The house is quiet as the city cousins left to go back home and the country cousins are away for the day. Grandpa and Grandma's summer camp is closed for another year and the silence is deafening.
Summer camp starts on July 4th when the city cousins Adrianna and Bella come up to stay for a week in the country. Their three country cousins, Jay, Avery and Carter live within spitting distance of Grandpa and Grandma so there is constant going back and forth, but most of the time the five are at G & G's house.
I just saw a quote on Pinterest which said, "Grandmas...The place cousins go to become best friends." There is a great deal of truth in that, but in our case Grandpa is also an important part of the scenario. Bella and Avery pair up and are often seen taking a walk together and chatting. That leaves Jay and Adrianna who are a day apart in age and Carter who is the youngest. Adrianna has endeared herself to Carter as she allows him to tag along with her and Jay.
Bella and Avery are like two peas in a pod as they get ready to watch July 4th fireworks.
Now lest you think this is just a fun free for all, let me set the record straight. There is a combination of work and play although the play dominates.
This year the week started out in the basement of our old barn. I wanted it cleaned out in order to store my accumulated furniture pieces that need to be repurposed and much work had to be done.
Carter gives Adrianna a hug to show how much
he loves her.
The basement of our old barn gets a thorough cleaning with the help of five grandchildren.
The morning was similar to an archaeological dig. Bits and pieces of the past were found in boxes, on the floor and under old pieces of stacked wood. The constant sound of "Grandma....Grandma...Grandma...look at this. What is it? What was it used for?"....echoed through the musty space. The pieces would be examined and identified and then stacked on a table designated for the treasures. Very little was pitched in the junk pile. Old pieces of iron were put in a rusty bucket. There was much sweeping and organizing.
One rainy morning the children needed some work to do so I typed up a list of chores and the grandchildren army went to work. In less than an hour the house was cleaned.
Between work sessions all five made up a game that I allowed and only peeked in on a couple of times. In an upstairs bedroom they spread out my jewelry and with old monopoly money were buying and selling. This literally kept them busy for hours on two different days. I never knew what the rules were but there was a banker and sometimes they had to have jewelry sales to make some money to buy more. When they were finished they put everything back in place.
In the middle of the week they worked an hour for their uncle/father in the woods. While he cut the wood, they stacked it in the trailer. They each made $4. I paid them for their work in the barn and cleaning the house and when they went to Pentwater before going to the beach they had money to spend.
The following day we all went bike riding and rode from Shelby to Country Dairy where there is great ice cream. Uncle Brett ordered a pizza which was eaten after dessert and we all, Grandpa and Aunt Heather included, biked back to Shelby. Afternoons were spent in the pool and Grandpa fed them all well no matter which grandchildren were here for the meal. The country cousins often came down for Grandpa's breakfast.
Above: Carter only posed for this picture on a trike. He rode a two wheeler on the bike trail. Below: Carter does an impressive cannon ball into the pool while Adrianna looks on with amusement.
This kind of summer camp is not for the faint of heart. If someone is a neat freak, it would drive them crazy. Piles of shoes and sandals and flip flops were everywhere.
Despite repeated reminders to hang bathing suits and towels on the deck railing, they were often found wadded in piles. Just plain stuff was everywhere and even after a cleaning spree, the clutter reappeared. Toothbrushes littered the sink as one or two of the country cousins slept over at Grandpa and Grandma's house almost every night.
So for a week I looked the other way, and enjoyed the camaraderie of my grandchildren who are growing like weeds. I know there will come a time when the sound of silence will be a sad thing for me. Now it is just a reprieve until the next time we hold summer camp and the city cousins and country cousins can get together and entertain their grandparents with their funny comments, loving natures and yes little spats.
Click on pictures to enlarge.
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| Avery age 8, Bella age 9, Adrianna age 11, Jay age 11 and Carter age 6 gear up for Grandpa and Grandma's summer camp. |
Summer camp starts on July 4th when the city cousins Adrianna and Bella come up to stay for a week in the country. Their three country cousins, Jay, Avery and Carter live within spitting distance of Grandpa and Grandma so there is constant going back and forth, but most of the time the five are at G & G's house.
I just saw a quote on Pinterest which said, "Grandmas...The place cousins go to become best friends." There is a great deal of truth in that, but in our case Grandpa is also an important part of the scenario. Bella and Avery pair up and are often seen taking a walk together and chatting. That leaves Jay and Adrianna who are a day apart in age and Carter who is the youngest. Adrianna has endeared herself to Carter as she allows him to tag along with her and Jay.
Bella and Avery are like two peas in a pod as they get ready to watch July 4th fireworks.
Now lest you think this is just a fun free for all, let me set the record straight. There is a combination of work and play although the play dominates. This year the week started out in the basement of our old barn. I wanted it cleaned out in order to store my accumulated furniture pieces that need to be repurposed and much work had to be done.
Carter gives Adrianna a hug to show how much
he loves her. 
The basement of our old barn gets a thorough cleaning with the help of five grandchildren.
The morning was similar to an archaeological dig. Bits and pieces of the past were found in boxes, on the floor and under old pieces of stacked wood. The constant sound of "Grandma....Grandma...Grandma...look at this. What is it? What was it used for?"....echoed through the musty space. The pieces would be examined and identified and then stacked on a table designated for the treasures. Very little was pitched in the junk pile. Old pieces of iron were put in a rusty bucket. There was much sweeping and organizing.
One rainy morning the children needed some work to do so I typed up a list of chores and the grandchildren army went to work. In less than an hour the house was cleaned.
Between work sessions all five made up a game that I allowed and only peeked in on a couple of times. In an upstairs bedroom they spread out my jewelry and with old monopoly money were buying and selling. This literally kept them busy for hours on two different days. I never knew what the rules were but there was a banker and sometimes they had to have jewelry sales to make some money to buy more. When they were finished they put everything back in place.
In the middle of the week they worked an hour for their uncle/father in the woods. While he cut the wood, they stacked it in the trailer. They each made $4. I paid them for their work in the barn and cleaning the house and when they went to Pentwater before going to the beach they had money to spend.
The following day we all went bike riding and rode from Shelby to Country Dairy where there is great ice cream. Uncle Brett ordered a pizza which was eaten after dessert and we all, Grandpa and Aunt Heather included, biked back to Shelby. Afternoons were spent in the pool and Grandpa fed them all well no matter which grandchildren were here for the meal. The country cousins often came down for Grandpa's breakfast.
Above: Carter only posed for this picture on a trike. He rode a two wheeler on the bike trail. Below: Carter does an impressive cannon ball into the pool while Adrianna looks on with amusement.
This kind of summer camp is not for the faint of heart. If someone is a neat freak, it would drive them crazy. Piles of shoes and sandals and flip flops were everywhere.
Despite repeated reminders to hang bathing suits and towels on the deck railing, they were often found wadded in piles. Just plain stuff was everywhere and even after a cleaning spree, the clutter reappeared. Toothbrushes littered the sink as one or two of the country cousins slept over at Grandpa and Grandma's house almost every night.
So for a week I looked the other way, and enjoyed the camaraderie of my grandchildren who are growing like weeds. I know there will come a time when the sound of silence will be a sad thing for me. Now it is just a reprieve until the next time we hold summer camp and the city cousins and country cousins can get together and entertain their grandparents with their funny comments, loving natures and yes little spats.
Click on pictures to enlarge.
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