Shadow Valley Family Camp’s first official meal was supper last night, July 11. But the carpenters and cooks who make camp a reality were planning construction projects and meals for months before they arrived. Many have been here for a week or more, doing advance work to make the week go smoothly.
For the first time, I arrived two days early and was able to participate in the Shadow Valley grocery shopping spree on Wednesday, July 10. During the spree, the cooks purchase almost everything necessary to feed close to 40 people 3 hearty meals a day for more than a week. Not a task for the faint-hearted. Therefore, the shoppers (see photo above) drive to Panhandler’s Pies Restaurant and Bakery in Sandpoint, Idaho for a hearty breakfast. And, yes, everyone had pie for dessert, which explains the smiles.
Fully fortified and mighty happy, the shoppers climbed into one van and a humongous extended cab pick up and drove to Costco in Coeur d’Alene. On the way Pam, master planner and list creator, read the shopping list categories: dairy, breads, pantry items, condiments, cleaning supplies, and produce.* Each shopper, or pair of shoppers, picked a list, looked it over, and asked questions that came to mind.
At Costco, each grocery guru grabbed a cart and got to work. Each item found was crossed off the list, and eventually the gaggle of gurus met in the front of the store with loaded carts:
In order of appearance: bread, dairy, cleaning supplies, canned and boxed goods, paper products, produce, and condiments.
And here are all the carts lined up at the checkout line:
Next stop was Walmart where we purchased the remaining items on our lists. The carts weren’t quite as full here, but the manager assigned us a lane and closed it down so other shoppers wouldn’t get frustrated by a long wait:
Then, it was back to camp to unload the vehicles,
and put everything away.
That’s not quite everything, but you get the idea.
Once that was done, the men ordered pizza for supper, and the shoppers took a well-deserved break. But first, the cooks set out brats and hot dogs to thaw, along with buns and cans of baked beans for supper on July 11. Yum!
*Many thanks to June who weeks ago not only purchased the items on the meat list, but also did all the advance meat prep, repackaging, labeling, and freezing!
