Last week Gardner kicked off a Thankfulness campaign on camp’s Instagram and it’s been inspiring to see the messages of gratitude come in from Illahee girls. We’ve put together their thoughts in a Thanksgiving Video. This is a unique Thanksgiving with Zoom family reunions and smaller tables. Our family has been wrestling with Thanksgiving plans … Continued
We just returned from three weeks on the road covering twelve states and 3000 miles- a New England Road tour. This wasn’t our typical Camp Illahee fall road show which would include packed living rooms and campers gathered around to watch the most recent highlights video! We had the opportunity to go a different route … Continued
We all can use some good news during this season… we have a recent wedding and an engagement to tell you about! With large scale parties “on hold” for the near future, Turner and Marie tied the knot on a Colorado mountain top in June! While their event was a little different from the wedding … Continued
Today’s pleasant highlight was a McLeod porch visit with alums Ellis Pearce and Brevard resident Kitty Coleman Neff who chose Illahee as a spot to catch up, tell camp stories, and enjoy a picnic. Friends since the 1960’s when Ellis was a camper and Kitty a counselor, their camp experience spans generations and groups of … Continued
I am writing over the loud hum of the leaf-blowers, one of the many sounds of summer. In years past I would have greeting that sound with an annoyed sigh, but lately I have found a sort of comfort in the familiarity of it. After a stormy and rain-heavy weekend, the maintenance guys are on … Continued
In April a parent from California emailed us a You Tube Video about an American family in South Korea returning to school. Her subject was “Camp with masks is better than no camp.” My reaction was “No Way…camp in masks?” On May 15th we had made the heart breaking decision to cancel our season. On … Continued
It is hard to fathom that we are nearing the end of June. Are we the only ones who feel like time is more blurry this summer? Usually in June, our days are perfectly orchestrated into a schedule dictated by the ringing of the bell signalling activities, rest hours, and evening programs. Adjusting to life … Continued
“A roller coaster of emotions” hardly describes our feelings since Friday’s announcement to cancel this summer. It is more accurately a typhoon or a super cyclone of emotions. We know you all can relate, after hearing from many of our families and their response to the news. If you “took to the bed” on Friday, … Continued
While we all continue to adjust to the “new normal”, something that has made us feel grounded and encouraged is hearing from camp families, campers, and staff. Last week we reached out to our staff members to check in and see how they were spending their time in quarantine. We asked them to share some … Continued
We had a Zoom gathering last night with some lifelong friends who we had taken a sailing trip with in January. One of their sons and daughter-in-law had led the trip and are now quarantined on their boat in St. John. They joined us each in our separate settings for a sunset Zoom. After initial … Continued
