Taking Connor to Camp

We left at 9:30 this morning to drop Connor off at Ontario Pioneer Camp for a week.  The last 2 years we have stopped to have brunch at a nice restaurant in Bracebridge and that was our plan again.  We were dismayed to find that the nice family restaurant had been replaced by a sports bar.  Instead of tables and a buffet there was now pool tables and bar stools.  So we went to look for another place to eat.  We had lunch at Crabby Joe's.  First time we had eaten there.  They had an awesome peanut butter/Reese's Pieces dessert!  Then we drove through Port Sydney.  We love the welcome sign -"Home of 800 Nice Families and one Old Grouch".  We stopped at the rapids where we have swum and slid before but the water was too high.  Nine people have drowned in Simcoe/Muskoka this week so it isn't worth the risk - even if you're sober and know how to swim.   Then we dropped him at camp at 1:30.  He has been quite homesick in the past every time he has been away from us.  It was much easier to leave this time.  He took his unicycle and a lot of people were showing interest in it.  On the way up we talked about him returning as a leader in training or a counsellor and he said he would like to.  All of the leaders have names like "Showtime", "Duke", "Commisioner", "Dubya" or "Thor".  Today there was one named "Spatula" - I wouldn't want to be him!  There is a story behind each name and my imagination is running wild with that one!  (Any ideas Susan?)  Connor said he would like to be UniConn.  I thought that was great.  Last August I wrote him a song and emailed it to the camp to cheer him up (see August 24, 2008 if you want to refresh your memory).  I asked him jokingly if he wanted another song.  I was quite surprised when he said yes and started working on it on the way home.  Here it is - Weird Al watch out!

There's a boy that we know
And he's braver than most
And he's taking the pathway to adventure
When he gets there he knows
If the trails are all closed
He'll head out on his own
And he's taking the pathway to adventure

There's a sign on a tree
And he wants to be free
So he's paddling the river to adventure
In a tree by the lake
There's a songbird who sings
Why don't you come and be free?
Ooh, it makes him wonder
Ooh, it makes him wonder

There's a feeling he gets
When he paddles to the west
And his spirit is crying to hurry
In his dreams he has seen
Rings of fire through the trees
And the voices of those who stand fishing
Ooh, it makes him wonder
Ooh, it makes him wonder

As he floats on down the lake
There's a way that he must take
There goes a boy we all know
Who paddles (and bikes) and wants to show
How he goes until it's dark
And then he'll light a spark
And pitch his tent on the grass
And listen to
The sounds of the wild

And he's taking the path to adventure

He will be away for his birthday so I also left him a card to be delivered on Thursday.  We have had 2 massive thunderstorms today.  I hope the weather improves - they sleep in raised structures with roll down sides.