Alex, Author at Camp Runoia

Thanksgiving dinner – simple traditions

Posted on November 15, 2018 by Alex

In the past few weeks I’ve spent countless hours scouring recipe books, looking online and attempting to find the perfect menu for our Thanksgiving dinner. I am hosting and as it isn’t a tradition I grew up with I don’t want to mess it up and want the dinner to meet the expectations of the family and friends that are invited. I’ve read articles, looked on Pinterest and jotted down copious amounts of ideas and still haven’t been able to perfect the menu. I finally asked those attending what they wanted on the table and was somewhat surprised by the simplicity of the answers.

‘I just love mixing cranberry sauce with the regular mash potato,’ ‘oh nothing fancy just the ordinary dishes will be perfect,’ there was even a request for ‘green bean casserole’ as it is a fond reminder of growing up in the 1960’s! Some asked if it was OK if they brought a favorite dish that they enjoy making or offered to share the bounty of their harvested vegetable gardens. Others have no preferences and are just looking forward to getting together and enjoying the company. All people really expect is a table to sit around (I’d better make sure we have enough chairs!) and the time to share a meal together.

The simplicity of the expectations, the reverence of the tradition and familiarity of having the old favorites remind me so much of summer at Camp Runoia. While there are changes with the times (yes I will have gluten free and vegetarian options for Thanksgiving!) so many things remain the same. No matter how long you have been away or even if you are arriving for the first time the feeling of coming home to a comfortable and welcoming community is all that really matters.

It is often the simple, traditional things that have the most importance and that create the lasting memories. Here’s to not over doing it and just sharing food with family and friends in whatever way feels right and makes people happy.

Runoia elections – using your voice at camp

Posted on November 7, 2018 by Alex

A long standing tradition at Camp Runoia has been having elections to see who will be team captain. The pool is small and anyone who meets the very basic criteria is eligible to run. There are no residency requirements and basically your age and having been in camp a couple of years allows you to be on the ballot. Occasionally girls take themselves off the roster as it is not of interest to them but typically everyone gives it a shot. You get to vote just for the candidate who represents your team in your end of camp and campers are often surprised by the fact that ‘yes’ you can vote for yourself.

Candidates get 1-2 minutes to present their ‘reasons why I should be captain’ speech to their team. It is a big deal to stand up in front of a large group and talk about yourself. It is often the first time that girls have had an opportunity to describe their own skill set and successes. For other campers it is a great opportunity to elect someone that they know to a position of leadership and to figure out that your choice makes a difference. Girls use their individual voices in multiple ways during the process and it is an empowering experience.

Probably the greatest outcome from camp elections is that as soon as the winners are announced everyone cheers, hugs and offers their support. There may be a few tears from a losing candidate but those quickly turn into offers to help with line ups, song teaching or any other aspect of the captain job that requires support. The voting process is respected and the team is quick to rally behind their new leader regardless of whether or not she got their vote.

Sometimes the most unlikely candidate wins, the quieter girl who is reliable, consistent and trusted by her camp mates to treat people fairly, the girls who is not necessarily the best athlete but always shows awesome team spirit or the camper that is most respected because she keeps a positive attitude and is fun. It is an honor and privilege for girls to serve their teams and they take their role seriously and put forth their best efforts. They know they walk in the shoes of campers who have been leaders for many years before them and strive for the victory while still remaining great friends with their opponents.

We are glad that camp can provide girls a small taste of the democratic process and encourage campers to stand up to represent their own beliefs and support those that they have the most faith in.

It is a relief that election season is finally and why don’t they give out prizes for which candidate has the most creative signs? that’s what we would do at camp!

Solfege and other challenges – building life skills

Posted on September 25, 2018 by Alex

I tend to spend my free evenings learning my choir music. For the past few nights I’ve been watching YouTube videos designed for preschoolers! I am trying to learn a new skill that will help me musically and one that is definitely a step out of my comfort zone. Solfege (the ‘do re mi’ scale) has a set of hand signals that go with it, I never knew about them until recently and am now trying to learn them and be able to use them competently. It is hard!

I am not as musically talented as some of my peers, I don’t have any natural ability to sound perfect pitch and while I have sung in a choir for most of my life my sight reading is at best mediocre. I need help on a level that works for me and I’ve finally found it.

The videos are very basic and include auditory and visual learning segments that are great. The style is working for me. Watching is helping immensely (likely the 3 year olds that are also using them are already much more competent!) and supporting the work we do in choir but I have to keep practicing, working at it and challenging myself. There is no instant gratification, it is taking time. I forget what I have learned, can’t transfer the skill to more complex pieces and sometimes just don’t feel motivated to keep sticking with it. I get frustrated that it is so easy for other people to pick up quickly or jealous of those that had the opportunity to learn it more organically.

In all truth I don’t really have to learn it, I am making a conscious choice to challenge myself and learn something new that I know will have some benefit but is not crucial to my performance as a singer. Even though it is hard I am committed to making progress and improving my level of accomplishment, I am self-motivated to get better and to stick with it.

At Camp Runoia girls are challenged every day with new skills. Some are self elected and others are dictated as part of our daily routine of camp life. There are those that are certainly more essential than others and potential some that will never be mastered. We present skills to girls in different ways that will hopefully help all learners grasp the concepts. Sometimes exploration happens independently and often an ‘aha’ moment comes during a teachable moment. Skill building is never wasted even if success takes hours, days and even years to achieve. The life skills that we learn at camp are transferable to other areas of life. Hard work, determination, practice, patience, tolerance of self and others, acceptance, perseverance not receiving instant gratification and so many more. Camp provides a supportive environment for girls to feel confident to try new things and build new skills.

I am off to use my life skills to keep working on mastering my solfege!

What is the best age to start camp?

Posted on September 18, 2018 by Alex

Is your daughter ready for an extended sleep away experience? Is her age a determining factor?

Trying to figure out when the right age to start camp is can be a real challenge for families. Actual yearly age carries a lot of weight in our society. We celebrate milestone Birthdays with celebrations and sometimes commiserations! My daughter is about to become a teenager and I have been blown away by how much emphasis there is surrounding this event. Mom friends commiserate that I will have a ‘teenager on my hands’ it is apparently just the beginning of the tumultuous years and I am supposed to shower her in adult type recognition and responsibility to help her develop her true self as a young adult. Truth is she will be the same person today at 12 as she will be tomorrow when she turns 13. She has displayed some of the teenager characteristics for a couple of years, others are sure to develop over time or may never appear on our radar. Age does not define us yet it has societal normative behaviors placed up on it.

As a parent I feel like I am often battling the social norms imposed upon my children. It is hard to go up against them when ‘everyone else’ does it, has it or has been there. I love that my sons school uses the ‘wait ’til eight’ theory for cell phone use as it has taken the pressure off getting my 6th grader a phone as it is not the norm in their school culture.

Figuring out when your daughter is the right age for camp can also appear to have social norms and external pressure about when is the right time to send kids off to sleep away camp. We all know that kids develop at their own pace, have varying life experiences and certainly come with an array of different personalities that are more or less conducive to the camp experience. We often get calls from concerned parents wondering if their rising 7^th grader is ‘too old’ now for camp? Or if aged 7 is ‘too young’ to start. Will she fit in if she didn’t start in 5^th grade when all of her classmates went off to camp? Can we advise them about what truly is the best age to send your child to an overnight camp experience?

Kayaking is a great activity for all ages.

The truth is there is only a perfect age for each individual child, some kids are ready at 7 others at 12 or 13 and some girls just may never have the desire to be away for an extended time period. As we talk to parents starting the camp research process we are always excited to chat about their daughters and to help them figure out if she may be ready to join the Runoia fun.

Great questions to ponder for prospective families are: how does your daughter feel about camp? is she driving the process? does she enjoy being away from home overnight with family or friends? is she age appropriately confident managing her own things and time?

If you are pondering camp for 2019 and are wondering if your daughter is ready give us a call we are happy to help support you in the process – Camp Runoia 207 495 2228.

Back to school – transfer those camp skills!

Posted on September 12, 2018 by Alex

Transitions and transferring skills

Is the back to school chaos getting to you? I have chatted with a lot of parents in the past couple of weeks and the first question asked is often ‘how is back to school going?’. It seems to be such a loaded question as many families find themselves challenged with the transition from lazy days of summer to the conformity of the school routine. There is an intense pressure that the school schedule brings and just trying to get everyone back into the swing of the expectations and responsibilities can be overwhelming.

Summer vacation is long and even for those that have it filled with camp programs, family time or travel the last days of school in May or June seem like forever ago. The summer break allows us flexibility that we never have the rest of the year. Week days and weekends roll together as we lose the structure of organized activities on set days. Often there is no alarm clock and on some days no need to even change out of pajamas!

Even though camp life is very routine and structured it has much less urgency than school and you certainly don’t get detention if you are late or don’t have the right supplies. The practical, organizational skills gained at camp are easily transferable and can make for a smoother start to the school year. At camp space is limited so campers have their stuff very well organized and to hand. Girls often lay out clothes that they will need, or have handy well used accessories such as lunch bags and crazy creeks so that they are prepared for the next thing. 5-15 minutes of clean up time results in beds being made, dirty clothes sorted and in the laundry bag, shoes paired up and dresser tops tidied. Try challenging your daughter at home with the thought that the ‘nurse’ will be doing inspection how would she score?

There is no doubt that as parents we often do too much for our kids, give too many warnings and reminders and don’t allow them their own success of taking responsibility for basic tasks in their day. It gets everyone stressed out and certainly isn’t helping our kids build their own skills set. At camp the expectations for independence are much higher. Even our youngest campers navigate our campus and get themselves in the appropriate clothes and shoes from cabin to activity. Girls make it to meals on time, make their own choices about what to eat and more often than not they choose a balance meal without anyone nagging them. Often older girls coach the younger ones on good tactics for making the camp day work, grabbing your snack before you change for your next class is apparently key to getting the best choice of apples.

Give your daughter the opportunity to show you what she learned at camp, she can pack her own lunch, organize her activity equipment and clothing, get her backpack ready the night before and a myriad of other tasks that will make everyone’s day smoother.

We hope that your school year has started off well and that you can remind your daughter that the skills she learned at camp can also be used at home.

Don’t miss out on the opportunity of more life skill building next summer and enroll for 2019!

Starting over – Runoia 2019 are you ready?

Posted on September 5, 2018 by Alex

September has arrived with shorter days, cooler evenings and an opportunity for a moment to breath and reflect on the past summer season. 2018 was fantastic. We had so ‘many fine Maine days’ that we were honestly wishing for a little more rain! Camp was full of happy campers and our staff group had an impressive skill set that they shared with enthusiasm. Even though at camp we fit so much into a day the time flew by way too fast. We can’t believe that it is time to start over and that our 2019 season is already open for business.

The cycle of camp is an interesting one as there is little down time as we are constantly moving towards the next season. It is hard to believe that we are now open for early enrollment for our returning campers. We are hopeful that most will be back and some are already clamoring for the limited full season spaces. New families are waiting to see if there may be a space for their daughter while others are getting in touch and just beginning to think about plans for next summer.

We are ready to help people make decisions about if Runoia is the right fit for their family. We are making room for younger sisters and cousins and figuring out how we can continue to make a Runoia summer a crucial part of a girls development.

There is excitement as new enrollments pop into our inboxes, we miss everyone and are already counting down the days until we can all be back together on the shores of Great Pond. We are really ready to start over and move into 2019 while reminiscing and holding on to the memories and great times from 2018.

Sending positive thoughts for a great back to school and we hope to see you all back on Great Pond next summer.

Packing for a summer at Camp Runoia

Posted on June 13, 2018 by Alex

The first time I came to the US to be a camp counselor all I had was a large backpack and a carry on filled with everything that I thought I could possibly need for the summer. The internet was not yet a thing and Portland Maine was just a dot on the map. I had no idea what I was getting myself into, had never heard of Super Walmart and was certain that I would be living in the middle of a forest far from civilization.

Fast forward 25 years and I should have taken a leaf out of my old book when it comes to packing light!

It is complete chaos at my house as we try to finish up school and get ready for the next adventure – Camp! We are packing and cleaning and getting ready to be full time at Runoia. It is such an exciting time of year and also a little overwhelming as we transition to our summer home. There has been much anticipation and we have had weeks of talking everyday about seeing camp friends, playing in the woods and swimming in the lake. I am so glad that it is now finally time.

There are boxes and half packed bags waiting to be closed up and packed into the car. The pet carries are ready to be filled and we are nearly ready! It is amazing what one family needs for the summer, even though our house is only a little over an hour from camp we really don’t come back once we have moved north and I apparently forget every year that there are stores in Augusta!

In the past week it seems that everyone has shot up (or in my case out!) and desperately needs new Runoia uniform ordering. Thankfully Land’s End ship fast. Wellies for the wet mornings grass have been bought, bug spray and sunscreen ordered in bulk and a myriad of small items organized and checked off the packing list. Of course I’m sure a number of items that were not on the list have sneaked in too!

It’s now time to sharpie names into everything because who has time to order name tags? so will have to use a trusty pen to get the job done fast.

As you prepare your daughter for camp know that we are available to help with last minute questions, that if something is forgotten we will help trouble shoot making sure that she has what she needs. Don’t forget to sneak a little note into her trunk or duffle that she may fine when she unpacks. Don’t let the packing exasperate or overwhelm you it’s worth it.

We are so excited for the fantastic summer that is awaiting us on Great Pond and cannot wait to see our Runoia girls soon.

Maine magic – the wonder of spring

Posted on June 5, 2018 by Alex

Summer arrives quickly in Maine!

I have lived in Maine for around 20 years and still the spring transition from frozen tundra to vegetative jungle surprises me every year. Spring is just incredible here! In just a matter of a few weeks the dramatic change in weather and landscape literally unfolds before your eyes.

The ‘Lupine Lady’ has been busy around the state of Maine

The ice melts off the lake and docks and boats are hauled out of storage and are back in use before the water gets much above 40 degrees. Intrepid swimmers even brave the chilly water making the most of the days when it gets above 70 degrees.

The garden around the farmhouse at camp has started to spring up with lupines, irises and peonies. It is always a time to wonder how long they have been established there and remember the days that Betty Cobb would tend to the weeds before camp opened.

The rhododendron outside my office window is blooming a glorious pink and regularly attracts bees and hummingbirds. Anytime you step outside after 5am the air is filled with the noisy sounds of birds and the number of squirrels and chipmunks appears to have quadrupled overnight. After so many months of dark, quiet and cold it is a time of great excitement and activity.

It will only be a couple of very short weeks until it is officially summer and Camp Runoia’s 112^th season will be beginning on Great Pond. Like the Maine spring things happen very quickly at the start of the season. The camp docks and boats are in, the horses have already arrived, staff are trickling in and there is a flurry of activity both in person and in our inboxes.

We cannot wait for camp to be in full swing, for our campers to be here and to be enjoying the hazy, lazy days of summer. The sounds of loons on the lake will soon be lulling us to sleep ad our days will be spent submerged in all that nature has to offer us.

Spring has almost sprung in Maine

Posted on April 26, 2018 by Alex

Being from ‘away’ I often feel like spring in Maine is somewhat of a myth, it is long awaited yet gone in a fleeting moment. It seems like we go from freezing nights to 70 degree days without any transition time.

Springs arrival cannot consistently be predicted even by the trusty local farmer’s almanac. This year as we head to the end of April many of the lakes still have ice on them but in previous years we have had 80 degree days and have been swimming in Great Pond. The poor crocuses and daffodils have had to battle their way through left over snow piles and the still freezing nighttime temperatures to make their colorful appearance.

This is the local joke here about the seasons. We have hopefully skipped right over mud season this year as the orange cones are already out on many of our local roads. The transformation from winter to summer is sometimes so fast you blink and miss it.

The studded snow tires are off the car, kayak racks replace ski racks, the famers markets are moving back outdoors, snow shoes are exchanged for hiking boots, the sand we put down on the driveway is now shoveled back up and we are ready for the new season.

There is a definite hint of color in the trees although it will be a few more weeks until we see actual leaves. Promise fills the air as the sun shines for more hours a day, the sky is so blue and there isn’t even the murmur of the ‘s’ word in the weather forecast.

At this time of year there is a frenetic pace around the Camp Runoia office. The fruits of our winter labors are about to come to fruition and we want to be well prepared for the harvest. We are fielding phone calls and emails from parents who are keen to get their paperwork and registration details squared away, staff are beginning to plan their travel and orders are being placed for a myriad of items that we will need to get the season started. The cabin list is full with just a few beds open for those last minute sign ups and we are so excited to put the faces to the names that we have been looking at all winter.

Hurry up summer, we will be ready!

Women who dared

Posted on April 18, 2018 by Alex

I have long been amazed at the tenacity of our Camp Runoia founders Lucy Wieser and Jessie Pond. Their dedication to starting a camp for girls showed great bravery and confidence when heading off into the unknown wilds of Maine. In our world of high speed transportation and at your finger tips technology it is sometimes very hard to imagine how different life was back in the early 1900’s. Rural Maine was sparsely populated with few paved roads and limited access to many areas. The Maine Central railroad had only established the Belgrade Depot in 1850 and the local community was mostly made up of farms with some vacation housing in the village. Arriving by train from the city into Belgrade must have been quite a culture shock. While the actual story of their first adventure has become a little lost in the mists of time I imagine them in skirts or dresses, hiring a horse and cart to travel around the area.

Belgrade Depot station around the time Ms Weiser and Ms Pond founded Camp Runoia.

On our staycation this week we traveled to the Owls Head Transportation Museum which had some fascinating displays the most interesting of which for me was about the early female pioneers of travel. Like our Runoia founders they were making history in the early 1900’s and boldly going places that women typically hadn’t ventured to. Their names were new to me and their adventures and experiences seemed so radical for the time. Can you imagine driving a car cross country with a couple of your girlfriends? Now think about doing it when there were only 156 miles of paved roads and your car barely had a roof!

Can you imagine traveling cross country in this?!

I shall continue to be inspired by the brave bold women of the early 1900’s and to keep sharing their stories with our fearless young women at camp. Maybe they will become the pioneers of this new generation.