Monday, October 17, 2011

going to camp ~ again...

It had been a very long time since I had been to camp.  So to visit two different camps in one day...was really something!

Saturday turned out to be a beautiful, sunny day...the perfect day to take a drive past Hope to Camp Squeah.


We arrived a little early...


...so we did a little exploring before the 'big reveal'. 


We were a 'surprise' for the women gathered there for a fall conference.  Five of us from MGCC made the trek...and Lovella shared our story.  Which she does so well!


We stuck around for awhile...in case anyone might want us to sign their book.  It seemed there were many...and we signed away for over an hour.  Again...we met the nicest of people...from the Cowboy Poet to the cupcake lady.

After lunch...we hustled off to our next appointment...


...at another camp situated a good hour's drive away.  Camp Stillwood is where I attended summer camp as a ten year-old.  It was there that I learned to swim...and how to sleep on a mattress of straw.  There were outhouses...not washrooms.  There was nothing fancy about that camp back in the day!  It was camping in the true sense of the word.  I had not been to visit the camp in over a dozen years...


...and could not believe it was the same place.  It has grown up a lot lately! 


The cabins are not quite so rustic...


...the tuck shop is now a general store.


Where the covered picnic area was once located...sits this handsome barn of a structure.

I wasn't here to tour the facilities.  We came to do an afternoon book signing at the Ten Thousand Villages kiosk for another women's conference.  Again...we met the neatest people...including a long-lost cousin or two.  And before we left...


...we stopped by Stillbuck's for coffee, of course!


No camp should be without a Stillbuck's, right?


And just for old-times sake...I had to check out the view.


In my days as a camper...we used to hike down to that lake for a swim.  Now...I'm sure the on-site pool makes the hike to the lake unnecessary.

I think I'm about ready to go camping again.  It looks like it would be a totally different experience than the one I had long ago.  I think I could like it!  Though sleeping on straw...and swimming in the lake might still be a good experience for the young'uns!  I'm just saying....

15 comments:

  1. I love your photos of Stillwood. I wish now I had taken the extra five minutes to run and see the rest of the camp! So fun to return.

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  2. Camp - it conjures up images from old Trixie Beldon books and others of the genre. I never went to camp when I was a child, but loved hearing about Lillypad's camp experiences. Stillwood looks like a beautiful place.

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  3. It was great to actually meet you in person! Thanks for stopping in to see us all at Squeah :)

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  4. Stillbucks! Too cute!

    When I was here earlier, I was called away and very nearly didn't get back. I'm glad that I have so that I can say how lovely these camps are nestled into the beauty that is your corner of the globe. You gals are really getting around and that devotion is a wonderful testimony to the desire to continue a good work.

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  5. The thought of camping sounds romantic though. Haha I am sure the reality would not be quite so lovely =)

    Stillbucks...there's a thought!

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  6. My first visit to Stillwood was MANY years ago to attend Pioneer Girls camp. It was a long journey (from Kamloops). A few years ago we held my parents' 50th wedding anniversary celebration there - over a weekend!
    And my mother was at Stillwood this past weekend, too.

    You girls are getting around. Blessings on you.

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  7. We all have memories that take us way back there, don't we. I can tell that I missed out on a lot of good old fashioned fun.

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  8. Your photos of Stillwood are breath-taking. I saw Anneliese's photos of the first camp which was beautiful also. You girls have sure had some terrific opportunities to meet your readers these past months. I love to read about them!

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  9. What an amazing adventure!! You are amazing, as well!!! Thanks for sharing this with us!

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  10. If I had access to camps like these two that you shared, I think I would be attending every summer:) That red barn and the stone house are so unusual and so well kept. The country store looked so inviting. What a privilege for you girls to get to meet so many people, and for them to meet you all.

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  11. Well done, Judy, love your photos! The day was so perfect for photos but you had a good eye as well!

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  12. Thank you so much for coming out to Squeah. The women loved it!

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  13. Grinning at such a fun day! My mom was the first to point out that most church camps have morphed into "conference" centers with sla services even sometimes. It's a good thing otherwise the campers of yore wouldn't still be coming for retreats in the autumns of their lives.

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  14. What a beautiful post, thanks for sharing your day. Such lovely places for camps....for kids and adults alike!

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  15. Wonderful. Love all the great photos Judy.

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'The ornament of a house is the friends who frequent it.'
~ Ralph Waldo Emerson