August 9, 2008A final Shabbat Shalom from Camp Akiab 2008. Today is our last full day in camp, and we're gearing up for the annual CIT Carnival, our camper's banquet (the counselors perform and SERVE the campers dinner), and, of course, our final dance of the year.
Everyone enjoyed their beach day, including the CITs, who camped in the sand dunes overnight and ate "open-fire boiled omelets" for breakfast. The ocean water is cool but not too cold to discourage entry -- many kids played in the surf (under strict supervision of the staff), dug in the sand, played sports, and relaxed on the shore. The other units had overnights on the local bluffs at the edge of camp, and all the campers enjoyed a clear evening with the Milky Way shining brightly and even few shooting stars. Our youngest unit was excited to sleep on the porch of their cabin for our first outside overnight with Unit 1 in many years...they loved it!
A special thank you to Rabbi Shapiro who visited on Wednesday and Thursday and participated with the units in various activities including campfires and song sessions. We treated him to his absolute favorite camp meal - grilled cheese and tomato soup!
We had our final Friday Shabbat Service last night. The CITs and Unit Heads led the service: The CITs shared their "Theme Panels" (be sure to ask your kids about these), and the Unit Heads led the prayers. Bill, as usual, played his guitar and led us in song.
We have a very special annual "stick ceremony" -- a 20 year Camp Akiba tradition which was an idea we 'borrowed' from YMCA camps past. Bill has threatened for years to use his guitar as his "stick" when he was done with camp, and as many of you know, Staci (Bill's youngest daughter and one of our unit heads) organized a special surprise: Staci eloquently voiced all our (and that of the camp famililes and friends) appreciation for his years of hard work and dedication. She presented him with the custom acoustic guitar and electronic pick-up and wireless mic that many of you contributed to...Bill was deeply touched. We want to thank everyone who contributed to this special gift, and we are still collecting contributions -- if you would like to contribute, please contact me (rick@campakiba.org, 760-715-3746) directly. Any funds collected, above and beyond the cost of the gifts, will go directly to Camp Akiba Camperships. Bill then concluded our Stick ceremony by handing over a blow-up toy guitar to Rick representing the change in directorship of Camp...and then listening to Bill and his brand new guitar, we wound down the evening with a series of traditional Camp Akiba Jewish & pop songs including Oseh Shalom, Hinay Matov, Circle Game, Where Do The Children Play, When God Made the World, and a spontaneous camper-initiated acapella rendition of Lean On Me.
Bill led us in prayer this morning -- everyone relaxed on the floor as he walked us through a guided meditative tefillah. We all viewed our "theme scroll" (made from the theme-based panels) which we placed in our time capsule with other mementos of this year's camp experience. The time capsule will placed in the safe hands of Rabbi Shapiro at Temple Akiba, and it is scheduled to be opened in 5 years at camp.
The kitchen staff works hard to feed us tasty nutritious food -- final meal is usually BBQ tri-tip and we're all looking forward to that this evening (mouths watering)!
Tomorrow we will have breakfast, clean, pack, have a closing circle, and then try to be on the road by 11-ish. We stop in Santa Barbara at a park for sack lunch, and then we'll head to Agoura hoping to arrive there by 3-3:30 with our final stop in Culver City at El Marino Park between 4:30 and 5:00. We'll call ahead and send word as we near the city so you have a good idea when we'll arrive. Feel free to call me at 760-715-3746 or Bill at 818-203-9509 to check on our arrival, but wait to call until late afternoon so we can give you a reasonable estimate.
That's all for now...looking forward to seeing you all tomorrow.
B'shalom,
Rick & Bill
8.4.08
Greetings again!
Camp is progressing smoothly, and we are all having a GREAT time. Check out the 'new and improved' Camp Slideshow to see what we mean. Be sure to check out ALL THREE PAGES of the gallery (use the arrows at the top-left of the page to navigate to all pages).
Bill led our Saturday morning tefillah where we broke into heterogenous groups from all units . Each group was led by a CIT whose job it was to facilitate the group's understanding of one of our prayers by leading a discussion. The groups then designed a short "skit" to exemplify their understanding the of the prayer and presented that to the entire camp (see pic).
Our camp theme revolves around the concept: "How our past shapes our future." Havdalah on Saturday was lead by Unit 2 -- each camper in the unit shared their thoughts with regard to their connection to Judaism past, present, and future. Camp Akiba Havdalah tradition dictates that we all grasp hands in a long single-file line, and then, led by Bill, we encircle the group leading our service (see pic) and listen carefully and use all our senses to experience the moment: the taste of the fruit of the vine, the scent the of the spices, the illumination of the bright many-wicked fire, and the sizzle of the extinguishing of the Havadalah candle .
The kids danced the night away on Sunday evening -- Unit 1 provided us all with a wonderful atmosphere by decorating the lodge in a Western Animal Farm theme, and they were all dressed up in mid-west attire (see pic). We rocked!
"Messy" programs are always a BIG hit -- don't worry, we always ask the kids to "dress for mess" when we know they'll be rolling in the goo! Unit 3 did some time travel on Sunday (several millennia, as a matter of fact) and took a look at how things might appear in the year 4008.
We've included pics showing how we line up for meals where we "sing the kids hungry" as we dismiss them to their tables. During lunch the campers may sit at any table they wish (each table generally staffed by 2 or more counselors), but we eat "family style" at breakfast and dinner when we sit with our units. We alternate between serving food "family style" and buffet depending on what the hard-working kitchen staff has set up for us.
We've taken our ALL-CAMP photo (see pic) which turned out quite well. Each camper will receive their photo as they get off the bus on Sunday.
Today begins our "beach days": the CITs will go with the youngest unit and test their new skills and then return later in the evening for a unique "overnight in the sand" with Tamara and Rick. Tomorrow, units 2 & 3 and will get their opportunity to frolic in the waves (yes, it's cold water, but the campers always have a fantastic time playing in the sand, burying each other, and splashing in the surf).
That's it for now...stay tuned for more as we rumble and tumble through the rest our week.
B'shalom,
Rick & Bill
8.1.08 -- 2:30pmGreetings from Camp Akiba 2008!
Camp is in full swing and we're gearing up for a very special Shabbat -- Congratulations to Aaron Blasband on the celebration of his Bar Mitzvah this evening here at camp!
Today we awoke to clear blue skies and warm weather (it's usually foggy in the morning and we never know when/if we'll see the sun). We began our "Chugim" program (interest groups) this morning where all the campers get a chance to experience programming of their choice with campers and counselors from other units -- we have a Nature chug, Baking Aerobics, Arts & Crafts, Rest & Relaxation, and whacky sports where we saw the water balloons flying during a game of "whacky prisoner" (a take-off on volleyball).
Unit 1 campers are loving their digs as they are the only unit with a bathroom INSIDE their cabin. They learned to trust each with some fun games -- the "table catch", untying a human knot, and "weebles wobble but they don't fall down." The Mr. Akiba pageant was a HUGE hit...and today Hannah Montana makes a grand appearance.
Unit 2 did some time travel today and at one point landed in the colorful 60's where the tie-dye was flowing.
Everybody was swimming yesterday in the warm pool -- you'll see lots pool pics on the website photo album (see 2008 Album 1 for pics).
Unit 3 spent some time getting gooey (see pics) with a program called "Messy Getting to Know You." Then a "casino night" to top off the day 2 on Thursday. Tonight they show their solidarity by participating in Aaron's Bar MItzvah service.
Our media specialist, Mollie Bauer The "MONTAGE MAVEN," has been shooting photos and videos and we'll make every effort to update the photo albums regularly. Remember to check the website often for updated photos. That's it for now...we'll try to get another update to you soon. STAY TUNED!
B'shalom from Camp,
Rick & Bill