Camp Newsletter May 2011

It's been a long, wet winter and the Spring has at times seemed to be exactly that, a spring—of flowing water. But, where there is abundant water there is bound to be abundant life and that certainly seems to be the case here at Myrtlewood these days. The moles, the grass, the birds, Rider Frey, Sol and Trina, Dana's multiple building projects are all proof that there is plenty going on. Yes, indeed Lord, we're alive and well “right here in River City!”

Right before the snows came in February, Uwe Mirsch hired a professional arborist to climb and prune many of our largest fir trees. Thanks to that gift our cabins and dining hall did not suffer damage from huge limbs that would have surely fallen had they not been removed only days earlier. The timing could not have been more perfect—it really felt like we had some guardian angels looking out for Camp! Thanks Uwe for your tremendous gift! And thanks also to our arborist, Tracy Brandt, for his skillful and dedicated work! Tracy plans to come back and finish the trees that we didn't get to.

Sol has spent many hours writing an operations manual for our water system, something our health inspector is tickled about. Trina has also spent many hours upgrading our camp recipe collection, something Margaret is really tickled about and that we will all benefit from, especially this summer. Trina has also been baking up massive numbers of rolls and loaves of bread. Sol and Rider have become proficient at cutting and stacking firewood and Trina has spent an enormous amount of time deep cleaning Camp. Meg and I consider ourselves blessed to have such a fine team of people to work with!

We managed to restore and sell the Plymouth Voyager van! The money we got for it paid for the mechanic's labor to replace the front struts which were dangerously in need of fixing. We didn't make any money on the deal but we sold it before the new registration fees were due and we also cancelled the insurance—so we saved a bit of money. It's a relief to have rid of the Camp van! Hans Stroessner gave his Chevy S-10 to Meg and I. It can serve as a Camp food pick-up vehicle in leiu of the van—we plan to donate it to Camp in the future.

Dana has finished many beautiful projects. He built new cabinets in the dishwashing room and cased in the top of the low wall that devides the main kitchen from the dish room. The serving counter opening is now cased in and he is in the process of building the new flaps that shut down over the serving counter—very special flaps, indeed! He also cased in the opening to the fireplace room, including the “cubby” holes. The high windows in the main kitchen now have sills and there is a new vegetable-sink counter assembly. We also have new cabinets in the bathroom hallway and a temporay wall hanging of an old growth myrtle section that Ovid Barklow once used for a table that he presented to Camp. Check it out and let Dana know if you like the idea of it becoming a permanent wall hanging in the bathroom hallway—it's a beautiful piece that a friend of Richard Silva's professionally finished during Family Camp a couple of years ago. Dana also hung Leslie's beautiful mirrors—he was particularly proud of the job he did hanging the “little girls” mirrior. It is truly a joy having Dana around more, he shares his knowledge and wisdom with us daily and kicks us in the butt when we need it! Thanks Dana! The Farm has also benefitted from many hours of Dana's Care. Try to get over there if you can and notice all of the pruning, nurturing and general clean-up that Dana has done, it's impressive.

I can't remember all of the stuff that has gotten done around here. A few “little” odds and ends include the cleaning of all the gutters, thanks especially to Sol and Rider. Meals being made, dishes being washed, grass getting mowed (earlier than usual!), metal getting salvaged, groceries getting bought, recyclables being taken to the recycling center, cats getting fed, trails getting cleared, people being greeted, beds getting made, trashcans being washed out, water tests being done, phone calls being taken and made, historical photos being sorted, laundry being done, neighbors being assisted, pathways being swept, limbs and brush getting burned, autos getting fixed and cleaned and maintained, pig-food being recycled, reports getting written, toilets getting cleaned, soap dispensers getting filled, light switches being replaced, computer glitches being dealt with—it's hard to remember it all and the days pass so quickly but, somehow, it all adds up to hospitality and community. Thanks, everybody!!!

ON THE HORIZON: The Coquille Tribe is coming back and is committed to doing a major amount of service work and donating materials for major site improvements this summer—mostly cabin up-grades. Dana has started building a new roof for our 10,000 gallon water tank. The BIG tree that came down at the campfire circle will be traded for high grade fir flooring that we can use for our new Dining Hall floor. More tree pruning with Tracy. More slow-sand water filter upgrading. New door and floor and window for pump house. Caps for wainscoating in the Dining Hall. More trail clearing, new round garden fence, and much, much more!!!

I've enjoyed working over at the farm lately, lots of mowing, mostly. Dana and I went to the County planning department this week to talk to them about possible future building plans. There is a lot to get excited about. I'll give special reports re: carbon sequestration dealings, lease agreement discussions, conservation easement planning, etc. But for now, I'll close.

Many blessings!