Winter Family Fun Day

Sliding down the hill to the soccer field. The kids were really happy to finally get a chance to do some real sledding this winter. It's much more fun at camp than down the little ramp they've made from the top of our deck in the backyard!

Snow angels on the pond.

The pond on Friday, before being partially cleared for skating on Saturday.

The campfire hill was a hit with the older kids. It's steeper and longer, giving an exciting ride. Of course, that means the walk back up the hill is that much more challenging, too.

I only went partially down the campfire hill to sit in a convenient little spot while taking photos of the kids coming down the hill. It was snug there!

Skating on the pond. There was a path shovelled all the way around the edge of the pond that the pleasure skaters used.

The shallow end had been cleared off and the hockey players had a great time. They had even spray-painted a blue maple leaf on the ice! There were lots of spectators sitting on the benches watching the game.

We had a great turnout for Saturday. People enjoyed sledding, skating, snowshoeing and hiking through the trails. In between those activities they chatted and watched others playing. It was a beautiful day, not too windy or cold. Just right for a fun day! Mid-afternoon is when most people headed to the dining hall for a bite to eat. Hot chocolate and cider were provided and whatever food people brought was shared. There was a brilliant fire going and a slideshow of last year's day camp photos playing to a beautiful CD of praise music.

We were all completely wiped out when we got home. This is pretty much how we spent the evening. Matthew was on the other couch across from us, but the photo of him was blurred. The kids just watched a movie. I slept.

Struck by Lightning

This apple tree sits in a little valley near the volleyball court at camp. Adrian was in to camp on Wednesday to do some grass-cutting and found this tree split in several spots with scorch marks on the split areas. It looks like it was hit by lightning sometime between when the camp closed last Saturday and Tuesday, since Wednesday was a gorgeous sunny day. When I got there with the boys Adrian cut the branches that were just hanging from the stump and dragged the pieces away to a brush pile. The boys and I picked up the apples and smaller branches that had dropped along the way so that the yellow jackets wouldn't be a problem in the area. Teen camp starts this Sunday, so we're praying for good weather for them! I'm glad nobody was at camp when the tree got hit!

Swimming with Friends

Saturday was the last Tae Kwon Do class for the boys. They are happy and sad about that. Happy that Saturday mornings no longer have to be early mornings (um, yeah, I still have one very early-bird and another semi-early-bird who are up early no matter what day of the week it is) and sad that they will miss it for the summer.

We invited some friends, who are also in TKD, to come for lunch, then we headed to camp for a tour and a swim. These are the same friends who invited us to tour the camp they go to each summer so they thought it was neat to see another camp. The pond was a hit and the best part was that the deer flies seemed to have all but disappeared! We met up with Adrian's sister, F, her husband, A, and their three kids which was great for some adult time for me. It was just me and six kids for most of the day, but I survived! Adrian was already at camp helping put a new steel roof on the washroom block. I slept well that night!

Quick Trip to Camp

Yesterday on the way home from the falls we made a quick stop into camp to return something to the dining hall. We were still pretty hot (no air conditioning in the van) so I agreed to let the kids go for a quick swim in the pond. We got down there and the water felt so nice! I even went for a short swim. Very short. The rotten deer flies were terrible down there! Still, the kids are already asking if we can go again today.

Andrew had time to find a frog (notice the deer flies on his head!) and I managed to take some photos of another wildflower. I had taken some the other day of this one but none of the photos turned out so I was glad for another opportunity.

A Nice Cool Splash!

We spent yesterday afternoon and this morning at camp with Adrian's Mum doing some baking and cooking for the first week, which is rapidly approaching. K and I baked cookies and brownies yesterday and made lasagnes today. While we were in the kitchen the boys entertained themselves around the grounds. It was soooo hot (not that I'm complaining!) and I had promised the boys that after the baking was done I'd take them down to the pond for a refreshing swim. Very refreshing - I don't think the pond has had much of a chance to really warm up much since the ice melted! lol! The kids had a great time and I amused myself taking photos around the pond. These photos are from yesterday. I was thrilled with how many different wildflowers there were!

Camp Visit

Yesterday friends of ours invited us to go take a look at New Life Camp, the summer camp their children attend. I've been wanting to see this camp for a long time, even before we knew people with children who've been there! lol! The camp was open for a fundraising day so there were booths set up for food, drinks, face painting, water balloon launching, dunk tank, and horse-drawn buggy rides among other things. The kids liked the cotton candy booth, especially!

There was beach volleyball going on when we got there, a soccer game started shortly after, people were canoeing in the small lake (or large pond?) and kids were playing on the playground equipment. Towards the end of the time there was bottle rocket launching which was a hit with many kids, big and small.

We had a little tour through the main building which houses the common room/chapel area, dining area, kitchen, dorm rooms, games room, craft area and a large new addition (our friends weren't sure about its future use), then a little walk around some of the grounds. Most things are set up right near the main building. It was neat to see how another camp is set up. It would be interesting to find out more about their programming, too. I took some photos to show Adrian's Dad. I know he was interested in seeing what this camp is like, too. It's funny that there are several Christian camps in this general area!

Ready for Campers!

This morning Nicholas and Matthew came with me to do some work at camp. G was there doing some grass-cutting and dishwasher-fixing and we joined K cleaning some cabins. It was just a quick cleaning that was done today as there is a group coming in for the weekend for Spring Alive and not all the cabins were cleaned at weekend work parties. There are still four more to clean, but they aren't needed for this weekend so we'll get back in there before the first week of kids' camp in July and get them done.

After we finished with the three cabins we were cleaning I took the boys for a walk around the pond. They waded in the cold water, wishing they'd brought their bathing suits. I just enjoyed the walk in the sunshine, basking in the warmth for a change. We saw several frogs, loads and loads of fish, dragonflies and water bugs. The sounds of birds and frogs filled the air. Oh, and so did the sounds of stones being skipped across the pond!

Camp is looking great! Bring on the campers!!

Spring at Camp

We headed over to camp Monday afternoon to help with getting the dishes washed and ready for the season. The dishwasher is an industrial unit so each load takes about thirty seconds to do. The dishes come out piping hot and nearly dry completely on their own within moments! K had already been there before us and had finished with the plates, cups and bowls so Adrian and I got to work on all the baking trays, mixing bowls, cutting boards and cutlery. It still took a couple of hours to wash all the dishes!

The first weekend camp of the season, Spring Alive, is coming up the first weekend in June, so we'll get in before then and do a thorough cleaning of the cabins. The boys are usually good helpers with anything they are asked to do at camp and they are becoming very good at cleaning cabins! Wish I could say the same for their bedrooms.... There is much work to be done at camp and the rest of this week and next looks pretty good for weather so I imagine we'll be back in there before long, doing whatever needs doing. It's a good place to work!

After we finished in the kitchen, the boys and I took a walk down to the pond to see if we could spot any frogs and/or frogs' eggs. Andrew caught a frog, which did it's best to escape before I finally was able to snap a quick photo of him with it. It kept leaping out of his hands every time he tried to pose! lol! We did find some eggs, but they'd already hatched. There were dozens of tiny tadpoles all around the eggs and the plants on the bottom of the pond. We were amazed to see the size of the fish in the pond this year. It is a spring-fed pond beside a river and small fish do get into the pond through the spring, but the larger ones? I think they end up in there when the river overflows into the pond in the spring. Of course, the larger minnows are probably just last year's little ones! The fish tend to not really bother us while we swim in the pond, but every now and then when you're standing still you might feel a little nibble at a toe! I'm starting to get a bit nervous about Day Camp! lol!

Skipping stones.

Andrew with the only frog we saw.

Tadpoles recently hatched (they are the black specks on the white eggs and in the plants below).

While we were waiting for Adrian and his Dad to finish up at the workshop, I amused myself with taking some photos of wildflowers. I'm much later getting into camp this year than I normally am so I've probably missed some of the really early wildflowers already. I'm hoping I haven't missed the trilliums though. They blanket the forest at the back of the property and are beautiful to see!

Wild Strawberries are found strewn throughout the soccer fields.

I think these are Field Pussytoes. They cover one area beside the driveway and the field leading to the volleyball court. They are really very soft!

One of many types of Violets found at camp.

Well, this one isn't a wildflower, but it is a ground cover found in one of the gardens in front of the staff lodge. The name of it escapes me at the moment, but the little purple flowers are very pretty!