Rose went to a four day session at Camp Sealth again this summer and loved it.

What is Camp Sealth?

A. A Camp Fire run camp on Vashon Island, 400 acres of property, 1.5 miles of beach front, your all purpose arts & crafts, archery, roasting marshmallows, and building sand castles camp.

B. Not just welcoming and supportive of gluten-free kids but offering a special session (this one) where the Gluten Intolerance Group joins camp staff to help run the program.

C. The camp I attended for 10 years and was a counselor at for 3; my spiritual home.

D. All of the above and more the more I think about it.

It's hard for me to tease out what made camp so important to me. Like why is it so great to sing loudly, enthusiastically, and constantly? Which one does at camp, and Rose and I both loved. And then I think of our culture that takes such pride in cynicism, distance, and irony. Camp doesn't. Camp lets you be enthusiastic, whole hearted, full.

Camp Sealth is not for people who don't like to join in. You go everywhere with your group. You do trust games (Rose's favorite activity) and you sing together. I know it would drive many people nuts. Rose and I both love to get goofy and camp relishes goofy.

She came home with huge bruises on her knees, which she didn't have any complaints about. She figured out what to eat, the huge stumbling block in our lives. I don't know if her independence and confidence grew at camp. (She's currently in a foul mood and has reverted to three-year-old behavior, so really, I'm not making any great claims.) But Camp Sealth did fill her with joy.