ON LONG POND —
Kneeboarding, driving the jet ski, catching fish and turtles, sharing jokes and laughter, and staying up as late as 3 a.m. were the order of the day as cousins enjoyed a week on Long Pond.
Valdosta High graduate Terry Godfrey, aka G’Pa, who lives in the Macon area, started Cousins Camp in 2003. With his grandsons in different states, he wanted to bring them together for a week each year to have fun being with each other.
“We felt like our grandchildren would not be able to see their cousins like I did when I was growing up because they lived in two (one year, three) different states,” he said. “We have one rule: They have to be 3 years old and potty trained.
“We started our first Cousins Camp in Valdosta at the Double G Farm (owned by his brothers Haskell and Barry Godfrey).”
It was back to Lowndes County this year as the 10th anniversary of Cousins Camp was celebrated with five grandsons and two nephews at the lake house of Haskell and Sibbie Godfrey. Lincoln Hardeman, 9, and Truit Hardeman, 8, of Valdosta, grandsons of Haskell and Sibbie, were among the boisterous campers.
“Truit and Lincoln are big fishermen and caught lots of fish,” Terry Godfrey said.
Wife Pam Godfrey, aka G’Ma, prepares the meals, which included deviled bacon for breakfast. Thirteen-year-old Clayton Godfrey of Gray said he enjoyed his G’Pa’s special eggs.
“(They have) armadillo, possum, chicken gizzards in there,” Terry joked.
Each year, a different color is chosen for the hats, T-shirts and shorts of the boys. This year, it was VHS’s black and yellow.
“The most interesting was the red, white and blue, with the hat with red, white and blue bill; red shirts; and blue shorts,” Clayton said.
The craziest color combination, according to 14-year-old Connor Jett of Barnesville, was the purple and gold.
On the back of 2010’s burgundy T-shirt was cartoon characters of each of the boys and the sport they play. Christopher Godfrey, 17, of Ormond Beach, Fla., and 11-year-old brother Sammy play baseball while brother Brandon, 8, plays soccer; Clayton plays tennis and is ranked 61st in Georgia and 305th in the South among more than 1,000 players in the 14-year-olds. Connor’s favored sport is track while 10-year-old brother Grayson Jett loves football.
Terry plans two field trips for the cousins during their eight days together.
“Last year, we went rafting in the mountains,” he said.
This year, the cousins explored the Okefenokee Swamp and the Tallahassee (Fla.) Automobile Museum.
While Clayton claims the most fun field trip was to Wild Adventures in Valdosta and Connor to the Atlanta Speedway and a Braves game, Brandon said he enjoyed the Okefenokee “because I got to touch an alligator.”
While fun and fellowship highlight the week, the cousins learn life lessons as well.
“We learned for money not to be our master,” Brandon said.
And then there was the pickle lesson. When Clayton and Connor were in Winn-Dixie and Pam asked them to get two jars of pickles, they decided to play a trick and came back with two ji-normous jars. G’Ma said, “OK, but you’ll have to eat all of them.”
The cousins rose to the challenge and during the week emptied one jar down to the last pickle, which they hungrily eyed. They drew for it and Truit was the lucky winner, but after a sermonette by Terry on sharing, he put that lesson to practice.
“We have a Bible verse for the week,” Terry said, with Sammy quickly raising his hand to recite Col. 3:17, which says “And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”
Connor said his G’Pa declares every year the camp will be his last, but G’Ma says the camp will continue “until we’re in wheelchairs and drooling.”
Features
Related Photos
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Elizabeth Butler | The Valdosta Daily Times From left, Lincoln Hardeman, Brandon Godfrey, Sammy Godfrey, Connor Jett, Truit Hardeman, Clayton Godfrey and Grayson Jett hold the fish and mussel they caught at Cousins Camp at Twin Lakes.
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Elizabeth Butler | The Valdosta Daily Times Brandon Godfrey of Ormond Beach, Fla., left, and Lincoln Hardeman of Valdosta show off the turtles the boys caught at Cousins Camp.
Discussion
Cousins Camp offers rootin’, tootin’ fun
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