The Personal Blog of Carol Davis
This past weekend we went to Troop Adventure Camp at Camp Archbald with the Girl Scouts. A lot of the girls were looking forward to getting out on Lake Ely to do some kayaking. One of our girls even tried paddle boarding. Here are some of my favorite photos.
Today I am thankful for Girl Scouts. We are a family of Girl Scouts and Girl Scout leaders. My mother was a Girl Scout, I was a Girl Scout and now my daughter is a Girl Scout. My grandmother was my mother’s Brownie leader, my mother was my Brownie leader and now I am my daughter’s Girl Scout leader. Being a Girl Scout teaches girls so much from running a business (they do have a great cookie racket going) to building a campfire. Girl Scouts learn many skills by working on badges and awards, selling cookies and helping out in their communities. I am so happy that this organization exists and that my daughter and I are members. Thank you to Juliette Low for being the founder Girl Scouts.
We recently went to Spirited Art to have a painting party with Girl Scouts. This was the first time I had been there and it was a great experience. The idea behind Spirited Art is to create art with a group. Everyone creates the same painting with the help of an instructor. There are theme nights scheduled that individuals can sign up for or one can book a party. My daughter’s Girl Scout troop had a party. The troop provided pizza, chips, drinks and dessert. Spirited Art provided the fun. The girls’ painting choice was a painting using their initials so that everyone had a unique masterpiece. The instructor was wonderful. She provided clear instructions and was always available to help. The instructor also paints along with the class so the class can see exactly how to do it. All in all, everyone who came loved the Spirited Art experience.
This year at Troop Adventure Camp we got to stay in the houseboats in the Mariners Unit. The girls were so excited to finally get the houseboats! In order to stay in this unit at Camp Archbald, Scouts must be Cadet level or higher. We really, really enjoyed staying here. There are 2 houseboats that sit out on Lake Ely. There were 3, but one is currently removed for repairs. The houseboats have bunk beds to sleep in, cubbies for storage and a bit of open space. There are 2 doors, one to go in from the gangway and another that opens onto the deck, which wraps around the boat. At night, these boats cooled down nicely and during the day it was so peaceful sitting out on the deck and just taking in the view. We also enjoyed sitting up in the troop house playing cards at night. All in all, it was a very pleasant stay.
Our Girl Scout troop went to Troop Adventure Camp this weekend. We were all glad to be going back to Camp Archbald. Camp Archbald, the second oldest Girl Scout camp in the USA, was closed last year so that a new dining hall could be built. We were all apprehensive about this new dining hall because the old one had such character and we did not want to lose that. The old one had these cool shutters that lifted up to reveal screens. When the shutters were open, it was very light and airy. The old dining hall was very old fashioned and comfortable.
We arrived at camp excited to be back and looking forward to seeing the new dining hall. The new dining hall is modern, but it fits right into this camp that was established in 1920. The front of the building faces the lake which is the opposite of the old one. It has a big front porch which makes it very inviting. The inside is gorgeous. It has nice light colored walls, lots of windows and a super high wood ceiling giving it a nice outdoorsy vibe. The nicest surprise in this new building is the décor. The shutters from the original dining hall were removed, restored and hung on the walls of the new hall. This nod to the past is perfect. Of course, the best feature of this new building is the bathrooms with indoor plumbing! Our troop is very pleased with this new modern building.
