Shawn was right. They had lunch outside. Teal'c and his group of campers
showed up right as the horn blew to announce it was time to eat, dusty and
dirty and looking as though they'd had the time of their lives. The boys
from China who'd went along on the nature walk also brought Jack another
large sampling of different items they'd found in the woods. Luckily there
wasn't any more poop.
The horseback riders also showed up right before lunch, and Gina came running up to Jack where he was sitting next to Sam and vaulted into his lap, which made him and every other adult male in the area wince. He whimpered when her knee hit him, but he caught her up in his arms before she could tumble off the other side of his legs.
"Did you miss me?"
"I certainly did. Did you have fun?"
"Yeah! I rode Smokey."
Jack looked over at Daniel, who was close enough to hear the conversation, and smiled. "Good ole Smokey."
"Vicious ole Smokey," Daniel muttered, but he made sure to say it softly enough that only Sally heard him. Jack didn't need to hear him. He was fairly sure he knew how Daniel felt about ole Smokey.
They all sat at picnic tables to eat, and there wasn't a runner. Everyone lined up with a plate in their hands and helped themselves to whatever they wanted. And there was a lot to choose from. Chicken, hot dogs and hamburgers, chips, salads of all sorts, and cookies and brownies for desert. They ate on paper plates, so cleaning up was as easy as throwing their garbage away, which made very little work for the kitchen crew.
As they ate, the kids that were sitting with Jack, Daniel, Sam, Sally and Teal'c all told them what they'd done that morning, and they all were as loud as could be, since there were a lot of voices to be heard over.
"Hey you guys," Gary Hines interrupted about the time everyone was on their dessert. All eyes turned to him, and conversation hushed to a low din. He smiled at them all, and held up the schedule that was in his hand.
"We're going to change the schedule a little this afternoon. Some of you were scheduled for more free time, and some of you were scheduled for rock climbing." Most of the eyes in the camp turned to Jack, and he scowled at the attention, which made Gina giggle. And he scowled at her, which only made her laugh harder. A look from Jack that could intimidate many a fine, courageous officer or enlisted man had absolutely no affect on the little girl. He sighed, and nuzzled his face into her silky hair, tickling her, as Gary continued his announcement.
"Since you can't rock climb, France, you'll be up in the field with China. Morocco, you'll still be horseback riding, UK will be sailing, Germany will be doing the Nature Trail walk, and Switzerland will be doing Arts and Crafts."
There was another murmur of conversation as the kids and counselors all chattered about their assigned activities. All but China and France, who had no idea what they were going to be doing. Just that they were going to be 'in the field'.
"So, finish your lunch, take care of your plates, and I'll see you all at dinner."
"What do you think we're going to be doing, Jack?" Asked Shawn.
"No clue."
"Football!" Simon yelled hopefully.
"No!" This was an entire chorus of female voices. The girls didn't want to play football. Jack hoped that it wasn't football, since it was fairly obvious there was going to be a mutiny on their hands if they tried to get France to play.
"Maybe Capture the Flag?"
"Nah, it has to be dark." Andrew said, shoving an entire brownie in his mouth.
"Maybe we're playing kickball."
"Horse shoes!"
"Horseshoes?"
"What do you want to play, Murray?"
Teal'c shrugged, unsure what the various choices were. All he knew was that he was glad he wasn't riding or doing Arts and Crafts.
"I would be satisfied with another game of Twister," He told them, causing giggles all around.
"I hope we're going to play soccer."
Jack stood up, sliding Gina to the bench next to him. "Why don't we go see what they have planned?" He suggested. He didn't wait for an answer from any of them, instead taking his plate over to the garbage and throwing it away before he headed for the hill.
The kids didn't need him to tell them to follow him, they did it automatically. Running ahead of him, or running just enough to catch up with him and walk beside him, the entire group, boys and girls, all headed up the hill, chattering excitedly as they continued to try and guess what they were going to be doing.
The horseback riders also showed up right before lunch, and Gina came running up to Jack where he was sitting next to Sam and vaulted into his lap, which made him and every other adult male in the area wince. He whimpered when her knee hit him, but he caught her up in his arms before she could tumble off the other side of his legs.
"Did you miss me?"
"I certainly did. Did you have fun?"
"Yeah! I rode Smokey."
Jack looked over at Daniel, who was close enough to hear the conversation, and smiled. "Good ole Smokey."
"Vicious ole Smokey," Daniel muttered, but he made sure to say it softly enough that only Sally heard him. Jack didn't need to hear him. He was fairly sure he knew how Daniel felt about ole Smokey.
They all sat at picnic tables to eat, and there wasn't a runner. Everyone lined up with a plate in their hands and helped themselves to whatever they wanted. And there was a lot to choose from. Chicken, hot dogs and hamburgers, chips, salads of all sorts, and cookies and brownies for desert. They ate on paper plates, so cleaning up was as easy as throwing their garbage away, which made very little work for the kitchen crew.
As they ate, the kids that were sitting with Jack, Daniel, Sam, Sally and Teal'c all told them what they'd done that morning, and they all were as loud as could be, since there were a lot of voices to be heard over.
"Hey you guys," Gary Hines interrupted about the time everyone was on their dessert. All eyes turned to him, and conversation hushed to a low din. He smiled at them all, and held up the schedule that was in his hand.
"We're going to change the schedule a little this afternoon. Some of you were scheduled for more free time, and some of you were scheduled for rock climbing." Most of the eyes in the camp turned to Jack, and he scowled at the attention, which made Gina giggle. And he scowled at her, which only made her laugh harder. A look from Jack that could intimidate many a fine, courageous officer or enlisted man had absolutely no affect on the little girl. He sighed, and nuzzled his face into her silky hair, tickling her, as Gary continued his announcement.
"Since you can't rock climb, France, you'll be up in the field with China. Morocco, you'll still be horseback riding, UK will be sailing, Germany will be doing the Nature Trail walk, and Switzerland will be doing Arts and Crafts."
There was another murmur of conversation as the kids and counselors all chattered about their assigned activities. All but China and France, who had no idea what they were going to be doing. Just that they were going to be 'in the field'.
"So, finish your lunch, take care of your plates, and I'll see you all at dinner."
"What do you think we're going to be doing, Jack?" Asked Shawn.
"No clue."
"Football!" Simon yelled hopefully.
"No!" This was an entire chorus of female voices. The girls didn't want to play football. Jack hoped that it wasn't football, since it was fairly obvious there was going to be a mutiny on their hands if they tried to get France to play.
"Maybe Capture the Flag?"
"Nah, it has to be dark." Andrew said, shoving an entire brownie in his mouth.
"Maybe we're playing kickball."
"Horse shoes!"
"Horseshoes?"
"What do you want to play, Murray?"
Teal'c shrugged, unsure what the various choices were. All he knew was that he was glad he wasn't riding or doing Arts and Crafts.
"I would be satisfied with another game of Twister," He told them, causing giggles all around.
"I hope we're going to play soccer."
Jack stood up, sliding Gina to the bench next to him. "Why don't we go see what they have planned?" He suggested. He didn't wait for an answer from any of them, instead taking his plate over to the garbage and throwing it away before he headed for the hill.
The kids didn't need him to tell them to follow him, they did it automatically. Running ahead of him, or running just enough to catch up with him and walk beside him, the entire group, boys and girls, all headed up the hill, chattering excitedly as they continued to try and guess what they were going to be doing.