A story about a bed.The bed in our 3 bedroom cabin has led a way more adventurous life than we have.A friend (recently retired airline & fighter jet pilot) gifted it to camp.We were walking around his historic old lumberyard office in my hometown when I saw it buried in a corner.Like everything, once I know the story behind something (or someone) Im hooked.The brass frame was already an antique when teenage Jack Fearneyhough found it at an auction in 1975.He spent many college weekends sitting at a burnishing wheel refinishing it & extending it with other brass bed parts.The second picture is the bed in Jacks dorm at Bradley University kids close your eyes. It was the 70s). He learned early on that you become invested in something once youve put yourself into restoring it. So it would travel with him his whole life,disassembled and reassembled as it traveled a pilot live crossing the country… From Columbus, Mississippi, to Homestead Air Force Base in Florida, to Alaska, back to Florida at Eglin AFB, to Atlanta Georgia, then finally back to our hometown (Beardstown Illinois) where it was relegated to the closed down lumberyard storage office where we stumbled across it years later.The reason well always buy vintage pieces for camp rather than new department store furniture is that we like to keep around the reminder of durability and resilience to counteract our culture of trend-based business and fast fashion. There is a certain comfort in surrounding ourselves with things that have longevity;Reminders that value can be measured by experience over youth.Its creaky & scratched. You can find nicer ones anywhere, but not with the patina this one has earned.Thanks, Jack for letting us give this old friend a home here. Were determined to make sure it lasts another 50 years with us.Universal truth:All of our stories are hidden in our patina. (And were here for it)@sdamiani just stayed at our Lakeview Cabin and shared some pictures of a few of our other little worn stories
sound on Nearly 100 years ago, the first cabin was built at Lake Wandawega.It was constructed from logs and sticks from the Wandawega surrounding land.Sadly, it was torn down before we could move it.WE WANTED A WAY TO BRING IT BACK.So we called our friend (and master wood worker) @teichelman1973.Who recreated it using sticks and twigs from Wandawega.He replicated every detail, down to the masonic symbols and name on the front PH.DAHL.It will now serve the community again.As a Free Library stocked with books on subjects we care about.We invite you to visit it…And take a book that will help you,And leave one that will help others.THE WANDAWEGA TWIG HOUSE FREE LIBRARY.NOW OPEN FOR ALL. SPECIAL THANKS:>To the Walworth County Historical Society for the Historic photos> the descendants of original family of the twig house, (who happened upon our doorstep at Camp last summer to share memories and information that helped us recreated this special very tiny cabin.> to our friend @hows_it_golin for editing> most importantly- our dear talented friend @teichelman1973 > we are so excited to start our registration to officially be part of the @littlefreelibrary network!
The catholic priest who shot this bear wrote trophy skin – perfect condition on his craigslist description.We met him in the suburbs in a driveway to make the exchange. $350 cash to unload him of his burden. We didnt know he was a man of the cloth or the backstory- (but I always try to first learn the history of any piece that crosses the threshold here) so I pressed… And was surprised by his reluctance to share details. He explained that he was parting with It because he felt guilty about that part of him that once took a life for sport. – he showed us the tiny zig zag cut edging felt backer and explained how much he loved the color and couldnt decide between green and red. He felt like he made the right choice. It was clear he was torn about letting it go.Which made me feel bad for him as I was rolling it to load up. We told him wed give it a good home.And we tried.But 6 months later our neighbors lab puppy came over and decided to chew its face off- he got its nose, and part of its cheek before we could stop him. Davids dad tried to patch it with wood putty, sharpie and airplane model enamel paint. (Look close next time youre here- youll see it starting to fall off again in chunks)I guess it wasnt ever meant to be perfect. Nothing and no one here is.Honestly,He fits in a little better here now.Whenever I walk in this room at night (like here- 4 am when Im working & reading) … I wonder if that priest is still around. If he still carries regret.For taking a life as a trophy…Or for letting go of this sacred memento of that hunting trip hed taken with his dad as a kid.That time he made his dad proud of him for his first kill.Understandable why he was conflicted.Friends….Though sport hunting & mounting does still exist, we strive to use ethical sourcing (which means that all of our taxidermy is vintage, or died of natural causes). We dont hunt for sport, or support modern day suppliers of sport killing. With the right context taxidermy can help promote an education of the natural world, and is part of what makes this place authentic (were listed on the Natl Register of Historic Places). @sdamiani
Its that time again.Every year at the last snow of the season, we start our seasonal building walk-throughs… to see whats been broken over the winter, what woodland critters may have moved in – clean & paint. Repair and restock…survey damage & get ready for spring. In winter, I plot and plan. In spring, I move Cant remember where I first heard this, but I found it again tucked in one of the books that we add to our cabin guest stacks.This will be our 16th spring here at camp,Finding this little reminder is holding extra meaning this year.Like a lot of folks, were ready for a new season.Views here from the a-frame by @sdamiani
Youre holding history in your hands.It took us years to find somebody who would make these, then months to get them manufactured.We found a small family-run business who uses original antique equipment at a historic foundry to cast solid iron bottle openers.They were not cheap. Or fast. Or easy.But It felt like a solid fit for us, given that our tagline at camp is: Not new, not improved since 1925The opener design patent was registered the year before (called 1924)OUR PARTNER IS THE OG.The @thebritishbottleopenercompany works out of a foundry called Branfords thats in The Black Country (famous for industrial heritage, making everything from nails to anchor chain for the Titanic). It got this nickname for the soot that used to fill the air there. Peak production at the foundry in the 20s was 95,000 openers per week (5 moulders worked a 5 day week) zoom into the last shot for the area now THE 10-STEP PROCESS. MADE THE HARD WAY:+ The letters were set up in a pantograph engraving machine and an incised mirror image engraved in a brass block.+ This was used as the master to produce copies.+ A pattern was made from aluminum & placed in a box split in 2 halves.+ Sand, mixed with resin and acid was rammed into place around the pattern Including pat. No. No.702661 on handle).+ The acid cured the resin & consolidated the sand into a mould.+ Box was split and the pattern removed.+ Box Re-assembled & molten iron poured into the mould.+ When cool, the box was split to remove openers.+ The barrel was pivoted on trunnions (then tumbled for 10 hours).+ Then sand & flash (extra bits of metal were rubbed off).*The result is strong – thats why our openers come with a lifetime guarantee.THE BIRTH OF THE BOTTLE OPENER:Became common after the crown top was invented 1892. ( Before that, beer came with attached stoppers) As this top became the standard, bottle openers boomed as ads for bars, beer & restaurants.The Wandawega Inn may have even had their own back in the day, well never knowbut we are grateful to craftspeople like Craig for making ours (shown pouring iron)So proud to launch their craft on the campstore this morning
If you’re thinking about opening up a little inn / resort / camp / lodge.a few things to consider that might give you that final push to just go do it.We’ve partnered up with the folks at @Airbnb, who’ve asked us to share our top 3 reasons why we decided to become camp runnersNo. 1:We love hosting house guests. (Although sometimes it feels like they’re hosting us, since we end up having beers with them by the fire)No. 2:We really like meeting new people. (We never ever would have been able to meet so many people from all over the world if it wasnt for running this old camp)No. 3:We have a built-in creative outlet to make new experiences for folks. ( since we nerd out on making crafty things, we created a craft cabin, & designed programming around it so we can carve out more time to do it ourselves, too) This place is like a 25 acre playground to make up new things to add, build and get creative.If any of this sounds like fun to you, too- you might already be a boutique hotel owner in your soul and not even know it…. now its got us wondering what would be other peoples top 3 reasons to start up their own thing too?#airbnbpartnerThanks to our dear friend Bob for making us sit still for once to get a family pic with Frankie. (what you cant see in this shot is us bucketing rain water out of the rowboat just after the picture)camping running is glamorous said nobody, ever.
planting dreams for next year.(we heard through the grapevine that we have one more big snow coming. and that it will be the last for this season)So we’re getting ready to welcome back our ‘tiny houses in the snow’ here at camp one more timeThen, we’re off and running to a new beginning for a new year, after a really hard one.After 15 years of having it waiting on our ‘camp wish list’… we finally rebuilt the originaly 1920’s stone terrace walls on the back on lodge facing the lake.and planted a bazillion bulbs – so this spring we’ll finally (fingers crossed) have our new (very long awaitd) flower cutting garden!we’ve never done bulbs here before. (so we have no idea what we’re doing- thank for for Google)Just hoping that all those little baby sleeping bulbs that have been waiting since fall are ready to make their debut.They sure will be a sight for sore eyes.Weve been trying to do one thing a year that forces us to invest in dreams & ideas that we won’t see come to life for year or beyond.Whether that’s applying for building permits, planting fruit trees, or dreaming of future cutting gardens. we have a hard time being patient,but if this past year has taught us one thing, is that anything worth having is worth the wait. Vaccines & flowers for all. In the spring, I have counted 136 different kinds of weather inside of 24 hours. -Mark TwainPhotos by @sdamiani
Ive been seeking a muse for home/design life.Then someone gave me the new issue of @magnolia journal- the theme is “Beholding the beauty of the here and now (which has been the hardest thing as of late- struggling with the life juggle these past months). I can relate to what theyre taking about in these pages. I read it cover to cover. I needed to hear some inspiring stories from others- So then I almost teared up (Lie. I am totally welling up as I type this)when I flipped to almost the last page to find a little piece of Camp Wandawega tucked into one of the stories.The features about how @GraduateHotels goes deep on the history of a place to tell its unique back story. My favorite qoute from founder Ben Weprin talking about his approach to his hotels.”It’s like having a home that’s been in the family for years, you want to layer it with love and warmth, so you’re not just going to the furniture store to get everything. you might frame a picture from a camping trip next to a 40-year-old piece of art from a flea market. Each piece has meaning.”(um…this is our love language. 100% Amen to this)The collaboration we did with them was our fav! and this morning it’s got me revisiting our original design boards & other outtakes from the finished product.It feels like home away from home (errr. Camp). If you’re also doing some soul-searching, looking for ways to get inspired, to take on projects of meaning & purpose, you have to check out this issue.itsjust. so. good.photos of @graduatehotels by @bobCoscarelli
NOW HIRING ((( ON )))DO YOU KNOW SOMEONE WHOD BE INTO ANY OF THE FOLLOWING?Setting up a tipi.Hauling firewood.Erecting canvas cabins.Rescuing escaped canoes & hurt animals.Building bonfires.Trimming trees.Raking the beach.Restocking archery gear.Carving out hiking trails.Cleaning out smokers.Clearing camp recycling bins.Painting piers.Planting wildflowers.Cleaning the craft cabin.Repairing hatchets, rackets, oars, bike fleet… basically everything (this place & all thats in it is OLD)Were hiring for an outsdoorsy type. …But before you start lacing up your boots & polishing your “OFFICIAL CAMP COUNSELOR” badge, you should know what you’d be getting into. DO YOU LIKE TO WORK IN THE GREAT OUTDOORS?There are so many campfires to stock & every time you clean a camp grill you’ll swear you just did this (cause usually you did). We have to pump out the boats every time it rains. Glamorous it is not. Hardy work that will earn you a six-pack, it is. There’s a lot to do- we all pitch in, and we’re looking for someone who can find the zen in emptying their 100th trash bin to keep the raccoons at bay. ARE YOU LOOKING TO PICK UP BASIC HANDY PERSON SKILLS?This place was built 100 yrs ago… so we have a never-ending repair list. If you’re interested in building the skills it takes to fix it (or make it) yourself, this is a good place to start learning the ropes. You don’t need a ton of experience, just a willingness to learn, a desire to do things well (& a strong back doesn’t hurt, either) DO YOU WANT TO SPEND TIME IN NATURE?That’s where we are 90% of the time.Sometimes in the rain. (So gear up, ’cause unless you’re made of sugar you aren’t gonna melt.)If you aren’t scared off yet, you might be one of us & ready to join our small but mighty team DEETS:+ DATES: May – Sep (time is negotiable)+ TIMES: 20-40 hrs /week (fluctuates and is negotiable)* we try to be flexible so our hourly rate compensation is also negotiable based on relevant experience. Our camp, hearts & minds are always open to and welcome all applicants Interested? Tell us why Apply by April 1 info@wandawega.com
Were partnering up with Airbnb to tell folks the best part of hosting:Q:Give it to us. The best thing youve experienced as an innkeeper A:The feeling that youve created a space that people want to experience… and donating it for our Inner City Kids Camp, Artist-In-Residencies and to Make-A-Wish type charities.THE TRUTH? It. is. hard. work.But we wish somebody would have told us years ago how emotionally fulfilling it was to have a place like this that we can grow to share.Had we known, we would have opened a decade sooner. We’re going 15 years strong now, and still having fun.#Airbnbpartner@airbnb
