THEYRE HERE!(just in time for Wisconsin Color peak)We partnered up with our good friends at @heritagebikesandcoffee to create the newWandawega Bike Fleet. Inspired by summer camps in the 1970s,Our new rides have all been hand painted by the one and only Ches of @RightwaySigns in the National Park color Palette: Forest Green, Fawn Brown, Signal Yellow and Antique white.Other details we had to have:- Brooks saddle, – Old school rubber hand grips – Vintage style metal baskets- Antique Wisconsin Bicycle license plates (we scored at the local flea)SWEATING THE DETAILS:Frame handcrafted using lightweight steel. Single speed drivetrain is easy to navigating camp grounds while the coaster brake ensures quick and safe stops. Handlebars designed for a comfortable and upright riding position. Features a custom paint finish with intricate hand-painted details.Handmade in Chicago dedication to quality and craftsmanship.Thank you to our dear friends:@dadmikeysal – for the builds@mamamelissalouise – for the photos in @alittlephotostudio @alexhperry80 @rightwaysigns – for the lettering@nathanbobey – photo/film
October 11, 2023 • Published by Tereasa Surratt • Instagram
THE 5 THINGS.The folks from the @airbnb brand team moved in for a few days – they wanted to learn about how we weave storytelling into this old joint (the thing that brings our guests back year after year)They asked us for the 5 key pieces of advice wed give hosts on how to craft their own story.We shared some stories around the campfire:the things weve learned over the past couple of decades that are worth investing your time in.Then they went off made this little film about it -Part of a full brand campaign created to help other hosts unearth & share their unique histories.*Just keep digging
October 9, 2023 • Published by Tereasa Surratt • Instagram
Like birds nests… all of Camps Nature watching nests are cobbled together scraps of things discarded- reshaped for a new life with a new purpose. The Aframe Shingles are deadstock shake… flanked with decking salvaged from a nearby BSA Camp. The canvas platform tents were rescued from a neighboring scout camp who were retiring them (along with the WWII bunks inside). The treehouse is almost entirely salvage from the remains of deconstructed barns and houses. .#Reuse #Recycle #Reimagine ..Shots by our friend @bennett_young bennett_young
October 8, 2023 • Published by Tereasa Surratt • Instagram
WHAT WERE MADE OF.A love letter to a sign that welcomes.We hear a lot of talk about the power of community.We all want to belong to one in some sense. Find our kinfolk, find ways to give back, to make life mean more to ourselves and others.A few years ago we came to appreciate community more when a group of people decided to give up their evenings and weekends to build something for strangers in another state.Weve wanted a welcome sign since the day we opened. It turns out that the big lodge resorts pay 20k for them. Which is why after 14 yrs, weve never had one.So my little brother Sam decided to clear his barn to build us one. He opened his doors for volunteers to come help. Folks came in from everywhere to donate their time. Some harvested the cedar from the backwoods – some mitred chunks of it to form the letters. Others donated poles. Then he brought a few with him on a272 mile haul tocomeinstall it. When the man-lift broke, he scaled the poles in linemans leg irons. They rigged rope pulleys to level set 700lbpoles intocrushed rock.. and they finished it the night before our Kids camp. The crazy thing is that we couldnt get anyone to take our money. It was a labor of love gifted to camp by people that we love. .I came to a realization that every time someone walks under this new entryway, they are entering through the gates that were physically built out of the pure generosity of others. Its a towering reminder of what will remain long after we are dust. The things we build together – for others – is what sustains us, and will ultimately stand the test of time. This sign made us realize that selflessness & generosity towards each other are our lasting legacy.To us, thats the measure of community & why we continue our 62 yr tradition of Mass. We ask campers to take in some good karma when they arrive & leave more behind when they say goodbye.Weve christened it as a gateway for the community that people who come here are building for themselves, each other & future generations. .Next time you come visit us, look up as you pass underneath the gates. Those log letters say many things, the least of which is our name
October 7, 2023 • Published by Tereasa Surratt • Instagram
The homes that raise us.These 3 lovelies grew up at a nearby Wandawega cottage. (Slide to see the years blow by).The middle sister Irene with Pat & Alice would meet the boy next door, fall in love, see him through the war & back, get married, have kids & spend the rest of their long lives together.The girls kept an album of their years spent growing up, growing families & growing old at their little cottage.The album is full of everyday lake life: mowing, sawing trees, birthday cakes in the yard & one sad shot waiting for the bus to take them back to the city.Decades after these photos where taken, our friends @brianguysmith1 & @geyer.morford found the cottage & restored it back to its glory days in spectacular fashion.Then one day Irene knocked on their door.They opened it to her, to share their labor of love restoration of her little cottage.This would turn out to be the first of annual visits, with Irene making the pilgrimage with her family to tour the house that had raised her.I only met Irene only once, at her 91st bday party that she came back to celebrate at her childhood cottage.(Nobody knew that it would be her last visit- she passed away soon after).Flipping through the album, it hit me that when we restore old homes, were also restoring a sense of pride for those who called it home first.If you live in an old house, and someday get a knock from a prior owner dont worry about letting strangers in (for fear of them seeing dirty dishes & laundry).See it as honor for you, a blessing for the home, and a gift for them.Because all they are going to see inside is their own childhood.Opening our door is more than opening up our homes & ourselves -its what connects us through generations, & stays with us long after they – and we – leave.Here at camp, we say that were just the current caregivers in a 100-year-long line.(We dont know if Charlie will choose to take over this place or not).But someday when we get to be as old as Irene was, we plan to come back here (with our memories in tow) and knock on the door.We hope theyll let us in.In the meantime,its an honor to always keep our door open.RIP, Irene
October 6, 2023 • Published by Tereasa Surratt • Instagram
Fall is our love language at camp.If anyone is looking for us, Were going to be holed up at here as much as we can. Turns out that running a camp means that youre already fully stocked for anything from a Zombie apocalypseto gearing up for slow season.A years worth of cleaning supplies? check.200 rolls of TP? check.Enough booze for a wedding? Done.As we close out our last few weeks here of our high season- looking forward to more slow season. Embracing every sense of the word.These quiet camp moments captured by:@Emilieanneszabo@Callieleichty@Ryanleichty@dearhyssopLast shot of Charliegirl & I by @amandajanejones
October 5, 2023 • Published by Tereasa Surratt • Instagram
The field house.Built for explorers ages 1-100.Modeled after the national park ranger stations and Scout camp nature stands. Its jam packed with everything to guide guests as they explore the outdoors. A few of our favorite things that youll find its drawers, on shelves and tucked into nooks: > animal skulls, feathers, eggs, arrowheads, rocks found in the woods here.> Viewfinder & mini library of nature slides> Projector with sets of vintage vacation slides> Vintage microscope & insect slide collectionOur little field house will continue to grow as we fill it (suggestions always welcome).
October 3, 2023 • Published by Tereasa Surratt • Instagram
When Interior designers take over camp scenes from #wandawegahappycampers retreat past and present .Just met some new friends on a trail hike. A few more doing yoga on the tennis court- and a few more in the kitchen while we put on the coffee. Happy fall, yall!
September 30, 2023 • Published by Tereasa Surratt • Instagram
Some special houseguests.We dont usually share things here that arent camp-related, but were big fans of artists & designers and excited about having these folks over.For the archival reissue of the series 31 Florence Knoll pieces, (one of our all time favorite designers) the rad crew over at @Knoll moved into our house to shoot.So happy that their shots also showcase a couple of our good friends (and Wandawega neighbors) art:> Living room sculpture by Cody Hudson @struggle_inc Escape Hatch Match (Isolation Tank Awareness Society Logo v.03)Powder Coated Steel, 2020*Represented by Andrew Rafacz Gallery>Dining room piece by Angela Finney @f.i.n.n.e.y.f.i.n.n.e.y Emblem A Plywood and Acrylic, 2022We also got to do a little house tour & interview about creative community with @Knoll (coming out theyll let us share soon)Hits at a fun time with DesignChicago kicking off today! Really looking forward to a fun convo this morning with our friend & design crush @NateBerkus about the power of design. (One of our favorite groups weve had at camp)Thanks to the talented photographers :Exterior pics (@StudioGang Brickweave) by Hedrich Blessing Interior pics by @JenniferHughesPhoto
September 27, 2023 • Published by Tereasa Surratt • Instagram
Just walked into this room. A reminder. His story needs to be shared again. This, to us, is proof that the universe connects us all with invisible threads(if we look close enough to see them: pull hard).Things & people that are meant to be have a way of finding each other.The day after Christmas, we posted asking If anybody knew where we could buy a collection of Nat Geos from a single collector. We have a special new space for them and want the karma that comes with a set that was assembled with love over decades.The same day, David found a FB post – he immediately reached out. But he was too late. Theyd been spoken for.But this collection seemed special, it looked like it was all in one home – family passed them down & kept collecting? The photo was too packed & dusty to not have a backstory.So I wrote to the FB poster with a plea.That were building out library shelves in our new cabin (that will be free for creatives in residence to support the arts). And that my heart was set on the single photo he posted, and Id love to learn more, and, and, and…I sent him photos of our library shelving that had already been started, why a single source meant something. That wed give them a good home & keep them together forever, as they look like they had been collected for decades by somebody super patient & passionate.He emailed me back: I think theyve just found a home. Call me.I did, he shared a story that was equal parts inspiring & heartbreaking about an Army Forest Service Vet name Neil, who started collecting them in1918, and in his old age befriended a boy (Kurt) & his family.Neil would live to 85 – and would pass along to Kurt his love of nature, travel & his life long collection of @natgeo . Kurt would also inherit Neils passion for travel & service to nature conservation. Kurt dedicated the next 40+ years to completing the collection, traveling the world collecting experiences, writing & photographing it.Until he died 6 mos ago The person we where talking to was his brother Kris- whod been searching for a home for Kurts collection.CONT IN COMMENTS
September 25, 2023 • Published by Tereasa Surratt • Instagram
