Monday, October 11, 2010

Fly Like an Eagle/The Eagle and the Hawk

I was going to blog today about the rest of the FMGC reunion but I'm still savoring it and holding it in my heart...so I need another day before I let it out and talk about going to the actual hollowed grounds that was our beloved camp. It was so emotional...spiritual...surreal...amazing...and I will get to it tomorrow or Wednesday...so today I will talk about the Eagle stuff...

Ahhhh...the Eagle cabin...

The Eagles were the oldest girls in the camp...they ruled the camp...everyone looked up to the Eagles...everyone wanted to be an Eagle...

Being a Hawk was pretty good too...but not as good as being an Eagle!

I got to be an Eagle 3 years...that was pretty special. I thought I may have been the only camper in the history of FMGC to be in the same cabin for 3 years but I found out that Elizabeth was in the same cabin for 3 years---as a ROBIN!

She said she went from Robin to Eagle...I think Julie is still baffled that it occurred. I'm going to give the award for "most years in one cabin" to Elizabeth because although I summered in the Eagle cabin for 3 years, one of those years (my first year as an Eagle) I was in August term instead of my usual June. She was always in the same term as a camper...and she had to be a ROBIN 3 times...

I had to go to August one year because my mom was moving us from Kingsville and because our family reunionn got moved to June.

A family reunion I am no longer invited to because I no longer hold shares in the family business.

Is it a family reunion or a stockholders meeting? I wish someone would clear that up for me because clearly my DNA has not changed and I am still a member of the family just not a shareholder...

Moving on...

So I was an Eagle in August and then 2 years again when I returned to my beloved June term.

So 3 of my Friday Mountain summers were spent as an Eagle...

I stared as a Roadrunner...and then I was a Kingfisher...and then Eagle...Eagle...Eagle...

For those of you who are unfamiliar with Friday Mountain Girls Camp, our cabins were clearly named for birds. The youngest were the Hummingbirds (Hummers) and then we had the Wrens, Robins, Cardinals, Roadrunners, Kingfishers, Hawks and then the Eagles...

Our cabin was the furthest away from the Big House (dining hall) and from the Hummers...I think Julie wanted us far far away from the little ones since we were 14 and mostly 15 years old and maybe not the BEST influence on the wee ones who were but 7 or 8 years old.

As an Eagle you got some pretty great priveleges...like getting to be a Buckaroo or Wrangler leader (like a Kiowa or Tonk to you Mystic girls, a Shawnee or Pawnee to the Heart girls, or a Comanche, Aztec, or Tejas to the Waldemar ladies). You also got to do the famous Eagle Drill on horseback...and you got to set up Hunter's Stew...more on those later...

But you also had to pay for the privelege by eating last and often having swimming first in the morning...often followed by horseback...or sometimes you had riding BEFORE lunch and then riflery after lunch so you had to put your jeans on twice and haul yourself out to the horse lot and rifle range twice.

I don't know what was worse...putting on jeans when you were still wet from the pool or having to put them on twice.

By the end of the week your jeans would be rather..."crispy" shall we say? UGH!

We didn't care...we were at camp...

The Eagle cabin had the leakiest of the showers...more so than the other cabins...or maybe we were just pigs. We called the water that pooled in the middle of the sink area "Lake Dookie"...it was clean water from the showers but disgusting all the same.

We didn't care...we were at camp...

Being a Wrangler or Buckaroo leader was really fun. Each group had 4 Eagles in charge...a leader and co-leader and spirit leader and co-spirit leader. We learned a lot about leadership as we lead our groups during Wrangler/Buckaroo time and during competition day. You also got to lead initiation...but we can't talk about that...it's still a secret...but I will tell you that we hazed the new girls a bit before the initiation and basically scared the hell out of them. One year when I was co-leader I was in charge of the holding pen of new Buckaroos and I couldn't help myself---I confessed to them that it was all fake and to just act scared. I couldn't bear to have a 7 year old terrified of what was about to happen...

Each cabin had a porch swing. My last Eagle year a couple of the girls were swinging on the swing singing along to the radio when they got the swing to going a bit too high. The swings were attached with "S" hooks. Well, they swung so high the swing came off the "S" hooks...they flew through the air on the swing, miraculously landing still in the swing (without their legs underneath)...and then they peed themselves. Yes, they peed. We almost peed watching it. It was the funniest thing that ever happened that year in the cabin and we had a lot of funny stuff...Most people would die of shame if they peed themself...

But they didn't care...they were at camp...

On Saturdays we had dances with the boys camp. Every blowdryer in the camp would be going along with hot curlers (Clairol Kindness Caresetter for me!) and curling irons. We always blew the fuses. It was funny to see the Hummers and Wrens trying out make-up. We would work up a sweat getting ready...fixing our hair into perfect imitations of Farrah Fawcett's spectacular do (may she rest in forever blonde peace)and putting on sundresses and lots and lots of blue eyeshadow and tons of mascara until our eyelashes looked like spiders. One girl in my sister's cabin showed up with the top tray of her trunk completely filled with Estee Lauder make-up. She got up every morning to put it on, not just on dance days...we laughed at her...

So we would get fixed up just to be sweated and melted by the time the dance started. All those fabulous curls we did would melt and droop in the heat and humidity and our mascara would be running.

We didn't care...we were at camp...and we were getting to see BOYS...

My last Eagle year I struck up a camp romance with the boy's camp riflery CIT (Counselor in Training). I am pretty sure his name was Daniel. He wrote me and I wrote him and we danced all the dances together. I got to see him an extra time during camp when the 4 best shooters from the boys camp came over to our camp for a riflery competition. We won...easily...my 2 sisters and I and one other girl totally beat the heck out of the boys. I think it was the day I got a "50" (perfect score) which Daniel scored and agreed that I was pretty amazing with a gun. Tracy was soooo proud of us! I almost considered not doing so well so I could look ladylike but then I came to my senses and realized that any guy who didn't think a chick who could hit a target perfectly and still toss her blonde hair fetchingly didn't deserve me.

He held my hand after I shot...we were sneaky with it...

We even snuck off for a quick kiss (it was very sweet) during one of the dances...I'll admit it now that I am a grownup that it was the only rule I ever broke at FMGC. But oh my was he cute...dark hair/light eyes (I've blogged that before)...oh my...

I saw him once after camp. We both happened to be in Port Aransas at the same time. I had a heck of a sunburn and could barely tolerate clothes but I fixed myself up cute and found something that didn't scratch and we had a sweet night walking on the beach and talking about camp and I tried not to wince in pain when he put his arms around me...isn't romance sweet when you are a teenager?

But I digress...

moving on...

To Hunter's Stew...

Hunter's Stew was something we had a couple of times each term. The cooks got a night off and we (the Eagles) would set up the cans and stuff for dinner down by the creek in a grassy area we could eat in. Each cabin got several cans of stew which would be placed on a small fire to heat up. We thought it was such a privelege to get to do it until we realized it was really work!

When you were done with your stew, you threw your plate into the fire...

And we won't even try and figure out how many retainers went into the fire along with the plates...one counselor almost burned herself when she tried (and succeeded) to rescue my retainer.

But it did make us feel important and special to gather and set out the cans and be in charge...

We had skit nights on Sundays. The Eagles usually did the best skits. The Hummers were the worst---they just wandered about the stage and made no sense and we just prayed they got over it in less than 5 minutes. My last year at camp I wrote a skit for our cabin---it was called "The Wizard of Kidd" and it was about camp. The Munchkins were "Hummers" and I played the scarecrow which I believe was supposed to be a horseback counselor. I can't remember much else except that I think the Glinda character was "Julie" and we did have a Dorothy. The year before a raging case of diarrhea went through the camp. It was misery for almost everyone. So when I wrote the play, I named the Wicked Witch "Montezuma's Revenge". Paige played the witch...she was marvelous...she melted (from being doused with Pepto Bismol) for a full minute. It was glorious...she was marvelous...and she is a real live bonafide actress. I wish I had a tape of tha skit...although I am not sure Julie liked it very much...but we did...oh, we did...

Being an Eagle also meant that you were considered for "Most Honorable Camper". It was the last award Julie handed out. First you had the cabin awards and then the class awards (for riding, nature, etc.) and then you had the "Best all around Wrangler" and "Best All Around Buckaroo". And then Most Honorable Camper. For Best All Around Wrangler/Buckaroo you got a beautiful silver medallion. Most Honorable Camper received a loving cup trophy. When Julie said my name I was paralyzed. I thought I heard it wrong. But I have the loving cup to prove it and I can 100% honestly tell you that every time I look at it, I am reminded to be a better person and to live up to the title...even 30 years later. Because as much as it was an honor to win it, when I look at it now I am grateful to Julie and to FMGC for teaching me to be the kind of girl who COULD win the award...and we all were Most Honorable Campers just for having been to Friday Mountain. And sometimes, when I doubt myself, I look at the trophy...and my little silver medallion...

And sometimes when I want to kill someone, I look at my riflery charm...

just kidding...

Now about that Eagle Drill I mentioned...well, that is going to be another blog...I'm tired and I think I may have tired you out reading all of this...so I will save it for another day...because describing my terrible horseback riding alone takes several paragraphs!

Inspiration Song(s): "Fly Like an Eagle"---Steve Miller Band or Seal (which is really a great version...maybe better than Steve Miller...). AND..."The Eagle and the Hawk" by John Denver...because we sang it all the time at dinner...and it was a really big deal when you got to be a Hawk or Eagle and got to sing the song...

Bye Darlings...

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