were not any ordinary Olympics, these were extraordinary Olympics! Countries participated in finding who could drink the most water, fire blow, and some others (sorry, I forgot already!) Mixed in between, we had some fabulous skits by campers! They were amazing, the effort the campers put in to put on a skit on the first night.

I can't wait to see what tomorrow brings!!!

Menu:
Dinner: Spaghetti, meatballs (Veggie option), red sauce, salad bar, "Sundae Sundays"

Session 2, Day 5

Song for today...

Flicker
Flicker of the campfire, wind in the pines
The stars in the heavens, the moon that shines
A place where people gather, make friends of all kinds
A place where Old Man Trouble is always left behind

Chorus:
So give me the light of the campfire, warm and bright
And give me some friends to sing with, I’ll be here all night
Love is for those who find it, I’ve found mine right here
Just you and I and the campfire and the songs we love to
hear
Da-da, da da-da da-da da-da

The peacefulness of Westwind, the silence of night
The sun in the morning that shines so bright
A place where campers gather, make friends for all time
A place where city troubles are always left behind (Chorus)

Green are the valleys, sweet is the clover
Gone are the cold winds forever more
The roses now are blooming, the ocean’s so blue
The sun above is shining upon our love so new (Chorus)

For love is like a warm fire, soft and low
And when you find your true love, your heart will really know
And when the leaves start falling, and friends begin to part
These memories of Westwind will be in every heart (Chorus)

Sing Your Way Home
Sing your way home at the close of the day
Sing your way home, drive the shadows away
Smile every mile, for wherever you roam
It will brighten your road, it will lighten your load
If you sing your way home

It's sad to say, but the session is coming to an end! Shoot, where is the time going?! I would have to say that even though the session has had some rain, that hasn't dampened the camp spirit.

If you've read the rest of the blogs, you know what we've been up to, up until today. Today, let me tell you, was a fantastic day! The sun was shining, and it was so warm. It was a great day to have a BBQ dinner!

Some of the highlights of this week:
The Teen Unit! The Teen Lead's did a great job with campfire! It was a Scooby Doo campfire, where they tried to find "Tom Cruise."

Fairy Houses! I don't know if you know this, but Camp Westwind has little fairies that live around camp. Sometimes they even make an appearance at campfire! The Sherwood campers this week made many fairy houses to house them from the rainy weather... The campers and the fairies were writing back and forth to each other all week. Did you know the best way to get a letter at camp is by shrinky dink?

Well, I can't believe the week is over! But, it's about time for me to head out and watch some starstomping!

By the way, if you are interested in pictures from this session, you can order our AMAZING camp DVD on UltraCamp in your account! The campers seem to be very interested, so check it out!

Session 2, Day 4

Oh man! I wish you gals & guys reading this could hear what I am hearing and see what I'm seeing now! Our all camp tonight was about Siegfried the Slug (see previous blogs to read about him).... He finally realized what he was good at, and it is dancing! Right now camp is having an all-camp dance, and the campers and staff are singing together and dancing! It is so awesome! I was too excited to tell you about that, so I had to get it out of the way first! It's great hearing campers chant "it's too much fun, it's too much fun!" I really wish the video function on the blog was working!

The weather today wasn't fantastic, in fact it poured most of the day. The best part though (from my perspective) is that the kids still wanted to be outside, and those who didn't stayed inside and played games, went to The Cove, or the Art Palace. Teens' tents were flooding, so they came back to camp early, making the decision on their own (although they wanted to stay out).

This week has been so amazing despite the weather, and the kids are having an amazing time! I can't believe that tomorrow is the last full day of camp! That's crazy, we just started this camp party!

Time for more snow cones and a visit to the donut shop (the downstairs "donut shop" of course!) and to bust a move!

Menu:
Breakfast - Packout!
Lunch - Mexican Lasagna, salad bar, sandwich bar
Dinner - Chicken Pot Pie, watermelon, salad bar, sandwich bar

Hello! Whew, it has been a pretty busy couple of days out here at the beach!

Yesterday morning, cabins spent time preparing skits and songs for the Talent Show and bonding as a cabin.

In the afternoon, Sherwood spent time between the Art Palace making tie-dye, shrinky-dinks, and more, as well as The Cove. The Cove if you don't know, is our new hang-out spot, with a sound system for dance parties, music while playing games, and our camp store has moved there! The rest of the afternoon, Sherwood spent the rest of their afternoon on the Challenge Course.

Highlands cabins spent the first part of their afternoon on the Challenge Course. The rest of their afternoon, they were the lucky ones with shower & cabin time!

Alpine spent the afternoon at the Barn & Aquatics. They had choices in doing the Bouldering Wall, Archery and Soccer at the barn. During the Aquatics, they had the opportunity to go kayaking and river dipping.

The Teens filled their day with leadership skills, kayaking, Art Palace, and more adventures!

Now, I'd like to remind you that all of that fun happened while it was raining outside! WooHoo!!! Kids outside in the rain is amazing! I love it!

After dinner, the whole camp gathered back into the Lodge for our Talent Show. The Talent Show was amazing! Campers sang songs, did improve, and participated in skits. It's amazing to see how amazing and talented all the campers and staff are!

If you'd like to know what we had for meals, here you go!
Monday
Breakfast: Eggs, bacon, hashbrowns, milk, juice, cereal bar, breakfast bar, and bread bar.
Lunch: Packout Lunches - make your own sandwich, chips, cookies, veggies & fruit
Dinner: Chicken & rice, biscuits, water, milk, juice

Tuesday
Breakfast: Pancakes, bacon & sausage, milk, juice, cereal bar, breakfast bar, and bread bar.
Lunch: Tuna Casserole, salad bar, bread/sandwich bar
Dinner: Packout Dinner - Dinners are being made at their overnight spots!

Session 2, Day 1

Let's start with a song for you...
Siegfried the Slug

Siegfried was a slug
But not he’s not your average bug
You can love him like a brother or a sister or a dog
But you just can’t give him a hug

I’ll tell you why
He’s just to slimy, too slimy to slimy
And he’s really really small, really small, really really small
And you don’t know where he’s going, where’s he going, where’s he going
Look he’s climbing up the wall, up the wall, up the wall.

Siegfried was a slug
But he’s not your average bug
You can’t tell the front from the back sometimes
But he sure can cut a rug

UH-UH UH UH UH
UH UH UH UH UH
UH UH UH UH UH
Funky cold slug

UH-UH UH UH UH
UH UH UH UH UH
UH UH UH UH UH
Funky cold slug

1-2-3-4- get your sluggy on the floor
gotta gotta get up to get down,
gotta gotta get up to get down

1-2-3-4- get your sluggy on the floor
gotta gotta get up to get down,
gotta gotta get up to get down

We are off to a great start here at Camp for Session 2! After arrival today, we came to the lodge for grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup (and salad bar of course), then headed out for some activities. Campers played on the beach, Teens went kayaking, they moved into their cabins, later we gathered in front of the lodge to review emergency plans (just in case), had flag, sang songs, ate dinner, Sundae Sundays, and campfire.

Campfire was loads of fun - it was a "Royal Wedding!" The kids were all laughing super hard!

Can't wait for another great Westwind day tomorrow!

Session 1, Day 4

A song for you today...
Barges
Out of my window looking in the night
I can see the barges’ flickering light
Silently flows the water to the sea
And the barges, too, go silently

Chorus:
Barges, I would like to go with you
I would like to sail the ocean blue
Barges, have you treasures in your hold?
Do you fight with pirates brave and bold?

Out my window looking in the night
I can see the barges’ flickering light
Starboard shines green and port is glowing red
You can see them flickering ahead (Chorus)

How my heart longs to sail away with you
I would like to sail the ocean blue
But I must stay beside my window drear
As I watch you sail away from here (Chorus)

Today was another glorious day! It was a little bit overcast, but that did not damper the day at all. This morning, campers came back from the overnight (Sherwood a little early as the ravens got to their food bags that were tied so nicely in the trees - don't worry though, they came back and their Unit Coordinator had breakfast waiting for them). Teens of course are still on their overnight - they will return tomorrow.


After enjoying their overnights, campers came back to camp and unloaded their gear. Some showered, some went mudmucking, some went to the Art Palace, and others went to the beach. We had a hot lunch today, then campers went back out to enjoy the outside. Campers went to mudmucking, kayaking, sports, tie-dye, games, archery, bouldering wall, challenge course, and more!


The day ended with an Alien All-Camp! It was so much fun! Here are some pictures from it!

Session 1, Day 3

Another gorgeous day at camp! I can't believe how lucky we are... Right now, I would like you to close your eyes. Imagine that you can hear the calm of the ocean waves crashing in a near distance. Now you can see the sun setting over the water and Three Rocks. The sky is turning an orange, pink, yellowy color, and darkness is slowly creeping it's way in. Okay, wake up!

Like I said, today was another wonderful day here at camp! The campers are having loads of fun tidepooling, playing elimination, making salmonberry snowcones, and other fun unit interest group activities. After lunch, cabins had a pack-out lunch that allowed them to have a picnic where ever they choose. Some ate on the porch, some at the campfire, on the steps, and on the beach. Other campers (in Highlands) hiked to High Meadow today, and "enjoyed being on top of the clouds."

Now, main camp is quiet. Campers and staff dispersed to their overnights around 4:00 this afternoon. They are going to learn to cookout their own food, and enjoy (hopefully) sleeping under the stars. And, Teens has begun their two night overnight!

I am very impressed with our campers and staff. They are all an amazing group of people to have this first session of camp!

Menu:
Breakfast - pancakes, sausage, breakfast bar, bagel/toast bar, orange, apple, and grape juice.
Lunch - make your own sandwiches (kids are really enjoying our new sandwich bar of making their own sandwiches. Some of them even come back for seconds!)
Dinner - Pack-out for overnights!

Session 1, Day 2

THE SUN!
THE SUN!
THE SUN CAME OUT TODAY!

Oh, it's a wonderful day. It tricked us a little bit as it was sprinkling hard this morning, and now, it is going to be a gorgeous sunset on the beach. WooHoo!

Today was the first full day of camp. This morning, we had some cabin time and talent show prep time, while the finishing touches were put on the bouldering wall. After lunch, the cabins were in full activity swing. Sherwood campers had time at the Art Palace & the Cove (Camp Store) as well as Challenge Course; Highlands participated in Challenge Course and Cabin/Shower TIme; Alpine had fun at the Barn (Bouldering Wall, Archery, Soccer) then kayaking and river dipping; Teens did archery this morning, kayaking and river wading this morning and the Cove and Art Palace this afternoon.

Right now, campers are getting ready for the Talent Show in the Lodge. Strike that, Talent Show over, and it was fabulous! The kids are great!!!!


The menu for today:
Breakfast: Eggs, hashbrowns, bacon, yogurt, cereal bar, toast/bagel bar, applesauce, milk, water
Lunch: Make your own sandwich, fruit & cookies
Dinner: Baked potato bar, salad bar, ham, cornbread, Jell-O

SESSION 1 CAMPERS ARE HERE!

I'm not quite sure how it came so soon, but I'm glad it did!

Staff training is over. Open House - even with the rain - was a great success! And now, you're never going to guess who's here... Yes, I am hearing the laughter and play of all the Session 1 campers!

After the campers arrived today (and found a crab!), they met their cabins, played some games, we had a health screen & an all camp orientation; soon will be flag, then dinner, Sunday Sundaes, cabin time & campfire! It's a pretty packed first day of camp!

Oh, I'm pretty sure that I've talked about how wonderful our cooks are... Well, tonight for dinner, we've got spaghetti and homemade bread! WooHoo! The lodge smells so good! We will also have our brand new salad bar out! Mmm, dinner was great!

WooHoo, I'm Here at Camp!

We welcome you to Camp Westwind,
We're mighty glad you're here,
We'll send the air reverberating,
With a mighty cheer,
We'll sing you in,
We'll sing you out,
To you we raise a mighty shout,
HOORAY!
Hail, Hail the gang's all here,
Welcome to Camp Westwind.

WooHoo! I am so excited. We moved out to camp a few days ago, the sun has been shining and it's been fairly warm (considering what the last few days in Portland were). I've been listening to the wind, hiking on a trail, doing flag, oh, and have I mentioned how wonderful our kitchen staff are this year? They are FABULOUS! :D I can't wait for you all to try their food!

Two days ago, our STARs, UCs, and Returning staff arrived at camp. We started cleaning out the Bat Cave & Barn (where we store camp for the other 9 months of the year)... We also began discussing some of the exciting changes for this year including, all staff being able to become certified lifeguards (if chosen), archery instructors, small craft safety (kayaking),. challenge course & bouldering wall! We are all very excited about this! What does this mean for you...? Well, this means that more people will be able to faciliate any activity that you are looking forward to doing at camp, doesn't that sound fabulous?!

The rest of the resident camp staff joined us yesterday where we put on an awesome campfire! It was a great, and hilarious start to this summer - we'll see if I can figure out how to put up some songs and videos from it as well.

Today, the wonderful day camp staff joined us! We sang them in today! Not only did they bring their awesome selves, BUT, they also brought our archery equipment back, after we had it professionally checked out! The arrows look fabulous as all the nocks and fletchings are now color coded! This is very exciting for me because I am a BIG fan of archery (especially our range!).

Our Executive Director & Interim Executive Director came out to visit camp, as well as Choya (another YWCA staff member), and they wanted to stay forever! Luckily, camp will be here, and they can join us (and you) any time!

We were very excited about our guest trainers, Scott Arizala, Trisha, and even more! Thank you for coming out to help train our staff!

Oh yeah, we also saw some whales and dolphins today!

I apologize for the lack of recent blogging, and I will do better in the following weeks.

Question!! How often would you want a blog post? Daily? Weekly? What would you like to know?!

We are very excited to have you here this summer, if you are not yet registered for camp, there is still plenty of room! Sign up, sign up a friend, etc!!!

It's almost June!

Who is getting excited about camp? I know we are! And this week, we'd like for you to meet Ciwara, the Day Camp Director, who has just completed school and is now in the office!

As you may have read in our last posting, there was an adventure a foot. Sassy, Pickle, Jellyfish, and Vista were out on a fabulous adventure scouting for Travel Camp! On that trip, I was very excited to see, experience, and learn things that I haven't yet learned. The Sassy Pickled Jellyfish's adventure from before ended in Santa Cruz in the previous post. The following day, we were going to check out the famous Santa Cruz Pier. However, after watching the news that evening we learned that the latest American Idol castoff was going to be at the Pier and we decided to vacate and begin to move back up North.

In the following days, we spent time looking for fun things to do and places to stay. There were many beautiful wildlife and trees when we got closer to Redding. One of the best parts was searching out all of the little tourist "traps" between San Francisco and Portland! Oh, we also got to pet and feed baby lions and tigers!

Excited about that trip now? Call Sassy to see if there are more spots available.

This week, we are not adventuring on the road anymore, but here in the downtown office. We are working hard to get everything ready for camp: staff training, teen program, American Camp Association standards (we are accredited by the ACA, choosing to adhere to over 200 standards), day camp, health forms, and more!

Our staff are even working hard to be ready for camp. They are all participating in a virtual online training course, with videos from camp professionals!

OH, I ALMOST FORGOT! One of the most important and exciting events (besides the actual camp sessions), is the JUMP Fundraiser! Do you like to jump? Do you like to watch others jump? Do you wish you had a giant trampoline? Or, maybe you just wish you could meet some of the camp staff.... WELL, this JUMP event is the time to do it! Camp Westwind has rented the whole trampoline arena at Sky High Sports!

Again here are the details:

Date: June 5th Sunday
Time: 9:30am to 10:30 am
Where: Sky High Sports in Tigard
Cost: $10 for jumpers $5.00 for non jumpers-this is a donation to Camp Westwind and is tax deductible
Why: Help support YWCA Camp Westwind Scholarship fund and have a brilliant time!
Who: Any who wants to come and anyone you want to invite!
RSVP: you must reserve your spot! Email Sassy in the camp office at: Westwind@ywcapdx.org

Travel Camp Scouting Day 3

Once upon a time, a Sassy Pickled Jellyfish went on a road trip. She was so excited to get out and explore for this fabulous program (Camp Westwind Travel Camp).

Day 1: Portland - Bend - Kalamath Falls. A trip around Mt. Hood looking at all the gorgeous waterfalls, an afternoon snack at Dairy Queen, a trip to the High Desert Museum, exploring routes and fun all the way to Kalamath Falls. Ahh...Time for bed!

Day 2: Kalamath Falls - Somewhere in California - Lava Beds - Tule Lake - Possibly Canby's Pass - Bieber - Sacramento. Yesterday, now that was fun! Parts of the trip, well... the Sassy Pickled Jellyfish didn't know that Winter lasted longer here (in California) than it does elsewhere... She kind of got stuck after she went on one of those gray lined roads on the map. Who knew?! Luckily, she had her trusty fanny pack/bum bag! Thank you Camp RIGHTSLEEVE! Anyway, she figured out where she was headed and went on her way to find lunch. There was a quaint little town that totally had a huge bear in it - okay, the bear was stuffed, but still... The bear even got some action with the fanny/bum bag. Back to the car, the Sassy Pickled Jellyfish drove on. She passed through many towns along the route (although I don't quite remember them all, I do remember Bieber!). Eventually we ended the night in Sacramento California....

Day 3: Sacramento - Garlic Gilroy - San Jose - Santa Cruz. As the Sassy Pickled Jellyfish begins the day with waffles for breakfast, she is super excited to head TO THE BEACH! Not just any beach (and not the thebeach (as in Westwind), but the sunny Santa Cruz destination. It really was a gorgeous day, and SO many things for Travel Camp to do! The Sassy Pickled Jellyfish has come up with a billion pamphlets for the campers to choose from and have their own adventure.

That's all on the Sassy Pickled Jellyfish for now...I'm sure more will come later!

If you haven't already, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE help support Camp Westwind by purchasing some Macy's tickets. I know that if you don't read the blog tonight or tomorrow, it won't be too helpful, but tomorrow, Saturday May 14th, is the Macy's Community Sale where you can save $10 on your purchase of $25 or more. If you show up to the Macy's at Washington Square, you can meet some of our fantastic staff! Bring some friends, make a shopping day out of it!

Camp Westwind is doing a fabulous (thanks to our community) in registering for camp. HOWEVER, I would like you to know, that we still have PLENTY of spots open, especially for day camp! Do you know someone who isn't quite ready for resident camp or doesn't want to leave their friends for a whole week? Well, Day Camp would be the place for them! It has fabulous themed weeks, and the staff are fantastic. Some of you may not know about our new Father Child camp either... We still have plenty of room there and in CAMPOUT! If you'd like more information, please, contact us!

Hope you enjoyed this blog!

Summer 2011 is Fast Approaching!

We welcome you to Camp Westwind,
We're mighty glad you're here,
We'll send the air reverberating,
With a mighty cheer.

We'll sing you in,
We'll sing you out,
To YOU we'll raise a mighty shout,

Hail Hail, the gang's all here,
Welcome to Camp Westwind!


Who's excited about Summer 2011? I know I am! I can not believe how fast it is almost here... It feels like only yesterday we were sitting at the computer blogging to you about the gloomy weather of the last session of 2010, and reminding you to purchase DVDs (which I hope you all did...)!

Anyway, here in the downtown office, we are really picking up for summer. Vista & Jellyfish are back in the office gearing up for camp, as well as the always-wonderful Pickle & Sassy.

We have so many new things coming this summer! If you have been following our Facebook page, then you know about some of our new items.

First, can you imagine a SALAD BAR? Yes, that's right, an actual salad bar, as if you were at Hometown Buffet. You know the kind that is not sitting on a table, but inside a cooling (or heated) table. One where there are many choices of toppings. *Sigh* Just imagine.

Can you see yourself at the top of High Meadow? What about after playing in the river? You always know that you need to stay hydrated at camp, and sometimes you just wish you could have some ice water. Well... Drum roll please... This summer you can! We were able to raise enough money to get ourselves a nice little ice machine. This will definitely refresh ourselves after that long hike, or fun out in the mud.

Of course, one of our most important new things for the summer is all of you (moms, dads, children, grandmas, grandpas, etc) as well as our staff! Look for a new-featured staff member every week!

We may also have new surveys to the right of the blog, so keep checking back!

Oh, I almost forgot! MAY 14TH is a very important day to remember! This is the day that you can go shopping at Macy's and earn money for Camp Westwind! All you need it a booklet (that we so conveniently have at the downtown office). It will cost you $10 upfront for the booklet, however you get $10 OFF your purchase of $25 or more. If we sell the most booklets, we could get up to $15,000! Feel free to contact Sarah Keplinger at Westwind@ywcapdx.org for more information, or to purchase your booklets.

As always, we would appreciate LOTS of comments from you! Right now, I am looking to know, who's excited about camp? What are you most excited about? What are you worried about? What kind of items would you like on our new salad bar? Do you have any fun ideas for camp?

I can't wait to hear from YOU!