"The FNCA Polar Bear Song
     & the Annual Sales Table Auction!"    

    Each morning at the rising bell at the Fryeburg New Church Assembly family camp, the Polar Bear Club takes a "refreshing & invigorating" dip into the clear, cool waters of the Saco River. Papa Bear (that's me) loudly counts off the Polar Bears as they enter the water one by one. Once everyone's in, we sing our theme song from the other side of the river before swimming back for breakfast where we announce the day's statistics.

   One of the more popular events at the end of camp is the annual Sales Table Auction. It's a comedy fundraiser event for the Assembly. Our auctioneer once again this year was the inimitable Alex Dyer, along with his beautiful disabled assistant MaryBeth Bernier and runner Caleb Woofenden. Most of the stuff in the auction is junk that didn't sell during camp. That stuff often sells for twice sticker price! And a few items are things that are actually worth something that are brought to the auction specifically for that purpose. This year's Big Ticket Items included an Anne Carey Bradley painting donated by Betty Guiu, a wooden chair refinished and expertly re-caned by Lois Dole, and two gift certificates to the Elephant Walk restaurants in the Boston are donated by Bob Perry. We also had four items donated by artist Anna Rich: one of her gorgeous books and three of her small paintings, one of which I got!!! (pictured right)  Between these four items and the excellent auctioneering skills of Alex Dyer, the Sales Table Auction this year set a new record raising a whopping $953.75!

    Our last day of Sparks Games is always Spark's Choice --- each Spark gets to pick their favorite game from all the games we've played during camp. So after our traditional opening game of Tag, their favorites were: Cross Tag, Lemonade, Smaug's Jewels, and Fishy Fishy... and we ended with the traditional closer: Flash Flood! 

   And the Flames, too, get to pick their favorites for Flame Games. This year it was: Knight's Move, Last Couple Out, British Bulldog, and (of course) Go!

 

 

 Sunday, August 16, 2009
 

   This morning, almost everyone went home. Three people didn't: Colgate (who has his usual group from RISD coming for the next week), and Nancy & I. As camp registrar, Nancy has some closing up duties that can't be done until after everyone leaves, so we've been staying an extra night for a few years.

   Last year, we didn't get to go canoeing the entire session because the river was dangerously high until the last day of camp, so we went canoeing after everyone left. This year the river was also dangerously high, but it wasn't quite for the entire session: it actually went down enough that we could open the river to swimming and canoeing in the middle of the second week. But Nancy & I still didn't make the time to do a river trip then, so once again we went for an all-afternoon canoe trip from camp down to Swan's Falls after everyone left. And, as usual, except for the fact that the river was too crowded, it was simply awesome! 

 

 

 

   On my way to Memorial Hall Library  (pictured right) in Andover MA this afternoon, I went through no less than five(5) construction zones. Memorial Hall Library is located at the very center of town at the major intersection. Unfortunately, today was also the day when they were repaving the center of town! Three blocks before the library, traffic is shunted off onto a side street and immediately comes to a halt. Fortunately, this street went right by the opposite end of the short side street that the library is on. Unfortunately, that street was also one way in the opposite direction. 

   The result of all of this is that I arrived at least 20 minutes later than planned. Good thing I'm flexible.

    So today was the party at the end of the library's summer reading program: "Starship Adventure". They did some FUN stuff with the theme. They even had a 4+ foot tall rocket beside the entrance! I did an hour show to a pretty full room, and then kids took turns getting ice cream and coming to my table to make and decorate a Ribbon Dancer to play with and take home.   

   When I first arrived, a couple a children's librarians introduced themselves to me... but neither of them was Beth Kerrington, coordinator of Children's Services --- the woman who hired me. Later I learned that Memorial Hall Library is blessed to have three(3!) children's librarians.

   And they're obviously doing a good job because there were over 100 people at the event today... and that's a LOT of kids to have in a summer reading program.

   On my way out after the show, this sweet little moment happened: I was wheeling my equipment out, and a different librarian (not one of the three(3!) children's librarians) leaned in really close and said quietly, "Thank you! You're the best one we've had."   
 
  
 Friday, August 21, 2009   

 

    For the second day in a row, I got to drive Rte 2 between Rtes 91 and 495. There were just as many construction zones, however this time I added travel time for them.

    So today, I was entertaining the young children and their parents both outdoors and inside at the KinderCare "graduation" party in Merrimack NH. (And in case you know there's more than one KinderCare in Merrimack, it was the one at 325 Daniel Webster Highway (which is Rte 3).)

   I was also doing pretty much the same FUN Stuff I did yesterday, too, except today it was at a day care center instead of a library.

   And that today, part-way through my show there was really loud thunder and very bright lightening, so we had to move everything indoors quickly! The rain followed shortly after we all got inside! It's a good thing "Many hands make light work"! And something else that not the same as yesterday is that today everybody got to see me walk inside on stilts ducking down to go through two doorways on my way to the room we had pre-arranged for just this contingency!   

 

 

 

   This morning, I added my YouTube channel to the menu at the red More Fun Stuff button over there on the left of every page. Check it out! 

   And thanks to the wonders of Freecycle and Craigslist, we are now the delighted owners of two HUGE bags full of yarn as well as a replacement washing machine for the one that died this past Tuesday (the day after we got home from vacation, and after Nancy had done all her laundry but before I'd done mine!) 

 

 

 

 

   We got up early and drove down to our favorite ocean beach at Rocky Neck State Park in East Lyme CT today.

   What a great beach day! The water was warm; the sand was fine; the beach was crowded but not too crowded; the sun was shining all day; and Nancy was the happiest I've seen her in a long time! 

   And if you like the photo collage below of me playing with ribbon dancers in the wind on the beach, Nancy also took a short video of it that I've added to my YouTube channel.

 

 

 

 

   On River Drive in North Hadley near the tight little s-curves at the southern end of this quaint little village lies a lovely farmstead. And today this delightful site that was the location of Martha & John Boisvert's 40th anniversary party!   

  They had a big tent in the back yard with tables full of food and others full of people. There were men around the chicken grills. There was music, smiles, and laughter. And when I arrived, there were a bunch of children running around looking for something to do together.

   Well, good thing Martha called me in, because for the 1-hour-plus I was there, the kids were gathered in a group in front of me being spell-bound by both silly and serious tricks of skill and imagination, or they were running around on the lawn around me with big happy grins on their faces while we played some creative and captivating games. And afterwards, nearly every single one of them wanted one of my new website stickers, too!

   Another really nice thing that happened today is that our new housemate Joanne moved in today. Since the very moment she walked in the door for her interview way back in June, all three of us had a nearly instant feeling of kindred spirits. It's a pretty amazing thing when it happens. Needless to say, we were delighted to hold a room for her for two months and we're thrilled that she's here with us now! 

 

 

 

     Got out of bed at 7:30 this morning, and by 7:45 I was on the road to Chester CT for the 129th Chester Fair where I was doing a 7-hour stint today. This was my first year at this fine local fair, and the good news is that at the end of the day, Judy Kells --- the woman who hired me --- booked me to come back again next year!
   The Chester Fair is put on by the Chester Agricultural and Mechanical Society, group of about 35 volunteers who basically do everything: from managing and operating the fair itself to maintenance and improvement of the grounds! And if this year is anything like other years, the CAMS does a superlative job because this is a terrific fair! There are all the traditional booths with food and crafts and what not, a good-sized midway with rides and game booths, a stage for musical acts (all of which were delightful), and a very popular children's area --- the two wading pools full of bubbles with a wide variety of bubble blowers being it's most popular feature.

   So first I stiltwalked from 11:00-1:30, then I did my Aerial Delights Show from 1:30-2:15, then I set up my Ribbon Dancer Factory and churned out free ribbon dancers until 3:30 when it was time for an hour of Parachute Games, and finally from 4:30-6:00 it was back making ribbon dancers. I must admit, I just LOVE doing that kind of schedule at fairs. I get to do all my favorites from my repertoire, and the fairgoers get to experience a whole bunch of different FUN things! YAY!

   It was simply wonderful to be so involved in this delightful fair, and my only problem in the entire day is that the vendor with the sweet potato fries ran out of sweet potatoes before I was done for the day so I didn't get any of my favorite fair food today! 

  

  

   

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