New Jersey      2006

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Photos and Articles by Matt Lurrie

When you hear the words 'Day Trip', thoughts of parks, sports activities, or bodies of water may pop into your head.  Now, when you hear the words 'Day Trip', you probably would not think of a counselor's childhood home.  But the freshmen had a surprise in store for them.  Ryan Belline, day trip coordinator, grew up on his family's farm, which is where the proverbial yellow bus was destined for.

The house itself was a quaint farmhouse on a quiet road.

But once behind the house, the smell that most knew only from zoos and Anderson Hall bathrooms hit everyone.
There were ducklings and horses and goats, oh my!

Like a present day Paul Revere, one camper exclaimed "The duckies are coming!"

Campers rejoiced when they found out that this was more than a petting zoo.  They were given the chance to hold ducklings (after having caught them).
 

And of course, the goats needed to be fed, a job a few brave freshmen took on.

Horses are no different, and also needed to be fed.  It isn't just a myth that carrots are loved my horses.

But perhaps the most coveted spot on the entire farm was on the back of the horse.  For a minute, it seemed as if this journalist had stumbled into the horseback riding activity here at campus kids.

Not everyone was quiet as brave.  Some watched in admiration from a distance, while others stayed in the shade of the barn in order to keep cool.

Thanks to Nancy Belline, Ryan's mother, the freshmen boys and girls learned that the work of a farmer is not easy, yet can be fun.  They greatly enjoyed the animals, and many asked their counselors if they could keep the "duckies" (CK has a strict No Animals policy ever since a few years back.  A quiet, normal game of ultimate Frisbee was interrupted by an escaped bull from the nearby farm). 

Alas, it was time to leave the farm.  While a great time was had by all, it was a tiring day, one that saw camper and counselor alike napping on the bus ride home.