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A few words from Greg & Laura… What a great start we’ve had; as we walk around camp it seems like we’ve been in full

swing from the very first night! On the 5th of July, we have just concluded our (postponed) 4th of July celebration. All of my Trailblazer, Pioneer, Explorer & Intermediate boys and girls had a blast at the annual 4th of July Races and Tug Of War! Of course we ended the evening with the always delicious and quite messy “make your own” sundaes! All of our seniors have boarded the buses for the ever popular Wolfeboro fireworks high over Lake Winnipesauke and Wolfeboro Bay!

Already well more than half the campers have passed their eight laps and this afternoon every sailboat & kayak were in use, splayed out across the beautiful blue waters of Lake Wentworth; the ski boats were busy pulling skiers in what seemed like endless loops!

We’re very proud of our inter-camp competition teams as we have taken almost nothing but 1st place trophies home in the Lake Region Sports Association Tournaments with great sportsmanship. Today we had a solid showing in our Birchmont Invitational Tennis Tournament and we’re ALL getting psyched up for our annual Spirit Day against our arch rival Robinhood. This Saturday every camper will take part in a day long competition ranging from tennis to dodge ball. Of course we’re hoping that once again we’ll prove victorious keeping the coveted “Golden Cup” on our fireplace for yet another year...

Tonight our Trailblazer & Pioneer boys are sleeping out (on grounds) under the stars in six-man tents around the glow of a perfect campfire with s’mores for all. TomorrowTom, Laura and I will be cooking them a hearty barbeque breakfast and teaching them the art of grilling eggs in a basket! Well, we could go on for another few pages; but that would mean missing the s’mores at the campfire so we’ve got to go…

All the best,

Greg & Laura

VOL. LVI NO 1

Summer Edition July 8, 2007

There are no strangers within…

Only friends waiting

to be met.

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Upcoming Events 07/08 – 07/10 Hall Of Fame Nominations are due 07/08 Breakfast in Bed Chess Tournament 07/10 Pioneers to Mt. Washington, Fun Spot & Ice Cream Explorers off to Water Country Inters off to Palace Playland Hoedown for all! 07/11 – 07/13 USR & SSR to Montreal LSR to White Water Rafting 07/11 Explorer Girls on grounds overnight 07/12 Trailblazers’ to Storyland TrailBlazer & Pioneer Girls on grounds overnight 07/14 Variety Show 07/15 Book Mobile Hall Of Fame 07/17 Seniors to Water Country 07/18 Supers to Canobie Lake & Dinner. 07/19 Black & White Dinner / DJ Social 07/20 1st Session Campers Depart 07/21 Full Session Parents Visiting Day

Trailblazers & Pioneers enjoyed their day at Whale’s Tale. “It was so much fun and there were a lot of fun rides, especially ones that went round in circles and the tube slides were really silly.” (Review by Matthew & Courtney A.) The Explorers spent time at Palace Playland on the 3rd of July all of “the campers had fun on rides, eating sweets, and being with friends. We had fun on the upside down spinning rides and the slow rides too. Most of the kids got a snack like ice cream or dippin dots. Palace Playland was a fun exciting trip for the Explorers and their counselors.” (Review By Elexa S.) The Inters highly recommend spending time at Water Country. The family ride is really cool it has two slides. The best part of the day was going on the water slides and the gift shop. The gift shop has many different choices for candy! (Review by Natasha D.) The Seniors enjoyed a day out at Canobie Lake. Canobie Lake is awesome I went on the round up four times. The Supers were off to Water Country and their top three choices are: Geronimo, the Black Hole, and the family fun slide. (Review by Emily S. & Alexa P. ~ see the next Peelings for the complete review!)

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New Checker King, Tyler S.,

Crowned at Birchmont The annual checker tournament was a fun event which captured the attention of 32 campers who competed in the single elimination competition under the pines. Tyler S., last year’s finalist battled his way to the championship spot by defeating Austin K. in a solid game of strategic thinking and sportsmanship. New camper Matthew K. advanced handily to the semi-final round, along with Alex K., whose brother Russell has won both the checker and chess tournaments in previous summers. Honorable mention goes to Alex A., Jack B., Blake W. & Jacob L. who all advanced to the quarter finals in some good battles of wits. Also it must be mentioned that a record breaking game between new camper Chris W. and Matt K. was ultimately finished with a canteen break in between due to the duration of the play. All the players exhibited excellent powers of concentration and sportsmanship, although there were bound to be some moments of disappointment due to the nature of the single elimination format. Prizes will be awarded to both finalists at Quiet Hour. The annual chess tournament will be held Sunday July 8th, everyone is invited to play. Giant lawn chess and big Jenga towers will be set out for additional informal play. Congratulations to Tyler S., well done!

We started our celebration on Wednesday July Fourth but because of the rain at dinner time we finished our celebration on the evening of July Fifth. The lower camp enjoyed relay races & make your own sundaes on camp grounds. Our upper campers went into the town of Wolfeboro to enjoy a fireworks spectacular over Lake Winnipesaukee. America’s birthday is a lot of fun to celebrate at camp.

The Birchmont Beach By Rachel S. Good news everybody! There are many new exciting things down at the waterfront. There is a new waterslide for everyone, which even the youngest campers can use. A new swim level (level seven) if you pass your four laps you can go on the first two docks. If you pass your eight laps you can go on all the docks, tubing, water skiing, sailing, canoeing and kayaking. Polly will help you pass the laps if you just keep trying.

The waterfront is great!

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Birchmont Athletics – 2007 By Greg H. The 2007 intercamp competition schedule started off with a BANG – as Birchmont traveled to arch rival Camp Tecumseh for an 11 and under Boys Tennis Tournament just three days into camp, on June 29th. In the final singles match of the tournament, Josh S. was victorious and helped seal a FIRST PLACE TROPHY for Birchmont over some of the best all boys camps in the area! What a way to start the year! Congratulations to Coaches Jed Z. and James R. and to all the players who participated. The very next day marked the start of one of the summer’s best tournaments, the famous Lakes Region (regional) 12 and under boys Little League Baseball Tournament, with the first round match up at Camp Winaukee. In a stunning rout, Birchmont dispatched archrival Winaukee by a score of 10-2 to advance to round 2, to be held at Birchmont July 4th. Strong performances were turned in by Malcolm N., Cooper S., Jason G., Jackson T. and Matt J.. Congratulations to Coach S. and to all the players for an impressive performance and best of luck in the next round. July 2nd marked the popular 11 and under Boys Birchmont Softball Tournament, with visiting camps like Winaukee and Robinhood. With a slow pitch format, participation was maximized among both the Explorer and Pioneer Boys with nearly every single camper in those groups taking the field. After a long day of great teamwork and sportsmanship, Birchmont defeated Winaukee in the extra innings final on a base hit by new camper Jamie G. – with two outs and the bases loaded! Jamie G. was named tournament MVP and once again Birchmont landed the first place trophy! Three competitions, THREE VICTORIES including two tournament CHAMPIONSHIPS! What a start to the season! The next time someone tells you a coed camp can’t match up with a single sex camp athletically – tell them, like we always say – that: Birchmont is not your typical coed camp! More ICCs to come for the girls and for the older boys too. And don’t forget SPIRIT DAY on July 7th – for ALL BIRCHMONT CAMPERS!

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Birchmont 12 and Under Baseball By Steve M. This past week, the Birchmont 12 and under baseball team won two important games and has earned the right to play in the Lakes Region Athletic Association tournament finals. In the first win, a 10-3 victory over Winnaukee Silver, Birchmont pitcher Malcolm N. delivered a dominant pitching performance with 13 strikeouts in six innings. The bulk of the offense was pitched by Michael C., who lined a big double to left center, and Matt J. who reached base on all his time at bat. Jason A. added on to the offense later in the game with a single in the sixth. Birchmont coasted in this first win and every player on the team was able to have at least one at bat. The semi-final game proved to be more challenging for Birchmont. Malcolm N. gave the team another stellar performance at the mound holding Winnaukee Gold to only two runs. The game stayed close throughout, but clutch hitting from Jason G., Carter R. and Jackson T. lifted the Braves to a 3-2 victory. Flawless defense and two lead off hits by Jesse C. also played an important role in Birchmont’s success. Birchmont now eagerly awaits next weeks championship game.

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LIFE: BEHIND A ROCK BAND What happens when four boys, out of college for a few years, try and live out their original dream to become rock stars? Who they meet along the way will play big parts in their future and some old enemies may just try to stop them.

Sydney R. has written many short stories and poems. She has always had a love for writing and some of her poetry has been published in “A Celebration of Young Poets Fall 2003”. Sydney is an 8th grade student who also enjoys karate and playing guitar. She lives in New York.

Dear Samantha & Emily I am having a great time but

I am getting into fights I am sometimes making those fights. How do I say “Please Stop” or “you’re hurting my feelings” instead of yelling at them? ~ Confused Friend Dear “Confused Friend”,

We are sure everyone here at camp gets into fights and even start them. One thing you have to always do though is try to be nice no matter how annoyed you are. However if you do get into a fight, you just have to take a deep breath and ignore it. Also, you could say “I’m sorry if I hurt your feelings before but can we just forget about it and move on?” If the person is still upset after your apology, just don’t make a big deal about it and forget what happened earlier. Just remember to be nice because if you aren’t it would only make things worse!

Samantha & Emily

LIFE: BEHIND AN AUTHOR An Interview with Sydney R. USR-G By Jordan G.

We sat down together to discuss Sydney R.’s book, LIFE: BEHIND A ROCK BAND.

Q. What inspired you to be an author? A. I truly enjoy writing and I find it a really good way to express myself. Q. How did you get the ideas for your characters? A. They were fictional characters, but some of their names and events were based on real things. Q. Was it hard to write your book? A. It took me about a year on and off to write it. The only time it was hard to write was when the plot wasn’t clear in my mind. Q. How did you publish it? A. There is an online publishing company called iUniverse that I communicated with through e-mail. The book was finalized online and then I saw the finished product. Q. Where do you do most of your writing? A. Mostly in my room on my computer. I generally never write on paper. It’s a process that I enjoy.

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What if it were summer all the time?

Global Warming By Eva G. & Leigh K.

As you may know, global warming is something that has affected the whole earth. Global warming is when the glaciers and ice caps start to melt and many animals such as polar bears and penguins loose their habitats. However, there are some ways to stop global warming. Here are some examples.

• Every time you leave a room turn off the lights.

• If you are going a couple of blocks away, take your bicycle instead of a car or use your feet.

• Get cars that use less gasoline. • Recycle

Basically global warming is all about pollution and gas filling the earth but if you follow the examples above we can all prevent global warming.

The Life & Times of Shorty An Interview with Laura P. By Michael B., Jack B., Tyler B. and Adam L.

Who is Shorty? Shorty is a seven year old dog who is black and white with brown eye brows. The name Shorty came from his height. The thin dog is now a little bit chubby. He is loved by all the campers because he is so cute and has a smile on his face. He is a Welsh Corgi.

An Interview with Shorty Pierce By Jamie S. and Rachel G.

Q. How old are you? A. Seven Q. What type of dog are you? A. Pembroke Welsh Corgi Tricolor Q. How many siblings do you have? A. 3 Q. Are they all dogs? A. No Q. What are their names? A. Tori, Will and Buck Q. What is your favorite food? A. Human food but my favorite food is moms’ brisket. Q. What are the white flags around the directors’ cabin for? A. Buck is teaching me how to use an electric fence. Q. Why? A. So I don’t eat all the people food Q. What is your favorite thing that campers do to you? A. Pet me.

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Homesick Remedy By Ashley C., Jenny B., Olivia C. and Kirsty

It is natural for us to feel homesick during the first few days here at P.C.B. We created a recipe for campers new and old to cure homesickness.

1 handful of letter chips a splash of lake water 9 bunches of activities

4 sprinkles of spirit 3 pinches of counselor dust 12 dollops of friend powder

6 photo rolls 7 pieces of bunk chunks

10 teaspoons of fun paste a shimmy of DJ social

Stir thoroughly until mix turns Birchmont blue.

Drink with water and enjoy the camp experience.

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By Rachel W.

Hi, my name is Rachel I am at Pierce Camp Birchmont. I am in Mt. Delight, I have 8 kids in my bunk and I love my counselors. The other campers’ names are Rachel S., Ashley, Elisa, Hanna, Jamie, Samantha & Jacqueline My favorite activity is notches. My favorite food is cookies.

The Fall Down Tree By William B. & Zach S. As you may know during a storm a tree has fallen down right across the path from our cabin, Chocurua. No one was hurt when the tree fell, but we all heard it. Scott the Head of Boys Camp said that he will build a totem pole out of the tree and the boys of Chocurua can dedicate one animal to carve in it. The animal that the boys picked is a toucan. His name is McArthur and he is the trailblazer boys’ mascot. McArthur lives in our group leader Andy H.’s back pack. Early the next day after the tree fell; the guys came to cut the tree up in pieces. Then they came to pick up the tree and save it by the indian village. Soon we are going to make the totem pole. By the last week of camp the Chocurua totem pole will probably be finished. So at the end of this summer or next summer when you come back look for the Chocurua totem pole. We will see our friend McArthur the toucan living high on the pole in boy’s camp.

By Rachel G. & Jamie S. On the first day of camp when you arrive you are scared but at the same time you are really excited about meeting new people. On the first night you don’t feel so comfortable but by the third night you feel like you have known everyone your whole life. At first the activities seem kind of hard but they are not, you soon will never want to stop because there is so much fun. By the end of the first session you’ll never want to leave.

Trust Us!

By Elisa L. A lot of people are scared the first week. Then they are happy and having fun. I was scared too and now I’m having fun. I bet a lot of kids feel like I do.

Camp touched my soul.

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What Lorna did this year!

By Sophia W. & Natalie A. Lorna S. EXPG group leader spent this year in Ghana, West Africa. She was working for an African Charity called Orphanage Africa as a physiotherapist; we wanted to find out more! Q. What were the people like? A. Very different! They are so friendly; everyone just treats you like a celebrity shouting at you, all wanting to ask about the UK or the USA. The children haven’t seen white skin before and some would dare each other to run up and touch me. Others would just see me & burst into tears, they were so terrified. They called my freckles pom poms! Q. What did you do as a therapist for them? A. At first I was so overwhelmed. But I knew I could help so I assessed each child individually and made a problem list, this then allowed me to work on short term and long term goals, so they could each reach their potential with lots of physical exercises, but also lots of love & cuddles. Q. What sorts of problem did you see? A. Lots of Cerebral Palsy, where the children are born with problems with their positive movement, also blindness, communication problems and all the children had development delay due to neglect, so their abilities were much younger then their age. Q. Where did you live? A. I did a home stay, so I lived with an African family. We lived in a small home on a red dirt path with their three dogs and goats. They were welcoming and sometimes would make me banana bread, as well as African dishes like plantain & red red. Q. What did you do when you weren’t working? A. We traveled all around the country! We saw elephants on safari, the highest waterfall in Africa, slept overnight in a rain forest, chilled on the tropical beaches, saw an entire village on stilts, we did some canoeing and sun bathing too! Q. How do you feel now that it’s over? Did you make a difference and did you feel loved there? A. Yes, I felt loved. It was really hard being so far from home, missing my friends and family and being somewhere so different.

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Horseback Riding By Leonie S. (Germany) One of the activities in camp is horseback riding. We have five horses and one horse belongs to Martine. Their names are Dell, Honey, Damien, Manny, Tootsie and Jaffa. If you do horseback riding you can go on the trail that goes through the woods or take trotting lessons. Horse back riding is really fun and if you like horses you should definitely join.

SUNDAYS!By Victoria, Rebecca & Lucy (EXP G) If you like candy – Sunday is your day! Every Sunday you get to visit Sandy at canteen. If you write a letter home, you get to choose three pieces of your favorite candy. There are many different kinds to choose from. If you aren’t chosen to help, your counselor and the helper will give you 3 pieces of candy. There are many other ways you can earn extra canteen too, games, special events, helping out. So remember play fair, help out and have fun!!!

A chat with Katie W. By Talia A. & Dominique K. We interviewed Katie W. who came from the other side of the world, Australia! Q. How many hours did you spend on the flight here? A. 21 hours total Q. Is this your first time in the United States A. Yes and I’m loving it. Q. What do you think of Pierce Camp Birchmont? A. I think it’s the best and I was very lucky to get this camp. Q. Does it get cold in Australia? A. I’ve never seen snow; a cold day is about 45 degrees Fahrenheit. Q. What’s your job in Australia? A. I am a teacher. Q. Are you coming back next year? A. I’m not sure yet, but I’d like to. I am traveling for the year and hoping to get a teaching job in a rural area of western Australia. Q. How much did you pack for camp? A. One traveling back pack. Q. How many people are in your family? A. Seven; Mom, Dad, me and four brothers. Q. What do you do at camp? A. I am at the waterfront. Q. How good are your EXP G’s? A. Sooooooo GOOD! Q. Do you have anything you want to tell us? A. Thanks to Lorna for being such a great group leader. Your hard work and your cool attitude has made EXPG’s the best group ever, PCB people are awesome!!

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By Little Sister Hanna Z. TRG Big Sister / Little Sister is a long standing camp tradition. The Trailblazers and Pioneers Girls have recently met their “Big Sisters”. When the Trailblazers and Pioneers entered the dining hall they thought all they would do was talk and meet their new big sisters, but they thought wrong! Martha & Elaine had a surprise event going on, we made fantastic Birchmont teddy bears. The girls loved it; it was a great way to meet each other. Big sisters and little sisters can tell each other everything and always trust each other. This great event is like two strangers that take a journey to find out more about life and other people. Even if you have a real big sister at home, a camp big sister is fun to have.

By Big Sister Kayla B. SSRG Big Sister / Littler Sister is a tradition that has been going on for as long as I can remember. It is a bonding experience where a younger camper can find comfort and a friend in someone who has gone through the challenges of being a new camper. This year I participated in a wonderful event in which my little sister and I were able to stuff and create our own personal Birchmont teddy bear. I have also been there for my little sister by playing tennis with her at rest hour. In this way I was able to better my last year of camp by helping to carry on such a meaningful camp tradition.