Week 4? Impossible! Seems like only yesterday we were building that cabin, waiting for the bus from NYC to rumble up the road. We’ve got a lot to ground to cover in the next week, as we barrel toward Friday night’s premiere party for A Trip to The Sun.

Emily introducing this week’s domain options

The final Domains of Beam 2010 are:

Sports Invention

Mosaic

Complaint Chorus

Magic Card Set

Operation Starlight 2

Finding Your Spirit Animal

Looming & Weaving

Song Parody

De Stijl Box

Petit Morceau

& the Art of Folding

Which could mean anything!!! You’ve got a week to mull those titles over. To give you some idea of the scope, here is an original ritual that arose from last week’s Rites of Passage domain.

The Food Appreciation Ritual
By Lucas, Angelo, and Eli

Prepare the ‘good food’ – reheated mini-sliders and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for the vegetarians. Place the good food on paper trays set inside a triangle inscribed in the ground near the ritual fire.

All address the good food simultaneously for about a minute, after which the good food should be consciously appreciated as it is consumed.

The ritual’s authors present the supervising counselors with paper flowers.

All go to the fire, where the waste bucket of uneaten food from the most recently served meal symbolizes “bad food”. The bad food is addressed for a minute, after which the ritual’s authors each select a representative item from the waste bucket to put in the fire.

All silently watch the fire consume the “bad” food.

The ashes of the bad food are spread within the triangle, after which the triangle is rubbed out.

Dude Zoo, Heliocentrics, Big Willey Yacht Club, and the participants of Operation Starlight all camped out this week. Open Moebius and Banshee Avalanche are hoping the weather will allow them to do the same. How does a camp out differ from camp? For one thing you get s’mores. You can be really loud. You cook your own foodover an open fire. You sleep in a tent. You may come back in the morning to find your shoes tied together, or your bunk sign replaced.

Here’s what some Heliocentrics had to say about the experience…with the understanding that some of what happens at back camp stays at back camp:

Eloise: It was great.

Olive: Awesome.

Phoebe R: Amazing.

Fiona: It was so fun.

Eloise: It was very starry and not buggy.

(Top secret revelation of enviably wholesome fun)

Sophie: You guys! We’re not supposed to talk about that!

All: Yeah, we made a pact.

Interviewer: Did all of you guys have prior camp-out experience?

Annie: Not really. It was interesting. Not the most comfortable. I shared a tent with India, Claire and Bess, and they were really great.

Interviewer: Did you hear any interesting noises? A chipmunk that sounds like a bear, that kind of thing?

Phoebe R: We were SO LOUD!!!

Eloise: We stayed up ‘til about 12:30.

Sophie: And candy….

Interviewer: The candy we confiscated from Fiona’s package?

Fiona: Yes. And more.

Sophie: I had a sugar crash!

Eloise: I think all of us at one point in the night woke up at the bottom of the tent.

Olive: We slid down and it was so funny.

Sophie: We did Chubby Bunny*…well, I did.
(* Cram more marshmallows than can possibly fit in your mouth then say “Chubby Bunny” Just one example of the many nutritious, intellectual pursuits endorsed by Beam Camp.)

Olive: Me and Bess tied.

Phoebe R: I failed.

Sophie: We should’ve just eaten ‘em.

Phoebe R: I would’ve been sick.

Sophie: It was pretty humid and hot.

Fiona: Everyone got hyper.

Eloise: I got totally hyper.

Sophie: … Eloise?

Eloise: At one point, I was eating Milk Duds and I was like, “Myah, myah, myah, Heather, yook a’ me!”

Sophie: And then I told a joke that made everyone laugh.

Phoebe R: That’s a dumb joke.

Sophie: Yeah, but it’s funny, though.

Fiona: And you love telling it.

Sophie: I do.

IN OUR DOWN TIME

We play tetherball…

& Capture the Flag (Team Garbage in blue vs. Team Dander in red – this photo was taken moments before a daring Dander rescue mission freed a jail’s worth of prisoners from the shadow of the Flappet Tree)…

& construct homemade Slip N’ Slides…don’t worry, the staff tries em out first

OH NO!!! SUN CREATURES! RUN!!!!!

We’re kicking up a lot more than dust in our white wedding tent. Check out the TAL-to-the-ENT on display at Wednesday’s Variety Show. When cohosts India and Max started running out of corny jokes, Corey and Andrezj filled in. Anyone who had the time, desire, and energy to cobble together an act was guaranteed a slot. Skits! Songs! Tap Dancing! The sheer variety of it was so bangin’, it caused three of Domain Guest Raphael’s weather balloons to explode! KAPOW! A glimpse of the proceedings:

Speaking of Peeks, here’s a taste of this week’s Domains in action.

RITES OF PASSAGE

DEMO TIME

UFO

TAIKO DRUMMING

REPRESENT YOURSELF

OPERATION STARLIGHT

MASKS

LAYERS COLLAGE

KNITTING

DRAWING

BUNRAKU

ACTION PAINTING

LONG DISTANCE SWIM

CRYPTOZOOLOGY

A QUICK TIP FROM THE POST MISTRESS:
If you’re still hurting for a letter from the camper dearest your own personal heart, try creating a fill-in-the-blank and return form. Remember that Yes or No questions may result in a terse reply. Those who know what an adjective is could be nudged toward specifics with a cliffhanger such as “The food at lunch today was __(insert adjective here). Artistic campers might respond to a request for a drawing of some memorable domain… Some other topics that might rev them up are campfire, swimming, froccer (an unholy hybrid of frisbee and soccer) and snack.

Whoops, got to go before some kid gets to ring the Panano instead of me! Wait, some kid always gets to ring the Panano instead of me…

Click here to view the embedded video.

BUTTERFLY!!!!

We like to do things a little differently here on Sundays, so a few days ago, we threw together some costumes, carved ten watermelons, turned one of our furthest-flung buildings into a mad scientist’s lab, and bobbed for apples in the Trout section. Halloween comes but once a year, but Beamoween is whenever and whatever you make it!

Click here to view the embedded video.

AFTER DINNER:

On evenings when we don’t have a massive, all-camp activity, cabin groups sometimes elect to join forces. Last night, as Big Willey Yacht Club, Banshee Avalanche and Pandora’s Bunk were enjoying a moonlit swim in the Trout Section, the gentlemen of Steambunk escorted the comparatively older ladies of Heliocentrics to a beachfront prom. Couples were matched up according to bunk placement within their cabins, music was provided by Al Green, and the paparazzi was out in full force to capture the fabulously dressed participants promenading on the dock.

PROJECT!!!!

There is light at the end of the Trip to the Sun tunnel! All pistons are firing. Filming is underway. The weather is cooperating!

DOMAINS
For those who’ve lost track of time, it’s WEEK 3! Which of course means a whole host of new domains. Which would you choose?

UFO
Drawing
Knitting
Taiko Drumming
Mask Making
Layers Collage
Rites of Passage
Demo Time Volume 1
Action Painting
Represent Yourself
Operation Starlight
Cryptozoology 2 (The Advanced Seminar)
Long Distance Swimming

Dept of Deja Vu:
Our campers may get bigger, but the dance remains the same.

We’re going to shower you with Week 2 Domain Photos soon. Hopefully this will tide you over til then.

BEAST FEAST:

LIMBS AMONG US:

ZEN GARDEN:

SOUND MONSTERS:

CREATING A VISUAL LANGUAGE:

COUNTERFEIT:

DANCE:

CRYPTOZOOLOGY:

Possible evidence of Big Foot poo.

And now a lunchtime exclusive with the Zen Monkeys, the youngest of the female Beamers, who are determined to ignore age and gender gaps to forge an alliance with their Dude Zoo counterparts:

Interviewer: So, you’ve all been here for almost a week. Why don’t we go around the table and everybody say her favorite thing about Beam so far?

Eve: Well, there’s Rest & Reading, and sleeping, and swimming… and Tire!!! (hee hee hee hee hee!)

Interviewer: Tire?

All (simultaneously): Our friend! His name is Tore, but we call him Tire!!! (hee hee hee hee hee!)

Eve: We’re trying to turn Tore into a tire!

Phoebe D: And Misha is Mushroom!

Asha: Don’t forget Grandma! I don’t know his real name. (points?)

Interviewer: You call Dexter ‘Grandma’?

All (simultaneously):Hee hee hee hee hee!

Interviewer: What’s the origin of that one?

All: We don’t know!

Faith: You guys! Let’s shout “Let’s thank the Chef!” but instead let’s thank Tire!

All: LET’S THANK TIRE!!!! (slapping table) HUHHH!!!!

Faith: Now let’s do “Tire, we salute you!”

All: TIRE WE SALUTE YOU!!! (hee hee hee hee hee!!!_

Lorelei: Now let’s thank Mushroom!

Interviewer: I think you’d better save that one for another day. Give another table a chance to shout something, you know?

All: ooooo-kay.

Lorelei: Hey! There’s little pieces of Ritz Cracker in my Mac n’ Cheese!

Interviewer: Is that a good thing or a bad thing?

Lorelei: It’s good.

Interviewer: So, getting back to our favorite things at camp…

Eve: Eating…

Diana: We have pulleys all over our cabin.

Asha: This morning me and Lorelei had a chat with the pulleys. Like during Rest & Reading, we want to talk, but we’re not allowed, so we send notes by pulley.

Asha: Faith’s making vines with furry string, so that when we walk to our bunks we’ll walk through the string and feel the furries.

Lorelei: There’s breakfast, dinner, and dessert…hey! I think Tire goes to my school. He’s ticklish!

Eve: And my brother’s as tall as him.

Phoebe: Jake calls me Vicious.

Interviewer: Why?

Phoebe: I don’t know.

Interviewer: Are you?

Phoebe: Maybe! Hee hee hee hee hee!

Lorelei: I don’t know who…I don’t know their name but they call me Troublemaker?

Interviewer: In a nice way?

Lorelei: Yes. I told them they could. Because I am a troublemaker. My mom won’t be surprised.

(Unbelievably, all fall quiet simultaneously)

Iris: Hmm… moment of silence.

All: Hee hee hee hee hee!!!

Phoebe: I like 5:35, and Periods 1 & 2…

Asha: I don’t have a favorite because everything’s really fun.

Interviewer: I notice that you guys talked about the guys in Dude Zoo, and I was wondering if you have much interaction with teenage boys outside of camp, or if this is something new.

Iris: A lot of my cousins are teenagers and they’re boys. Also girls.

All: (simultaneously) We should have an evening activity with Dude Zoo!!! We should have a campfire! We should go swimming with Dude Zoo!!!

Phoebe: No! They’ll just go in the Bass section*.
(* campers receive different fish-themed designations following their swim tests. The highest rank a Zen Monkey can be assigned to, as a Junior Camper, is Trout)

Lorelei: Tell them the Bass section is broken!

Asha: Tell them they’ve all been moved down to Sunfish!

Iris: Tell them they’ve turned into Juniors…

Lorelei: We could have an evening activity in the field.

Faith: Girls against boys in Tag, and girls go first!

…

A couple of nights after this conversation, the Zen Monkeys dream became a reality when Dude Zoo joined them for an evening of handicrafts in the Art Barn. Our interviewer caught up with some members of Dude Zoo to see how this odd pairing went from their perspective:

Misha: I don’t know why they call me Mushroom. I cannot even begin to fathom what it could possibly mean.

Eli: We made Exquisite Corpses with them, and buttons, and they made us give them piggyback rides. They all want piggyback rides. We had piggyback races. I raced with Faith.

Interviewer: Did you win?

Eli: We lost.

Interviewer: Is she heavy?

Eli: She’s not heavy.

Interviewer: Does it give you an interest in babysitting?

Eli: No.

Interviewer: (to counselor) Dean, what about you?

Dean: Well, I had a great time.

Interviewer: And the rest of the dudes?

Dean: The ones who were into it participated and those who weren’t made buttons.

Interviewer: Lucas, what did you do?

Lucas: I made buttons.

Interviewer: Misha, can you sum up the evening for us?

Misha: There was a whole lot of piggyback riding, racing, drawing, fighting, a lot of semantics with Sharpies. We said, “Go get Sharpies” and they brought us X-acto knives.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Confidential to Mama Accardi:

He swears his mother gave him the greenlight for a haircut…

Hard to believe we’re already deep into Week 2 Domains, but the photographic evidence from Domain Week 1 does not lie. (These photos are your conduit to the full Week 1 Domains gallery – just click on your favorite shot, then, write one of the campers depicted therein a lengthy, candy-free letter detailing how dull life seems without them, then click Back to Photo Album.)

And for those who’ve written in for details of last week’s Underground Economy Domain’s Commoner’s Trading Post all we can say is wow. At 5:35 last Friday, our campfire area was transformed into an open air market where the most popular currency was blueberries, and anything edible fetched a pretty price. Some notable swaps:

A mask for a birch bark mug

A hand massage for a joke about a whale

A pair of pine branch “antlers” for a miniature ax

Ten cookies for a plaster cast of Allen’s face

One cookie for a story

Wintergreen for a tarot reading

Several of those receiving boiled lotus root were grateful to be permitted to rinse their mouths with blueberry jam, especially since this elixir was technically being held in reserve for those who had contributed to the Blueberry Fund throughout the week.

Behold!

This week’s Domains are:

Beast Feast

Synchro Swim

Sound Monsters

Cryptozoology

Land Filter

Limbs Among Us

Tarpitecture

Counterfeit

Creating a Visual Language

Dance

Zen Rock Garden

& Viking Funeral

What a list! We may not have much in the way of staff cell phone reception, but we can hear your minds whirring all the way out here in rural New Hampshire.

In Journey to the Sun Project News, , the stage is a up! Not only is it a brilliant blue-screen blue, it is – fittingly – the sunniest place in camp, a resource we’ve been rich in lately.

Sophie and Heather testing the Blue Screen.

Maeve getting into character

The Editing Department

India, Claire and Ana behind the camera

DANG RIGHT WE DESERVE A SWIM!

Friday! Interest in today’s Underground Economy Domain Trading Post has reached a fever pitch, thanks to a massive poster campaign detailing some of the wares (pine needle tea, pillows, birch bark boxes) and skills (French lessons, how to eat ants) available at the event.

Our post mistress reports that parental interest in our Journey to the Sun project is understandably keen, but wait until we tell you about Kitchen Patrol! Setting tables! Washing dishes! Sweeping under the tables? Will they do it at home? They’re doing it here… They offered us Wintergreen to keep a lid on it, but the truth must be revealed.

Dude Zoo takes pride in their customized approach to table setting…

Open Moebius going after the crumbs...

Not that there are many crumbs to sweep up…

DOMAIN ACTION SHOTS:

Underground Economy Domain Guests Caroline and Colin  sport examples of their domain’s millinery creations…

Eli and Henry winging up bedding materials for the Green Roof Domain. In addition to plants from the nursery, campers are transplanting wild raspberries found in the sandy soil near the dining room.

Knitting!

Knitting Gone Wild!

Ideas into Artwork

Take that Wright Brothers! Here’s some footage of the Towels taking flight!

Click here to view the embedded video.

Gentlemen, start your engines…..this domain was piloted by Breck and Splinter of Brooklyn Aerodrome.

PROJECT:

Blue Screen approacheth…

In order to make Journey to the Sun a reality, we’ve created different departments through which the campers rotate in mixed-age Waves.

Nathaniel on the Costume Dept: “We spent the day looking for inspiration, cutting bits of cardboard to create armor for the soldiers. I made a model for the ammunition belt and epaulets. I have no prior experience with costumes. We also put a bunch of boxes on Wyatt, but it didn’t look very good, so we decided we’re going to need to use smaller boxes.”

Bess on EPK (Electronic Press Kit): We’ve been making inspirational posters.

Lillian and Tess on the Music Department: We’ve been hanging up wool blankets to soundproof the pods  so they can be our  recording studio.

The Camera Unit joins forces with the Production Dept

Andrezj on the Creative Unit: It’s the secondary unit. We worked on the set for the hill workers. Some of us worked on the blue screen. I’m looking forward to working with Props next.

Rohanna on the Costume Department: We’re about to start tie-dying the pants for the Sun Creatures. We dyed the scientists’ pants today, and made the buttons.

Sophie on the Art Department: We’ve been doing a lot of work on the interior of the spaceship. It’s starting to look like  it’s supposed to.

The Editing Department

Henry L on the Creative Unit: You get to do things like make models and mini flowers. Also, I’m going to audition for Wellman. I only know of one other person who’s doing that, Oliver from my bunk. I kind of hate competing with someone I like.

Annie on the Editing Department: We’ve been working out different styles of lettering for each character, so the audience can tell who’s supposed to be speaking. Today we worked on Wellman and the General.

Gavin on the Camera Department: We spent the day making test shots with the Production Department.

Meanwhile:

Catherine stands guard over an all-male swim session featuring Steambunk, Open Moebius and Big Willey Yacht Club

Anything goes when it comes to sportswear here at BEAM…

…& Jake found a potato chip so large he felt it required documentation.

The staff was also treated to a wonderful evening of original performance at which the cabins revealed the origin stories of their names, and India turned in an uncanny impersonation of Brian Cohen. Bootleg footage will be posted when it becomes available.

The Pioneers, Master Builder Chip, Workshop Director Torben, 2009 Project Manager Ryan, and Danny put the pedal to the metal and completed the final cabin, which shall henceforth be referred to as Dude Zoo. The oldest male campers have made themselves right at home, as you can see by all the neatly folded towels festooning the windows.

The summer’s other bunks  this  are:

Heliocentrics

Big Willey Yacht Club

Pandora’s Bunk

Open Moebius

Banshee Avalanche

Steambunk

Echo Location

& Zen Monkeys

Heather hanging the giant sun that is but one element of the Heliocentrics’ sign on Saturday afternoon

Angelo advises his counselors, Shane and Ozzy on the placement of Big Willey Yacht Club’s bunk sign

As Pioneer week drew to a close, we gathered around the campfire to salute several friends whose summer schedules are depriving us of the pleasure of their continued company – we miss you already, guys! Brian formally conferred some new responsibilities on our oldest Beamers (those entering their sophomore year of high school and above). Counselor Allen recorded a spur-of-the-moment, in-the-round cigar box guitar concert. We said goodbye to Domain Guest K-Rock and 2009 Project Manager, Canadian Ryan Legassicke, who left behind a beautiful, handcrafted bench of his own design.

Pioneer Week Campfire

Pioneer Week Karaoke!

He designed, he built , he left…and he better come back in 2011!

Post-breakfast serenade

And then in rolled a giant bus loaded with campers! Old friends! New friends! Over a half-dozen pick up truck trips to get all that luggage up the hill!

Campers toured the grounds, took their swim tests, and settled into their bunks. For the first time ever, every stump at the recently revamped fire pit boasted a bonafide Beam Camper butt. First year Beamer Julian invented a new campfire genre, the Improvisational Repeat After Me Story, and the wooden crank-box Torben built to Ayun’s rather vague specifications allowed everyone to sing Big Rock Candy Mountain, one of those songs you think you know the lyrics to, until to realize that you don’t. Campers and counselors immediately started planning new lyrical scrolls for the crank-box’s next appearance. Also, a member of the Leadership Team has been asked to download the guitar, bass, and drum tabs for Iron Maiden’s “Run to the Hills”.

Orientation

On Sunday, campers signed up for their first domains at the Domain Fair. The choices this go round were:

Underground Economy

Green Roof

“Flappets” kinetic sculptures

Knitting

Earthworks

“Towel” remote controlled airplanes

& Idea to Artwork

Oliver and Domain Guest Gerbo embarking on their Flappets journey

Monday was our first ‘regular’ camp day, with regard to Domains and Project work.

Wave 7 priming a portion of the soundstage floor

The residents of Banshee Avalanche were gracious enough to take some time out of their busy day to reveal some of the highlights of their first few days at Beam:

Tess: Hanging out in the cabin, talking with bunkmates and playing games on the floating dock

Jade: Listening to my iPod during Rest & Reading

Ruby: Rest & Reading and playing games in the field

Katie: Rest & Reading and swimming

Caila: Rest & Reading

Pearl: The Domain Fair

Kali: The presentation where we learned about the Project

Counselor Amanda: Meeting all the new campers

Counselor Fran: Being outside so much

We could go on, but what kind of monsters would scoop all those cards and letters filling the outgoing mailbox? On the receiving end, first year counselor Catherine of Pandora’s Bunk shows every sign of beating the record set last year by Banshee Avalanche’s Amanda for most incoming snail mail addressed to a staff member. Your messages from home are distributed right after lunch, to be savored during Rest & Reading, so keep ‘em coming, folks!

]]> http://www.beamcamp.com/uncategorized/dude-zoo-domains-a-sharp-spike-in-population/feed/ 2 http://www.beamcamp.com/uncategorized/midway-through-pioneer-week-2010/ http://www.beamcamp.com/uncategorized/midway-through-pioneer-week-2010/#comments Wed, 14 Jul 2010 12:49:27 +0000 brian http://www.beamcamp.com/?p=3615

Opening Beam’s gates to a busload of Pioneers..

After celebrating their arrival with homemade blueberry pie, spearheaded by Beam Volunteer Services Coordinator, Kathryn Wallem, the Pioneers got down to work, constructing the final cabin with our unfailingly upbeat Master Builder Chip Belyea. The walls went up in two days. Tuesday’s project was getting the roof in place – an assignment whose importance was underscored by an early morning downpour.

Work begins on the cabin…

We surveyed several campers as to their  favorite tool to use on the job:

• David, India, Tim, Sam R and Sam P: pneumatic nail gun
• Zach and Rohanna: circular saw
• Jacob, Misha and Elijah: chop saw
• Milo: roast beef sandwiches

Cigar Boxes awaiting the transformation…

Our first Domain Guest, K-Rock, who in 2009 introduced Beamers to Javanese musical instruments and martial arts, has returned with the materials and know-how every Beam Pioneer needs to craft a cigar box guitar of his or her very own.

Sunday night saw a massive all-camp Capture the Flag game, followed by an extremely welcome night swim. On Monday night, counselors Dean, Jeff, Zaq, Shane, and Chie presented films and slideshows of their creative work, while entertaining near-nonstop questions from inspired, curious campers. Tuesday night we broke out the popcorn for a screening of the film, Azur and Asmar.

Milo, Fran & Faith

In addition to the Pioneers, there are four Pionitos in residence – younger campers whose parents are staff members. While the older kids wield pneumatic nailers up in the Camper Village, the Pionitos have been hard at work swimming, producing signs for various camp locations, and writing Mad Lib-style letters to every single staff member.

Our research indicates that the most frequently recurring Pioneer name 2010 is  Sam.

3 Sams

We are getting psyched for the arrival of many new and returning friends on Saturday, and feel confident that they will be greeted with a brand spankin’ new cabin in move-in condition.

Jacob’s Ladder psp

For it’s 2009 Project, Beam Camp collaborated with architects Christine Baumgartner and Manuel Kretzer to create “Float With The Flowers.” Sixty-five campers and the Beam staff worked for four weeks to construct extraordinary structures, comprised of wooden balls and dowels, that stand closed on land and blossom open on water. Part puzzle and sculpture, Beam campers explored how simple elements combine to form complex systems; how even a “toy” is a product of intense design, precision engineering and fabrication; how balls, sticks and tubes, wood and plastic, can combine to represent natural contours and forces. Their patience and craft led them to a better understanding of our world and the things we use and enjoy.

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The River King ipod

(click for photo album)

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Night on Earth movie full

• forbidden kingdom the download free

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• On Her Majesty’s Secret Service dvdrip

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Check out the summer’s first batch of photos. If there’s someone you’re not seeing that you’d like to, just email Brian. Enjoy.

Beam Camp Facebook Group

The Beam Campers and Staff are hard at work on the 2009 Beam Project designed by Project Masters Christine Baumgartner and Manuel Kretzer. Take a look at what we’re up to. Each petal will be over 5 feet. The diameter of the completed flowers will be over 12 feet. We will make two complete flowers.  Enjoy.

• The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada move