Jerry's Kids...Camp Zed Pays Tribute to Jerry Garcia

Camp without tie dyed tees is like...well, I dunno what it's like. That's a difficult analogy to stretch but trust me when I say that summer camp without tie dye just isn't summer camp, either that or you're really rich and your camp didn't stoop to dyed fabrics and faint counterculture tributes for one more generation of funsters removed from the fray of communal camping. We do.



Dad brewed up the idea over coffee this morning. Mom used up her lunch break to help out, and in the true spirit of it all, Zed got naked, doffing only an apron.

Now that you can buy full tie dye kits with bottles, dyes, rubber bands, etc...it's fool proof. You don't need dreads, bead necklaces, or a faint patchouli smell like you used to. All you need is the kit, then grab some soda ash, to help the dye set in the fabric. Done. Well, kinda done. You'll need a bucket, a flat stain resistant surface (big cardboard box), Saran or plastic wrap, a dinner fork or a larger BBQ fork, some rubber gloves, and a tray or aluminum foil dish to set the finished shirts in. Done, and done. It's really that easy. You're almost ready to tour with Phish,or at least hit a single Bob Weir show.



It's not exactly the best hands on project for a two and half year old, but when you've got a good one, and some extra hands, it's fine. Zo couldn't touch the soda ash, and we weren't thrilled with the idea of Zed and a squirt bottle full of colored dye, so she helped set things up, helped us select colors and tie our rubber bands onto the shirts.



She even twisted tees, and in a hilarious turn of events, helped out with the Saran wrap. She was most thrilled about her rock responsibility...placing rocks on our fresh Saran wrap so that it didn't get all tangled or blow away. Mostly I think she was just happy to be outside naked.



It really is an idiot proof project. If you drag your funster along to gather up materials, buy a shirt or three, and then prep and finally get down to business, you've wrapped up a huge amount of their time, and then all you have to do is twist, tie, and squirt dye...BLAM, instant hero.



We all made a shirt or two...Zo made three. It only took about 30-45 minutes but she was thrilled, and was desperate to see the end results. Sadly, she has to wait a good few hours for the dye to really set, and because little miss 6 AM needs a nap!



What a cool afternoon, and what a timely idea. We listened to the Grateful Dead when we settled down for a nap, and Zoey told me all about her stance on harsher drug sentencing and the commercialization of what's left of the touring Dead scene. She's a smart kid. More than one Jerry would be proud (the grandfatherly one spells his name with a G not a J). She's also a tired kid. As I type this the little hippie is asleep in her cardboard castle. Apparently, tie-dying takes endurance, or at least, the excitement surrounding tie-dying does.