Dogs & Wizards
Wednesday, July 22nd, 2026
BLOG LAIR circa 10:51pm—Tucked behind one of the Puppet Grove cabinets I’ve arranged a small desk where I do my nightly blogging. The back of the cabinet serves as a pin-able wall where I can arrange my ephemera. A mounted power strip gives life to my clamp lamp which in turn illuminates my journal. My overheating-prone laptop sits elevated on a copy of The Worst-Case Scenario Survival Handbook (for better air flow, I hope). Fallen bay leaves have nestled themselves into the spaces between the papers, pens, cups, sunglasses, bug spray and rolls of masking tape that keep me company during these writing sessions.
Tonight our evening program was Adventure Night, a camp-wide game that releases unfettered competitive energy into the camper polity, tipi versus tipi. As usual, the Tipi Circle was transformed into a sort of life-sized gameboard. All around downtown Camp, carnival-style activity sites were offered, such as stilt pole ring toss, Big Top obstacle course, and Leaf Grove limbo. After the festivities, I posted up in the toothbrushing zone to hear some post-game analysis.
“I liked gambling at the uni-track,” said Ja’Lin, 8. “We were rolling dice. Rolling three 3’s wins you Winnarain-Bucks. The counselors were dressed up like dogs and wizards. It was really fun because I kept outrunning the Grim Reapers.”
“I head some stories that the session breakers saved money from last session,” said Ruby, 10. “I think that’s why TQ won. I was still proud of my tipi. Adventure Night is my favorite evening activity we’ve done. It’s magical. I like the concept of the Grim Reaper; you’re not just going around to sites, you actually have to look out for yourself.”
“TQ 100% cheated,” said a camper who wished to remain anonymous. “There was no way they got 500 points in one hour when the runner-up only got 200. Follow the money; see where it leads.”
“Adventure Night was so fun,” said James, 12. “It’s a good way to get your energy out. I did all the sites. The best was roshambo. I say do as many sites as you can, and figure out what gives you the most money for the quickest time.”
“Everyone cheated,” said Shya, 13. “The only way to win is to cheat—swim or drown. It’s all rigged; Flame should have won third at least. Last year our counselor cheated and we won, but this year they said, ‘No cheating.’”
“I got 11 Winnarain-Bucks for knowing what color hippos sweat—pink!” said River, 15. “I got a bunch of money for stealing my friend’s sock. The random quests were the funniest part. I got tagged by the Reaper like six times. Overall, super fun!”
Stay hydrated,
—J. Payseno, Editor