Gus the Groundhog

He’s a frequent visitor around camp this time of year, scampering about between Alba’s front lawn and the volleyball field. Gus was born and raised under the camp office porch, and like his parents before him, enjoys munching on tender green shoots, lazing about in the sunshine, and playing hide and seek. He’s easy to get a lawn … ahem, along with, and for the most part has always been pretty happy-go-lucky.

Until lately. We’ve noticed that Gus hasn’t quite been himself lately. He’s been a bit sad and listless, and we often find him standing in a flower pot on the porch, on his tippy-paws, staring out onto the campgrounds. What could it be? Bill noted that early one morning Gus was sitting on the porch steps, in such deep thought that he barely stirred when Bill opened the screen door. That’s just not Gus. Mark speculated that Gus might be waiting for rain – the dry early spring has slowed down the grass growth – but after last Friday’s wet weather, Gus was still pensive. Would he ever be himself again?

And then, a clue. Monica observed that Gus stands in the flower pot looking out every day at @3pm. Emmy mentioned that sometimes his front paw is raised, and seems to be pointing down toward the tent area. 3:00. Tent area. Tent area is right by Closing Exercises … A-ha! How could we have forgotten?! Gus’ favorite part of the camp day is Closing Exercises! It’s that magical time just before the buses arrive and obstruct his view, when Gus can actually come out and see all of the campers from a distance (he’s too shy to come out when children are close by). Gus loves tribe skits, singing camp songs (“Green Alligators” is his favorite, though he never lets us forget that groundhogs aren’t mentioned), and finding out who has the Green Gizmo. When last week’s temperatures rose to nearly 80 degrees, Gus figured it was time for camp. He was disappointed by the lack of cheering and laughter in the air and the absence of Gizmo shenanigans to be seen, and where was the Camper Car Wash, anyway? We know Gus will be back to himself in just 53 days when camp begins, and in the meantime, we’ve been assuring him that our campers will be here in no time. Feel free to leave a comment for Gus (below), and we will pass it on to him. We know he’d love to hear from you! #Sewataro2016 #GusTheGroundhog