Hey, Camp Fans!

Your camp stories for the Everything Summer Camp ‘Share Your Camp Story’ Contest were all so great! I had such a fun time reading through them all and now I’m excited to be sharing them with all our readers here on the Blog! Since I’ve finished announcing our ten lucky winners who took larger prizes, I’ve moved on to the rest of your submissions and we’re posting each submission one by one!

The following post is from Catherine G. who wrote in to tell us about her son’s summer stay at Camp Arbutus Hayo-Went-Ha. Here’s what she had to say:

My name is Catherine and I’ve been going to Camp Arbutus Hayo-Went-Ha for 3 years. I love camp and it’s one of my favorite places to be. This summer me and my cabin went and backpacked on North Manitou Island in Michigan for 4 days. We hiked through rain and shine. But it was one of the most amazing things I’ve done. The scenery was absolutely beautiful and it was such a rewarding experience. I had never backpacked before this so I didn’t really know what to expect. I was a bit nervous going into it but I was also excited. My two awesome counselors told us that we all were going to rock it even if at times it was challenging. Our first day we hiked 2 miles and it felt like nothing. Even though it was raining we all had the best time. Hiking through the forests and by Lake Manitou was gorgeous. The second day we hiked 7 miles. This day was harder for me. At times I felt like I couldn’t go any further and that I just wanted to stop. But my amazing cabin mates and my counselors pushed me and encouraged us all to keep going and that we could do it. Our third day we hiked 5 miles. This is was a better day, but we were all sore but knew we could do it. Our last day we only hiked 1 mile. At the end of the trip I was sad to leave, but more importantly I was proud of what I had accomplished. I would’ve never been able to do that without the support of counselors and cabin mates! This is one of the many reasons why I love camp so so much.

15 miles in four days is no joke! Way to go on completing this challenge, Catherine! While they can often be fun, adventures are full of challenging moments that stretch our endurance and compel us to give ourselves pep talks. The scenery usually ain’t bad either! I’m glad you got this experience and that it means so much to you, Catherine! Isn’t camp awesome?!

For everyone else, you can give Camp Arbutus Hayo-Went-Ha a closer look. Check it out for yourself by clicking here and, as always, thanks for reading!

- John

Hey, Camp Folks!

Here at Everything Summer Camp, we’re always singing the praises of nearly 300 summer camps with whom we’ve formed a great relationship. And, it’s never too early to start thinking about where you’re going to attend camp for next year’s summer season! Today we’re shining our spotlight down to Georgia where we’ll highlight Valley View Ranch Equestrian Camp for Girls.

Located on 600 acres of lush pastures, wooded trails, and panoramic views of the gorgeous Northwest corner of Georgia State, the mountainous landscape of Valley View Ranch has dazzled young women for 67 summers going back to 1954 when the camp was first founded by Jack & Olive Jones who had also been operating Camp Cloudmont for boys in Mentone, Alabama for the past six years.

Upon moving to Cloudland, Georgia, Jack and Olive dreamt of an equestrian camp for their four daughters: Nancy, Marsha, Janis, and Angela. The girls were fortunate enough to grow up at the camp and they went on to help improve and develop the riding programs at the camp.

But nowadays, Valley View Ranch is so much more than just Riding! They’ve got Archery, Hiking, Environmental Education, Swimming, Canoeing, and Kayaking, Kickball, Basketball, Tether Ball, Foosball, Ping-Pong, Horseshoes, Bean Bags, Dance, Yoga, Capture-the-Flag, Hobby Horse Tournaments. And there’s great Arts & Crafts too like Pottery, Sketching, Painting, Horseshoe Art, Knitting, Jewelry and Beadwork, Dream Catchers, Tie-Dye, and lots more.

They also love to put on Talent Shows, Skit Nights, and Scavenger Hunts. And then there’s still fun to come with trips and excursions, and other special events!

The five, large wood-framed bunkhouses are designed with swings on the porches and equipped with plumbing and electricity. Campers are divided into cabins according to their age. Five girls with at least two counselors share each bunkhouse. The girls wake up to stunning views of the surrounding beauty and the sounds from the horses as they graze in the fields outside the screened-in windows.

Check out what a magical time you can give your daughter when you send her to Valley View Ranch Equestrian Camp! Visit their website by clicking right here and, as always, thanks for reading, Camp Fans!

- John

Hey, Camp Fans!

Your camp stories were great this year! It was lots of fun to read through them all and now I’m excited to share them with all our readers online! We’re posting each submission right here on the Blog! Since I’ve finished announcing our ten lucky winners who took larger prizes, I’ve moved on to everyone else who got a $20 gift certificate as a show of our appreciation.

The following post is from Sarah R. who wrote in to reminisce about her summer days at Camp Presmont and share her anticipation to send her daughter to camp this year! Here’s what she wrote:

I spent 5 summers in the 80’s going to Camp Presmont with my friends from our church, and a couple of other summers going to horseback riding camp. I wasn’t a really outdoorsy girl, but going to camp taught me how to explore and thrive outside of my usual comfort zone. Things I remember the most are going fishing for the first time in my life on big pontoon boats and running up and down hills, in and out of the woods for capture the flag. And also spending all my cash in the basement camp store every day for things we totally didn’t need but loved buying. I do remember being a bit homesick, but not enough to not want to go back every summer. As I prepare for my own daughter to begin going to camp, I’m amazed at how much fun stuff there is to do and bring – back in the 80’s, I showed up with some tennis shoes and an old sleeping bag. While these things change, I am so excited for my daughter to spend 2 weeks this upcoming summer in the great outdoors, away from the hustle and bustle of real life. I am preparing to miss her more than she will miss us!

Yes. We talk a lot about how children can cope with the inevitable feelings of homesickness, but we don’t talk nearly as much about the other end of the stick though it’s a very real matter—childsickness. Check out what summer camp expert Chris Thurber has to say about it when you click here. In any case, I hope your girl had a great camp experience this season. I hope she enjoys it as much as you did back in the 80’s and camp becomes a part of her seasonal traditions for summers to come!

For everyone else, you can give Camp Presmont a closer look. Check it out for yourself by clicking here and, as always, thanks for reading!

- John

Hello, Folks among the Living!

This time of year is all about celebrating the autumnal season of the natural cycle which brings the end of life to much of the trees and vegetation in regions located northward and southward a ways from the equator. The green vanishes from tree leaves and the birds start disappearing. In the home state of Everything Summer Camp—Wisconsin—you might say things get as dead as a doornail.

There’s no shortage of turns of phrases and old sayings for us to look into to find out why we say things like ‘Keep it up’ and ‘Don’t lose your head’. These sayings are deeply embedded into our everyday speech; you probably don’t even know it when you use one. Today we’re taking a look at the phrase ‘Dead as a Doornail’. What’s so dead about a doornail? you might ask.

You’re not alone.

Charles Dickens wondered the same thing on the first page of his classic ‘A Christmas Carol’: “Old Marley was as dead as a door-nail," he wrote. "I don't…know…what there is particularly dead about a door-nail. I might have been inclined, myself, to regard a coffin-nail as the deadest piece of ironmongery in the trade. But the wisdom of our ancestors is in the simile; and my unhallowed hands shall not disturb it...”

He brings up a good point. What exactly is so dead about a doornail? Why not a coffin nail? Well, the phrase goes back to 1350 in the carpentry trade. Back then, metal nails weren’t cheap. Most folks used wooden pegs—a much cheaper alternative to metal nails. The doors on wealthy homes, however, used nails with large heads to make the door stronger and able to open and close a thousand times without weakening.

The nails were so large that, when hammered, into the door, they would poke out the other side. Carpenters would then tap the protruding end to bend it flat against the wood. They called this ‘clinching’, and afterward the nail was rendered “dead” because it could never be used again.

Check back in when we return for another Adage Origin Blog post in November when we’ll take a look at our next Adage Origin Blog post. And, as always, thanks for reading!

- John

Hey, Camp Fans!

Your camp stories for the Everything Summer Camp ‘Share Your Camp Story’ Contest were all so great! I had such a fun time reading through them all and now I’m excited to be sharing them with all our readers here on the Blog! Since I’ve finished announcing our ten lucky winners who took larger prizes, I’ve moved on to the rest of your submissions and we’re posting each submission one by one!

The following post is from McKenna B. who wrote in to tell us about her first summer stay at Camp Jewell. Here it is:

This was my first time at sleepaway camp because COVID was a summer fail last year. I was really excited to go to Camp Jewell and also a little nervous. I saved up my money from recycling cans to buy a camp trunk just like I really wanted. It was pink and black and I put camp stickers on the front! My mom totally overpacked like usual and so then she bought another bag to snap on top to hold my bedding. She joked that she went a little overboard and I had enough stuff to stay for the whole summer.

When I got to camp my cabin was right on the lake next to the waterslide. How cool! The first night there something really funny happened. I was going to sleep and my worst fear came true... there was a giant spider in my bunk!!!!!!!!! I scrambled to get my shower shoes and started swatting the spider to kill it!!! gross!! Not a good way to spend my first night at camp. To make things worse, that night we saw flying ants in our cabin and I swear there were bugs that kept biting my ankles and feet when I was asleep. I wrote my first letter home all about the spider (my nemesis) and the bugs. My mom laughed because I didn't say anything else about camp. Just about the bugs!

Camp was super fun. I met some friends and did activities like the waterslide, candle making, carpet ball, and paddle boarding. I'm not a fan of the bugs at camp but everything else was cool. I'm going to go back next year and will wear socks to sleep so the bugs don't bite my ankles as much.

You’re not alone, McKenna! Those pesky parasites and other flighted foes are certainly the worst part of summer. Way to handle yourself like a warrior your first night, though during the battle of your bunk! Socks for the nighttime will definitely be a good tactical maneuver in battles to come! It was awesome to hear that you bought a trunk with money you saved from recycling cans! Nice resourcefulness! We always love to hear how well our gear works out for camp! Thanks for writing in to us, McKenna! Way to go making friends and having lots of fun this summer.

For everyone else, give Camp Jewell a closer look. Check it out for yourself by clicking here and, as always, thanks for reading!

- John