July 1, 2009

Let the sun shine! Yes, it has come out many times throughout the day today! We are looking forward to more to come.

Yesterday we welcomed both Clintonia and Trillium back to camp. They spent three days at Chewonki’s Big Eddy Campground exploring the trails and flowing Penobscot River. They were eager to be back in camp, in their yurts, and enjoying a warm meal, gourmet meal, in our dining hall. (Just to get a flavor of the meal, here is what the menu read last night:

Shrimp made with fresh Debsconeag herbs, garlic, and lemon
Asparagus with tomatoes, garlic, and lemon
Served over organic bowtie pasta, Mesclun mix salad from Freedom, ME, dressed with a balsalmic Dijon dressing
Veggi option was grilled tofu with olive oil, salt, and pepper

After enjoying our delicious meal, we transitioned our main lodge into Debsconeag Lake Evening Spa… for SPA NIGHT! We had three stations, lavender steam facials, pedicures (cutting, painting nails, and lathering hands and feet in lotion), and backrubs. The girls loved it so much that they convinced us to do another tonight to help welcome back Trout Lily.

We welcomed the College of Atlantic’s Professor of Marine Studies, Helen Hess, to campus to join us for a fun day of activities. Helen and Dot Lamson took a group of girls to explore “critters” in the streams surrounding Debsconeag. They came back with a few treasures: fresh water mussels, snail eggs, and a big tadpole (who soon gained the name “Fred”). Other activities for the day included sailing, paddle making, woodworking (making Adirondack chairs), canoe tipping, swimming at the waterfront, and arts and crafts.

Trout Lily made their way back to camp before lunch, full of smiles. They spent two full days white water kayaking on the Penobscot River. They challenged themselves to learn new skills and test their limits in the white water; learning how to flip their kayaks, paddling through fast moving water, and learning how to read the river.