It was a very different summer for me - Steve had left and a new camp director was in his place. Jenn and I were the only returning staff members, and there was lots of new procedures and programs in place.
It was still great fun. Once again I did a million stupid and crazy things - everything from participating in the first Copper Cannon four man bobsled race on sand to serving the kids fake mice for breakfast (and Nevin a real mouse for dinner!) to getting up at 5.30am to help the boys serenade the girls awake on the karaoke machine with "Build Me Up Buttercup" - the half hour version.
I once again took on the role of "camp nurse", dispensing the kids medication and taking care of injuries, which as per usual belonged mostly to the staff. I also made a few road trips to the Littleton Hospital, which at the end of the summer granted me the award "Most time spent in the Littleton Hospital Emergency Department".
A lot of the same kids were back, including a week of teenagers, as the the ranger program for 13-16 year olds restarted. The kids knowing me was great, but did come with a couple of downsides. One day I was at the lake with the kids explaining that I don't play practical jokes, only to have three kids automatically yell out "BULL!" at the top of their lungs. Seems by now I had a reputation . . .
I managed to uphold my other reputation, with Richie and I getting lost numerous times. When the time came for the staff to cast votes for the yearbook, under the category "Most likely to get lost in a foreign country", the response was unanimous - "Richie and Tanya, been there, done that!" My other yearbook titles for the summer were:
- Most likely to rule the world
- Worst cook (just coz a few people had to eat burnt bagels . . .)
- Person who showers the least often but still manages to look good
(three words: THREE DAY RULE)
- Most likely to never hold a steady job (what can I say!)
- Best lie told that the staff believed ("My uncle is the crocodile hunter) and
- Best lie told that the kids believed ("In Australia we age slower, therefore I am really 68 and Shane is 66, we just look younger")
I once again struggled when the time came to leave camp for the summer, but did spend four days on a road trip causing chaos in Canada with the Copper Cannon crew.
