Keystone Dance

June 22, 2019 by Don Gentle

Saturday morning at High Rocks means pancakes and it has for almost 60 years. Certainly, every Saturday I have been here in the summer we have had pancakes. Over the last few years, we have even gone old-school and moved back to the made-from-scratch buttermilk pancakes. I had the privilege of helping out in the kitchen this morning. I think one of the best opportunities you can take as management is to put yourself back in the shoes of those around you. Not only do you get to know the staff on a different level, but you may even learn something from them. It’s a great opportunity. Anyhow, I had a wonderful time helping out this morning and did my best to pull my weight.

We gave all of the horseback riders a special treat today. They all had the opportunity to head down to Tryon, South Carolina to visit the Tryon International Equestrian Center. It was home to the World Equestrian Games last fall. What a place to go watch some jumpers. Nearly every boy in horseback riding went to see some events today. They all had a great day and were actually back by 3 pm for their afternoon activities.

In and around camp, several of the activities had something fun happening. I really enjoyed one of the High Rocks modern classics down at rock climbing. Crate stacking is an acrobatic feat that requires the climber to ascend up a stake of milk crates as he slowly adds one at a time without letting them tip over. It requires a lot of balance and poise. Some boys were able to get as many as 11 crates. An impressive feat.

Our hiking crew took the opportunity to learn how to transplant a tree. Each group learned a short lesson and then went out to select a small sapling to transplant. We selected some of the “natural” areas around main camp that has a lot of sun, good soil, and a recent tree removal.

The big event of the day was the dance with the ladies of Keystone. I typically find these events a little like Cotillion class.  A way for our boys to demonstrate some manners and etiquette to our neighbors across town.  I am actually quite surprised by how well the boys perform!  In all of its lovely awkwardness, the event played out very well.  The boys mostly acted like gentlemen and the girls were mostly like ladies.   It was a great time and the weather was perfect! We enjoyed some fresh baked cookies and lemonade on the lawn while several of the boys introduced Zoob and myself to their sisters who were attending the dance. I always enjoy that part of the night.

Page Lemel and all the women at Keystone Camp run a great program. She runs a pretty tight ship over there. She builds strong women that can get things done.  She has a strong moral character and doesn’t mind setting you straight if your compass needs a little adjustment.  Her husband Mark is a local orthopedic surgeon. Not that we call him a bunch, but it sure is nice to ask him his opinion from time to time. Boys will be boys, after all. I have enjoyed having them both as friends in this lovely little town of Brevard.

Don’t forget, if you would like to add the download subscription to your High Rocks gallery account, you can add it at any time. This will give you a full year of downloads for as many as you would like. The download is a good resolution for 3.5 x 5.5 pictures. If you need a higher resolution, just email us. We can send you the full-size, multi-megabyte file any time throughout the next year.

We are all looking forward to a little sleep-in time tomorrow as we ease into Sunday. Have a great night and be sure to check out the pictures.

Don Gentle
Today’s Pictures