Lodge Renovations

For the past couple of weeks, the MacDonald Lodge renovations have begun. The Lodge is thirty years old this summer and it had all of its original doors and windows. It was time for a renovation! Work began in mid April when the old windows were taken out and the space prepared for new larger windows. A new door going into the new office space was also put in the front of the building. Canopies were built over the front door and kitchen door. Look closely and you will see a Kintail staff alumni working on the project!

A view from the front of the Lodge.

The windows were put in next and they have made a big difference in the amount of light and ventilation.

The kitchen side is also getting a canopy and new windows.

The last step will be painting the Lodge. This is the back of the lodge after it has been cleaned and prepped for painting. The painters were working today and will finish tomorrow or Monday depending on the weather. The contractor will also be finished by Monday.

When you drive in the laneway this summer, MacDonald Lodge will look quite different. It is our hope that we will be able to complete the windows and doors on the other sides of the building in the coming summer. Any donations would be gratefully recieved so that we can finish the renovations and make MacDonald Lodge look fantastic!

Camp Opening

Camp Opening was a great day on Saturday! We had about fifty volunteers out to help get a start on opening up the camp for the season. Lots of work was accomplished - but there is always more to be done. If you are handy with a hammer, chainsaw, or broom, we would love to have your help at camp! Please call if you are able to volunteer some time for maintenance tasks. Kowari, Kamani, and Chickory with Lucy and Anna.

Flame with two campers in the dishroom working hard!

Grizzyly, Inferno, Guava, and Lua fixing up the composter (Captain Compost will be pleased!).

Volunteers working at cleaning up the lodge renovations.

Tom and Cougar working in the kitchen. Thanks to Tom, Cougar, and the crew from Oakridge Presbyterian Church for the great lunch for all our volunteers. It was delicious!

Check in again in for a post about MacDonald Lodge renovations later in the week.

Where in the world is Lupin?

Camp Kintail staff show up all over the world! Brett "Lupin" Espensen is one of our amazing returning counsellors and he is currently travelling in New Zealand after graduating from high school.

This is what he says about his experience:
I'm travelling around NZ working on different organic farms and am living the kiwi lifestyle.
So far in NZ i've worked at 6 different places through the WWOOF program (Willing Workers On Organic Farms). Most are just little home run operations. However one that I worked on for about 2 weeks and thoroughly enjoyed was a large scale herb and vege farm. the website is http://www.epicureansupplies.co.nz/ . The WWOOF website is http://www.wwoof.co.nz/.

I also enjoyed a trip to a lord of the rings movie site with some friends, def. one of the coolest experiences so far. On a side note, i met some girls from the faroe islands (near Norway) and they thoroughly enjoyed me teaching them camp songs, especially I only wanna be a sheep.

Ocelot's Guest Post

Ocelot's Guest Post!

Good Morning! Well college exams are wrapping up and that means soon I'll be up at camp, planning and scheming for the summer. I bet eighteen years ago, when I first attended family camp, the staff never would have imagined I'd be doing the same jobs as them. A lot has changed but every year I start thinking about camp sooner and it gets harder to not just run up there right now!

I hope you have all been practicing your game faces as much as I have. I'm having more and more dreams about camp as it gets closer & even a few nightmares of Trillium chasing me around cabin hill. I've seen some campers at churches this year during the off season and I'm so excited to hear they're coming back. And those who aren't returning should still come up for commissioning. You can visit your old counsellors, celebrate 80 years of Kintail and indulge your fantasies at the pig roast!

Well, we all knew it would lead to this some day, I'm going to be Program Director for summer 2009! And YOU should be there to experience it! Come prepared, well rested and super excited this summer because there is much fun to be had.

Family Camp Memories

My first experience at Camp Kintail was Family Camp. My family attended the very first family camp in 1981. Lots has changed since then, but the basics remain - a weekend with your family, supported by the amazing staff at Kintail, with opportunities to grow in family connection and faith.

Guppy sent me these pictures - do you recognize anyone? The top picture is from 1994 and the one below is 1991.

Family Camp post from Mercury

This is my favourite camp of the summer for many reasons, which I will tell you about, along with some new ideas for this year. This is the camp that Trillium started attending when she was a little girl, and really got her connected with Kintail. This is a camp where families come for some relaxation, and always leave with a new friend, many that last years and years. This is a camp where parents and children can have fun together, leave the worries of home behind, and enjoy God’s creation together. Let the cook make the food, let the staff plan activities, and let the staff take your children for half of each day so you can do an adult activity or relax. Probably the best part of each family camp is the afternoon on the sandy beach, watching the children play with the staff in the water, build a sandcastle and get a sun tan. It’s always fun for the families to canoe together, and we see who tips.

Last year we had to leave family camp at 5:00am on the first morning to go to London where our daughter Anna was born, but we were back the next afternoon to see everyone. This year we’ll be there for the whole time!

Some highlights that we have planned for 2009:
· We have arranged for a cake decorator to come and do a cake making and decorating course for as an adult or family activity, she thinks she will teach how to make and decorate a flower box cake, but is happy to give any tips on a cake you might be thinking of making for a birthday or special occasion.
· Ken Kim, the director of PWS&D (Presbyterian World Service & Development) will be the theme speaker for the 3 adult sessions. Ken’s wife and children will be with him, and they have interesting stories of starting their family while doing mission work in Guatemala for 8 years, until returning to Canada 2 years ago.
· Tom Sandor will return to the kitchen again this year, and he will have his whole family with him this year! Tom is planning a great feast for us, and he is always accommodating to any dietary needs or snack cravings!
· Kathy Gaskin will return as nurse again this year, with her husband Mark Gaskin (camp name Jumbo Jelly Bean), and their son Oliver (Ocelot) will be Program Director again this year, and their daughter Eden (Guppy) will be a counsellor.
· Our daughter, Anna, will have her first birthday, so there will be a big party. On top of this, we thought it would be the best time to have her baptized, since this is the community she was born into. She will be baptized at the Sunday morning worship service in the outdoor chapel by the Rev. Gwen Brown (camp name Harvest). Gwen married us in the outdoor chapel at the camp 9 years ago, so it will be very special to have Anna baptized by her, in the chapel, with our camp community surrounding us!
· Our 2 ½ year old twin daughters Ella & Lucy don’t want to be left out, so they are planning a fun skit for the annual talent and skit night, that is always so amazing. By popular demand, Dean Morrison (camp name Wind) will be doing a special performance, nothing more can be said at this time, but he is aiming for a brochure picture like Joslyn (camp name Jaguar) got at family camp last year (she is playing the guitar with her son on the deck of harmony House).

Here are some pictures from Kintail Players at Family Camp last year.

Inferno's Guest Post

Hello Kintail-ers.

A couple of weeks ago I had the opportunity to attend LIT Wannabe Day, again. Only this time from the staff position - but I had just as much fun as I did when it was my LIT Wannabe Day. This years LITs look like a great group of people and I know that the LIT RC's can't wait to start working with them.

A week and a half ago I attended a camp to work on my adventure skills and it has really put me in the mood for camp this summer. Not only am I excited to be the new Adventure Director but I am even more excited for the new adventure elements we are getting this year. While I was at the adventure course I was able to review many of the adventure elements and I was also taught some new ideas that I will be bringing to camp. I can't wait to try them out on anyone who dares!

For now I am working really hard at school hoping that the weeks will fly by and summer at Camp will come quicker.

I love not nature less, but Camp Kintail more,
The Infamous Inferno

Flame, Inferno, and Flare

Mark the Date - Camp Opening on April 25th

This is Mercury posting, and I am so excited to be helping with maintenance at Camp Kintail again this summer. Opening day is only a few weeks away, mark April 25th on all of your calendars. On opening day there is a group of volunteers and staff that come to help take off the shutters on the lodge, clean out buildings & the kitchen, do some construction, burn some branches, cut down some trees, whatever pleases you. Last year we had 16 different churches represented and we hope for more this year! Lunch is provided, it is always fun to work with and meet different supporters of the camp, and everyone leaves feeling fulfilled after working in God’s creation and doing some good volunteer deeds for the day. If you have specific skills such as plumbing, electrical, drywalling, building, it would be great if you let us know you are coming, and we can co-ordinate supplies for jobs in these areas that need to be done. The day starts around 9:30, coffee will be hot then, and it finishes in the afternoon whenever you leave! If you have never been to the camp, this is a great day to come and walk around, have a tour with a camp staff if you want, and meet the camp director. Bring some cleaning supplies, a cordless drill, a friend, or just bring yourself...everyone is welcome and I hope to see you there! Johnathon “Mercury” Lee
This is one of the cabins that will be restored this spring with the help of our amazing volunteers!

Kintail in the Spring

About a month ago, I posted pictures of the camp on the last day of February. Here are some pictures of one month later, on April 1st. The camp road is now open but the site is very soft from all the snow that has melted. The road is still washed out from the Lodge to Harmony House, but work will be underway soon to get that resolved. Camp looks different when all the leaves aren't out yet. Evergreen cabin through the trees.

Maple Cabin.

There is definitely still some snow around in all the places where the sun can't get to easily. Here are a couple of pictures looking down into the Glen.

LIT Program Day

On March 28th, the program staff and potential LITs gathered for a great day at Elmwood Presbyterian Church in London. There was an amazing group of potential LITs who are excited and ready to begin leadership training at Kintail. This training will teach about leadership roles, communication, and group dymanics. It will also include sessions on responding to the various needs of campers, how to be a great camp counsellor, and outdoor living skills. LITs will take part in a worship service at one of our neighbouring churches and learn how to lead the various parts of worship. One of our programs focuses on music and art leadership, and the other two programs teach out-tripping skills. The LITs will learn this week about which group they will take part in. We are looking forward to three amazing LIT programs in 2009!