Wandawega Blog Archive

Wandawega at the MoMa ?!Its amazing what youll find when you fall down the rabbit holeDaniel J. Sandin (born 1942) is an artist, designer and internationally recognized pioneer in electronic art. He also grew up on our little lake here. Here he is over the years- fond of all manner of hats it seemsIn 1979, @MoMA displayed his work called Wandawega WatersAbout the piece:It begins as a personal documentary, complete with voice-over, soon surface ripples and underwater fish become solarized abstractions, though they still look organic. More about Dan:In 1969, Sandin developed a computer-controlled light and sound environment, called Glow Flow, at the Smithsonian Institution. He then became a Professor Emeritus of the School of Art & Design at University of Illinois at Chicago.We love the layers of history and art here that keep revealing themselves we are always uncovering more connections to the creative community just under the surface of these shallow waters.Photos: MoMA, Clark Dodsworth.@ever_winding_path

January 20, 2023 • Published by Tereasa Surratt

Support art. Friends. And friends who create art. Our friend the talented @pelejoez shot a film here- a beautiful, personal story about brotherhood and blood. (Scroll for some of his outtakes)His work is gorgeous and deep – worth a follow to see all that he creates.Here is Peles description of his inspiration and the films meaning:BrotherhoodOne of the first lessons I learned is that blood can mean very different things to many different people. As a child of abuse, ive often ached and chased for a certain loyalty or companionship. Ive loved any movie or book that had friends that were always there. Over the course of my life Ive found those ties. Real friendship, a brotherhood, people I can tell anything to, real men, who experience a range of emotions and are vulnerable to share. We accept each other’s boundaries and it’s healthy. Healthy has been such a foreign concept to me. Special thanks to Tereasa and David at @campwandawega and their amazing team. Shout out to @laurens_pretty_frank for the intro. Thank you @gidepat @ruskin_ck and @londonyuji for spending your day with me. (summer 2021). Love PJ#blackisbeautiful

January 19, 2023 • Published by Tereasa Surratt

Musical Camp.Music here comes in all forms.We try to outfit guests every way we can, From Dolly playing over the scratchy camp PA system, to stocking the Jukebox in the lodge with old country to 70s pop. Some rooms have a portable 8-track player, while others you might find a record player, vintage radio, or instruments to pick up. The soundtrack in the Canteen pipes out classic 70s, while the plan were hatching for the music box is to stock it with cassette mix tapes.Our podcast series for American Getaway is all custom music by various Nashville artists that we love.Someday (hopefully this season) well get our playlist together to share.Stay tuned. See what we did there? ….Photography here by:@nathanmichael @_lyndonfrench_ @aimeemazzenga @erikengstromphoto (Please DM us if weve accidentally not credited all the talented photographer whove contributed, we try to support them all)

January 17, 2023 • Published by Tereasa Surratt

Snoop in the bathroom cabinets.Its renovation season. Were on a mission tick off all our restoration & build projects.The guest bath off the old main lodge has been on our list for a dogs age (Sometimes you just gotta to tear things down to build them back better)Everything in every room has a story- here are few in this little one, in the old main lodge.-Oak panelling from our friends at @DeconstructionInc from buildings being demolished -Antique sink & faucet from the basement of an old man in Chicago who has hoarded them for decades-The picture nails are blacksmith forged nails-The wire on the antique oil portraits we pulled off of victorian frames (theyre blacker and heavier with patina you cant fake)- The window and closet trim was made by a Catholic volunteer in camps former life-The shower curtain are drapes that we found in a 1960s time capsule office -Inside the medicine cabinet, youll find a story on every label, box and bag (even the paper wrap on the camp toilet paper roll tells the backstory of the Northwoods paper mills of the 1920s)Theres a story on everything here.Were here to tell as many of them as we can for as long as we can. For other folks like us who like to peel back the layers.

January 8, 2023 • Published by Tereasa Surratt

Were so happy to be in the dairy state and featured today on @TravelWisconsin.This first photo here (that they shared today) is what our National Register listing has deemed A contributing structure to the Wandawega historic district.It is a 1920s cottage that we moved 300+ miles from my hometown- restored- and wrote a book about it called A Very Modest Cottage, published by Hearst as a @countrylivingmag title. It was the first building we moved and restored here.Thats why its closest to our hearts….Thank you @sdamiani for pic 1And @bobcoscarelli for shot 2

January 7, 2023 • Published by Tereasa Surratt

>> CAN YOU SEE IT? >>Scroll. Hit play. Wait for it.How do you add an extra fire safety EXIT door while keeping the integrity of a National Register building? Damn carefully.Historic accuracy is our love language. & Fire safety is our obsession(Its why youll find a Smokey bear sign in every room) With a place as old as ours, the fire safety experts are the ones you want to listen to first. (and if youre as paranoid about fires as we are, you can also get your own truck- we found ours at a local town fire station who had upgraded to a newer model).For this new door. We found & had professionally rewired antique lit EXIT signs. We are still finishing it : adding a marked PUSH bar /sign – so it will be super clear where to get out in a hurry. (Note that this room is also at ground level and has three other exit doors as well as 40 + easy open tall windows)So this door is just one more quick access optionFirst shot @bobcoscarelli

January 5, 2023 • Published by Tereasa Surratt

Who wants to go fishing?Its a big part of camp here(and why we have lures in the store, keep the souvenir machine stocked with bobbers and the sports equipment rooms filled with fishing gear).The DNR reported that Lake Wandawega Is one of the healthiest in the state. Due to minimal agricultural runoff, few lakefront homes, and low motorboat traffic, the ecosystem thrives and provides for a healthy variety of fish.Here, we have mainly Large Mouth BassNorthern Pike and a variety of panfish/Bluegill/sunfish.We encourage folks to experience it, which is why we made the Lake Wandawega fishing guide. Starting this spring, campers will find them on their clipboards in their cabins.From the DNR:WHAT MAKES A HEALTHY LAKE?An extremely clear lake may lack the plant life needed to support a robust fishery. Ecologically balanced lakes are more important: those with a healthy mix of native plants, forested shores, minimum runoff coming into them, a good fishery and diverse wildlife.This is why Lake Wandawega (at its little 120 Acres) is ranked. STATS:Wisconsin ranks No. 2 nationally in the number of days of fishing by nonresidents and the number of non- resident anglers nearly 400,000. Only Florida ranks higher and it has an ocean! Some 1.4 million licensed anglers fished Wisconsin waters in 2008, catching an estimated 88 million fish. The most frequently caught: panfish, bass, walleye, northern pike, trout, catfish and muskie. In all, 165 species are found in the state. -Milwaukee Magazine July 2009 .The list of WISCONSINS HEALTHIEST LAKES (Selected by Wisconsin DNR lake experts)~Owen Lake in Bayfield County~Dorothy Lake in Chippewa County~East Ellerson Lake, Vilas County Burnt Wagon Lake, Chippewa County Bond Lake in Douglas County. ~Middle lake of Lauderdale Lakes in Walworth County.~Gilbert Lake, Lowe Lake in Washington County~Little Elkhart Lake in Sheboygan County~Pine Lake, Waukesha County, Max Lake, Stormy Lake, Smokey Lake, Black Oak Lake, North Twin Lake, Aurora Lake, Little John Lake, Vista Lake in Vilas County.~Montgomery Lake, Kenosha CountyLulu Lake, Pleasant Lake and Wandawega Lake in Walworth County

January 4, 2023 • Published by Tereasa Surratt

Its (almost) finished!Our new guest amenity: THE MUSIC BOX.Through the old main lodge, past the pool table,hang a right past the bar- just off the game room youll find a little room with a little collection that we encourage guests to use.Weve been on the hunt to get it stocked up,heres where were at so far:40 sheets of music35 Albums30 8-tracks 20 Instruments10 song books2 amps1 record playerand a partridge in a pair tree.Were gonna keep filling its shelves, but weve got a good start >> scroll for the collection clip >>

January 3, 2023 • Published by Tereasa Surratt

ENTERING A NEW YEAR by sparking joy in everything (starting with bringing some order to even our teeniest soaces at camp).Weve gamified this whole self audit hing – digging deep to uncover all the things that need improving around here. (There is no shortage of opportunities at a near century-old campground).Our little PRINT & SUPPLIES ROOM just got new drywall, outlets & storage cabinets (then we peg-boarded the hell out of every square inch we could).The 3 things everything had to be before crossing this little threshold: FUNCTIONAL. VINTAGE, and THRIFTED. Charlie embracing Stranger Things vibes in here (her current obsession).One small step in our New Years resolution: this one will help us with better filing, printing, storage, organizing systems. (Last shot: the before).Happy New Year, friends!

January 2, 2023 • Published by Tereasa Surratt