Be Ready Camp in Review, Part 2

Posted on September 20, 2009 by Ruth Marie Oliver

MedFlight hovering over AC (BRC 2009)Be Ready Camp is over for another year. After four years, nine weeks of camps, and a few hundred kids BRC has become my favorite camp of the year. People have asked me what project or what job have I enjoyed the most or been the most proud of. The obvious answer for me is Be Ready Camp!!! Growing up I told everyone that one day I would start my own camp. BRC is that camp and it is the coolest thing I do in a year filled with training, camp ops, and recruiting.

Be Ready Camp is like the post season to the Aviation Challenge summer with the mock disaster drill as the Super Bowl. The kids must be focused during the week to learn what is needed to be successful. Both the kids and the staff must be dedicated to the hard work. So many of the staff give a little extra during the BRC weeks and exceed the standard each week of Be Ready. They teach the kids cheers and chants and stay late to finish the search and rescue activities. That is the type of effort it takes to win championships and complete the mock disaster drill triumphantly. I am so thankful for all those who gave extra, they make my job easy.

I could tell this would be a great week just a few hours after the kids arrived. Bedazzled was a stand out early on. On the first day and I think every day after Wii asked if the mock disaster drill would be scarier than “Thriller.” And honestly until just a few minutes ago, I didn’t know that the “Thriller” video was all that scary and gory. But growing up I didn’t have cable or watch videos. I lived in the middle of nowhere. Back to the point… we had great kids. Toe Jam, Violet, Candy, and Bob the Builder are just a few of the outstanding kids who worked hard to make the drill a success.

When I was getting the kids prepped I was very impressed with how ready they were. We tried a new way for BRC to track the patients in and out of the treatment area. I remember explaining to Bedazzled, the Transportation Officer, and Red, the Medical Captain, that if they could account for all of the victims they would be successful. Red asked if it would be like beating the final level of a video game. After all was said and done, Red and Bedazzled, accounted for 91.1% of the victims. From what I have been told that is high for even professional rescuers. They did very, very well. Snapper was so impressed she gave Bedazzled her AC coin.

BRC Staff T-ShirtsEvery great camp has tried and true traditions. BRC must be great because we have traditions. From the dinosaur names to late night ice cream socials and not to mention the cute fire fighters, Be Ready Camp is top notch. Another tradition is the Be Ready Bourbon. It started with the bottle of Jack given to me by the staff. That bottle is still unopened in my office. Then Kim Dickerson was presented with Woodford Reserve for her work on the team books and the fact she was leaving camp for culinary school. It was made an official award in 2008 when Divot held us all together to earn a bottle Bulleit. This year Slip Knot was victorious with her work organizing the UAH Nursing students and working on the victim cards. Without Slip Knot this year wouldn’t have been as successful.

With that said, there are so many people that make BRC successful. Some of the key players are the staff at the Governor’s Office of Faith Based and Community Initiatives (GFBCI), Ric Wilkerson with help from his HEMSI crew, Chad Tillman and his friends in Madison Rescue Squad, and countless others. I think that is what makes BRC so special; all those who are working for nothing so the kids can learn to save lives. Those guys are real life heroes and the heroes of BRC. I am proud just to rub elbows with those men and women. I also hope that if years from now I am in a disaster the hand that reaches out to help me is a kid like Toe Jam, Waterboy, or Bedazzled.

To be continued in 2010…

Posted in Camp | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Be Ready Camp in Review, Part 1

Posted on September 13, 2009 by Ruth Marie Oliver

Sept 11th Ceremony (BRC 2009)Because I didn’t have a lot of time to write, this post will be a collection of random thoughts about this past week of Be Ready Camp. This week was a huge success and we only lost four campers to homesickness. The mock disaster was truly amazing yet again. All the victims were rescued and the kids had a tremendous time.

The remarkable thing about BRC is how much the campers mature over the course of four days. They grow more confident with each activity that goes by. Some kids come to camp thinking they can’t make it without being on their friend’s team. Then you see them make friends with other kids. Some kids start camp thinking “I can’t save someone’s life or rescue them from a burning building.” But on Friday you see all the kids take charge to respond to a disaster. BRC is the best camp experience that teaches preparedness for disasters and for life!

The staff this week was so great! Support helped out and went the extra mile! On Thursday night we had the “Three Amigos” helping with clean up, search and rescue, and all the thousands of other things we needed to accomplish. Slip Knot and Snapper taught the kids triage and search and rescue skills. They also keep me focused and on task. Tank and Biscuit were team leaders. God bless them both, they had special campers. One word, Sugar! Divot was a slacker; he had a wedding to attend!

Friday night’s events grew into something bigger than what we all had first envisioned. Friday marked the eighth anniversary of the terrorist attacks of 9/11. It was also the first National Day of Service and Remembrance. For a month or so we had planned for a small ceremony to honor the first responders and highlight the kids’ mock disaster! First they wanted Governor Bob Riley to attend, then it was Senator Jeff Sessions and finally at the last minute it was Congressmen Parker Griffith. On Thursday morning, the governor’s office sent out a press release declaring our little ceremony the state’s official remembrance service. Small event turns big in a blink of an eye.

Poor ChrisWe had channels 48, 31, and 19 at the event! The Huntsville Times did a really great write up on the event and talked to the kids. One camper lived in New York during the attacks. HEMSI and Huntsville Fire had trucks under the bubble for show. Once the event was over, we all scrambled to place victims, turn off the fire alarm system, set up the demo explosions, and brief the overly anxious kids. It was chaos!

Shortly after the disaster started we had MedFlight circling above. We had kids scattered with everyone looking for people to help. We also had news reporters and camera men chasing the kids wanting to get a word or two with them. One camper pushed a reporter out of the way saying, “I am helping save a life. I will talk to you later!” There were 57 kids acting as first responders and 67 UAH nursing students acting as victims. The fire trucks roared in as the campers extinguished smaller fires. HEMSI ambulances arrived to take victims to safety and the water rescue squad deployed boats in the lake.

The victims were rescued and the kids were put to bed. Gobble was a nervous wreck by the end of the night. She was transportation officer, the most stressful job at BRC. Sugar was bouncing of the roof of the bubble but all was good. The only hiccup from the time of the mock disaster until grad the next morning was not having a bus on Saturday morning.

BRC graduations are such a festive event. Almost every parent is clad in crimson or orange [Roll Tide / War Eagle]. But the pride they have for their child is more noticeable than the SEC logo on their chest. When Peanut received the Right Stuff award her mom leaped up with excitement to hug her! In all my years, I have never seen a parent hug a camper after winning an award. All the parents were proud and all the kids were walking a little taller because of BRC.

Posted in Camp | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Be Ready Camp in Review, Part 1

Dinosaurs & Heroes

Posted on September 4, 2009 by Ruth Marie Oliver

Kim playing a victim (BRC 2008)Let’s travel back in time thousands of years ago when dinosaurs roamed the earth. They lived in harmony with the universe. They snacked on the leaves and trees around them. Suddenly a meteor tore through the atmosphere and changed the living conditions on earth. The dinosaurs were not prepared when disaster struck. They didn’t have an emergency kit, an evacuation route, or a weather radio to listen to updates on the ice age. As humans, being smarter than our prehistoric friends we should learn from the tragic end of the dinosaurs.

Now let’s travel back in time just a few years ago when Be Ready Camp didn’t exist. During the last week of July 2006 I was called to a meeting with directors, VPs, and a few people from Montgomery. It was a two hour meeting where a few guys from Madison County EMA, some ladies from the Governor’s Office of Faith-Based & Community Initiatives and the Aerospace team invented Be Ready Camp. It was filled with tours and PowerPoint presentations. At the end of the camp experience the kiddies would respond to a mock disaster. A disaster where all hell would break loose, the kids would act as the first responders and save the day.

The first day of camp arrived and it was dull and dry, boring and bland. Sixth graders were dropping like flies to homesickness and boredom. I had to find something to save the day. I went to the dollar store in search of the holy grail of camp salvation, something to make the preparedness game not so lame. I found multi-colored foam dinosaur stickers to save the day! Thus starting the Be Ready Camp tradition surrounding the dinosaurs, from that day forward, the battle cry was “Don’t be like dinosaurs, BE READY!”

Be Ready Camp has grown into more than just kids from Madison County into a state wide event. Be ready Camp is now held on multiple weeks for more than 150 students. BRC’s success is not because of the dinosaurs, but each September reminds me of the dinosaurs. The success of BRC has lots of people to thank, Bowtie, Popeye, Google, the guys and gals at GFBCI, and all the volunteers. The staff at camp look forward to Be Ready Camp and we have way too much fun.

The first BRC we had a kid who was an evacuee from New Orleans. All the campers are given CERT backpacks and taught how to make an emergency kit. This kid cherished everything we gave him. He wore his CERT vest everywhere. We called him Vest. Some of my favorite kids have come from at risk areas and homes. Those are my favorite kids. Ocho Cinco was so funny and one of my favorites! Some other great kids were Beef & Cheddar, Bones, and Swoosh. The kids come from all over, they are paired with a battle buddy, and they are trained to be a hero. I don’t really know why, but Be Ready Camp is the best camp of the year!

Back to present day, BRC has grown from tours and silly stickers to a solid camp where kids learn life preservation. “Big head, little arms, T-Rex!” is our cheer! The volunteers walk the kids though being a first responder. Even the heater meals taste good. There has even been an ice cream social and evacuation for a gas leak after hours. Next week will be BRC 4 and this year we will have just as much fun and excitement in years past. But knowing the kids are learning something that could save the human race from extinction. “Don’t be like dinosaurs, BE READY!”

Posted in Camp | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Lookin for Adventure

Posted on August 25, 2009 by Ruth Marie Oliver

This afternoon I left work at three o’clock and turned on the radio. Rather than listening to the talking heads on the radio, I flipped to the oldies station. The Steppenwolf song Born to Be Wild was on. It was the perfect song to start my adventure. “Lookin’ for adventure” is exactly my purpose, my directive… Tah Dah!!!

I stopped for gas, drove north on I-65, listened to Garth Brooks on my iPod, and found Mammoth Cave! Tah Dah!!! Honestly, I didn’t find the cave; I found the visitor’s center. While there, I saw eleven does just grazing on the grass around the parking lot. It was sunset and they were looking at me as if I was going to feed them. Boo looks at me that way around sunset as well. So I felt at home.

I checked into the hotel and found some food. I turned on the TV for a little more adventure. I looked for ESPN, not at this hotel. I looked for Food Network, denied. No Discovery Channel either. I was up a creek. I flipped till I saw a tall black man talking about the space shuttle. Tah Dah, I had stumbled upon NOVA “scienceNOW”. The man talking about the space shuttle was Neil deGrasse Tyson, astrophysicist and super geek! He was talking about the recent Hubble repair mission.

Images and faces appeared on the television screen that I recognized. See Dr. Tyson and the crew of STS-125 have visited Space Camp. Just like when I picked up a dead bird and meet Harrison Schmitt, I had the privilege of meeting four members of the STS-125 crew and Dr. Tyson. Tah Dah, that sounds like an adventure to me. Add the fact that Story Musgrave, the farm kid hired to fix the Hubble Space Telescope, loves my name, flight suit, and track six!

The point of all this, I don’t have to travel to find adventure. I have found it at Space Camp, Aviation Challenge, and all points in between. My adventure is not just meeting men and women who have ventured into space, but the guys and girls, men and women I work with each day. I am a big kid! I don’t have a whip or a light saber, but I have a brass clip on my belt loop with too many keys and an iPhone in my pocket. I get to know the next generation of leaders at Aviation Challenge and Space Camp, and now I get to run off for a few days. Tah Dah, adventure complete, sort of!

Posted in Adventures | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Lookin for Adventure

AC Summer in Review

Posted on August 22, 2009 by Ruth Marie Oliver

UH-1 Huey at Aviation ChallengeAs I said good-bye to parents at graduation my boss walked over and asked if I was sad that summer was over. I admitted to her that it was sad that the summer was over. All the staff loves working by the lake each summer. It is a unique camp experience. We are all Space Camp employees 12 months out of the year, but when it is warm and there is water in the lake we become gung-ho military aviators and survival experts to our visiting campers. For most of us, the three or four months spent at AC is the highlight of our year. This summer was no different. So before we start shifting gears to Be Read Camp in September I would like to recap my favorite AC moments of 2009.

Scary Looking Ant: This one happened just this week. Slip Knot and Divot were down at the lake while I was up in a meeting… Always a pleasure to be in a meeting while there is fun at the lake. They discovered a very large, very hairy, red ant creature. The velvet ant took their attention away from their daily routine and to identifying the curious looking critter. They spend a large amount of time looking on the internet since no one in the office was an entomologist. Sweets was victorious in the race to identify the alien species as a cow killer ant.

I picked this as a highlight because this is so typical of our staff culture. We work hard, but if there is time to learn and find fascinating facts about a bug we will. We are all really close. From the youngest counselor to the oldest staff member (that would be me) we are family. We can help research a bug or give support in difficult times. The investigation of cow killer ants isn’t the first distraction for Divot and it won’t be the last for any of us.

Epic Mouse War: Early in the summer Snapper found a few clues that mice were plotting for a tactical invasion of the rail car. Late one night I received a call from Snapper that the battle had begun. I imagine Snapper was standing on her desk when she made the phone call and the boys were trying to kill the rodent with a paintball gun. I am sure this is just fantasy. No matter, we had a war to fight and the AC army was ready to get in the trenches. Two mice would escape that first epic battle, but over the course of the next two weeks we would win the Battle of T-shirt Racks, the Coke Fridge Battle, and the fire fight beneath the coffee table. We identified the master mind of this invasion. An old gray mouse, code named Jerry!

Jerry was a wise tactician. He knew how to survive and how to out smart the placement of our traps. He found a pipe to transport him from one room to the next. But he couldn’t compete against the strategies of Col. John Boyd. First we plugged the pipe with a lost & found t-shirt. Then to add confusion we moved the traps around on a regular basis. Jerry would fall August 2nd in the epic Battle of Copier Gorge.

This tactic of confusion would give us a few set backs. We didn’t find a dead mouse until it was too late. The office smelled like death for a few days. But some of the city staff did learn what a maggot looks like. It was very educational for the whole family. We have devised a signage system to prevent failure to locate mouse traps. These signs are also a helpful reminder to check the office for fallen solders. Currently the score is AC 7 and Mice 4.

The Staff: This year’s staff was a montage of veteran counselors, Space Camp cross trainers, and brand new nuggets. We had some summer only staff from the University of Georgia Tech, Notre Dame, Vanderbilt, Tennessee, and Oklahoma State, just to name a few. We had the Air Force and Navy ROTC represented as well as an Army Sergeant and an Air Force officer. Most of the brand new nuggets made up the Beemer Crew. They covered all Aviation Challenge programs, day camp teams, hybrid teams, and Pilot/Co-Pilot teams. They helped out wherever need. They worked hard everyday. The heart and soul of any camp is the counselor core. It is especially true at Aviation Challenge. The counselors and leadership team delivers day in and day out the mission statement of AC – to provide a realistic military aviation experience instilling pride, professionalism, and leadership in today’s youth for tomorrow’s future. They are great and I am privileged to have worked with them this summer.

The Return of 12 Day Camp: October 22, 2008 we opened registration for Mach 3 – 12 day. Shortly there after, the first team was sold out and followed by the second team selling out. We set up the best and most elaborate camp for the 32 campers who attended. We introduced paint ball, completed a 24 hour AC version of SERE, and had speakers like SGM Jerry Gleason, Hoot Gibson, Mike Durant, and Bob Springer. It was exhausting! But at the end of all the torture, long hours, clasped lung, gory first aid power point, and singing songs it was the best two weeks of camp this summer. I witnessed first hand 32 kids mature and grow into a team while making steps to be an adult.

Twelve Day wouldn’t have happened without the hard work of Snapper, Divot, Tank, Biscuit, Safety, Pan, Amazon, Plow, Mule and a host of others. We had volunteers who helped with SERE. Mangers also came in to help. There was the sales team and the administration that supported the crazy idea. Thanks to everyone who helped! It was so much fun!

So we close the summer and head to the fall. We have Be Ready Camp and SCI-VIS on the horizon. It is a bittersweet time. I am looking forward to some R&R and then I must start planning for training so we can do it all over again. It was a great summer!

Posted in Camp | Tagged , , | Comments Off on AC Summer in Review

The Babe Ruth Method

Posted on August 20, 2009 by Ruth Marie Oliver

Babe Ruth was a legend in his lifetime. He played in the major leagues from 1914 with the Boston Red Sox until he retired with the Boston Braves in 1935. His glory years were spent in New York where he helped to win four World Series wearing the navy pinstripes. He is known as a great all around baseball player. He started with the Red Sox as a pitcher and then became one of the most dominating hitters of all time. The record he is most known for is his 1927 home run record of sixty home runs. It wasn’t broken until 1960.

Me at old Yankee Stadium (Sept 2009)George Herman Ruth was a larger than life player. He was known as “The Great Bambino” and “The Sultan of Swat.” He lived large and swung a big bat. But when his stats started to decline and he had to have other people run the bases for him he should have left the game. The fans attending his games would see him hit homers every once in a while, but not as often as during Ruth’s prime. Ruth has a measly .181 during his last season which was shortened due to his retirement. Ruth’s status in the baseball world was only slightly tarnished.

I think Ruth’s staying at the party too long laid the ground work for all the current greats to stay too long as well. Look at our most recent case of partying too long. Brett Farve, after signing his $100 million contract in 2001, said he was a “Packer for life” and he couldn’t “envision” himself playing for another team. He did retire as a Packer, but came back, and then retired as a Jet, and now has come back again.

Farve is not the first, look at Michael Jordon. He retired in his prime with three NBA titles. Jordon tried playing baseball… what was he thinking? He did return to the Bulls to win three more titles. Phil Jackson’s contract expired and the possible departure of Scottie Pippen created a perfect time for Jordon to retire. He went out on top with the epic shot with ten seconds remaining to take the lead. The Bulls built a monument to number 23. This time it would be for good, right? No, the 1998 NBA finals was not his last game in the NBA. We would be forced to see a great looking uncomfortable on a court in purple of all colors.

Another great who took Ruth’s method to retirement was Jerry Rice. Rice won three Super Bowl rings while playing in San Francisco. He left the 49ers at the end of the 2000 season for the Raiders. He didn’t do awful, but did bounce around to the Seahawks and the Broncos until he signed a one-day contract with San Francisco for ceremonial cash so that he could retire a 49er. The good thing about Rice was even though his fans had to endure seeing him in black, then green, then orange; he, unlike some, had the good sense to come back home to retire as 49er, the team and organization that first gave him the opportunity play in the National Football League.

Emmett Smith left the Cowboys to add more yards to his rushing title. He found a spot to play with the Arizona Cardinals. He too signed a one-day deal to retire as a Cowboy in 2005. Unfortunately for some of us, we had to watch him on dancing with the stars.

Roger Clemens won seven Cy Young awards but still managed to tarnish his career not by bouncing around to other teams, but by extending his career beyond his prime by using performance enhancing drugs. Why? He was an icon when he played for the Red Sox. He could have retired in 1996 and been in Cooperstown by now. But no! Stupid self absorbed multimillion dollar sports stars don’t know when to quit. Clemens also worked an angle similar to Farve. He skipped out on training camp and signed a contract late in the preseason or early in the season. What does this say to the team? Some players can get away without all the preseason work.

I have come to two conclusions. First, we, the fan base, allow it. We would rather see our favorite geezer pass for one more incredible touchdown, throw one more no-hitter, or win one more game at the buzzer, than honor in retirement when they are in their prime. We, as fans, want to keep living the 1927 season. I am sure the players themselves want that as well. But life is all about seasons. Fall, winter, spring, and summer they come and they go. They bring us good times and bad times. That is the point of life. Athletes are young, strong and agile. They play during the spring and summers of their lives. Once fall arrives there are only one or two more great moments before winter comes.

Finally, they are all over indulged. They get fat checks, lots of attention from the media, and have thousands of adoring fans. I have never been as disgusted at the professional sports establishment as I was during the 1994 strike shortened MLB season and recently with Farve’s return (again). The Packers didn’t want Brett Farve so he took his ball and played on another playground. Three weeks ago we heard Farve say he wasn’t coming back. This week he said he does want to play. He is just as childish and immature as those kids on the playground that get mad and run away. PLEASE RETIRE!

I love Brett Favre! I am a Mississippi kid who remembers him leading Southern Miss to upsets over Alabama and Florida State. I saw him play in an NFC Championship game. I cheered when he and Green Bay won the Super Bowl. But I really wasn’t cheering on Tuesday. He is so full of Brett. Whatever happens this year I will watch number four, but with one eye closed. My fear is that it won’t be pretty. Just like Ruth’s last year. I love you man, just retire!

Posted in Etc. | Tagged , , | Comments Off on The Babe Ruth Method

Great Adventure

Posted on August 18, 2009 by Ruth Marie Oliver

You Google for great adventure and the first link that comes up is for Six Flags. But when I think of a great adventure I conjure up images of Armstrong’s boot print, Parry’s expedition reaching the North Pole, Lindbergh landing in Paris, or circumnavigating the globe in a sail boat. I am sure the world’s great adventure brings different things to mind for different people. I am sure Han Solo or Indiana Jones would think of a daring adventure across many galaxies or in search of a religious relic. They are only characters in adventure stories, not real people.

Neil Armstrong's Footprint (Apollo 11, 1969)I have always been somewhat of an adventurous soul. I would cover the country side with my dog as a young girl. I had a club house made from an old school bus. I starting working at summer camp and lived somewhat independent for eight weeks when I was sixteen. I have taken several trips to the British Isles and Europe. I want more adventure in my life. I carry a survival bag with a signaling mirror, head lamp, knives, and matches just in case I am deserted on I-565 on the way home or I have to live on an island all by myself.

I long for adventure. I have dreamed of just packing a small bag and roaming for weeks or months. No, I won’t need a revolver or whip. I am not sure I will need a passport. Everyone needs some adventure. Last summer around this time I tagged along with my husband on a business trip. The business trip was to Disney World. Each day when he went to his conference I would venture around the multiple parks. I visited with almost Chef Kim at the Polynesian. My favorite thing to do was people watch and write in my journal.

I don’t think I can go on a great adventure, but maybe an average adventure. Where would you go if you needed an adventure?

Posted in Adventures | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Great Adventure

Butter and Blogs

Posted on August 16, 2009 by Ruth Marie Oliver

Chris and I went to see the new movie Julie & Julia. This movie blends two books it to a lovely tale. The two books being Julia Child’s autobiography My Life in France published posthumously and Julie Powell’s book Julie & Julia: 365 Days, 524 Recipes, 1 Tiny Apartment Kitchen. Julie Powell’s book was taken from her blog The Julie/Julia Project. I haven’t read either book but when you make a movie about food and blogging I am there.

It wasn’t until after the movie that I researched Julia Child’s life. Wow, was she adventurous. She was born in California in 1913. After the bombing of Pearl Harbor, she tried joining the U.S. Navy but was turned down due to height. She was too tall at six foot two inches. She did join the Office of Strategic Services and served her country in Europe and China. She was married in 1946. While living in Paris she decided to go to cooking school. Not just any cooking school, Le Cordon Bleu. She and her husband Paul moved around Europe while she worked on her book. When they moved back to the states her cook book was finally published, Mastering the Art of French Cooking.

She wasn’t finished after that, but most of us know the story from that point. She inspired generations of home cooks in America. She inspired Julie Powell. Julie Powell was a struggling worker with the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation. The movie portrays her as someone who needed direction in life, a project, something to focus her life. She created a blog chronicling her attempt to cook all of the recipes in Mastering the Art of French Cooking. She seemed discouraged with life. She worked other temp jobs before her job distributing funds post-9/11. The Julie/Julia Project led her to a very successful blog with thousands of readers. The blog led her to a book deal and the book deal led to a movie deal. Wow, what an adventure that must have been.

Julie Powell is still leaving her adventure. The movie Julie & Julia premiered August 7, 2009. I am sure her life is wild right know. I have read her current blog What Could Happen?. She is just like Julia Child, a real person on the road of life.

I went to see Julie & Julia because it combined two of my favorite thing, food and blogs. Food is so intimate. We all have dear memories of our mother, father, grandmother, aunt, uncle, or best friend cooking something amazing. This amazing dish was shared over great conversation and utter bliss. My husband and I have shared some incredible meals. My mom can cook better than anyone I know. All of my aunts can cook because they were taught by my Gran. My Gran taught me a thing or two. Other than death and taxes there is another certainty. That certainty is food. We have to eat. And if we must eat, we should enjoy.

If you can’t get to the theater to watch Julie & Julia, please find someone you dearly love and enjoy a meal with them. Something with lots of flavor and most importantly lots of butter!

Posted in Food | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Butter and Blogs

Bull to Boo

Posted on August 16, 2009 by Ruth Marie Oliver

Dogs are the greatest of all pets and I can’t remember a time when I didn’t have a pup to call mine own. Well, that is not completely true. My parent’s first Doberman Pincher was a few years older than me. Bull was a black and tan male who rode in the back of my dad’s truck. All dogs since then in my family have been compared to Bull. My current hound dog may not surpass his majesty Bull’s greatness, but he is in the same league.

See, Bull is legendary in my home town. There are thousands of stories, like the one where he got his name. My mom and dad visited my grandfather’s gin when Bull was just a pup. My dad was very proud of his Doberman Pincher and explained to Ga-Ga his German heritage. In classic S.K. fashion he proclaims, “That’s Bull Sh*#, that dog is a black and tan coon dog.”

Bull survived being run through a silage cutter and heart worm surgery. People discouraged my parents from owning a dobby because of its aggressive nature. They learned quickly that Bull was a gentle giant when Walter, my older brother, teethed on Bull’s ears. I shared an ice cream cone with him once or twice. He went on many trips with my father and minded better than I did as a child.

Bull was our first true family dog. He slept inside, hung out at meals, licked my father’s toes while he was asleep in his lazy boy, and enjoyed a special place in our hearts. The first dog that would rival, but not surpass Bull’s greatness was Scarlett. She was a blue and tan Doberman Pincher. The first two weeks of her tenure at Oliver Farms was most definitely rocky. She came from a show dog family. She had been pampered from birth. So much pampering that she never stepped foot on grass until her first night in Carroll County. Watching her attempt to go to the bathroom on grass for the first time was an unusual sight.

Scarlett was four months old when we got her. She was named for Scarlett O’Hara from Gone with the Wind. She was prissy, but very smart. She had several toys and a small box to keep them. She would play with a toy and then place it back into the box. Yes, she had mastered a feat that my mom had tried to teach me for ten years. She would carry shoes, but never chewed on them. My mom would get angry at her each morning, but eventually how could you get mad at Scarlett. She was our best friend.

We had lots of dogs that were good, but just not great. To name just a few we had, Bismark, Rose Bud, Junior, Maggie, Hazel, Dottie, Argyle, Otto, Lucy, Tallulah and Zelma. Dottie was my Dalmatian, Argyle was our first blue Doberman, and Lucy was a brain damaged fawn dobby we referred to as Lucy Retardo. She was so precious. Maggie was a German Shepherd I got when I was in kindergarten. She was a great friend and mother to her pups. Maggie once replaced a lost pup from her litter with a baby opossum. I am sure the mom opossum was pissed, but Maggie wanted a full littler.

She even noticed when we lost a member of my family’s pack. After Will passed away she met us at the car, looking and counting the family members. There was one missing and she continued to look for him until her last day on the hill. Dogs are such emotional creatures. They know what your feel and they can empathize with. When you need a shoulder to cry on you can turn to you hound dog.

Boo RadleyCurrently, I have a Dachshund/Jack Russell mix… a mutt, but we call him a Jackshund. Boo came to us with a past. He is a hot dog, a rescue dog with a twist. He lived in an undisclosed neighborhood in Huntsville. His previous owners didn’t really want nor need a dog. He was found roaming the streets looking for food or someone to love him. He was dirty and had a colony of fleas living on him. One day a neighbor found him without a collar, starving, dirty, and covered in ticks. He was taken to a rescue shelter where we would meet him days later.

Boo thinks he is the center of the universe. Early in the morning he will stand on my chest looking at me… it is almost like he is saying, “wake up silly, it is time to feed me.” He loves to be covered up with blankets. He will hop on the couch then turn and look… “hey you, come over here and put the blanket on me.” If Chris shows me extra attention Boo wants extra attention. He gets right in the middle of everything. He hates when we leave. He pouts and complains. He loves to sit on top of the easy-chair or walk across the back of the couches; I think he somehow channels a cat.

I have loved all my four legged friends. Dogs have been compared to members of the family. I will not go that far, but they definitely have an important role in my life. My mom and dad tell stories about having me in the car seat while at the dog kennel. So from a very young age I have been fascinated with hounds. One day I will have a pack of dogs just like on the movie Secondhand Lions. I want a Bloodhound named Barbeque, a chocolate lab named Hershey, a dog named Jack, and one named Booster. Simply put I love dogs. If you are a dog person and don’t have a dog, go out and adopt one today!

Posted in Etc. | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Bull to Boo

Movie Night

Posted on August 2, 2009 by Ruth Marie Oliver

Is it coincidence that in the same decade that the President of the United States was a former actor, the Hollywood studios put out many cult classics! In the eighties VHS movie rentals and microwave popcorn became the pop culture norm, and made going to the theater mundane and somewhat boring. No matter what was the reason, the eighties gave us entertaining movies. Heck, it was powerful art that impacted the culture and social structure of a generation.

I am sure there is a survey on Facebook which will reveal what Breakfast Club character I most resemble or a quiz that will tell me which Top Gun call sign I should have. But I hate those surveys and quizzes. They just fill up my inbox and get in the way. This morning we watched Short Circuit with the house guests. It was a group of youngters who had never seen the Johnny 5. My favorite quote from the move is, “Hey laser lips, your momma was a snow blower!!”

Where would we be socially if we didn’t have Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. I am sure Ben Stein would still be an economics columnist or writing speeches. Or maybe Jennifer Grey would have her original nose. The movie gave every teenager experiencing senioritis or spring fever the dream of skipping school, stealing a vintage Ferrari, and having the perfect day. Since I first watched Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, I have wanted to play hooky, but I have never done such a thing. I, unlike Abe Froman, the sausage king of Chicago, would get caught.

The vision of what most little girls dreamed of in their dream man came in a phrase during Princess Bride. “As you wish,” is a simple yet elegant way of saying I love you. It is an enchanting movie with “fencing, fighting, torture, revenge, true love,” and a very young Fred Savage. The movie is a wonderful mix of brilliant characters, memorable movie quotes, and a quirky wizard. Princess Bride is my most favorite movie of all time. I met Rob Reiner at an NBA game once; I acted like a little girl… “uh uh Princess Bride is like uh my favorite movie of like all times… it’s like so neat”, or something like that is what I said. I sounded like Raymond from Rain Man, which is another great eighties movie.

Heck, I work in an eighties movie and I am not talking about Space Camp. It is very serendipitous that Space Camp and Top Gun were released in 1986. Also Cmdr. Zach Bergstrom and Viper were both played by Tom Skerritt. Aviation Challenge watches Top Gun every week. Our motto should be, “I feel the need, the need for speed,” or “AC where Goose dies six times per week!” It is a corny, cheesy, and misleading movie, but aren’t all eighties movies like that. It has the perfect formula for a movie – great music, with is lots of action in high performance jets, men in uniforms, some romance, and who can forget the volleyball scene.

There are hundreds of great eighties movies. The origin of the Brat Pack movies, The Breakfast Club and St. Elmo’s Fire, which I haven’t seen. I know I am a failure. I will have you know that I am an epic failure. Upon researching the Brat Pack, I have not watched any of movies considered for membership. They are The Outsiders, Class, Sixteen Candles, Oxford Blues, Pretty in Pink, Blue City, About Last Night, Fresh Horses, or Betsy’s Wedding. My husband made me promise to visit Blockbusters more often. Up until today, I thought the Brat Pack was everyone in Red Dawn. But they were just teen actors saving the country from Soviet invasion… those godless-commie-#%*@$&s!

The cold war did play a huge part in the movies of the eighties. War Games was the ultimate geek movie of the eighties (followed closely by Weird Science and Real Genius). It was where Matthew Broderick played a strategy game much like Risk over a dial up modem which almost leads to thermonuclear war. “Would you like to play a game?” Scrambling jets and dodging missiles was another big scene in more obscure movies like D.A.R.Y.L. and Cloak and Dagger. Cloak and Dagger’s star was Henry Thomas, the same kid from E.T. Don’t forget the word terrorist being used in the original release of E.T. and then deleted from the DVD release in 2002.

Most people who I have asked have movies like Dirty Dancing, “Babe is going to Mount Holyoake in the Fall.” Others are Steel Magnolias with Ouiser, M’Lynn, and Truvy in a small southern town. Oh, don’t forget, Tom Skerritt was in Steel Magnolias as well (another 80’s trend?). At the top of a lot of people’s list is Goonies! Another eighties movie where Steven Spielberg was involved that was an immediate cult classic. The lasting messages behind Goonies are everyone needs a pack of friend who can save the day and everyone is a Goonie at heart! Being a child of the eighties I longed to find my treasure hunting gang of friends, but I didn’t live in a subdivision which was in jeopardy of being turned into a golf course.

I haven’t even listed Stand By Me, 9 to 5, Annie, Lethal Weapon, Raiders of the Lost Ark or The Terminator. Or who could forget “That’s not a knife, THAT’S a knife!” from Crocodile Dundee. I haven’t even mentioned a single John Cusack flick, but I didn’t fall in love with him until after the millennium.

I think what made eighties so memorable is watching them at home. The age of thousands of channels on television had not yet hit. We were not bombarded with “News Alerts” on every other channel. Al Gore hadn’t invented the Internet just yet. We were not busy text messaging or playing with our iPhones. We were at home with our families and friends. It may have been during the holiday’s watching The Christmas Story on TBS for the hundredth time or on a sleep-over with friends watching the Brat Pack. The point is we were at home focused on what was important, spending time with those we care about.

I am sure the Hollywood executives or the inventor of the VHS player didn’t plan it that way. But I think if we were to ask the man in the Oval Office during most of the eighties if making movies were more important than watching them with the ones you love, he and Nancy would support my conclusion. Spending time at home with the ones closest to you is worth developing a great DVD collection! I have a lot more eighties’ movies to watch.

What’s your favorite eighties movie?

Posted in Etc. | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Movie Night

Three Decades

Posted on July 26, 2009 by Ruth Marie Oliver

Hall Lodge on Lake Anne at Camp of the Rising SonThe Mega Reunion is winding down. We have already raided the kitchen, and there is still activity in the lodge. Groups of staff from one generation or the other have congregated for the last time before they say good bye. It is similar to the last day or the last week of camp. Everyone chats and visits more often or reflects sentimentally after every activity, meal time, and flag rising.

The trip down memory lane is somewhat surreal. While looking back at my camp maturation this weekend, which started with so many of the people at CRS, has made me realize how much the world and I have changed. So funny, I have worked at a half dozen or so camps. Present this weekend are multiple people I have worked with at multiple camps. It is so amazing to see all the grown-ups with their children years later. Now so many people I have worked with work at other camps all around the U.S.

I have forgotten as much or more than I remembered. I was reminded of the car alarm, the waterslide, camp-outs with camp stew, and Pow Wow breakfasts. I visited with April Gunn Duvall and her little one. I got to see the greatest of all Chiefs, Mrs. Newman. Jennifer D. Davis was here, Brandi Lewis came all the way from Dallas, and lots of digital age staffers. The cabins look the same but they resembled the AC Bubble not the immaculately clean campus in my childhood memories. Seeing the slide show brought forth a flood of memories.

Looking back on my first summer I was so overwhelmed at the responsibility of camp. I grew and became more daring and stupid all at the same time. I was reminded of the frog bucket, raiding camp store, and sneaking into the Scout Unit on Unit Night. Wow, I was dumb! I remember driving around camp in my red Sunbird. Oh, all the trips to Starkville or running to Ware (Where?) to the grocery store. And how could I forget all the pukie kids.

Now the youngsters are in the lobby talking and the old people are sitting in a circle in the dinning hall. April has her little one bundled up next to her, Carrie and the Morgan’s have put theirs down for the night. I have called Sarah Annie for the millionth time and she has seen fit not to kill me yet. Brandi is hanging with us too. We hear chatter and laughter from the lobby, but our conversation is focused on baby names and pet stories. Chris and I can hold our own with the pet stories. He will tell rabbit stories anytime, anywhere, and to anybody.

There is a great difference between the digital generation and my generation. I am jealous by the amount of food they can devour. I can remember during my first years at camp eating two hamburgers, bag of chips, can of soda, and two cow patty cookies. Tonight I was doing good to nibble on my chicken, drink a diet coke, and down a cookie. I have my priorities and eating a cookie is one of them. Oh, I hear the guitar. There are some songs that are new. Some have been forgotten and some have been altered. Susie is now interchangeable with RJ. Who is RJ and why is he picking up papaws and putting them in Susie’s basket?

The constant across the generations is the focus on Jesus and serving others. They are good people. They all have a servant heart event though at times I wanted to go Red Bull on them. I think Chief Carrie said it the best: “Camp of the Rising Son is a special place in our heart. Probably what is the most special to me about CRS is how a diverse group of people is united each summer and across decades for the purpose of sharing the love of Christ with children.”

That absolutely sums up the weekend perfectly. All Chiefs have a common summer or two or three working together for kids and Christ. They leave on different paths but for a few days in July we have been reunited to share our memories but mostly what we have been doing since our summers around Lake Anne. There is still the common thread and that is the love of sharing Christ with children, but now that includes the staff’s own children.

Posted in Camp | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Three Decades

Rite of Passage

Posted on July 22, 2009 by Ruth Marie Oliver

Under the pine trees around Lake Anne, Jennifer D. Davis carried a little three ring binder. Inside this Top Secret binder was the contents of all the week’s blunders and spills. It also contained the list of homesick campers. I remember the early morning unit meetings where I was introduced to this binder and we discussed all the day’s events and activities. I learned so much from these meetings in the crafts cabin at CRS.

See, all the chiefs sat around the craft and pottery tables chatting about camper issues. All we needed was a TV camera and a few cups of coffee, and it would have been the early predecessor to “The View,” but with bantering about kids. I remember being completely overwhelmed with the daily logistics and some of the emotion of being an assistant counselor or AC at Camp of the Rising Son. I remember a camper named Virginia being homesick and Cheva reassuring the UD that all she needed was “tough love.” I remember all the rounds of get-the-camper-to-the-next-lunch-or-dinner. Trying to get the homesick camper to the next meal, next activity, or next day was a diversion.

Now many years later and all grown up, after serving as the band aid brigade at Twin Lakes, and reading a few books on child physiology, I have an understanding of this thing we call homesickness. Fortunately for the younger version of me there wasn’t a large population of hel-i-kop-ter parents. Moms or dads would say goodbye at the screen door with a hug and a kiss that was all. Currently, moms and dads focus so much of their time and attention on the kids; they need constant contact, and constant reassurance that Johnny or Suzy are ok.

Going away to camp is a necessary right of passage. It is needed to grow independence, perseverance, and self confidence. I have told countless kids that being homesick is a good sign. Homesickness shows that a kid loves his family and enjoys being at home. For some kids they dread returning home because of some unknown evil. I grew up in a very encouraging home. They pushed me to stay with my commitments and not to focus on the negatives the world may throw at me. Keep your head down and plow through whatever adversity you find yourself in. I like to think God gives us the valleys so that we will cherish and rejoice our time on the mountain tops. I am sure no camp will use that as the marketing slogan, but it is a great way of looking at homesickness.

At CRS, one of the strategies we used was to point out the fact Christ left his heavenly home for a time. It was back during the WWJD bracelet era. We pointed out that Jesus didn’t give up on this world and the camper shouldn’t give up on camp. Maybe it is a little corny, but it worked. I encourage campers at Aviation Challenge by pointing out that homesickness is natural and they need to learn to cope with separation before they are freshmen in college. Imagine Aubie Bryant of Cullman, Alabama crying in the freshmen dorm room because he misses his mom and dad. Aubie doesn’t feel like going to the football game because he thinks his ATO brothers wouldn’t understand. This strategy works well! Football and crying do not mix in the state of Alabama unless you are Alabama getting the thumb a few years back!

The first step to dealing with homesickness is diagnosis, is the patient/camper “terminal” or “treatable”? A terminal camper is miserable and they will make camp miserable for the other campers around him or her. There is always going to be a sacrifice when dealing with bad campers or homesick campers. One camper for the whole team’s success or one camper’s success for the whole team’s enjoyment. This can be difficult at times. Most of the time terminal campers should leave camp and try again next year. These campers should maybe try again at another camp or with a buddy next time.

When dealing with a treatable camper it is all about finding the correct medication. Sometimes a strong word of encouragement works. But other times they need compassion and time to talk to parents. Other campers may just miss their brother, sister, dog, or goldfish. Making a kid feel valued and not letting his or her feelings get the best of them is always a winner. Often youngsters don’t understand their feelings and this can create panic. I have seen homesickness manifest itself in many different ways. Vomiting is my least favorite. Just because a camper is classified as treatable doesn’t mean they will not have physical symptoms.

It is common for a camper to let their brain get the best of them. The night before arriving at camp kids are anxious to arrive and see camp. This will lead to not enough rest going into the first day at camp. Kids that are not rested are cranky; even I am cranky when I don’t sleep. The camper arrives and there are so many emotions when meeting other kids for the first time, and suddenly and almost unexpectedly mom and dad leaves. It happens so quickly that sometimes sadness strikes. Parents, I do a suggest quick good bye. Long and tearful goodbyes are sometimes hard for a camper to bounce back from. The hardest night is the first because of the good bye, and the first night in a foreign environment.

Tears happen in life. The second night is better than the first and hopefully will be the last real tough night. Often campers will have twenty-three hours of tear free summer camping in a day with only one hour of sorrow. This is acceptable. What is not acceptable is fifteen or sixteen hours of activities to be a sobbing nightmare for a kid. Believe me; this will break anyone’s heart into a million pieces. Sadly, I have seen too many parents leave campers at camp and refuse to pick them up. The worst thing ever was when a kid was sent to camp while mom and dad cruised around the Mediterranean on the QE2. The kid was miserable and everyone one around the kid was miserable while mom and dad was living the high life!!!

The best thing anyone one can do is be a positive encouragement to a sad camper. If you are a parent it is best to reinforce your love, remind your child how proud you are, and don’t tell them how much fun you are having without a kid in the house. As for staff working, there is not one answer or solution. It is a combination of things: support, affirmation, kindness, and a little bit of structure. There are thousands of tricks but I caution, never try drugging a kid with Benadryl. This method could back fire on you. Always be honest and never promise anything you can’t deliver.

Life is hard, it is complex at times, and it can be so much fun. Homesickness at camp is a time where kids can see life’s twist and turns. They get to try on being an adult for a week while wearing their favorite shorts or t-shirt. Kids can make new friends and keep the old all the while growing through life’s challenges. Whether it is jumping off a 60 ft zip line tower or sleeping away from home for the first time, camp is meant to be enjoyed! I have enjoyed my life at camp! From Camper, to Chief, to Lifeguard, and now as a Manager I have learned so much! And it all started around Lake Anne.

Posted in Camp | Tagged , , | 1 Comment