Day 5, August 17: Ashmere’s Day Out on the Town
Did someone say hot breakfast? Our wonderful chefs prepared an amazing vegetable egg frittata and we scarfed it down! Then we headed back to our cabins to clean them for the cabin inspection competition. Beds were made, floors were mopped, and each item was nicely tucked away into its respective place… well for most of the cabins. Regardless of cleanliness, effort was demonstrated by all 5 cabins! In some cases, even bribery was used. The Nook (downstairs) and the Den were victorious and tied for first place.
Next we had some morning activities. Some of us went swimming down at that lakefront, or participated in Keenan’s fishing class. Marie was the catch of the day! One group did meditation in the dining hall. Ben led the group in relaxing breathing practices and utilized the steel tongue drum as a guide. Bailey hosted a writing session for some of us, and we wrote about why we feel a sense of belonging at Ashmere. You can read Myles BH’s piece at the bottom of this blog post! And like always, Stella and others were hard at work in the art cabin.
Next, we piled into vehicles and headed to the Hangar Pub & Grill for a late and hefty lunch. We had the whole space to ourselves and enjoyed the tastiest chicken wings, mac & cheese, and waffle fries. It was the perfect space to enjoy good food and even better company! Many thanks to them for having us!
From there, we headed straight to Jacob’s Pillow to watch the dance festival. There were different performances from several different undergraduate dance programs across the United States. Hands down, most fun part was Sam Stoddard’s cheering. And the most interesting part was…. cricket, cricket….. you had to be there.
After the performance, we enjoyed some snacks and had an ice cream party upon returning to camp. There were ALL the toppings and so many flavors to pick from. It was a sweet way to end the day! We are off to bed to get ready for a jam-packed day tomorrow.
All the love, Ashmere
The Whale written by Myles BH
This is a story about a whale, who, at his core is a jolly, joyful, joyous, gigolo. During the year, the whale lives in a smaller pond. It’s a hectic little pond full of other whales but he doesn’t always feel fulfilled. There are always other whales eating his crustaceans, not giving him privacy, and shunning his creativity.
But once a year, the whale swims upstream to a very special lake in the Berkshires. In the lake, there are a ton of other incredible sea creatures: there’s a King Crab named Mike, a couple octopie (Maggie + Julia) and a school of other supporter fish, ready to be taught. When the whale arrives at the lake, he is bombarded by glee. He moves into a Sea Cave called Cliffside cabin, where he is met by his boys. Right away, the activities begin: swimming (naturally), puka shell art, mermaid party dancing, and bowling. The excursions are plentiful, and through the gathering, the whale feels less isolated than he does in his small pond back home. And at the end of his vacation upstream, the whale and his friends put on a Shakespearan-like play for the masses. It’s full of fun, laughter, and wacky inflatable tube-men.
At the end of the two weeks, unfortunately, the whale must swim back downstream. But he has gained a new perspective on how to deal with his isolation in his small pond back home. He has two families.
