Like the many of you, we at Camp Illahee are starting the new year with freezing temperatures. Camp is beautiful now with the frozen swim lake – ice skating might be our new camp activity. After nearly two weeks of holiday schedules, I woke up to a surprisingly loud alarm clock this morning and rolled over to see the thermometer registering 8 degrees! Ok…maybe that New Year’s resolution exercise plan should start… tomorrow!
We enjoyed our time with family and friends and the many gatherings around beef tenderloin, gumbo, pecan pie, homemade biscuits, honey baked ham, and birthday cake. (I celebrated my birthday at camp with my mother in-law Ruth Starr and grandson Brooks-3 generations of Christmas babies; Gardner’s birthday was a few days later New Year’s Eve!) We also enjoyed having Turner home from Seattle and our Raleigh nephews (all former High Rocks campers and counselors) even though the potatoes being launched from our deck into the canoe lake on Christmas morning started a new and somewhat unnerving tradition. I felt a sigh of relief this morning with my bowl of oatmeal and catching up at a quiet desk!
The new year means new energy as we begin the countdown to opening day! The guys are working on indoor projects – carving out a summer program office in the Curtis basement and building bunk beds for Pineview cabins. Gretchen has been interviewing counselors and catching up with Illahee girls who will be joining us next summer while Gardner and I have been calling JC’s. Dave and Lindsey are ordering activity equipment and reaching out to our activity instructors.
Gardner and I look forward to heading to Atlanta on Sunday and to Charlotte next Thursday for the last camper movie reunions of the season. We can’t wait to see families in those cities! Meanwhile, we hope your New Year is filled with Joy and positive resolutions! I just put on my “long Johns” and a hat and am going to take that walk after all! Happy 2018, and the countdown to the Best Summer Ever!