Camp diary day 3

Camp Diary 2012

Tuesday June 12th

I began the morning at the tech fair. This usually does not
interest me. They only show a few items for people who are
totally deaf-blind, and I already have them. In fact, as we
walked by the booths, my SSP would put my hand on certain
technology. I'd quickly identify it and proclaim, "got it."

I was please wit the booth set up by Cynthia, the local HKNC
regional representative. She was showing off toys and games.
First she showed me two adorable prayer bears. Some of us had
been talking about them on a deaf-blind mailing list. I was never
sure what they looked like. But Cynthia provided two actual bears
that I could feel. I loved the one in blue pajamas.

She had a bunch of tactile games that I got to try out. Again, I
wasn't just reading a description of an item. I could actually
feel and play with it. I especially enjoyed a dominoes game
called Eureka or Catch 21. I must get a copy of that game.

The only reason I even came to the tech fair was to see Scott's
tactile art board. He's an engineer and has a brilliant mind for
adaptive inventions. His creation uses magnetic shapes. Each
shape represents a different color. This allows the user to
"feel" colors while making a picture. I know many deaf-blind
people who would love this art set. I do.

While I was fooling around with the art board, I could smell the
markers from Scott's white board. I wonder if he gets high on
those markers. Maybe that's why he's such a nut. But no doubt
about it, he's a clever nut.

Net I went with my old-time favorite - the banana boat. I've been
on the banana boat multiple times over my six years at camp. I
never fall in and don't bother to put on a swimsuit.

The river water was high. We had to take off our shoes and socks
on the grass and wade into the water to reach the pier. There was
a woman on the boat with an 18 month old baby strapped to her
front. The baby and I both loved the ride. She cried when it was
over. I couldn't blame her. That boat is a blast.

We went through the water again to get back on shore. My feet
were covered with sand and much. With my nerve problems, there's
no way I could put my socks, braces and shoes on over all that
sand.

I am such a princess. one of my SSP's ran back to her cabin to
get a towel so I could clean my precious little feet. That's one
of the nice things about camp. We are so darn spoiled.

The camp field trip was after lunch. Campers could decide to go
bowling, shopping or stay at camp. I like to bowl, but this year
I wanted to go to the mall. I don't get out shopping with SSP
support much.

There were too many people for the bus. One of my SSP's offered
to drive Ruth and I and our group of helpers. It would have been
a good chance to chat with Ruth, but I was tired. I fell asleep
on the way there.

We got a wheelchair at the mall so I wouldn't have to struggle
with long distance walking. First, we went to the Apple Store. I
had some questions about the different versions of IPods. There
was a line of people waiting for help, and the staff seemed
flustered. I thought my SSP was joking when she said Andy was at
the front of the line. It was true. Andy the Question man was
asking many, many questions.

Next, we went on a quest for earrings and t-shirts. I found the
perfect pair of July 4th earrings to match my costume for
Thursday night. I also bought some other pairs. Later, at a more
expensive store, I found the most beautiful pair of gold earrings
with a tiny daimon in the middle. They cost $70. Shoot! I had to
pass on that one.

At Penney's, we found some good t-shirts for Joseph. I got him
one with Mario and yoshi and another from Angry Birds. He now
wears adult size small, so I have to shop in the men's
department. This means watching for age appropriate content. They
had a funny Star Wars t-shirt that said, "Kick ass with Darth
Vader." I felt that wasn't a good idea for an 11 year old. My SSP
said I passed the mother test.

We were in the food court getting ready to leave. I was in the
mood for a soft pretzel, but that store was much further back.
Princess time again. One of my SSP's ran to get me a pretzel and
Dr. Pepper. I was a happy camper eating my snack on the drive
back.

We went to my room after dinner so I could get ready for the
evening activity. I sat down on my bed too hard, bounced down
onto the wooden frame and fell onto the floor. Nice one! The
Olympic judges gave me a negative 10. Awww... I thought I
deserved some points for artistic movement.

In honor of that embarrassing moment, I put on one of my favorite
sweat shirts. It says in both braille and print: Stay close... I
may need someone to blame." My SSP's liked that. I even modeled
the shirt in front of many SSP's who were gathered for a meeting.

I was a little late to arrive for Bingo and had to catch up fast.
I'm not very good at reading numbers in sign or braille, so this
is always a challenging game. I had barely started when my SSP
said I won. Wow!

Steve also won that round. We both earned points for the green
team and got first crack at the prizes. It was taking me some
time to go over the prize table. My SSP was describing a
strawberry planter. I said, "I want th..." But Steve grabbed it
before I could. That's okay. I got some raspberry-vanilla body
scrub instead.

I kept playing Bingo, but only won that first round. After some
cookies, I decided to head to bed early. I was so tired.

The most horrible thing that can happen to me at camp happened
that night. I woke up at midnight and needed to use the bathroom.
I know how to get there and find my way back. The hard part is
that I have to leave the wall and take several steps at an angle
to reach the restroom. The doors that are usually open, were
closed. That threw me off. After I took a few tiny steps, I
turned and went back to the doors.

I made myself go back to confirm those were the right doors. At
that point, I bumped into someone. I was trying to ask for help,
but the woman kept on walking.

On my second try, I made it across and took care of business. I
was at the sink when my roommate SSP found me. She was worried
because I left the room alone. I usually don't like the fuss, but
it was nice having a guide back to my room.