Doug and I began "Camp Run-A-Mok" about fourteen years ago when the first three grandchildren were old enough to spend a week with us at the cabin, without their parents. The first group, Michele (8), Kristina (6) and Scott (2) were such good "campers" that we returned at various times over the years, with different combinations of grandchildren. Our typical activities are hiking, shared cooking and cleanup, skipping rocks in the lake, arts and crafts, playing cards and board games, campfires on the beach, and usually some kind of project to improve the cabin property. For example, one year we brought large rocks up from the beach and made flower beds around the cabin and planted wild flowers. Sometimes the weather dictates the type of activities, but there’s always something to do., Two years ago, we brought Taylor (7) and Zach (4); plus junior counselor, Scott, (14) and this time, we’re here with Daniel (15) and Carly (12).
The six-hour drive was a good time to get re-acquainted with the kids. We played lots of car games and told stories and jokes, discovering their unique personalities and sense of humor. We were all amazed at how quickly the time went - they couldn’t believe they didn’t even open the bag containing their books, i-pods and video player!
These kids are good eaters. They eat most everything and, being teenagers, tend to eat large quantities. They are also good sleepers - quite a change from the little ones who wake you up at 6 am, ready for breakfast. Doug and I are not typically early risers, so it’s great that we are actually up before them and have our coffee before Carly comes down about 8:30 and Daniel has to be blasted out of his bed whenever it’s time to do something. We’ve found that a good wake-up call for him is to start frying bacon; or just talk in loud voices about jumping on his bed, or going to town for donuts.
The weather has been great for spending time at the beach, skipping rocks, collecting driftwood for our campfire, and even building a sand castle. There hasn’t always been sand on the beach - sometimes it’s all rocks - so this is a treat for me. We wade in the water up to our knees - the water temperature surprisingly warm. Doug and Daniel are honing their skills with horseshoes and I have begun a class in scarf painting with Carly. Her first attempt was quite successful and she created a long scarf in an abstract pattern of purple, blue and green swirls. To our surprise, the next day Daniel wanted to try his hand at silk painting and created a very interesting abstract in red, black and grey. The next day Carly advanced to drawing with resist and made a very pretty polka dot design and another with flowers and vines.
The weather is too nice to stay indoors much so we took on the project of rebuilding the swing. It was put up about fourteen years ago, suspended between two trees and was the perfect height for little and big kids. Unfortunately, the trees have grown over the years and the swing, not adjustable, has become so high that even the biggest "kid" could not use it. We bought new rope, carried the big ladder out from the basement, and I climbed up and secured the line with a bowline knot to each tree. We all tried it out and pronounced it a great swing. Our other project, was to create a signal sign for the outhouse. (We also have an indoor "incinolet" but prefer the outhouse.) It’s hard to relax, with no door on the outhouse, wondering if someone is going to show up unannounced while you’re sitting there contemplating the lake. No one wants to install a door, for a lot of reasons, so we found a piece of driftwood on the beach and Carly and I painted it - red on one side and green on the other - and made a wire hanger for it. On the green side, we wrote "Welcome" and on the red side, "Go Away!" Now, anyone heading that way can see if it’s occupied or unoccupied. We love it!
Doug and Daniel also completed another important project of cleaning the exterior logs of the cabin. This has to be done every three or four years, as the snow that piles up around the cabin in the winter, causes dampness which turns to mildew. They started with a special product that required spraying the logs, scrubbing with a long-handled brush and hosing with water. It wasn’t working so well, so they switched to bleach and completed the job much more quickly.
The weather is too nice to stay indoors much so we took on the project of rebuilding the swing. It was put up about fourteen years ago, suspended between two trees and was the perfect height for little and big kids. Unfortunately, the trees have grown over the years and the swing, not adjustable, has become so high that even the biggest "kid" could not use it. We bought new rope, carried the big ladder out from the basement, and I climbed up and secured the line with a bowline knot to each tree. We all tried it out and pronounced it a great swing. Our other project, was to create a signal sign for the outhouse. (We also have an indoor "incinolet" but prefer the outhouse.) It’s hard to relax, with no door on the outhouse, wondering if someone is going to show up unannounced while you’re sitting there contemplating the lake. No one wants to install a door, for a lot of reasons, so we found a piece of driftwood on the beach and Carly and I painted it - red on one side and green on the other - and made a wire hanger for it. On the green side, we wrote "Welcome" and on the red side, "Go Away!" Now, anyone heading that way can see if it’s occupied or unoccupied. We love it!
Doug and Daniel also completed another important project of cleaning the exterior logs of the cabin. This has to be done every three or four years, as the snow that piles up around the cabin in the winter, causes dampness which turns to mildew. They started with a special product that required spraying the logs, scrubbing with a long-handled brush and hosing with water. It wasn’t working so well, so they switched to bleach and completed the job much more quickly.
We all share the cooking and have made some wonderful meals. One of the most memorable was Daniel's special pasta sauce which he made from scratch and simmered it for hours and served served it with garlic bread and caesar salad. He's quite the chef. Carly and I had fun making chicken and biscuits which we served with stewed apples.
Day four: We packed a lunch and set out for Judge C. R. Magney State Park for the three mile hike to Devil’s Kettle. It was a beautiful day, warm enough for shorts and t-shirts but not too hot for the hike. The trail takes you over the Brule River and steep up and down grades to the spectacular view of "the kettle." It’s rather steep terrain and one part is a challenge for Doug and I but Daniel with his long legs was sprinting the whole way back and waiting for us at the end of the trail. Carly stayed closer to us but clearly was having no problem with the climb. Well, at least we did it. We could see some dark clouds moving in as we got back to the car, but there was a nearby picnic table and we decided to go ahead with our lunch. Then it started to drizzle but I insisted we finish our lunch - once I decide to go on a picnic, I certainly don’t want to take my lunch back home and eat in doors. Those around us quickly packed up and drove away, looking at us rather strangely as we sat there as if it were a perfectly clear day. I’m sure Carly and Daniel will tell their parents we made them eat outside in the rain.
Carly and I went into town one day for her to choose a birthday gift and we celebrated her birthday with a candle in a big piece of fudge from the Grand Marais fudge store. Delicious!
We’ve learned to play some new board games and also enjoyed some old ones, like "Clue" and "Rummy-Cube". Some favorites this week were Scattegories, Farkel, and "Apples to Apples".
Friday evening Carly and Dan’s mom arrived for the weekend. Their Uncle Craig came along as well to share the driving and it was good to see both of them. Doug made a big pot of his famous chili which we served with cornbread and homemade blueberry pie (which Carly and I made) for dessert. Later, we had a campfire on the beach and made s’mores and told stories. It was a beautiful evening, not too many mosquitoes, and not cold at all. Of course it is July.
Everyone left early Sunday morning and the cabin seems so quiet but we hear the echos of their voices and we have the memories of a fun week at Camp Run-A-Mok.
We’ve learned to play some new board games and also enjoyed some old ones, like "Clue" and "Rummy-Cube". Some favorites this week were Scattegories, Farkel, and "Apples to Apples".
Friday evening Carly and Dan’s mom arrived for the weekend. Their Uncle Craig came along as well to share the driving and it was good to see both of them. Doug made a big pot of his famous chili which we served with cornbread and homemade blueberry pie (which Carly and I made) for dessert. Later, we had a campfire on the beach and made s’mores and told stories. It was a beautiful evening, not too many mosquitoes, and not cold at all. Of course it is July.
Everyone left early Sunday morning and the cabin seems so quiet but we hear the echos of their voices and we have the memories of a fun week at Camp Run-A-Mok.
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