Whew! What a Week!

Last week, my husband and I hosted Camp Schaefer. We invited our niece Leah and nephew Spencer, ages 6 & 4, to our home for a week of summer fun.

It was a glorious six days for both the kids and us. We started with a gem hunt. North Georgia was the site of the first gold rush in this country. To commemorate that, there are still a few mines that are somewhat operational and they offer panning for gold, as well as hunting for "planted" gems. The kids were not nearly as fascinated with the panning for gold as we were. Too labor intensive. But after 20 minutes of patient dunking, swishing and sifting, we ended up with quite a few small nuggets in the bottom of our pan. The gem hunting was a major hit. We bought a large bucket of silt and sand. Leah and Spencer each stood at the side of a sluice. They took a large scoop and placed two small mounds of silt in their screen. Then they dunked the screen into the running water. The sand, silt and smaller items got carried away and some pretty interesting minerals and gems were left behind. It was so much fun (for us, too) that we bought another bucket. In the end, both children filled half of a guart-sized zip-lock bag with specimens. At home, Ted made a sanded board with holes for mounting for each of them. Then they selected their favorites and we hot-glued those to the board and labeled. They found peacock copper, banded fluorite, rose quartz, orange calcite, peach calcite, amazonite, some amethyst, a variety of jaspers, and more.

Monday through Friday they attended a Horse Barn Camp where they learned how to feed, groom and ride these beautiful animals, as well as clean stalls (Spencer's favorite), bathe horses and care for the equipment. Every day they came back more excited than the day before.
It was definitely the high spot of the week. And, boy they had the dirt to prove it!

In the afternoons and evenings, we took hikes, tubed down the Chestatee River, made a campfire and cooked hot dogs and roasted marshmallows, played with Duke the dog and the two cats, cooked a joint birthday cake, gardened, read books, and played games.

You guessed it. All four of us were pretty tired at week's end. But the great thing about Camp Schaefer is that it was a wonderful break for
my husband and me, as well. We saw the world through Leah and Spencer's eyes. We were reminded about what's really important on a hot summer day. And, we were spoiled with hugs and giggles. Aaah, I'm already looking forward to next summer. I hope they come!