Monday, June 22, 2015

Day #1.

Counselors have arrived.

Training has begun.

Spirit is lit.




See you soon.


Thursday, June 11, 2015

Meet the Staff of '15: Jasper Interviews Wojciech


The NINETEENTH (that's right) installment of our 17ish part series:  Meet the Summer Staff of 2015!


THE MAJESTIC JASPER




ARTS AND CRAFTS COUNSELOR


-----INTERVIEWS-----

WOJCIECH



KITCHEN STAFF



Jasper: So, to begin, Wojciech, I have to ask, for the good of everybody involved... How do you pronounce your name?


Wojciech: Oh no... not again! It's not easy to explain. 'Voy-check' is good enough but not  perfect. Just ask when you meet me. :)  You have to know that Wojciech ('Voy-check') is used rarely. In everyday life I prefer Wojtek that is less formal. What is more important it is quite easy to pronounce: 'Voytech'/'Voytek'.


J: That doesn't sound too hard! I'm sure we'll get it right... eventually. For anyone who might not know already, what country are you from?


W: It's not hard at all. I'll gladly teach everybody how to spell it (and maybe a few more polish words) in right way.  Seeing foreigners speaking polish is always fun. :D Answering your question: I'm from Poland.


J: I just finished school for the year. Do you go to school, and if so, what do you study?


W: I am currently at master's studies of energetics. One year left.


J: Energetics? Is that like Electrical Engineering?


W: Similar. A lot of my friends study Electrical Engineering. We have common subjects.  Energetics is more focused on energy generation and maintaining power lines. Briefly: there is more physics in Energetics and more math in Electrical Engineering. I was always more into physics. :)


J: That's really interesting! We don't have Energetics at my school. Have you worked at a camp before?


W: Don't know if I can consider it as working (I wasn't paid), but several years ago I spent a few days on helping to keep the cleanliness of the camp canteen. It was super fun! Mostly because of the people I met there. Now I'm really excited about this summer because I'm sure it is going to be the best time of my life. I mean it! Can't wait to meet everyone. :)


J: Everyone can't wait to meet you! What are you most looking forward to about coming the the US and working summer camp?


W: This question cannot be answered. ;) This summer everything will be new for me. Plane flight (first time!), people, culture, animals (Are there chipmunks on camp? I heard they are friendly, funny and very common on camps in US. There aren't any in Europe.), activities (Who wants to teach me archery? :D), Walmart,  traveling after camp(Grand Canyon, Niagara 
Falls, NY, Vegas...),  and maaaany other things. But if I have to choose one it will always be people. ;)


J: Seems like a pretty good answer to me! There certainly are chipmunks, but they're pretty skittish, so don't expect to be petting them or anything. 
I've only got one more question. Imagine a penguin walked in your door right now, wearing a 
red bow tie. What do you think it's doing there, and what would it say to you?


W: This penguin just wants to wish me a happy birthday. No doubt. :)


J: Ah, yes, penguins are known to go out of their way to tell people happy birthday. It was 
great talking to you, and I'm looking forward to meeting you at camp! Have a safe flight!


W: Thank you!

Thursday, June 4, 2015

Live from Lakeside: Vol. II - Happy June!

Yes, indeed, friends of Lindley G. Cook 4-H Camp, HAPPY JUNE!

Y'know, June. 

JUNE!

The month it currently is, the month that is now, the month that many of us thought would just never get here but IS here, June, the month SUMMER CAMP STARTS!

As perhaps you can tell, us here at Camp love us some June. It starts with our final Camp prep and planning, then the Senior Staff arrive, then the counselors arrive, then the campers arrive, and all that is some of what goes into making June just one of the best months there is. Super easily in the top 6 months. I'll stand by it. (Don't get me started on the bottom six. Yeah, that's right, I'm looking at you March.) 

To celebrate (yup, we're gonna celebrate even more than me simply using an excessive amount capital letters), let's check-in on our Lakeside Construction project.

You remember? Our Lakeside Fire Ring project that we've been dreaming of forever and is actually happening for Summer 2015. Well, our crew Joe and Jeff laid the ground work, and then that ground work laid under about 2 1/2 feet of snow for about 2 1/2 months, and now a wonderful local company called Dreamscape Designs is putting the final product together for us. "Turning our outdoor dreams into a reality", if you will. (I didn't come up with that. They came up with it. That's their tagline. And they're sure living up to it.)

We're not just putting in the structure for our little amphitheater...

We're expanding the whole shore of Lakeside.

That's more room for the fire ring, more room for opening campfire skits, more room for story-telling performances, more room for Battle For the Island pep talks!

To achieve this, they used a unique landscaping material called "very large rocks." (It's a technical term.)

And as out goes the shore...

Up go our rows for benches.

I hope these pictures convey that this is exciting.

Cause in person, this is very exciting.

We promise we'll remove the tools and random chainsaws before campers arrive.

In fact...

By the time campers arrive...

This project won't be half done...

It will be pretty much mostly ALL done...


And we'll be set to have our inaugural event at the new Lakeside be our first opening campfire of the 2015 summer season. 




This great new centerpiece of Camp would not be possible without the generous support of Camp Family members like you!

This ambitious project is being funded solely by donations, and we'd never be able to accomplish it otherwise. A $400 donation goes a long way to helping us transform Lakeside, and it even comes with a bench plaque for the new fire ring. We've had a bunch of generous donors take us up on the offer.

In fact, the first batch of plaques are in! 


Next you see them they'll be affixed to benches on the first couple rows. Another order will be placed soon, and we've currently got about half the benches sponsored. Don't miss your chance to be one of the forty founders of this project, have your own plaque, and most importantly help us build an iconic new part of the Camp facility that will be enjoyed for years and years to come.

If interested, please get in touch with the Camp Office by dropping me an email or giving us a call at 973-948-3550.

Oh, and I don't think I mentioned.

Happy June.

It's June.

June. Y'know...the month summer camp starts!?


...Happy June.