Thirty years ago, on the eve of the opening of Camp, Andre Theisen, the Boys Camp director and I were frantically trying to finish a project that seemed to us to be the most important thing to do - hanging a 4’ x 8’ New York Times crossword puzzle in... read more
Death and taxes, the old saying goes, are the only things in this life that are certain. I suppose the adage was coined to offer some sort of comfort - that just as we prepare our returns by April 15th, and prepare for our eventual return to the earth, we... read more
I know of many camps who have made the decision to drop swim instruction from their program. They did so for a variety of reasons–staffing, timing, resistance–and many saw learning how to swim was not “fun” enough. We’ve continued to follow the Red Cross program for swim instruction, for many... read more
One of the longest serving counselors in Mishawaka history, Charlie Westgate, made a practice of telling jokes to campers and staff. Some of them pushed the limit or were loaded with double entendre. I have probably forgotten more of them than I remember, but one of them seems to always... read more
I invented Friendsgiving, I said to our daughter the other day as she and her friends prepared to gather for the traditional turkey and trimmings a week before we were to gather as a family. “Ya, I know,” she said, but I could feel her eyes roll on the other... read more