No Need for Overwhelm
Tuesday, July 15th, 2025
CHESS GROVE circa 3:30pm—A gentle breeze is lulling the warm afternoon into a sort of dream state. The bay trees stingily shed their leaves one or two at a time, sprinkling flashes of yellow against the verdant backdrop. A pair of adults grimace over a tense chess game while a pair of campers at a neighboring table assemble bracelets from a large beading kit.
“I never remember en passant,” laments Filmographer Jordan Romney, pouring over his chess position.
“Some people call it the infield fly rule of chess,” recalls Juggling Instructor Memo Gosnell, analyzing from the opposite side. “I don’t know much about baseball, but that sounds right to me.”
“We can make you one, JP!” offers Callum, 14, Purple Tipi. “Just pick some colors and I’ll put it together,” the say, gesturing at the bounty of color-sorted pony beads.
“Camp has its mechanics; it slowly breaks down and gets looser, and then we tighten it up,” muses Quill, 13, Purple Tipi. “I was here last session and I noticed that things got relaxed in the middle, but then getting ready for the Big Show made it much more structured. Camp is like a clock where all the parts are broken, but there’s a smiley face on the inside.”
“I’m familiar with a lot of my tipi mates from past years,” says Callum. “I feel like learning juggling unlocked a new part of my brain; it’s a new way to think about timing. At Camp there’s no need for overwhelm. You can find joy in classes and take time for yourself. Here you go!”
Callum hands me my new bracelet and the pair rush off to be in time for 4 o’clock stilts class. I drift over to the adjacent Art Grove which has populated during my impromptu jewelry appointment. A small portable speaker fuzzes out some moody, esoteric indie music for the enjoyment of the dozen-odd artists.
“It’s kinda like an upside-down landscape,” says Sofia, 10, Gold Tipi. “I was inspired by—I actually have no idea. Sometimes I just like to paint without a plan. Camp is great, as always. The sandwiches today were really good—better than Subway! This session I’m mostly going to do unicycling. Once I get ‘unified’ I’ll ride my unicycle everywhere I go!”
RAINBOW THEATER circa 8:30pm—“Let’s outline her beautiful, bulbous head,” says a faux Bob Ross, painting a live subject on stage, eliciting giggles from the audience. “And now the arms. Arms are one of my favorite things to paint!”
The first hints of darkness are edging into Camp as the horizon glows golden. Still plenty light out, the Rainbow Stage appears only slightly more luminous than its natural surroundings. Oaks tower over the scene, their splaying limbs covered in a furry coat of reddish moss. More acts cycle through the stage—Juggling, American Sign Language, Songwriting. Tonight the campers are more enthralled and less fidgety than last night. Drama Instructor Kushi Beauchamp has donned the guise of Marty McFly the Mosquito in service of performing emcee duties for tonight’s Teacher Talent show.
“Give it up for the songwriters!” lauds ‘Marty’. “Now, I have to address something that happened earlier. So I’m a mosquito, and someone brought up bug spray. It happens all the time. But I actually feel bad for the guy who invented bug spray. You know why?”
“WHY?” chime the campers.
“Because he had to start from… scratch!”
The joke draws a good laugh and Kushi continues introducing the acts, one by one. Improv, Drama, Peace Choir—wait! Peace Choir is my class! I was enjoying the show so much I almost missed my cue. I rush backstage to grab my guitar and gather the singers. Looking over to Performance Coordinator José Garcia I send him a thumbs-up to signal our relative readiness.
Tomorrow we’ll see how we did.
Stay hydrated,
—J. Payseno, Editor
