Saturday, February 10, 2007
Liveblogging from the Anshei Darom Retreat
I’m in the library at Camp Ramah Darom in the north Georgia mountains, sneaking in a quick post.
The bonfire is roaring, heating the rocks that will power the Famous Sweat Hut. There are about a dozen guys in the Beit Knesset playing poker; the rest are out by the lake, standing around the bonfire and doing their level best to empty every bottle of single malt Scotch, reposado tequila, and all other High-End Spirits on hand. Bobby Slayton’s comic stylings are playing over the loudspeaker, adding to the general atmosphere of Boyish Merriment. And the crisp mountain air is perfumed with the aroma of cigar smoke.
Yes, it’s Saturday Night at Camp Ramah.
We’ve had a weekend filled with spirituality, excellent presentations by our guest speakers, and good food. Last night, we spent several hours demolishing several bottles of Scotland’s finest while socializing in the bunkhouse.
After Havdalah this evening, we started the lakeside bonfire with a display of fireworks orchestrated by the Next Generation of Anshei Daromers: the Needle boys (Mark, Ben and Josh), Ari Weitz, and Mark Sussman.
With a crowd of about 70 guys - including a raft of Newbies - it’s been an exceptionally fine weekend so far.
In a few minutes, I’ll head back out to the lake and watch as the First-Timers experience the Famous Sweat Hut. While they schvitz, I’ll challenge my liver with a few more “wee drams.” It’ll help keep me warm. For up here in the mountains, the air is nice and cold, and there is a clear sky in which every star in the firmament is visible. Glorious.
Photographs will follow...but this will give you a taste.
The bonfire is roaring, heating the rocks that will power the Famous Sweat Hut. There are about a dozen guys in the Beit Knesset playing poker; the rest are out by the lake, standing around the bonfire and doing their level best to empty every bottle of single malt Scotch, reposado tequila, and all other High-End Spirits on hand. Bobby Slayton’s comic stylings are playing over the loudspeaker, adding to the general atmosphere of Boyish Merriment. And the crisp mountain air is perfumed with the aroma of cigar smoke.
Yes, it’s Saturday Night at Camp Ramah.
We’ve had a weekend filled with spirituality, excellent presentations by our guest speakers, and good food. Last night, we spent several hours demolishing several bottles of Scotland’s finest while socializing in the bunkhouse.
After Havdalah this evening, we started the lakeside bonfire with a display of fireworks orchestrated by the Next Generation of Anshei Daromers: the Needle boys (Mark, Ben and Josh), Ari Weitz, and Mark Sussman.
With a crowd of about 70 guys - including a raft of Newbies - it’s been an exceptionally fine weekend so far.
In a few minutes, I’ll head back out to the lake and watch as the First-Timers experience the Famous Sweat Hut. While they schvitz, I’ll challenge my liver with a few more “wee drams.” It’ll help keep me warm. For up here in the mountains, the air is nice and cold, and there is a clear sky in which every star in the firmament is visible. Glorious.
Photographs will follow...but this will give you a taste.
Labels: Past Retreats
