Camp Blackberry 2015

Camp Blackberry is over. Unless you know my family really well, you probably didn't know.  More than likely, it wasn't on your radar.

Oh, what is Camp Blackberry?  It's a summer camp that my wife and I do for our grandchildren.  The name?  We raise blackberries and our last name is Black so...Camp Blackberry...get it?

Well, not all our grandchildren get to come.  The youngest (age 2) gets to stay home.  We did one with a 2 year old and declared then and there that 3 was the minimum age.  Since this one is the wild child, we may make an exception and change the minimum age to 4.  The jury is still out.

We get them for a week.  24/7.  Good times and bad.  Five of them this year, for the record.  We got the idea from Dr. Bob and Sue Ramger, who did the same for their grandkids.

The week is filled with art and crafts and field trips and lots of pool time.  Just like "real" camp.

We eat together, stay together, and laugh together (and once or twice cried together--well, at least the adults did).  We tried camping once a couple of years ago but it didn't work.

This week, we hiked up the Porter Creek Trail to the old Appalachian Hiking Club cabin.  The kids were particularly impressed with the spring house.  And that real water came out of it.

We visited the Knoxville Zoo and thanks to Phil Colclough, Director of Animal Collections and Conservation (and a Maryville resident), got a personal visit with Al, the giant tortoise.

We visited with Ms. Sherry at Liles Organic Farm where we got up close and personal with her llamas, goats, rabbits, and chickens.  If you don't know about Liles Farm, you've missed a gem that is found just outside the Maryville City limits on Tuckaleechee Pike.

We did the touristy thing in a visit to Dixie Stampede.  It's pretty amazing what those horses can do and the kids love it (even the part about eating everything with their hands).

Along the way, the youngest one went from a wall hugger to jumping into the deep end of the pool and swimming all the way across...by herself!

And I've got a photo of one grandchild standing alone on the top of a rock spire about eight feet off the ground.  I thought mama might be bothered but she was thrilled with the balance and bravery it took.   

So what's the point?  There are several, actually.

First, family is everything.  This time together builds bonds and memories that will last a lifetime.

Second, active children become active adults.  Swimming, hiking, swimming, disc golf, more swimming.  Climbing, running, jumping.  Something every day.

Third, children exposed to art and music do better in school, appreciate diversity, and become more well-rounded.

At the end of the day, there is a huge need to just have fun, sing silly songs, and be yourself with the acceptance that probably can only come from grandparents.

And when Blackberries (what we call the campers) tell their parents that they were sad that it was over, then it was a success.