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Billy the Brown Bat
Shorty’s Memorial at CTC
Oct. 9, 2010
Dear campers,
Yes it’s me, Billy the Brown Bat still here in the bell tower and keeping tabs on all of you.
I’m delighted to see so many of you here this weekend, but like everyone, simply heart broken at the reason why. The news of Shorty’s passing put me in a sad and melancholy mood for many a day.
However…I remembered that Shorty was nothing if not optimistic and full of life. She greeted every day as a Million Dollar Morning. And thus, I decided that I should follow suit.
So I fired up the iPhone and logged on to Facebook to find that in less than 24 hours after the sad news broke, you CTC gals had a memorial weekend plottted out.
Thanks to Deb Bryan and Gail Herndon this weekend is something special. You gotta love a memorial that starts with a Happy Hour!
Speaking of Happy Hour, I’ve often wondered what those Bug Juice machines would be stocked with today if there was such a thing as Chippewa Trail Camp for Women who Want to Revisit Their Youth. Bloody Marys? Long Island Iced Teas? Metamucil?
And just think of the fun you broads would have if we assigned you to your old cabins. How many of you former top-bunk only types would claw your best friend’s eyes out to nab a bottom bunk this time around?
And even if you snagged a coveted lower berth, your back wouldn’t be in any better shape thanks to those wafer thin yet remarkably lumpy mattresses. The cubbies would overflow with advil, ben gay and resuable ice packs.
And who here would really sign up for horseback riding again? Granted, many of you are remarkably well preserved and would look swell in jodhpurs. But remember, there’s no courtesy shuttle to the stables. And no, there isn’t a cute little stepladder to help you get on the horse.
Those of you who’ve been through knee or hip replacement could probably still sign up for tennis, though I’d shy away from those ‘rush the net’ drills if I were you.
Down at the waterfront, general swims would be interesting. Can you imagine the traffic jam at the buddy board as all of you far-sighted soaking wet swimmers tried to find your tag? Like you could read your teeny time name without your glasses? Not to mention being able to remember your number?
Gymnastics just seems like a trip to the emergency room waiting to happen.
And wouldn’t mail call be strange if the only thing in your box was the AARP magazine? Oh, hey! I got a package! It’s … my prescriptions in bulk from the pharmacy.
My guess is Arts and Crafts would be the most popular activity this time around. It speaks to our inner desire to create. To communicate. And to remain seated.
As for Indian Council…do you think there’s a traditional Chippewa dance that dramatizes the role of the elders in the tribe? Perhaps the Motorized Mobility Scooter dance? I wonder what would happen if you took certain liberties and modified the steps for your current strengths and abilities … for example The ‘I could do 12 if I really wanted to but how about only 9’ step?
OK…so maybe you can’t go back again. Camp was a brief moment in time and captured your imagination when you were young. Shorty understood this.
She knew that if she put all the pieces in place…if she had the most lovely spot on Elk Lake, if she hired fun and talented staff, if she continued all these wonderful traditions, that Chippewa would be so much more than just a camp for all of you.
She always said that the reason she had the best camp was because she had the best campers.
Her legacy lives within all of you.
Each time that you teach your kids or your grandkids the words to I’m Up Here in the Nuthouse, or say ‘ Shootman!’ rather than another colorful expression, or pick up a wrench and fix that leaky faucet yourself – you honor Shorty.
Each time you grab a tennis racket, a golf club or a deck of cards and play your personal best…or until your husband begs you for mercy – you honor her.
And when you dip a canoe paddle into a river, or hoist a sail, or light a campfire, or draw a picture, or write a poem, you honor Marion Simpler.
Each time you challenge yourself to try something new, to do just a little bit more, to take just one more step – you will honor Shorty and her life’s mission.
Someday, there will be only one Chippewa Trail Camper left on this earth. And then on another day, there will be none.
But I know the heart of Chippewa Trail Camp for Girls will live on long beyond us all if we share the love of camping with our families and our friends. I believe that children will always want to go to summer camp, and sleep under the stars and make friendships that last a lifetime.
Shorty believed it too.
Be of good cheer my friends and remember to celebrate each and every one of your Million Dollar Mornings.
Your friend,
—Billy the Brown Bat |
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Dear Campers,
Greetings from the Bell Tower!
Yes, it’s me again – Billy the Brown Bat. I’m still flying around the Chippewa Trail property and keeping an eye on the antics of all you former campers and counselors. I’m thrilled that you decided to return to the shores of Elk Lake this weekend to celebrate what would have been Chippewa Trail’s 80th anniversary. There never was and there never will be another camp quite like Chippewa.
I also understand that this weekend brings us an honorary Chippewa camper. Yes, Katie Barr, I’m talking about you!
I have it on good authority from my pals at the ‘Bats Who Live At Summer Camps Association’ that Katie has the kind of spirit we love here at Chippewa! Her times at golf, basketball and nursing camps were marked by much laughter and wacky fun. And I overheard her Mom, Bizzy, last summer tell the tale of Katie’s adventures with the wave runner. Katie called her folks to tell them she and her wave runner were being towed in from Lake Michigan by the county sheriff and that she was being charged with reckless driving. After Bizzy regained consciousness, Katie let it slip that actually, she was only being towed in because the battery died.
Katie, you’re my kind of gal! And because you are now part of the Chippewa family, I think you should know something about your mother. I’ve been keeping tabs on Bizzy since she was a kid here at camp. As you can tell, she just LOVED Chippewa. Like you, she was a very talented athlete, she adored the waterfront and she was an enthusiastic singer of all the camp songs. But here’s the thing: Your mom doesn’t know the real words to ANY of the Chippewa songs!
For example, the first line of our most beloved camp song is ‘If the lake is clear and blue.’ Your mom usually sings ‘If the steak is near and due.’
And whatever you do, do NOT follow her example when singing the super-secret-second verse to that song. The real words are: If you want to swim the waters clear and watch the sun behind the distant hills appear, why don’t-cha come to Chip-a-way Trail.
Instead, your mom thinks the words are: If you want to trim the waiter’s beard and watch the gum behind his distant ear appear, why don’t-cha come to Chip-a-way Trail. Katie, do yourself a favor and hang with Lisa and the other CTC alums to get the full skinny on all the great Chippewa songs.
In fact, I’d recommend getting some sonic input from Deb Jordan Bryan. Not only does Deb have a beautiful voice, and a flawless memory for all the camp songs, you’ll be doing her a tremendous favor by keeping her mind off of a teeny-tiny inconvenience.
You see, Deb and her family recently moved from California to the Lodge here at CTC. Well, to be clear, THEY moved to Michigan. Their belongings, however, have moved to destinations unknown. More than 60 boxes of Bryan family stuff are missing in action. Repeated calls to the moving company remind me why it was so important that Shorty started the ‘Shootman’ tradition. Let’s just say, that the language around the Lodge of late has been rather colorful.
Well campers, that’s about it for me. Have a great time this weekend and sing those songs as loudly as you can. Just don’t let Bizzy get away with this gem:
I wanna go back to Chippaway,
that’s near the trampled flowers
Back to the stodgey fig, of course
Back to the flake with the ridgey horse ...
Your friend, Billy the Brown Bat |
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Dear Campers,
Greetings from the Bell Tower! We've seen our fair share of Million Dollar Mornings at Chippewa this summer. The weather has been great and Elk Lake is just as clear and blue as you remember it. Oh, and for you Constant Readers, my "Tankini" bathing suit is not only flattering, but quick-dry!
I still miss spying on campers and their counselors and reporting on the shenanigans each Friday night at Log. I've asked Deb Jordan Bryan, who now owns the Lodge, if she wouldn't mind arranging a weekly Log program with all the current homeowners at the CTC property. But she tells me that the embarrassing moments are now of a more 'adult' nature. I'm not sure what that means, but I'll take her word for it.
Luckily, Deb and I won't be the only Chippewa 'grads' in residence this year. Bizzy Allen Barr and Lisa Schwartz Diamost will host Reunion 2007 at the Chippewa property Saturday, Sept. 1 and Sunday, Sept. 2.
The formal activities are at a minimum but pack a powerful punch: Saturday night campfire with singing and stories, and, if past reunions hold...more than a couple of wine bottles. Sunday morning will feature a pancake breakfast at the Dutch oven...assuming it's been restored to something close to working order. If not, I'm sure those Chippewa gals will figure out a new plan for a group breakfast!
Bizzy and Lisa tell me they also are trying to convince Shorty and Susan to make an appearance, so it should be a special event. If you want more information or to let Bizzy know you're coming, email her at EBARR@entergy.com.
I'm just so thrilled that CTC alums can't stay away from our little corner of the world. I hope to see as many of you as possible at the campfire on Saturday, Sept. 1. And don't be surprised if your favorite brown bat writes up a little letter and asks someone to read it at the campfire. You know how I LOVE to write about you gals!
Enjoy the rest of your summer!
Your friend,
Billy the Brown Bat |
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Dear Campers,
Greetings from the Bell Tower! Here’s hoping all you Chippewa gals had a wonderful winter and are planning some fun in the sun for Summer, 2007.
As you know, this summer marks the 80th anniversary of Chippewa Trail. Even though the camp has passed into history, the property is still around; Deb Jordan Bryan has turned the Lodge into a lovely home filled with CTC memorabilia; and so many of you campers have kept in touch with one another through the years that the spirit of Chippewa continues.
As we approach the traditional mid-June starting date of camp, I can’t help but get a little misty remembering those wonderful Opening Days. Girls in the backs of station wagons so darn excited that it seemed as if they drank an entire case of Red Bull. Parents so tired and bedraggled from amassing the items on Shorty’s checklist (what the heck is a shoe bag, anyway?) that they didn’t seem to care as their daughters barely said goodbye and practically forced them back into the car for the drive home. Counselors trying to do the higher math required to create a balanced Job Wheel. Ah, those were the days!
It’s mind-blowing for my tiny bat-brain to think about how the first campers of 1927 might react to campers of 2007. If Chippewa were operating today, my guess is that iPods, cellphones, and computers might be stowed in those foot lockers. The crew from 1927 needed only a compass and a simple jackknife to make their way on a day-long hike; while today’s campers might want to bring along a GPS satellite tracking system and freeze dried food supplies.
However, I know in my little bat-heart that all campers, regardless of technological acumen, would agree that it’s the simple pleasures of CTC that made the best memories. Laughing with friends through rest hour. Spit-pit contests. Dutch Oven Wednesdays. Swimming in Elk Lake. Campfires among the pines every night. And singing “Pals.” Who needs an iPod when you’ve got a hundred voices joining together?!
Well, I’m off to find a new bathing suit for the summer. What exactly is a Tankini and do you think it would flatter my bat-figure? We’ll soon find out!
Enjoy the summer and when you have a moment, grab a glass of bug juice, turn towards Northern Michigan and give a toast to Chippewa Trail Camp’s 80th birthday.
Your friend,
Billy the Brown Bat |
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Dear Campers,
It’s a busy time here at Chippewa Trail Camp for Girls.
The snow has fallen, the lake is almost frozen and I’ve decked out the bell tower with holly, wreaths and my favorite Christmas stocking. We’re doing Secret Santa this year. I picked the Returning Indian, but he’s always so hard to buy for. I mean, what do you get an all-seeing, all-powerful spirit that he can’t get for himself? I decided to order him an iPod and I’ll load it up with the CD of songs from the 2004 CTC reunion that alum Renee Bator so thoughtfully created. I know it will get his toes a-tapping!
By the way, if you want to relive those reunion memories and hear the old songs again, check out the chippewatrailcamp.com site for information on ordering a CD from Renee.
Never fear campers, summer will return again and I hope to see you all back at the CTC property soon! Here’s hoping you all have a safe and happy holiday season.
Peace.
Your friend,
—Billy the Brown Bat |
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Dear Campers,
Well, summer has finally caught the last plane for Florida and we are smack-dab in the middle of my favorite time of year. Yes, campers, it’s Halloween! I love it all – the crisp fall air, the bright orange and red leaves, and all that free candy. I’m madly working on my costume for this year’s Chippewa Trail Camp Halloween party. I had a few stops and starts.
My first idea was to go as Paris Hilton, but the blond wigs really impaired my flying ability. Then I thought I’d go as Suri Cruise, but the diapers kept riding up. So, I opted for the tried and the true. I’m going as…wait for it… Batman! What? You’ll never know it’s me!
I hope all you former campers and counselors had a wonderful summer. As you know, a CTC reunion was held in August and a wonderful time was had by all. This year’s reunion featured a wide variety of activities. Linnea Kettler Brunk brought her original, vintage Chippewa Trail Camp canoe back to the shores of Elk Lake. An arts and crafts session included something that I don’t recall being a part of the Chippewa Trail experience back in the day – cocktails!
And a group of intrepid reunionites made a valiant effort to relive their horseback riding days. A local ranch offered horses and riding trails. Unfortunately, our alums have lost a step when it comes to reading a compass or a map. Seems they got lost and missed their appointment with the ponies. I’m thinking a refresher course in orienteering is in order for the next reunion.
And speaking of the next reunion, I want to remind you all that next year marks the 80th anniversary of Chippewa Trail Camp for Girls, the Finest Camp in Michigan. I remember that first summer of 1927 – the camp looked a little different then, there weren’t as many campers as would come each subsequent summer, but we knew then that we were on to something special.
T Morgan had a vision; Shorty, and later, Susan, carried that vision to new and wonderful heights, and all of you campers and counselors gave Chippewa that special spirit that carries on to this day. I don’t know if there’s going to be a formal 2007 CTC reunion, but I hope you’ll all plan to drop by the camp property and toast Chippewa’s 80th birthday in whatever way you can.
Remember that Deb Jordan Bryan now owns the Lodge and she has created a wonderful home filled with CTC memorabilia. Contact Deb if you’re interested in renting the Lodge for a mini-reunion with your pals-good-old-pals. Stop by the Chippewatrailcamp.com site for details on getting in touch with Deb.
Well, that’s all from the Belltower. Have a happy and safe Halloween and don’t be surprised if you see a mini-Batman at your door yelling Trick or Treat!
Your friend,
Billy |
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Welcome to BillytheBrownBat.com – your source for all thegiddy gossip generated by generations of gals at Chippewa Trail Camp for Girls,the finest camp in Michigan.
But don’t let me do all the talking! Sign up, log in andstart tattling on your camp buddies. Share a story from when you were at camp,or some embarrassing indiscretion from recently. As you know, I’m a bat, andI’m all ears!
Biography of Billythe Brown Bat
William Hornblower Brown Bat is rather cagey about his age.Suffice to say he’s old enough to know better, but young enough to enjoy whatlife has to offer.
As a teenager, William decided to forgo formality andlegally changed his name to Billy. However, he also added ‘the’ to his lastname, creating a slight rift among the rest of the Brown Bat clan that existsto this day.
Billy took up residence at the top of the Chippewa TrailCamp belltower in 1927 and began reporting on the activities of all the campersat that time. His small size, flights of derring-do and incredible hearingability made him the perfect reporter of all things embarrassing. If you snuckcandy into your cabin, Billy knew about it. If you wore your bathing suitbackwards, Billy was right there to see you do it. But more than that, he toldpeople about it! The industrious little bat would write his weekly updateletter, then secretly give it to a camper or staff member for delivery. Every Friday night at camp, a highlight ofthe Log program was the Editor in Chief asking the audience, ‘Has anyone heardfrom Billy?’
Even though Chippewa Trail Camp closed its gates after thesummer of 1984, Billy decided to stay at the bell tower and keep a watchful eyeon the property. In the fall of 2004, the first of several Chippewa Trail CampReunions was held and the ‘letter from Billy’ made a triumphant return. You canfind that letter elsewhere on this site. Since that time, Billy’s been keepingup on the goings on a Chippewa and is proud to launch his first website.
While he enjoys traveling, stamp collecting and anoccasional pilates class, his first love will always be Chippewa Trail Camp forGirls and his perch atop the bell tower. |
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August 11 - 13, 2006 – Highlights from the 2006 Chippewa Trail Reunion
Those wacky campers are still at it! Reunion 2006 got off toa lovely start on Friday night with a beautiful sunset. The reunionites atedinner outside and sang songs after the meal, just like the old days. Well,actually not quite like the old days. Icouldn’t help but hear that Linnea Kettler Brunk kept singing Shorty’s partduring ‘Hand Me Down.’ Still, Linnea earns an A plus for enthusiasm!
Later, Deb Jordan Bryan’s husband, Steve, built a roaringcampfire in the pit next to the old Dutch Oven. The campers had a great night singingsongs, sharing Chippewa memories, eating ‘Smores and getting doused with thatunmistakable woodsmoke smell. However,I’m sorry to report that while the Chippewa alums clearly know how to build afire and keep a fire going, they are a little lax on putting a fire out. Itseems that the next morning, the embers were still burning and smoke stillrising from the firepit. Do you think Deb’s fellow cabin owners would haveelected her Neighbor of the Month if the property had gone up in flames?
During breakfast on Saturday morning, I heard some alumsplotting future reunions and Lisa Schwartz came up with a great idea for‘Chippewa Trail Fantasy Camp.’ In Lisa’sfertile imagination, you would drive down the hill at camp to be met by thecounselor of your choice, clipboard in hand, who would make your ChippewaDreams come true. Always wanted to be in Tonda? Poof! You’re in Tonda! Nevergot a Secret Part at Indian Council? Poof! You’re Medicine Man! Feeling low because you were never picked toturn out the lights? Poof! Shorty is saying wonderful things about you andasking you to flip the switch at the end of Log. I think it’s a great idea andin Billy the Brown Bat’s fantasy camp, you girls are the ones sleeping upsidedown by your toenails from a 30 foot bell tower while I’m snuggled in a nicewarm bed in the Lodge.
I felt a bit sorry for Renee Bator at the reunion. She awoketo the Million Dollar Morning on Saturday and decided to take a run over to Lake Skegamog. Upon her return, sweatingand glistening with the glow of good health, she was subjected to the gentleteasing of her fellow reunionites who wondered why she would ever think to ruina perfectly good morning by getting her heart-rate up. They mocked and heckled her, all whilestuffing their faces with glazed donuts. Ever wonder who the Last ChippewaCamper will be in years to come? I’m putting my money on Renee.
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| Dear Campers,
Welcome back to Chippewa Trail Camp, the Finest Camp in Michigan.
I can’t tell you how it gets my little bat heart beating to have all of you
here again. Just hearing your voices makes me remember the good old days when
I’d keep track of all the embarrassing things you’d do each week at camp and
write about them for Log.
Not surprisingly, you scalliwags have not dulled with age.
You’re still up to some mighty interesting things. In fact, I think it’s
worthwhile to note some of the highlights from the first Chippewa Trail Camp
Reunion, in the fall of 2004.
What a weekend! The laughter. The songs. The tears. The…wine
bottles!
The reunion kicked off Friday night with Shorty’s arrival to
a rousing chorus of We Welcome You to Chip-Way Trail. Dinner was followed by a
Log program, complete with a bugler – who for some unknown reason had to play
Taps in the middle of Log. However, you Chip-way girls didn’t let the unusual
scheduling interfere with your fun. You simply opened more wine bottles.
The next day, I flew around the property as clusters of
reunionites wandered the camp and reminisced about days gone by. From the barn
and horse rings to the old golf course to the tennis courts and down past the
chapel, to the Council Ring and the waterfront. You snapped pictures, shared
stories, and realized that many of you couldn’t remember if the archery range
had two or three targets.
You toasted the lake, you toasted your friends, you toasted
your youth, you toasted…oh, heck, some of you got pretty toasted! In fact,
several of you bellowed forth an old song I hadn’t thought of in years – the
one with the lines – ‘And If Shorty should appear, we’ll say Shorty have a
beer, in the cellars of old Chipway Trail.’
But the most amazing sight was to watch as you pulled out
the old Indian Council drum and tried to reenact those famous dances. You tried
‘em all – the 12-step, the grapevine, the stomp hop and the toe-heel. Once
again, you laughed, you cried, you tried not to break a hip, and you couldn’t
remember whether the jump-out-from-the-audience-and-scream-like-a-banshee was
from the start the War dance or Victory dance.
So, in order to jumpstart those slightly fading memory
cells, most of you trooped over to the Alden Museum where you clawed through
old camp photographs like you were at a 50 percent off sale at Nordstroms. I
don’t think the musuem curators knew what hit them! But, as all good Chip-Way
girls, you left the museum in tip-top shape and returned back to the camp just
in time for cocktails.
In true Chippewa fashion, the dark and windy skies of the
day parted, the sky turned blue and everyone was treated to a beautiful sunset
over Elk Lake. After dinner, you sang the old songs and played a camp trivia game that was as
cut-throat and competitive as any battle between the Orange
and Green I’ve ever seen. But a candlelight campfire and singing ‘This Little
Corner of the World’ brought a perfect end to a perfect day at the most perfect
camp on earth.
The next morning, around a final campfire, Shorty had the crowd
in stitches with her usual combination of philosopher and vaudevillian –
telling tales of keeping all you campers in line over the years, with just a
few ‘corrections.’ The tears flowed, the
laughter peeled, the songs lifted into the crisp fall air as the first Chippewa
Trail Camp reunion came to a close.
And as I sat in my bell tower and watched you drive out of
the gates, I promised myself that I would do a better job of keeping in touch
with all of you. I want to remain a beacon for Chippewa Trail and do my part to
keep our spirit alive. I stood atop the bell tower, looked out at the lake and
like Scarlett O’Hara shaking her fist into the sky, I vowed that I, Billy the
Brown Bat… would start a BLOG!
So, with just a few taps on my bat lap top, the
BillytheBrownBat.com site was up and running! I am totally and completely
serious…Check out BillytheBrownBat.com when you get home and surf on over
regularly because I’ll have lots of updates.
Now that Deb Jordan and her family are in residence in our Lodge,
I hope to see many of you and your friends take her up on her offer to come back
for some mini-camp reunions.
But, I feel that it’s only fair to warn you that the old
rules still apply. If you do something embarrassing here at camp, I’ll know
about it. And so will Google.
Your friend,
Billy the Brown Bat
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Dear Campers,
Greetings from the Bell Tower! Yes, it’s me, Billy theBrown Bat. I’m still in residence and keeping a watchful eye on the goings onat Chippewa Trail Camp for Girls, the Finest Camp in Michigan.
I must say it’s been a tad quiet since the last campersdrove out of the gates in 1984. While I can certainly understand Shorty andSusan’s desire to enjoy a life apart from camp, I still miss you campers andyour wacky exploits. It seems like just yesterday I would cull through a weekof embarrassing moments and put them all down in a letter to be read eachFriday night at Log.
I’m sure I put many of you on the spot over the years –telling tales of the short-sheeted beds, the inside-out bathing suits, thesprint to the outhouse in nothing but your skivvies. The bug-juice squirtingout your nose, the candy bars you weren’t supposed to have, the spit-pit warsthat turned ugly, the bellyflops you didn’t think I saw, the kitchen raids youdidn’t think I knew about.
Which isn’t to say that it’s been entirely dull around here.The shores of Elk Lake have been touched by corporate scandal. It seems the man who bought the property from Shorty was the president of Exide Battery. Charming fellow. He LOVED camp and vowed to keep the spirit of CTC in tact. Unfortunately, this former Boy Scoutconcocted an ill-conceived plan to sell defective car batteries to a little retail outfit called Sears. Alas, he had to pack his trunk and send his dufflebag along … to a minimum-security prison.
The current property owners seem like a swell bunch. They kept Shorty and Susan’s old house, my bell tower condo is in great shape, thetennis courts are in working order, and as you can see, the Lodge has beenturned into a lovely home. It just seems fitting that people can still ‘facethe lake’ from the deck of our beloved lodge.
But there have been some changes on the property. How manyof you remember the old red barn behind the tennis backboard? How many of you remember when it was built? How many of you think construction standards in the1970s were kinda crummy? You see, the old red barn fell over, collapsed in a heap in a strong wind. As they say in the building biz…oops.
Elsewhere, without little girls making piles and piles ofpancakes, Dutch Oven has turned into piles and piles of rubble. And did youguys see that big boulder in the middle of what used to be Senior Circle? Did we have an ice age and I missed it?
Wakiconza is still back in the creepy part of the woods andstill looks like something out of the Blair Witch Project. The campfire pit at the end of the path islong gone and it appears that the chapel and dance stage have been reclaimed bythe forest.
I know a few former Directors of Waterfront –and you knowwho you are - must be mighty jealous of the huge house that now sits where yourlittle shack used to be. No doubt Shorty WOULD have built you a similar abode, but my understanding is that she wanted a director of waterfront who actually came out TO the waterfront instead of staying inside watching satellite tv.
Unfortunately, my friends, the Indian Council ring is no more. But a few teepee sticks and a totem pole remain on the original site.Hopefully, you’ll break out the old drum this weekend and shake your groovething with a toe-heel and a stomp-hop. And all you 12-steppers, remember this:forward back back forward forward back forward back forward forward backtogether.
Over the years I’ve watched as many of you have come back tovisit camp. You’ve laughed. You’vecried. You’ve bored your friends and family to tears with stories that begin:“And here’s where I learned to tie a lanyard!” God love ‘ya, but you never notice as your family’s eyes glaze over, asthey quietly wait for you in the car, as they beg you not to break into anotherround of ‘We are the girls of Chipway Chorus.’
Well campers, this is the weekend you’ve been waiting for!Here, surrounded by your fellow CTC alums, you can indulge in all the ‘rememberwhen’ stories you want. Sing those songs! Dance those dances! Tie thoselanyards and wash that trainwreck down with as much bug-juice as you can stand!
And speaking of signing, I have it on good authority that Shorty has been practicing just for this weekend. As some of you know, she recently had to spend some time in a rehab center where she showed those doctors a thing or two about a picture-perfect recovery. They soon discovered that beautiful singing voice that we all know and love and put her to work each morning singing for the patients and staff. She’s all warmed up, so don’t let her down!
Chippewa Trail Camp is alive again. Thanks for coming backand I hope you have a great time. And remember, if you end up doing something embarrassing this weekend…I’ll know about it. And I have Internet access!
Your friend,
Billy the Brown Bat |
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