Greetings from Camp Emerald Bay, July 2013

From Ethan Somers: Hello anxious adults out the wondering about your kids' safety. You will be glad to know that your kids are all okay and fit as fiddles! We have had lots of fun swimming surviving in the wilderness and such. We even had a few laughs when someone took a seat on a cactus!!! I believe the boys most enjoyed kayaking. They were continuously flipping the others' over and then swimming to the attacker and doing the same to him! Some new scouts in our troop have delicate tastes and won't eat the food. This one particular scout is surviving off Cliff Bars. Here are some pictures of us boarding the boat and enjoying fun activities on the island.

~Tuesday, 7/30/13 7:45am, From Brian Finley
Yes, there seems to be one scout who is not eating as much of the food as the others, however, the vast majority are pigging out on seconds and often thirds at most meals. The food is quite good. For instance, last night we had chicken breasts with potatos, gravy, broccoli, salad, and a piece of cake. Hopefully by now, all of you have received my emails regarding our first two days. Ethan and I are in the process of trying to download a couple dozen pictures. The techology here operates very, very slowly, so bear with us. I'll write more later. ~Brian

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Departure Time!

One final picture for the parents before we leave...

Waiting for our boat.  We lucked out and were selected to ride on the third of three boats!  The two+ hour wait actually passed pretty quickly as kids played frisbee, ate, got organized, and clowned around.

Despite the long wait, the kids had a great time joking and playing around.

Clowning around while waiting for our boatride.



Finally leaving to board our Catalina Express ride.



The largest of the 3 boats which ferried kids to the camp.  We were on this boat.  This was taken shortly after we arrived.  A smaller boat brought us in shifts to the camp dock. 

Arrival at the dock.

Camp Newport, our camp, which is the furthest camp from the parade field.  It's a gorgeous setting, with gently rolling hills similar to the Central California coast.

Scouts basking in the sun, waiting for the troop kayaking trip.

The parade field (as viewed from the dining hall porch).

The right side of the bay (kayaking and small boat sailing area).

This is the dining hall (faces eastward towards the parade field and bay).