Yikes! So little time remains before Opening Day! It is amazing how fast nine months pass for camp folks, and I feel like the time actually passed more quickly than ever thanks to the ongoing impact of Covid. I know we have all been frustrated by supply chain challenges. If you are able to find them, contractors and subcontractors will do their best, but they are busier than ever. I am thankful I have the relationships I do, but that does not mean we aren’t biting our fingernails to meet deadlines. We are also beginning to realize we are going to miss some deadlines.
I so clearly remember the summer of 2006 when we opened camp with a temporary certificate of occupancy on The Phoenix, our pavilion, gym and craft shop complex. There was no exterior siding on the building that summer, and we covered all of the bare dirt with mulch. We were thrilled to have the space we did, and over the subsequent winter we were able to install the finishing touches.
Just this morning, Jess Wiegandt and I were talking about how to manage our various areas of responsibility as we navigate orders that have not yet arrived and major projects that are not completed. Those of us who are achievement-oriented have to realize what is truly within our control. We also need to learn to be satisfied with what we are able to impact. It doesn’t mean we give up; it means we give ourselves grace and time as we face challenges that may initially seem insurmountable. Many of the campers know I am a huge fan of Eleanor Roosevelt, and I quote her often at campfires. She reminds us that if we focus on moving forward, “Just one step at a time - meeting each thing that comes up, seeing it is not as dreadful as it appeared, discovering we have the strength to stare it down.” We just have to remind ourselves to break things down into smaller pieces. What can we check off for the day? What can we control within the situation?
Did we bite off more than we should have for this year? We have been on an aggressive rebuilding campaign for several years. It didn’t seem like it at the time we planned our projects, but as we all know, life can throw us serious curveballs. We watched two months pass waiting for a site visit and another month go by before the grading contractor could arrive, and the list goes on.
Fortunately, camp is stunningly beautiful right now. The many greens of the trees and the understory are a delight to the eyes. I am working on putting my annual flowers in the ground and dressing up some flower pots. The swimming lake is filling up, and new equipment arrives every day for a different activity area. We have a newly rebuilt cabin being painted, and the mason was on site at the new boathouse yesterday. We’ll have a foundation at the Paddling Lake, and with luck, maybe even a roof, by June 5th. Our to-do list is long, but every day we are one step closer to our goal.
We cannot wait to greet you on Opening Day and share all that we have accomplished. For that which is finished, you can see the potential for 2023.
