Newton Knows (or Newton's Nose)

Newton Knows (or Newton's Nose)

Thursday, March 26, 2009

When returning campers and counselors think of a familiar and friendly camp face, our curious and beloved yellow Lab, Newton, is one of the first that comes to mind. As the arrival of spring becomes more apparent, with the leaf blowers going and fresh white gravel being spread, Newton has been detecting the signs of an exciting summer season! Just this past week, he has been busy sniffing out all of the new things happening in the Heavenly.

He visited the Busy Bee, rustling out a nesting family of birds, before checking on the newest shipment of lanyard string, paint and linoleum tiles. Then downstairs to ceramics he went, where our trusty pottery wheels have been dusted off, ready to be set up for a summer of creations! You could tell he was wondering where all the campers were! Newton also nudged our UPS driver as he brought in our latest shipment of new BPA free Nalgene water bottles, complete with their fabulous, fun design and color...Newton definitely approved!

The tennis courts have been one of Newton's favorite stomping grounds as he managed to obtain one of the new tennis balls we received, and ran up and down the courts all afternoon...probably just out of excitement knowing that Tennis Dave will be returning again!

Newton also dropped by the dining hall, where Laurie met with Brian, our food rep, in hopes that he'd brought samples of all the yummy food we're ordering. From there, he headed to the swim lake for a quick dip, with a Newton-patented leap off the diving dock. Before his afternoon nap, Newton managed to check out all the new .177 caliber guns we've received, anxiously awaiting for some sharp shooters to fill the riflery range!

We definitely have one happy dog here at camp, ready and waiting for a summer that wouldn't be the same...without YOU! Get excited for the summer of 2009-summer of the ALL STARS!!!

Ready for Spring!

Ready for Spring!

Monday, March 02, 2009

Illahee is kind of like the pinecones right now. When it's cold outside, pinecones shut themselves tightly against the elements, anxiously awaiting warmer weather to open up and say Howdy to spring. And Illahee, hibernating after yestrerday's mega-storm, is buzzing inside, busy getting things ready for summer, hopeful and excited for warmer weather. And happy campers!

Gretchen and Kris had a fresh reminder of what makes Illahee so magical when they attended a recent camp show at Furman University. They stayed after for pizza with some of our counselors and had an awesome time! Old-timers Megan Mullinax, Laura Bennett, Taylor Beard, Roland Mitchener, Lauren Rice, and Ellie Weatherly joined new-comers Abby Delahoyde and Katy Cowles (Illahee camper) and hopefuls Libby Phillips and Amanda Hassen for a fun visit and a reminder that camp is just around the corner!

Another counselor get-together occured recently in Florida. Nicole Kalamaras enjoyed having her sister Melissa home for the weekend with some of Melissa's best pals from Auburn, Mary Cate Dukes and Susanna Foster. Look closely and notice how they closed out their evening activities. Aren't you humming the pine tree song right now? We are super excited that Mary Cate and Susanna will be joining us on staff this summer!

In other news Gretchen and Laurie are hiring top-notch counselors and staff, while James and Brian are diligently sprucing up the grounds. It might be cold outside, but while we're waiting for our gorgeous mountain weather let's all huddle together in expectation of the summer that's yet to come!