MEET THE CAMP BOSS..TITLE: Wandawega Director of FunWHO: Charlie Alex Surratt Hernandez (C.A.S.H.) like Johnny.AGE: 9, going on 19FAV FOOD: Grandma’s fried eggs.FAV ANIMAL: FrankieFAV PLAYMATE: GrandpaWHAT SHE MISSES MOST: Her friends. Her fav cupcakes.ADVICE: Snuggle your dog every minute of every day. *SCROLLING NOTICE: ONLY KID & FAM PICS FOLLOW*(Belated mothers day post of pure gratitude for this little nugget who has made every day so far in quarantine so much better).
One of our favorite social distancing spots today. Be well, friends! We look forward to welcoming yall back soon, safely. .. . .Our @ 100-year-old-farm-animal-shed-turned-nature-watching-cabin by @bhwoodworks .First four photos by @bennett_young
UNPACKING..Our BSA official canvas tents are getting unloaded to be erected for the season…. alongside a brand new Camp amenity that has been a dream of ours in the works for years (will share that in a few weeks – so excited for it to finally make its debut.) ..It was a drawing in Our dream list sketchbook ( a raggedy, coffee stained dog-eared notebook) Some pages in it weve managed to bring to fruition, while others get back burnered. Some may never make it out. ..But keeping it alive is the single most powerful tool weve found to making things happen. .This Stay at home order has turned out to be an unexpected chance to repurpose our time… bringing little pages in this book to life. .If somebody would have told us that a forced closure would turn out to be our best small business growth opportunity, we would for sure have written them off. .And yet here we are. Unpacking everything weve had hidden away at camp, the attic, those pages- and taking stock of all the potential ahead. .#SilverLinings …Photo by @bennett_young
WHAT WOULD YOU DO WITH THESE?Newest addition to the campstore (opening goal 4 weeks from now ).We have wanted to make these forever. Stoneware drip glaze and tri-color ceramic glasses.So now were trying to come up with uses for them; this is where we are so far (ideas welcome because we have far more of them now than we needed to stock the campstore and could use some new ideas here… .shot glasses (obviously) .condiment cupsring valettoothpick holder .dessert mini bowls .chipmunk feeders?? . Cause fattening up chipmunks on the patio makes quarantining a lot more fun around here. .More at #wandawegacustoms
We never expected to get over 700 written ideas & stories shared as a response to our ask for ideas for how to help others during this time. .(We just regret that we dont have the resources to mail a free bottle to everyone who asked).But we are happy to have handed out fifty and shipped out another 70 (with another 50 to distribute here at camp for those who are coming this season). .Sending everyone good vibes for a healthy quarantine. We may be open state here in Wisconsin…. But out of a continued abundance of caution- were opting to stay closed until later in June (and then a slow open with a whole new plan and procedures to help guests protect themselves and others) .So Were spending this month building out personal dock zones, private campfire pics, personal grills and picnic areas- and outfitting every cabin, boat shed, sports shed and cabin with hand sanitizer pumps at the threshold. .And- well be handing out our house White Pine and Fir Germ-Rid More at #wandawegacustoms
REOPENING:.Friends and social family, Well soon be opening up again, so weve been working hard on how we can do this safely. (at this stage, out of an abundance of caution for our staff and community, we are opting for mid to late June. Our Booking engines have been turned on now to take very limited reservations for this later date)The rest of Wisconsin may be opened, but we are choosing to stay closed for another month to be safe- slow and measured. .We want you to know we take this seriously, and well only welcome guests who do too. After lots of contemplation, and many a late night reading CDC guidelines, we believe our low density, private cabins / spaces and 24 acres of land with open spaces can provide a rustic getaway for guests willing to do their part to behave in a safe manner. Were ramping up our cleaning routine and drafting a how to hang out at Camp in a socially distant way (we need to work on the title) guidebook. Were planning ways to minimize contact between our guests and our local community, focusing on balancing how to have sticky smore hands & cannonballs off the dock while also encouraging stringent hand washing and social distancing. Were making the mother of all wellness take home kits for campers. (Slide right).Thanks for your patience and understanding. This pandemic is real. The coronavirus is real. We believe in science and were listening to and following the guidance from the actual health experts. While no one has all the answers, were taking steps to be here for your back-to-basics camp (safer) experience. . .FOR OUR OPENING PLAN, VISIT : our profile line, our homepage, or https://tinyurl.com/y7pfa79nThanks for the photos @bobcoscarelli @sanborncanoe @erikengstrom44 and other friends.
Tell us how you wear it and well send you one.Were giving away a half dozen of these to whoever who can give us a new use for the reliable old nail apron. Anybody in a business as small as ours will tell you that everyone has to wear a lot of hats. (We just call them aprons here). And now were making them to share. They are the latest addition to our virtual & onsite campstore (launching soon). Most know them as nail aprons and every lumberyard gave them out when you picked up your load. Ours are 12oz canvas, 3 pockets, silkscreened, made in the U.S.A.And not fancy (like most things here). Their only redeeming quality is that we have found them useful for pretty much everything…GardenApron . CookingApron . MaintenanceApron . CraftApron . BartendingApron . . CleaningApron .You will find our Co-camp director Brad (Instagram @BHWoodworks mostly wearing the carpentry apron in recent days, but isnt afraid to wear any apron to tackle anything, on any day. Like all of us. *note: the hand saw is from camps old stockpile – not from his collection which is always pristine. But this one is about to get the Brad vintage tool treatment to bring it back to life, too..More at #wandawegacustoms
The last 20 minutes here at camp: following Charlie and Frankie on their morning rounds. (Wisco needs no filter right now). Charlie said : look how happy Frankie is! You cant even tell hes a hundred people years old. .Soaking up all the morning walks with these two.
Slide for the scary Kitchen & Bathroom Befores: The current kitchen used to be the old attached garage. The bathroom looked like a set from Texas Chainsaw Massacres. After this rehab, we will forever be less intimidated about taking on other projects again.We wanted this cottage because it sits on land adjacent to camp. When we first got it, we had to spend months just gutting it. (It was a nightmare combo of the show Hoarders and a show we haven’t seen yet called Shacks-That-Are-Too-Far-Gone-and-should-have-been-torn-down. It took us nearly 3 years to save what we could, imagining the rest, and forcing it into fruition.Every time I walk in here, its a needed reminder that I try to apply to everything: No matter how bad a current situation is, keep looking past it to the future of what you want it to be. – The dirty deets:David and I found the stove on Craigslist and loaded it on our trailer on dollies with help from the plumber who had it in his garage. Hed taken it out of some fancy houses catering kitchen, where it had barely been used since 1972. We thought it was going to topple and kill us while loading it. The painting was a $60 score from a junk shop-meets-antique shop found on a trip home to my home town Beardstown. The copper pots were collected over the three years I dreamed of building this kitchen – found at barn sales, flea market & yard sales. .More shots at #wandawegahillhouse #wandawegarehabs Lights & cabinet pulls:@rejuvenation / Bath & Kitchen fixtures: @Kohler
