Ripley's Believe it or Not

This is just outside the museum at 10:30 pm when we completed our tour. In the background you can see a bunch of cars driving past. That gives you a little idea of how live our little town is. There is constant activity in the tourist areas from 7 am until late into the night. My favorite part of driving down the strip at night is passing 5 miniature golf courses that are all filled with families having fun together. Very different experience driving down the strip in Branson vs. driving down the strip in Vegas. I'll take the good wholesome family fun any day over sin city! This is such a great place to live. I hope we get to stay a long time.

Butterflies and boys

This butterfly exhibit was at the Ripley's Believe it or Not Museum in Branson

FLICKER

This has got to be my all time favorite camp song!
I learned it in 1990 from Kelli Schofield who was
the SJ 16th ward Young Women's president at the time.
Not sure who wrote it, but Kelli gets the credit for
bringing this awesome song into my life.

(Verses one and three are intended to be sung
simultaneously after singing each verse on its own)


Verse 1 -The Flicker of the campfire, the wind in the pines, The stars in the heavens, the moon that shines. A place where people gather, make friends of all kinds. A place where all men’s troubles, are always left behind, so give me the light of the campfire, warm and bright. And give me some friends to sing with, I’ll be here all night. Love is for those who share it, I found mine right here, just you and me and the campfire, and the songs we love to hear.

Verse 2- I know a place where no one ever goes, There is peace and quite, beauty and repose. It's hidden in the valley, beside a mountain stream, And lying there beside the stream I find that I can dream. Only of things of beauty to the eye, Snow peaked mountains rising to the sky. Now I know that God has made this world for me.
Da, da, da, da, da, da, da, da, da

Verse 3 - One can imagine himself as in a dream, climbing up a mountain or down a small revine. The beauty of this peace and quiet ever shall stay. To make this place a haven, each and every day. Oh how I wish, I never had to leave. All my life such beauty to receive. Now I know, that God has made this world for me.
Da, da, da, da, da, da, da, da, da for me

Barges

Barges, I would like to go with you
I would like to sail the ocean blue
Barges, have you treasures in your hold
Do you fight with pirates brave and bold

v. 1- Out of my window looking in the night
I can see the barges flickering light.
v.2- Starboard shines green and port
is glowing red, I can see the barges up ahead.

Barges, I would like to go with you
I would like to sail the ocean blue
Barges, have you treasures in your hold
Do you fight with pirates brave and bold

v. 3- Silently flows the river to the sea
and the barges too go quietly.
v.4- Taking their cargo out into the sea,
how I wish that someday they’d take me

Barges, I would like to go with you
I would like to sail the ocean blue
Barges, have you treasures in your hold
do you fight with pirates brave and bold.

This can be sung all together or as a round.
The wording listed here has more verses than the
C.D. version, feel free to adapt it however you wish.

The Campfire Song

The camp fire lights anew,
The flame of friendship true.
The joy we've had in knowing you,
Will last our whole lives through.

But as the embers fade away,
we wish that we might ever stay.
But since we can not have our way,
We'll meet again some other day.

(This was a song my mom taught me
around the campfire as a little girl.
We shared it with others at girls' camp.
It is usually sung slower than I
sang it on the C.D.. Bill and I decided to
speed it up a bit since my throat was soar
that day and I wasn't able to hold
out the notes very well)

God Created Camp Ritchie

written by Nan Hunter, music by Lynn Shurtleff

God created Camp Ritchie,
great pines, starry skies, blue lake,
God created Camp Ritchie
for his dear young daughters’sake.

Great pines growing tall and straight
help me to know I too am great,
the starry skies and sweet fresh air
remind me He is everywhere.
A lake that’s deep and pure and blue,
Oh Father may I be so too.
Lord we give our thanks to Thee
for leaders of such quality,
for laughter, songs, and heart-shared love,
for spirit we feel from above,
for tender moments with a friend,
for memories that will never end.

God created Camp Ritchie,
great pines, starry skies, blue lake,
God created Camp Ritchie
for his dear young daughters’sake.

(This was a song that originated in the
San Jose South Stake. I had never heard of it
before the music was sent to me by a friend who
went to camp with that Stake. It had been
requested by a few people on the Facebook group
so I decided to add it to the collection of songs.
On the CD it was sung by 14 year old Alexie Rhiner.)

Happiness Runs

v.1 Happiness runs in a circular motion,
Life is like a little boat upon the sea.
Everybody is a part of everything, everywhere.
You can be happy if you let yourself be.

v.2 Buh, buh, buh, buh, buh, buh, buh, buh, buh, buh.
Buh, buh, buh, buh, buh, buh, buh, buh, bup.
Buh, buh, buh, buh, buh, buh, buh, buh, buh, buh.
Buh, buh, buh, buh, buh, buh, buh, buh, bup.

v.3 Happiness runs, happiness runs, runs, runs,
Happiness runs, happiness runs runs.
Happiness runs, happiness runs, runs, runs,
Happiness runs, happiness runs runs.

this song can be done in a round or all together

I Love the Mountains (round)

I love the mountains,
I love the rolling hills,
I love the flowers,
I love the daffodils,
I love the fireside,
When all the lights are low,
Boom-de-ada, boom-de-da,
Boom-de-ada, boom-de-da...
(then repeat as much as you want)

Noah's Story

The Lord said to Noah, there's gonna be a floody, floody.
Lord said to Noah, there's gonna be a floody, floody.
Get those animals, out of the muddy, muddy
Children of the Lord.

Chorus:
So rise and shine and give God your glory, glory
Rise and shine and give God your glory, glory
Rise and shine and give God your glory, glory
Children of the Lord.

So Noah, he built him, he built him an arky, arky
Noah, he built him, he built him an arky, arky
Built it out of gopher barky, barky
Children of the Lord.

Chorus

The animals they came on, they came on by twosies, twosies
Animals, they came on, they came on by twosies, twosies
Elephants and kangaroosies, roosies
Children of the Lord.

Chorus

It rained and rained for 40 daysies, daysies
Rained and rained for 40 daysies, daysies,
Nearly drove those, animals crazy, crazy
Children of the Lord.

Chorus

The sun came out and dried up the landy, landy
Sun came out and dried up the landy, landy
Everything was fine and dandy, dandy
Children of the Lord.

Chorus

The animals they came off, they came off by threesies, threesies
Animals they came off, they came off by threesies, threesies
All because of, birds and beesies,
Children of the Lord.

Chorus

Now this is the end of, the end of the story, story
This is the end of, the end of the story, story
Everything was hunky dory, dory
Children of the Lord.

Chorus

America

In honor of the 4th of July Holiday we all celebrated this weekend, I wanted to share the words to this song that was also a girls' camp favorite. It did not make it on to the camp songs C.D. yet, it is a song worth remembering.

America, America,
Can we tell you how we feel?
You have given us your treasures.
We love you still.

(done in a round, to the same tune as 'Rose, rose, rose, rose')

No Man is an Island

No man is an island.
No man stands alone.
Each man's joy is joy to me,
Each man's grief is my own.
We need one another,
So I will defend.
Each man as my brother,
Each man as my friend.

Titanic

You may wonder why this classic camp song ended up grouped with the more serious songs on the C.D., the tone of the song is quite silly, but the subject matter is somewhat depressing, thus the placement decision was made. I feel it helped keep the first part of the album from getting too boring. The version on the C.D. is a bit different than the one I learned at camp Ritchie, but this is the way the girls who sang with me had learned it, and it was easier to adapt my tune than to re-teach them the song. Hope you enjoy singing this one as much as we did. Put on your life preservers everyone, here goes:

Oh, they built the ship Titanic, to sail the ocean blue
And they thought they had a ship that the water wouldn't
go through. So the Lord He raised His hand and said,
"This ship would never land"
It was sad when the great ship went down.

CHORUS:
It was sad
It was sad, sooo sad!
It was sad when the great ship
went down to the bottom of the sea
(husbands and wives and children lost their lives)/
(uncles and aunts and children wet their pants)
two optional counter melodies
It was sad when the great ship went down.
(echo) down, down, down,
Down to the bottom of the sea
(blub, blub, blub, blub)

It was near the English shore when they heard a mighty roar,
And the rich refused to associate with the poor.
So they sent them down below where they were the first to go
It was sad when the great ship went down.

CHORUS

The Captain stood on deck with a tear in his eye,
as he waved the last of his passengers goodbye.
He thought he made a slip, so he went down with the ship
It was sad when the great ship went down.

CHORUS

So, they built another ship and they called it Number Two,
And they thought they had a ship that the water wouldn't go through.
Well, they christened it with beer then it sank right off the pier,
It was sad when the great ship went down.

CHORUS (one last time, with lots of feeling!)