I can't believe almost a week has passed since we kissed the last pirate goodbye at Cousin Camp. Actually, that's not quite the truth. Almost half of the cousins decided they wanted to spend another week at the farm. As it appears now, Mom and Dad are going to have company through Thanksgiving.
I will admit rather shamefacedly that I still have a basket (or 3) of stuff to put away from my week at Cousin Camp. I'm hoping the urge to clean house will hit me at any moment.
This evening I am recapping Cousin Camp Day 4. Again I am posting a ridiculous amount of pictures. If you aren't related to any of these people in the pictures, I apologize. If you are related...It's just the way it is Jack.
By this time all the adults in the house are limping. Literally. I had spent an awful night with the stomach flu. But the show must go on! On this day we visited the continent of Asia.
Day 3 was a lot of fun. This was the day of our Cousin Camp Treasure Hunt. Quite a bit of prep work went into it. Mom and I had sat down and made a plan. You can't have a treasure hunt without a plan. We made a list of all the places on the farm that would be good places to hide clues. Mom gave them names and wrote spooky poems for almost every location. I'll share a few in a just a bit.
And she painted this. I mean come on!
I was poking around Pinterest and happened to mention a treasure map. "You could paint one," I said. "Okay," She said. Then got out her stuff and painted it.
The original is huge. She eventually took this picture and I had it printed off on a ledger size at Staples and then took it to the teacher's store to laminate the copies.
We were in the big time now.
I spent one evening making over a dozen signs (painted over "welcome to my luau" party signs we had found for .10). We used plastic hearts leftover from a Valentine's Day (also .10) and I stuffed clues into them.
Mom and I placed the clues all over the farm, explained the rules, handed everybody a map and off they went!
Everybody did a little strategizing. After they changed into their pirate gear, of course. One can't go on a treasure hunt without your pirate tutu and felt eye patch. It just wouldn't be seemly.
You can't tell from this picture, but the girls had given the loot bag (where they would keep all their clues) to The Little One (Lady Fluffbucket). She also insisted on carrying her inflatable sword. She was generally yards away from all the others, but she trotted all over that farm like she owned it.
I am not so sure if the boys had any sort of strategy. They just moved.
Somebody must have spotted something!
Dragon Head's Island. I'm just glad I didn't see a one. Shew!
Pardon my illustrations. I am pretty sure I need to leave those up to Mom.
There was action everywhere! I had suggested we hide something in Dad's corn then thought better of it. He is territorial about his garden plots.
I don't see The Little One in this picture, but everyone still has their inflatable swords. I wonder if they've spotted that dragon yet?
Spooky!
More studying the map. There were a few times I had to point in a direction. Just sayin'.
Well. Maybe more than just a few times.
Can you believe my mother wrote these little dittys? Who is this woman? She not only wrote them, but she wrote them in a matter of minutes. For example, I said. "Mom. I need a poem for Desolation Swamp." She got this faraway look in her eye and came up with this one in a matter of minutes. I am certain she read too much Poe when she was young.
I have never once heard these grasses sing. Not even a peep.
If there were any vultures I'm fairly certain Solomon (The Big Black Dog) wouldn't let them stay.
I will never look at this tree the same way again.
This sign gives me a chuckle. It's outside my Dad's barn.
I warned the Cousins/Pirates early on that I wasn't responsible for any loss of limb if they chose to explore without permission. I'm helpful like that.
Surprisingly, Mom (the assigned picture taker) didn't take any pics of the end of the treasure hunt. She was probably thinking of more ways to spook her grandchildren (or oldest daughter). Unbelievably, the Pirates found it at the same time. Then the Boy Pirates discovered they were missing a clue. It looked like the Girl Pirates had taken the prize until we realized that the Boy Pirates hadn't found the clue because I hadn't labeled it properly.
Oospie.
I am blaming it on the stomach flu. And being traumatized by my mother. Boneyard Bay, indeed!
After lunch we let the Pirates have some much needed free time.
There was a little of this. Because every pirate ship needs a bounce house.
And a little of that. Is that a hammer in Two Toes Bones hand? The things one discovers when editing pictures.
Don't scream. Miss White Kitty Nim found herself a mouse. It just happens to be the rubber mouse I was using in our Pirate display for decoration. I guess Nim appropriated it for herself.
The rest of the afternoon we prepared for company. My Uncle Paul, Aunt Phyllis and Cousin Crystal were coming! We dragged out a few Asian themed decorations, raided my mom's closet and the girls got to work on decorating the deck.
They dressed up to serve everyone. Aren't they precious?
These folks are precious, too.
It was so much fun.
My Studly Muffin. Sigh.
The pallets came from "The Port of Neglect."
Some of the cutest people I know!
After supper we gathered around did a little singing. I have shared a few videos of the singing with a review I wrote last week, but this is a different one.
In it you will see my Uncle Paul has hidden himself around the corner.
Tomorrow will be my last Recap of Cousin Camp! It is 4th of July on the Pirate Ship!
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