It was an ordinary, sunny Tuesday morning. By 8 a.m., most people on the South Coast were well into their daily summer routines – work, errands, childcare. But for 17 lucky youngsters, the day was anything but ordinary. By 8 a.m., the campers in Puente’s YMCA Day Camp program were already dribbling basketballs as fog threaded though the redwoods at Camp Jones Gulch in La Honda. They were already well on their way to a day of nonstop fun, part of a two-week session with their favorite counselors and activities, soaking up the best of summer. After that, they walked to the Sustainable Living Garden and spent an hour with organic crops, chickens and fruit trees. “We made art out of stuff in nature – like rocks and sticks. And then we watered cherry trees, but the trees don’t have cherries yet,” said Jay Alsadir, 8. The group trooped cheerfully to the arts and crafts hut and was soon busy drawing self-portraits in purple, yellow, green, blue and many other colors. Then they affixed stickers to a big wooden frame that would display all of their beautiful art together – a fitting metaphor for this peaceable group of campers, among the youngest at Camp Jones Gulch, who all come from South Coast families. Puente is in its eighth year of … Continue reading Summer camp for all: Puente partners make it happen