Sunday, July 7, 2024

All Good Things Must Come To An End

 My daughter’s summer camp ends today. As you read this, we will already be packed and on the road headed home. It’s been a little over two weeks since we arrived, and it has been a blur of work and sleep for me. M&M has been enjoying her last year as a pre-teen camper. Next year, she will be staying in the dorms with the teens and participating in full spectrum of camp activities which includes being escorted to the dining hall by the teen boy campers. 

To say that The Queen and I are prepared for young men to be interested in our daughter would be a gross overstatement. We know most of the boys in the church at least passingly well. Some better than others. I honestly don’t know with which boy I would be comfortable trusting my daughter (as if I have much say in the matter). 

For now, I will let next year’s worries wait until next year. I didn’t get out much this year since I was on kitchen duty again. But here are some photos of my time here. 


M&M at mealtime with some of her friends. 


Sabbath church services all dressed up. M&M is 12. The young lady next to her is 19. Can you believe it?


The camp runs on its collective stomach. The kids and staff burn a huge amount of calories while here. Very few people miss a meal here, and it’s interesting to see people ignore their special diets while at camp. 


M&M had a “cold bore” shot in the yellow. 


Happy camper. 



One of my kitchen staff companions enjoying an early morning canoe outing. 


A nearly perfect omelette. The first few each year are kinda ugly, but we hit a groove where we know how much and how long to make a decent looking folded omelette. 


The side by side omelette station gets pretty messy after slinging several dozen omelettes two at a time with a partner in crime sharing the station with you. I try to avoid the solo station as that’s where the special needs ingredients are (dairy free eggs and vegan cheese). 


Our main dishwasher. She had a lot of help from campers and staffers alike. It’s eye watering how big a mess we can make in a short amount of time. I tried to be a good coworker and rinse my utensils and cookware before leaving it stacked to run through the wash. The kids though…I’m not saying some of them were raised by bears in a barn, but they can sure see it from where they were raised. 


Our main prep and cooking area. It gets pretty tight in there with multiple butts competing for space. The stove and griddle are my main areas of operation. 



The infamous tilt skillet / steam bath. That’s our kitchen staff director doing battle with something. If you embiggen the pic, you can see the steam up around the ceiling lights. 



M&M awaiting her turn on the knee board at the lake. 



240 ounces of li’l smokies. I have no idea how many those are, but we get them up to temp and on the line for hungry folks. My second favorite breakfast item here at camp after breakfast tacos. 


Scrambled eggs but the skillet load. We crack and scramble 22 dozen eggs most days with the exception of the 5 omelette days. That’s 264 eggs that have to be cooked everyday. Those skillets get pretty heavy. It normally takes us five or six batches of eggs to cook them all. 


Friday, July 5, 2024

Friday Funnies - The Summer Camp Aftermath Edition

 Drafting this on Thursday the 4TH for publication on Friday the 5TH. Tomorrow will be my last day cooking here at my daughter’s summer camp assuming I survive grilling hot dogs and burgers for 220ish campers and staff this evening. Someone give this man a beer. 
















Monday, July 1, 2024

Monday Meme Daddy Madness

 Since I am still on Summer Camp KP duty, this is a scheduled meme drop of some of the best memes that I can swipe. If you recognize your work or postings, take it as a compliment. 


This has been the wettest spring in a long time here in Texas. I’m not sure where it falls on the all time list, but I’m pretty sure I saw an old fart in a robe leading pairs of animals up the road a few times. 


Mel Brooks is a cultural treasure. His work should be required viewing in schools. 



No lie: one of the first times the lottery got up to obscene money, I bought 5 tickets. I got all 5 winning numbers spread across all 5 tickets. 4 tickets had 1. 1 ticket had two. 










For those not in the know, Dickey’s only barely qualifies as barbecue and even then only when real pit smoke shops are closed or sold out.