Busy as a Bee . . .

This past weekend was a busy one at the camp.  On Friday, we had the Whitesburg RAs in overnight. The group makes a regular appearance in both the spring and the fall, and we always enjoy hosting their campouts!  You can count on the group doing some kind of a craft:

And there's a lot of games, devotion time, hiking, and laughing going on! Plus food ... the grills are working overtime ... or in this case, the griddle . . .

And this year, they gifted us with a three-burner camp stove, which we really appreciate.

This will come in so handy at the next fish fry!

The guys stayed through Saturday morning ... they even got a good tour of the new cabin.  By noon the camp was quiet . . . for a little while.  Late Saturday afternoon, the camp played host to a special two-year-old's birthday party!

Everything was set up perfectly for this sweet little girl's "Busy as a Bee" themed party.

The weather was perfect and the kids had a great time.

The new deck is a real asset to the pavilion, and parents love to be able to let their kids 'go'!  The new permanent counter has also proved to be a tremendous asset, well-appreciated by all our guests.

And was a great place to receive lots of fun birthday presents, too!

After an afternoon of lots of good food, fun, and birthday cake, this group called it an evening and the camp was quiet once again.

That changed on Sunday afternoon, when Union Grove Baptist Church held their evening service up at the pavilion!

They had a terrific crowd show up, and enjoyed what was probably the best weather of the weekend.

We sure enjoyed having all three of these groups at Camp MACOBA and hope we'll see them all again SOON!

Whitesburg RAs Father-Son Campout

Talk about perfect camping out weather -- that's what the Whitesburg RAs had for their father-son campout this past weekend!

After a dinner of deluxe bacon-cheeseburgers, they took some time making a 'cabin' craft together.

While they worked, they also had a time of devotion, followed by flashlight tag!

A terrific group had a terrific time!

Whitesburg RAs

The camp had the pleasure of hosting Whitesburg's annual Royal Ambassador Spring Father/ Son Cookout. Generally it's a overnight camp out, but the weather was not cooperating and so they settled for an evening of food, "capture the flag" and fun!

A pretty good sized group gathered for this shot after dinner was served. Then it was craft time . . .

And then the boys had a rousing game of capture the flag up in the big field. We were sure glad they were able to get in some time before wet weather dampened their fun!  Of course, with a leadership like the Whitesburg RAs have, fun is bound to happen!  We look forward to seeing them again in the fall -- along with Whitesburg's Missions Pastor, Rev. John Crocker, a terrific camp supporter!

Whitesburg RAs

Cold temps didn't stop the Whitesburg RAs from having a good time at their annual fall camp out! They came in late on Friday and settled in quickly. Because of the cold, they set up around (and under) the pavilion -- near the fire!

Saturday morning was a pancake morning and then they settled into crafts and activities and games.

One of the crafts involved stockings . . .

And this young man worked very diligently on his.

All in all, despite the cold, they had a great time! 

This is a great group of fellows, and we always enjoy their presence when they visit!

GSNA - Day Camp Time!

We have had the privilege of being the host spot for day camp (day five) of the Girl Scouts of North Alabama for three years, now!  This year, the weather was perfect for a day of activities, food and fun!  And with 162 girls, leaders and parents, I think this may have been their biggest year, ever!

They all worked on badges and projects throughout the day.  One of the favorite stations is the campfire station. 

Not only do girls learn proper procedures for starting, safely maintaining, and putting out their campfires, but they also get to put the campfire to use . . .

Making s'mores!  You can see why it's a favorite!

They had lots of fun activities and crafts going on, too:

Earlier in their week, they all made the fun tie-dyed tee-shirts.  Each age group uses a different set of colors...

Makes them easier to spot that way (and determine if one is where she shouldn't be)!

That afternoon, they even had a fire truck come to the camp -- all the way from Keel Mountain Volunteer Fire Department!

Fire safety and prevention is a top tool for campers!

One of the coolest group projects the girls did was this fabulous handprint tree:

They did a great job with it! It gives us some ideas for a "hand print registry" for future visitors to the camp! 

It was a terrific day -- we love hearing the camp filled with the sounds of happy children (and adults) enjoying God's goodness!  And we hope they'll make it four years in a row by returning next year, too!

Whitesburg RAs

For the last two springs, this annual meeting of the Whitesburg RAs has been rained out . . . and it looked like that might be the case for this past weekend, as well.  

But their fearless leader, John Crocker, rolled the dice and decided to go ahead with their plans.  And do you know, not a single drop of rain fell?

The boys (and dads/leaders) had a great weekend - the temps were mild and the skies were clear.  They setup up behind the pavilion and enjoyed a roaring fire on Friday night.  Then on Saturday, they hit the obstacle course:

Did a craft:

This particular craft centered around Psalm 27:1.  The Lord is my light and my salvation.  Whom shall I fear?  The theme of the weekend was about not being afraid (hence the pose on the rope climb).  They also took took the trails for some hiking.

This is such a great group of young guys.  It's always an pleasure to have them visit the camp.  Glad they were able to make it work (and the rain held for once)!

Three Days, Three Groups!

This past weekend (the last in October) was packed with groups and people enjoying wonderful fall weather at the camp!  The first arrivals were the fellows from Boy Scout Troop 8, who were here for wilderness/survival training.

They came in after dark on Friday and got their tents sent up quickly in the main campground and spent their first night around the camp fire.

Saturday morning brought daylight and an opportunity to check out their tent village . . .

 Everyone was busy doing something.  Chopping wood, collecting water . . .

 Working on and in the "kitchen" tarp.

Already water was boiling for Saturday night's dinner!

Which we did come back for!  By that time, all the work had been done and everyone was kind of kicked back and enjoying a lovely Saturday afternoon.

 We took the opportunity to check out the shelters that the boys had gotten set up.

They looked pretty good -- and I daresay, out in the middle of the woods, they'd have been near impossible to find.

One of the utilitarian chests in the kitchen area:

Everything the outdoorsman needs to cook up a tasty meal!  Speaking of which, the spaghetti served up that evening was from an old Italian family recipe and was very, very good!

While we enjoyed our spaghetti, the guys were preparing dessert in the Dutch ovens . . .

 We had some of that, too.  Peach and blueberry cobbler in one bowl and strawberry cobbler in the other.

YUM!

This was the first time Troop 8 had been out here (Cub Scout Pack 8 had visited several years ago) and they were all so impressed with the Camp, the beautiful setting and how perfect it was for the kind of camping they enjoy.  One of the men mentioned that his favorite part of the day was sitting around the camp fire, after all the boys had packed it in.  Several men agreed!

Talk about opposites . . . our second group arrived on Saturday morning, full of giggles and laughter!  It was the GAs of Hillwood Baptist Church, who were here for the FIRST EVER campout!

First thing they did was get their sleeping quarters up and in order.  They camped out around the pavilion.

Saturday afternoon they enjoyed some great crafts (painted frames and pillowcase prayers), a nature hike, and even some small group Bible study out in the field.

Come dinner time, the girls had really worked up an appetite!  They had roasted hot dogs over the fire and had baked beans and chips and s'mores to round things out!

It was fare fit for a queen!  Or lots of princesses!  And their Children's Minister (Jeff Whitehead), too!  He'd come up to share dinner and a time of worship with these beautiful faces.

 And after dinner was the perfect time for a couple of rounds of checkers, in front of the big fireplace!

 The braver girls sat around the camp fire and did Bible drills from their lessons earlier in the day:

We were so pleased with how excited all the girls were to be camping and how much they each enjoyed it.

And as a service project bonus, they planted a lovely bed of pansies to help us get through the fall and winter with a splash of color!  We certainly look forward to their return and appreciate all their hard work and kind words!

Last up was Cornerstone Baptist Church with their annual church picnic on Sunday afternoon.  By that time, both of the other two groups had already headed out and CBC had the camp to themselves.

We'd asked the GA group to not douse their fires, so it was nothing to re-kindle them both.

And so it didn't take long for the group to congregate around the fire!

 The children headed straight for the playground!  Love this sweet smile!

 And this smile too .... who says swings are just for littles???

And of course, the day was perfect for a little football tossing.  And a little attitude tossing, too!

It would seem that a church picnic is also a good spot for a little church business discussion?

They had a great afternoon and enjoyed the ponds, trails and creeks.  Not to mention a great feast of hamburgers, hot dogs, and loads of home made goodies!

It was a hugely busy weekend ... of the best kind -- filled with lots of happy campers!