The Heart of the Table | Generations & Legacy

Camp Nana

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There are so many tragedies of a global pandemic... serious and heart-breaking tragedies. The helplessness of what we can and cannot do to protect ourselves and the ones we love is a full occupation. In our hearts, I know we’re all struggling to come up with ideas that make things just a little bit better for those around us.

My "Nana" moment came when my granddaughter was informed that her beloved camp... Camp Greystone, tucked away in the Blue Ridge Mountains... announced they would be closed for the summer. She and all her fellow campers were devastated.

In so many ways, summer camps are a rite of passage. The child leaves her family nest and flies to what will become her flock of friends, counselors, and influencers. Growing through this process allows girls to make independent choices in activities, what they wish to eat, and most especially the selection of summer friends who are destined to be friends throughout their lives.

"Out of this disappointment, Camp Nana was born! Just a few of her closest friends were invited to our camp. After all... it was MY camp! It was an action-packed adventure."

Our activities included hiking, a ropes course, a thoroughly harrowing tubing trip down a river in a lightning storm, and a fully active haunted house! The crafts were candle making, bath bomb creating, jewelry designing, making fresh pasta, and learning to grill pizza.

In trying to fit the traditions of Camp Greystone into Nana Camp, I replicated their recipe for Opening Day Scones and offered them to the campers upon their arrival. These simple biscuits are light and airy and can be filled with either chocolate chips, berries, or oats. They are delish and I kept them coming all through camp!

Perhaps inviting teens for a camp adventure is not on your agenda this summer. But if you dig deep and put on your thinking cap, perhaps you can come up with something special to do for a friend or family member that needs a smile. Can you?

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