Hard to believe another camp year has come to an end. This week went by really fast – and we had great weather . . .
August 2
[Every morning before breakfast, the Super would go to the office to check up on worldly events . . . ]
[Then down all the steps to breakfast – always enjoy this time of day . . . ]
[The waterfront and the sails and the sunlight . . . ]
[Friday morning, the last full day of camp, always begins with the lake swim. The camp pontoon takes all participants to the far side of the lake then follows their one-mile swim back. Rita & I say we’re going to do it every year – then we come to our senses . . . ]
[Can you see their heads on the far side of the lake?]
[This, our swimming area, is their final destination . . . ]
[At 7:00 am, a good time – the lake is generally calm and motor boats are not allowed on the lake until 10:00 am. Now you can see the three lead swimmers – the one on the left will be the winner, the one on the right will finish 2nd, and the one in the middle will be 3rd. These three distanced themselves from the pack of 4 or 5 more . . . ]
[Getting closer as fans appear on the dock . . . ]
[Then family to greet their arrivals . . . ]
[Now back for breakfast – the DOM and Vicki have their reading materials . . . ]
[And Reetz looks ready for action . . . ]
[The Biddies, in all their glory . . . ]
[After breakfast, a visit to one of The Biddies Elkhart Lake haunts . . . ]
[Where the yard is just one gigantic display of green things growing . . . ]
[Back in camp, the true sign of a summer lakeshore cottage. You may have surmised that is not my swimsuit . . . ]
[Looking right on our porch . . . ]
[Looking left on our porch . . . ]
[The kids get a Hobie ride . . . ]
[And away they go . . . ]
[And other water activities begin . . . ]
[Kent and the DOM canoed around the lake and are almost back . . . ]
[The Hobie appears to be “treading water” . . . ]
[The canoe boys check on the construction project . . . ]
[And now they’re chasing Caitlin . . . ]
[They have no chance to catch her, of course . . . ]
[As I believe I previously mentioned, Caitlin has bicycled all the way across the United States . . . ]
[Just catch my draft, boys . . . ]
[They survived the circumnavigation of Elkhart Lake . . . ]
[This photo has been submitted for the cover of the next issue of Freshwater Canoeing Monthly, under the subtitle, The Great White Shark Had No Chance . . . ]
[The Super found a comfortable spot to read . . . ]
[Or was it to nap?]
[My dates are ready for the evening’s festivities . . . ]
[The theme was “Decades” . . . ]
[And off the charts on the cuteness scale . . . ]
[Sonny and Cher were there . . . ]
[After much confusion, they confessed to being John and Rosalba . . . ]
[Leena initially didn’t seem pleased . . . ]
[But then she found mom . . . ]
[And all was well again . . . ]
[Some of the staff counselors pretending they were at Woodstock . . . ]
[So the Super joined in . . . ]
[Did this entire generation get really tall?]
[I think Ferris was even before her parents?]
[My fellow Twins fan. Lives in D.C. area (I worked in the same agency as his dad), went to Stanford (the Fighting Trees), and now is our next door neighbor in camp . . . ]
[Karly’s 4th year of taking care of we campers. A local, she graduated from high school this year . . . ]
[She’s going to major in psychology in college (probably because she’s had to psychoanalyze us every year) . . . ]
[Katie’s in the sundae line – The Biddies love this part!]
[We bid our adieus to Karly, hoping she’ll come back as a counselor next year. We told her she was a double for Anne of Green Gables . . . ]
[The aforementioned Anne with The Biddies . . . ]
[No dancing this year. If you’ll notice the flagstone patio, it’s become a bit treacherous for such. The plan is to replace it with pavers by next year . . . ]
[The last night campfire . . . ]
[While Reetz waxes nostalgic . . . ]
August 3
[Saturday morning, pack to leave. Coffee and pastries available at the mess hall . . . ]
[The Super’s last minute internet check – likely saving our Google maps route home . . . ]
[Until next year . . . ]
[Reetz makes her final exit . . . ]
[Katie’s ready to drive them home to Indiana. The Super and I made it home in 7 1/2 hours, despite stop and go traffic from the Cities to St. Cloud. We hope to stay home for a while now . . . ]
[And finally, because someone wanted to know (Katie?), the Super did indeed compete in the Little 500 at IU as a member of the Eager Beavers . . . ]
Even in a time of elephantine vanity and greed, one never has to look far to see the campfires of gentle people. ~ Garrison Keillor
Up Next: Is anybody still waiting for the rest of Norway?
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Our sponsor for the Little 500 was Texaco Service Stations. Our shoulder patch was the little beaver in his green uniform and cap and their motto was “Eager Beaver Service”. Needless to say we had to live with our name.
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