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Published: September 11th 2010
Information worth knowing!
It wasn't posted at a school, but at a maze in Rapid City.(Blue Water Covenant Bible Camp)
Well, from June to September; from Hawaii to Minnesota~~quite a jump no matter how you look at it! This was an exceptional summer for us, full of family and friends, and a month longer than usual, because we didn’t take a project last May. So when the end of August appeared, we were very ready to get back to real life. But first we spent a week in the Black Hills with our daughter Megan and her family~~nothing like seeing something so grand through the eyes of kids! From the helicopter to the bottom of the cave, it was all thrilling! (plus a tour through a Black Hills gold jewelry manufacturing facility for us girls, of course!)
And then we were off to Grand Rapids, in northern Minnesota. On our way up here it felt like we were headed back to British Columbia~~the roads are through heavily treed areas, there are lakes everywhere and the climate has changed from summer to late fall during one road trip! Maybe it’s not fall, but we used the air conditioner when we were in South Dakota, and two days later we dug out the electric heater.
Who knew they moved Grand Rapids?!
Maybe it's part of the government's restructuring program! Anyway, we're in the Minnesota Grand Rapids, not the Michigan one. The trees have lost their shiny look, and I suspect we’re in for a gorgeous fall.
Blue Water Covenant Bible Camp is situated on a lake (want to guess what the name of it?!) It’s a summer-fall camp, more like we’re accustomed to in Montana. There is a family of five that runs the camp, with additional help hired for the summer season. Last year’s season they hosted about 1700 campers, so you can see it’s busy. We have access to a pontoon (boat), canoes, peddle boats, kayaks, and all the lake we would want to swim in! It really is a gorgeous place.
We have six couples on our team; three of them we’ve worked with previously, and three are new friends to us. The women are painting in two locations~~I’m working in a log building with housing on the lower level and a chapel area on the upper. We’re painting the living room, as well as the painting, and then creating a stenciled border. Two of the women are making curtains for the cabin the men are working on. The other two women are painting another bunkhouse cabin. The men are remodeling a cabin that was
See why I think we're in Canada?
This is a shot of the road going to camp; if you look back to the pictures from British Columbia, you'll find that they look very much the same! moved her from across the lake~~towed across the ice last winter; they’re moving walls and doorways to make it a more usable space.
Let me go back to the feeling of being far north….the stores here are carrying winter gear in quantities like I’ve never seen. We were in a farm supply store, and they must have had 4,000 winter boots! That may not be accurate, but it’s not off by much. And warm weather coats and hats….wow. Hunting is a huge deal….we’ve seen lots of deer, mostly black-tail (I didn’t know there was such a breed either, but they’re not hard to identify~~smaller than our white-tails, but similar markings.)
With our project beginning on Labor Day, and the camp staff not working that day, we took tour day that day. We went to the Minnesota Forest Museum, where we toured a 1900s logging camp. One of the most interesting things we learned was when the men ate their meals they were served family style in the cook tent; the most important people sat closer to the front, which meant they were also closer to the stove, which meant they were close to the heat! Also they showed
Our Blue Water team!
We're a full six-couple group. The pontoon belongs to the camp, and we're free to use it. the woolen long johns the men put on in the fall, and took off in the spring~~YUK! They felt scratchy, but like someone said, after a couple months that wouldn’t both you! It was an interesting tour, and a fun day; kind of like having dessert before your meal!
FYI: Bob read that the deer we’re seeing (with the black tails) are really white-tail. Not like the whitetails we are familiar with, but that’s what the information pamphlet said. So…it’s a good thing I’m not a hunter!
Ok, now for the pictures!
Thanks for reading my blog!
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Jill
non-member comment
safety record
Love the safety record posted at the maze in Rapid City! You should be able to see the season changing colors this year! Remember-you're from Montana-you can do this!