8pm last night….Charlie: lets go kayaking before the light is gone. Grandpa taught me how today..Bursting hearts as this little nugget commandeered her own kayak for the very first time. Two weeks ago she was too scared to even ride in one with us. .There is nothing better than watching a kids confidence grow outside. good job, grandpa Herb! .#milestones
July 9, 2020 • Published by Tereasa Surratt
OUR ACTRESS (& ACTOR) CRUSH CAME TO FILM AT CAMP- and just released their trailer .Our actor crush Jemaine Clement ( @avatar, @flightoftheconchords) & @gillianjacobs (@GirlsHBO) Are the leads ina movie with scenes shot at camp last summerAbout: The film will follow Kate Conklin (Jacobs) who is in a rut. Her engagement is called off, her first book isnt doing so hot, and all her friends are having babies. Out of nowhere she gets a call from her old professor, David Kirkpatrick (Clement), asking her to come back to her alma mater to do a reading. Shes suddenly back at her old school, hanging out with college kids and getting into trouble. .Congrats to rad writer-director @KrisReyKrisRey & her Cast:@JormaTaccone (Saturday Night Live) .Forrest Goodluck (@RevenantMovie) .Kate Micucci ( @katemicucci Zoe Chao (@BernadetteFilm) .@HannahgMarks (Spiderman) .Josh Wiggins (Hellion)Also, I didnt realize until watching the trailer that its about a girl going back to her old college to do a talk about her book, (I also went to SIUC & headed back a few years ago, after almost 20 years – to do a talk in the same auditorium, right about the time i signed my 3rd book). Its strange life coincidences that make me feel: REAL OLD- And make me regret everything I havent gotten done yet in the past 20 years since college. (And also what I did in college)We havent seen the film yet, but its looks hilarious – looking forward to seeing all the old haunts shot in Chicago & SIUC.
July 8, 2020 • Published by Tereasa Surratt
THEYRE HERE!FACT: NOTHING IN THE WORLD IS MORE SOOTHING THAN SNUGGLING PUPPIES. (Watching Charlies face when she saw them for the first time was…everything.) #happytears Shot 1: David when asked to stand in as a human heating pad for the babies while momma Bailey was getting fed.Shot 2: Charlie getting to hold one for the first time, (when she got to be a helper for their scale weighing).The vet reports 10 healthy, happy little puppies. Since its best for new puppies to be cared for by their mom, we leave her be – and shes doing a great job. But when it is time to come help her out with a few things, we love that Bailey is such a snuggler. When we come into her puppy pen (to help rotate in a fresh pad, mommas feeding time, etc. she wants to lay her head on your lap while she feeds her babies.) Because Bailey lives in the house steps from camp (& her dad Joe works here) shes been Frankies BFF & raised here since day one as part of the camp family. Weve been with her daily, helping to rotate a pup on mom on occasion (make sure the smaller weight one gets some feeding time too). Keeping them warm when Bailey has to run out (very briefly) to do her business in the yard. .But… This is magic time as soon as Bailey steps out, her pile of puppies start to cry and look for warmth & food, so you lay them on your chest so that they can feel your heart beat and body heat – it makes them calm down and fall asleep almost instantly) .And Charlie was especially excited to get to help put each one on the scale to get weighed (to report back to the vet)*PLEASE NOTE: Sorry! Months from now, when they are grown up enough to be away from mom, each of these pups already have forever homes with adoptive parents (within the family & close friends group). If you are looking for a dog, please consider adopting – the rescue where we found Frankie a dozen years ago was : Rescue.fluffydog.net – but there are lots of wonderful options. (see comments below for suggestions Lucky Mutts and more).Thank you Joe & fam for sharing these little furry bundles of joy with us
July 7, 2020 • Published by Tereasa Surratt
COMING SOON! WHICH SHOP FACADE / bar entrance should we build? 1 or 2? (3rd red door is the BEFORE – that we already ripped out- it was just a temp modern security door )Slide for the options.(First green awning option, wont overloading it by propping it out with barrels and signs-thats just the comp )The last shot is its current state & already ripped out- weve moved the Maintenance room back to another building where it was in the 20s).Leaning towards green awning vs modern black, because its more historically accurate to what was here back then.Weve been busting our tails during our pandemic down time to get the online camp store up & running. So the old Rathskeller is going through a design overhauled to serve double duty as our pull / pack / ship / inventory space & store.And were redesigning the exterior entrance to it. These are photo rough comps Progress so far:The antique shutter doors, vintage industrial barn light, evergreens are already in, and the historic Gallagher Tent & Awning is building the new awning for us to install soon!.DECIDING:Which look to finish it off with? (The last red door is our current before that we have already ripped out)whats inside: Weve rebuilt the first level of the lodge back rooms return to the old Rathskeller bar (down to the trap door in the floor above with a staircase that lead down to the gambling room that ran here illegally in the 20s – 40s).*almost done! sharing photos soon.* the physical store wont have official hours for the public, well be opening it for guests
July 6, 2020 • Published by Tereasa Surratt
Facelift time : Which design should we go with?>>slide right for options>>Welcome to the new and improved CEDAR LOUNGE or CEDAR TAVERN? And with either name… which design ??(These outside shots are comps of what the after could be).> New custom awning with vintage style striped fabric.> A mini forest of evergreens > Hand lettered exterior (FREE PARKING… cause, well, its already parked adjacent to our parking lot, and so are you, when youre here).(Our friends at @RightwaySigns are coming to hand paint the side soon so weve got to decide this now, and get her polished up & ready).Camps Flying Cloud Airstream was a barter with our friends @Threadless (and has been Davids quarantining mobile office) so when hes not trailering it to Chicago, we park it here for the season for friends to beat the heat (the dual zone AC in this thing is a damn dream)..The inside is outfitted like a rec room bar circa 1963 (But its still BYOB ).*group shot inside from a couple seasons ago back in the pre-pandemic good ol days
July 5, 2020 • Published by Tereasa Surratt
Getting our ducks in a row for tonight!!Full camp, full hearts this 4th. .This years celebrations looks different here in a many ways:.social distance group campfire and grill zones. .The much improved boardwalk (augments our two separate docks, as well as our two floating rafts that are a good 50 yards apart) to allow guests to distance even more while chilling on the lake.).But even with 24 acres of woods here to let people explore and distance – we still decided to shut off some of our rentals (to keep it from getting too crowded here this weekend)..Everyone enjoy your weekend safely. Friends- sending yall peace and good vibes this day & always. Photos by @themelholmes and @bobcoscarelli (last summer)
July 4, 2020 • Published by Tereasa Surratt
Making the last rounds at dusk with this little one. My favorite thing with my favorite little human. #campcounselorintraining.Canned ham decor courtesy of @marshalltoolbox
July 3, 2020 • Published by Tereasa Surratt
Welcome to the woodshed.An Amish community in the northwoods built it for us using wood from their own saw mill (designed with an open skid structure so we can move it with a bobcat)We keep it stocked with the basics : Kindling (From the endless buckthorn clearing we have) Dry split oak Campfire wood from our local arborist. Logs we split from 24 acres of a rotating series of fallen trees (& the unlucky ones that have been taken down by storms).Shes got an oil canvas drop roll- down/ tie up closure front (note: its damn hard to source Goldenrod yellow canvas- but worth the search DM us if youre on the hunt) Shes small but hardy enough to keep all our campfire wood dry. In our new social distancing grounds configuration, we have six separate campfire pits in diff zones. Given that its like a 24/7 smorefest arriving here these days, you can never have enough firewood We could have a full staff of lumberjacks (or lumberjills in last pic) take up residency here and still not get on top of these acres – but everybodys gotta start someplace we guess. Take em to the woodshedHas new meaning around here these days..Mad skills, @bhwoodworks
July 2, 2020 • Published by Tereasa Surratt
Which dart feather do you like best to come as a set with this dartboard? (A solid set, or a rainbow mix ??)As we are finalizing the inventory for the new online (and onsite) Campstore – we are trying to decide if a dart board is something that we should include in the mix?.Thanks @hahnst for the design
July 1, 2020 • Published by Tereasa Surratt
Every bootstrapping small rural businesses had these back in the day… and now its the one thing every guest gets in their room when they check (a staple from a bygone era).After WWII- there was a big push in America to bounce back & reignite growth in small businesses. One of the promos were a fan giveaways, preaching the benefits of supporting local community mom & pops. .We found one of these antiques and put it back in production. Seems like everybody could use some support right now.When guests came to ‘Hotel Wandawega’ in the 1920s, they would have packed these (Camp did not have AC back then, and we don’t now (in many buildings). But every room now comes stocked with two things:A ‘Window Jack’ that walks you through the steps of operating our 95 year old window.A room fan.And one of these little dandies hanging on a hook on your door.(By 1920’s summer camp standards, these would have been considered ‘high class amenities’)We have three diff styles with the humble old school wooden handles with leather loops- in designs featuring 1920s tourism posters, Smokey Bear & 40’s lake paintings. A few excerpts that are as relevant today as they where 70 years ago. :(Zoom into the shots if you are as detail obsessed as we are)….A DOZEN POINTS FOR HOME TOWN PROGRESS. These 12 reasons for Home Town Progress have a direct bearing on you. As your town grows and prospers, your interests are bettered, living conditions improved & greater happiness is enjoyed by all. Boost your town by trading in it.The business merchants are counted upon to keep the town in a progressive condition. Help them by trading with them. A town cannot be better or bigger than its business and professional interests.As part of our mission to immerse guests in another era, we started hoarding antique cardboard fans (as research to create our own camp series) These fans where once staples at every county fair, picnic & country church in the first half of the 20th century.For more information on how we rough it here, visit our MLE (Manifesto of Low Expectations)We’ll have these fans in our camp store soon!.More at #wandawegacustoms
June 30, 2020 • Published by Tereasa Surratt
