Maintain the Memories '08

We just returned from our trip to Camp Crestridge for Maintain the Memories, which is the annual work day for the Crestridge Alumnae Association to help the camp get ready for the upcoming summer season. A group of over 70 people gathered to rake leaves, mulch, paint, haul wood, and do anything else that was asked of us. And, for those of you who know Johnnie Armstrong, you know a lot was asked of us! In exchange, we got a weekend in the mountains, a campfire songfest, and S'Mores. If you ask anyone who was there (except maybe Jonathan and some of the other teenage boys), we got the better end of that deal.

Since Elizabeth is still not old enough to just run free at camp like the other kids, David and I were not able to do as much work as some of the other participants, since one of us usually had to be watching her. But, the other parents let us slide this year. Elizabeth had a great time exploring camp. Her favorite activities were playing on the playground and down by the creek and the lake. Fortunately, we managed to convince her to get a little bit dirty while she was there, so there's hope for her yet! And, of course, she loved the S'Mores! She was disappointed that we didn't let her sleep on one of the top bunks, but keeps reminding us that when she's bigger and goes back to camp, she's going to sleep in a top bunk, and Cousin Brooke is going to sleep in the bottom bunk beneath her. (In all fairness, I told her Brooke might prefer a top bunk next to her, but she's adamant that Brooke will be beneath her. I see some interesting camp arguments in their future...)

And, here are the pictures!

Playing on the top bunk in our room at the Conference Center:





Playing in the rocks:



Playing on the Chip/Chick playground:






At the Pavilion:




Jonathan and the other teenage boys made the most of things by playing a lot of 4-square:



In between the times their parents caught up with them and actually made them work, of course!



And, here are some shots of the S'More finale down at the campfire area:







Finally, some comparison shots of Elizabeth with the Crestridge Bear.

Here she is at MTM in 2008:



And at MTM in 2006: