July 8th, 2017

We were happy to welcome the sunshine today after the long, rainy day we had yesterday! This morning started with chocolate chip bread and the campers couldn't have been more excited. Classes were very active today. Sports classes got to play football, arts and crafts continued to work on their projects, and small craft had a great day on the water. 

Lunch today was lasagna followed by butterscotch pudding for dessert. Rest hour was particularly quiet, but when the second general swim started the campers had high energy and were ready to swim! 

For activity period the campers had a choice between jumping off the tower, playing gaga ball, fishing, taking a ride on the Hunter, playing soccer, or writing articles for the birch barker. 

Tonight for evening program we have 2 options lined up depending on the weather. If there is no rain, we will be playing a game called step it up. If it rains we will be playing reverse scavenger hunt. The campers were split into their green and white teams for track meet, and tonight's game will be their first opportunity to score points for their team!

We hope they get a good night's rest tonight because tomorrow is track meet, the most active day of the session! They need high energy to cheer on their team and earn the most points!

-Shannon and Sloane

Rainy Day

Although we woke up to a bit of rain this morning, we were still able to keep busy and have fun! This morning was practically perfect because we were able to sleep in a little AND we had waffles and peanut butter for breakfast! Cabin cleanup proved to be difficult due to the mud being tracked into the cabins, but campers worked diligently to keep things clean.

The morning started with swimmers in the water, but as the rain picked up, the rest of the periods had to be held indoors for their classes. Sports played Play-Doh Pictionary, and small craft offered various board and card games. Swimmers tested their knowledge with a competitive game of Scattergories.

Campers enjoyed chicken parmesan before heading to the cabins for an extended rest hour. Fourth period boating classes got to go out right as the rain cleared, and was followed by a sunny activity period!

Tonight's evening program, "Murder by Night", is a murder mystery game where the counselors give clues to uncover the murderer behind a fake Wamah death. It's a goofy game that we know the campers will have a lot of fun with!

-Shannon and Sloane

Boys Camp

This morning began with an english muffin breakfast, with cereal offered in conjunction! Cabin clean-up went off without a hitch because the campers are starting to get used the routine! A few cabins were so clean the competition almost ended in a 3 way tie! 

It was another great day for morning classes and a few lucky swimmers were able to pass their classes early and move up to the next level which is always very exciting! Sailing classes finally had some good wind on the lake, so they were able to really learn how to handle the sunfish today. Sports class offered kickball, handball and soccer and campers got to vote on the one they wanted to play. Kickball was a strong winner!

Our lunch for the day was baked ziti followed by a dessert made from scratch by Amanda, one of our kitchen staff who has been attending culinary school. She made chocolate banana cake with a banana glaze, and it was well received by the campers! We had tacos for dinner with lemon bars offered for dessert. 

Everyone is getting excited to play king dodge for evening program tonight and it is sure to be a favorite. The quick dip afterwards will give campers a chance to cool down before bedtime. We are looking forward to a great weekend ahead of us!

-Shannon and Sloane

What a day we have had! With the weather beautiful yet again, our cookees head up at cookee bell to set the tables for breakfast. Today we had cornbread and cereal. There was oatmeal offered for those who needed to warm up a bit, although we can't imagine many people needed to warm up! 

Campers headed back to clean their cabins and get ready for first period. During sports class the campers had a choice to play a few games which was exciting for them. Everyone was excited for swimming and boating because it meant that they could be in the sun and water! 

Cookee bell came quickly again! The campers raced to set their tables so they could enjoy a tasty dinner of meatloaf and mashed potatoes with corn on the side. After cleaning up the tables a bit, the campers were even more excited to find out that they were going to be having chocolate pudding for dessert. 

Rest hour came and went and everyone got in the water for general swim. They rushed off to fourth period in hopes that activity period would come quickly. The campers enjoyed tower jumping, aquarium games, gaga, and a few lucky campers were able to go paddle boarding and on the Hunter. The Hunter is the biggest sailboat here at camp. It can hold 6 campers and 2 staff making for a super fun time! 

Tonight's supper was a bit different. Our kitchen had the night off so each cabin wrote down sandwiches that they would want. We made each camper and staff a sandwich and they headed out with their cabins to a different place in camp to eat. 

Tonight's evening program game is "Pirates"! The campers love this game but this year it is a bit different. They campers will have to go around to counsellors and find "keys" to unlock a treasure chest. The chest will have a map that will tell them were the treasure is hidden. 

We are hoping for a lot of participation and enthusiasm from the campers!!

~Allissa and Sloane

Fourth of July

Today we began a joyful 4th of July with delicious french toast. Our morning was sunny with a light breeze and campers found every morning class enjoyable. Campers took advantage of the weather by taking out boats, canoes, and fishing off the docks during free time. For our noon time meal, hungry campers had chicken fingers and rice with a side of green beans. One of our kitchen staff members, Amanda, baked a special dessert: banana spice cake with cinnamon frosting. We have never had that dessert and it was a huge success!

This afternoon, campers cooled off during general swim and then headed off to 4th period. Lucky lakeside campers who had boating class were able to watch the 4th of July Boat Parade. Afterwards, all of our campers took part in activities such as gaga, basketball, tower jumping, and fishing. For supper, we had grilled cheese and tomato soup. Hopefully everyone saved room for our ice cream sundaes!

Soon, the bell will ring and campers will play Spies and Smugglers (we have a special twist tonight to celebrate the 4th of July, so the name has temporarily been changed to Rebels versus Redcoats). After evening program, campers and staff will enjoy ice cream sundaes by the lake. Hope you had a great Fourth of July!

Boys Camp

We had another beautiful day on Columbia Lake!

Today was the first day of classes for all of the campers and they were all very excited! The swimmers couldn't wait to get into the water and the small craft classes were busy learning all of their strokes and parts of their boat. Sports classes got to play a camp favorite - Nuke 'em! It's a great game to help everyone learn names. In arts and crafts some boys chose to attend nature classes, others started working on making a basket, and the rest were left to put their creativity to the test! A few even made up their own board games! 

Lunch was a tasty dish of ravioli with chocolate pudding for dessert, and for dinner we had steak sandwiches followed by cherry cake for dessert! 

Tonight's game for evening program will be capture the flag. This game can be played both on the field and in the woods which makes it a little more difficult! We hope all the campers play hard so they can sleep soundly tonight.

-Shannon and Sloane

First Day

What a beautiful day for moving in!

Once everyone arrived and cabins were settled the whole camp gathered for staff introductions and camp rules. Afterwards, we were all rewarded with a general swim. The water was refreshing after the heat of moving in!

Keeping with tradition, tonight's dinner was hot dogs and tater tots, followed by brownies for dessert. After dinner, the whole camp met at the A-field for a game of medical war! Medical war is basically a game of dodgeball but there are two "medics" that are allowed to save players who are out. Luckily we had some time left after evening program for a quick dip, so campers were able to cool off before their first bedtime this session!

-Shannon and Sloane

The Last Full Day of the First Session

Waking up today, the campers seemed to be in good spirits regardless of it being the last day of camp. The day started off with warm weather for our cookees to set the tables for breakfast: english muffins with jelly and butter, and of course cereal alternatives.

Next, campers headed back to their cabins to prepare for the first three periods of the day. Today's classes were very important because it was the last chance this session for them to show instructors their skills in boating and swimming. Campers found out whether they would pass or not, and if they did pass they will be receiving their awards tonight at campfire.

Dinner today was baked ziti with french bread, and jell-o for dessert. Campers were sad to go to rest hour because they would rather swim because of how hot it was. Luckily, all the campers went in the water for general swim to cool down! Campers who had passed in swimming were able to swim in their new designated area, and some were able to jump off the tower for their first time ever!

For the last day of sports, every class went up to the ropes course. One of the obstacles we did was the trust fall; some campers fell while others helped the counselors catch, which gave them the opportunity to learn a new skill. We usually do the trust fall on one of the last days of camp because we like to give the campers a chance to get to know and trust the people that may be catching them.

Today there was great wind again so the Hunter was taken out for some lucky campers to have some fun! There was soccer up on the A-field, tower jumping for everyone who passed into Level 4 swimming earlier in the day, and even a GaGa tournament!

The wind was so good today because we are actually right in the middle of a storm! The rain is coming down pretty quick and the lightening and thunder are really hitting us heavily! Hopefully it will pass soon, but unfortunately, our campfire will have to be indoors tonight. On every last night of the session, we have a campfire. During this time our campers will get their awards for passing swimming and boating and they will get their year awards. Year awards represent the amount of years that they have been a camper here at Asto Wamah. The boys awards are slightly different from the girls awards but all in all, they represent the exact same thing. 

Just a reminder for all of you anxious parents, pick-up is tomorrow from 8:30am until 10:00am! Your campers are just as excited to see you but many of them have told their counselors how much they will miss camp! We had a great session and we hope to see all of you next year!

~Allissa and Sloane

A Windy Day

Today was yet another slightly chilly day this morning! As everyone woke up, they headed down for a delicious meal of waffles with butter and peanut butter. For those who did not want to have waffles, cereal was provided as an alternative. 

Cabins were cleaned and first period quickly approached! The next few periods went by in a blur because we all found out that we were having shepherd's pie for dinner! The new campers found out why the staff always love when we have shepherd's pie as a meal. 

As soon as dinner finished, two lucky cabins, Four and Old Six, went up to the ropes course for rest hour. They were able to have some fun and play games with their friends while learning some very valuable lessons of communication and teamwork. 

Due to the slight chill in the air, the campers were again given choices for general swim. Many of them chose to go fishing with counselors out in row boats while a few others opted for the water! The campers who fished believed that the wind started to scare the fish away!

The Hilltop girls were able to go up to the ropes course as well for their fourth period sports class. Everyone seemed to be having a really fun time!

Activity period came and went with games like ultimate frisbee being played up on the A-Field and tower jumping down at the water front. Even though the fish may have been scared of the wind, our campers and staff were not. Two staff members and five campers took out the Hunter while another camper and staff member went out on a Sunfish. 

Tonight, the campers could not wait to hurry up and eat their grilled cheese and tomato soup that was for supper so that they could find out the game for the night. We fully believe that "Pirates", tonight's evening program is going to be one of the best games we have played so far this session. It will require the most amount of energy from the boys and girls, so we hope that they sleep well tonight!

With tomorrow being the last full day, we are confident that everyone will make the most of it!

~Allissa and Sloane

The Halfway Point

Waking up this morning, everyone really felt the chill in the air. It was a crisp morning, but things started to warm up just in time for cookee bell. Breakfast today included bagels with cream cheese and butter, and cereal alternatives. Once breakfast was all cleaned up, cabins were organized at the flagpole to take their cabin photos, which are a great reminder of the week for campers to take home on Saturday!

After cabin photos, campers and counselors returned to their cabins to make them as clean as possible. This was a tricky task because so much mud was tracked into cabins from yesterday's storm that had to be swept out. An "overflow clothesline" was set up at the flagpole to make enough room for everyone's towels and swimsuits to dry from the rain.

Classes proceeded as normal, and campers continued to work hard on improving their strokes in both swimming and small craft. A lot of fun is being had on the A-field for sports class, including on the tennis courts and archery range for campers who decided to try new things!

Dinner today featured ham and noodles with carrots on the side. Butterscotch pudding proved to be a crowd favorite for dessert! Today we tried something new: instead of throwing away the food scraps in the garbage, we dedicated a separate bin to food scraps to donate to a local farm in Hebron! Everyone is very excited for this opportunity to waste less food while also helping a local cause.

The kids seemed even more excited for rest hour than yesterday and took advantage of the hour before heading out to either swim or play games around the lodge area. Gaga ball was a huge hit for the campers and there seemed to be an endless line of impatient little boys and girls eager to play!

Fourth period rushed by and the campers hurried to activity period because some of them had the opportunity to explore the lake in the Hunter! The Hunter is our largest sailboat at camp that has the capacity to hold 6 campers, making for a lot of fun!

Supper today was a little different than normal: it was kitchen staff's day off, so instead of eating in the lodge, each cabin went to a different location in camp and had sandwiches of their choice, with chips and "bug juice" (camp lemonade). This is a fun time for campers to have a change of scenery during mealtime!

Tonight's evening program is "Spies and Smugglers". This is a game where the camp is split into two teams, much like a big game of tag. When a "spy" tags a "smuggler", they then get three chances to guess where the "smuggler" hid their ticket beforehand. Each ticket has a number of points written on it that they are trying to smuggle to the A-field without it getting stolen. Both teams get a chance to be spies and smugglers. This game seems to be a huge hit with campers, and experienced campers always remember to wear pants with extra pockets to hide their tickets in!

This game will probably take a lot of energy, so we're hoping it will prove for a good night's sleep so the campers will be ready to take on another day full of activities!

~Allissa and Sloane

The day of the storm

Sorry we are writing so late but we had a very unique day! 

It all started this morning with a bit of rain around wake up time. The cookees, as usual, set the tables for cereal and corn bread and then everyone headed off to their cabins for Cabin Clean-Up. The campers found it difficult to clean today because of all the mud. We had some strong rain storms come through but luckily missed out on one of them. 

Classes as usual went on, however, sports class was held in the upper lodge today. The field was just far to wet to be able to head up and play a game. Instead our campers played a variety of games including telephone and other camp original games. Those in arts and crafts found it very interesting to listen to the screaming and yelling in the upper lodge. Swimming went on as usual, however, we did get the campers out early to change because it was very cold. Our boaters went out on the lake and successfully battled some strong winds. 

As lunch drew near, our cookees again headed up to set tables for a delicious meal of Swedish meatballs, mashed potatoes, and corn. Not only did the campers devour the main course, but also a dessert of vanilla pudding, sprinkles, and churros, everyone was stuffed beyond their usual capacity. 

Rest hour followed and everyone was very thankful for it. After a long morning and a calming hour, our campers were given a great choice of either swimming for general swim or playing a rousing game that is a combination of tennis and baseball. 

We headed on to fourth period and finally the weather warmed the field up, which made our hilltop girls extremely happy. They played a great game of spud up on the A-field and our tennis girls went right up to the court to play. 

Unfortunately, the nice, warm weather did not last for long. We had to switch up activity period a bit and play games in the upper lodge because a big storm was heading straight for the heart of Camp! We escaped with only a few rumbles of thunder and the campers got ready for a delicious supper. We had chicken patties with chips and applesauce. For dessert we had yellow cake with chocolate frosting. 

We had planned on playing an evening program game out in the woods but due to a big thunderstorm, we had an amazing indoor carnival!! We had a variety of games, including, cup stacking, horse racing, indoor bowling, and indoor archery! The kids had an amazing time and they even got ice-pops from the kitchen! 

We are all hoping to have better weather tomorrow!!

~Allissa and Sloane

Day 2 of Camp

Hello!! We are so happy to say how exciting today was and how much fun all of the campers had during their first full day of camp! 

When we all woke up today, our cookees set the table for breakfast. We had yummy french toast which was quickly devoured by everyone. Bananas were also served and in the event someone did not want french toast, we had some cereal alternatives. 

After breakfast, everyone went off to clean the cabins and get ready for first period. For some of our campers, they started in the water and found out their swimming and boating teachers, while others started out on the A-field for our first day tradition of playing "Nuc 'Em". 

We went through the first three periods which consisted of a mixture of sports, boating, arts-and-crafts, and swimming. After a counselor swim, a time for the campers to fish or play a few other games, we got ready for our big meal of the day, dinner! Today, we had chicken fingers, rice, and green beans. We ate so many chicken fingers that we ended up having to eat some ravioli to fill our tummies! 

Every day after dinner, we have store. This is a time for the campers to get piece of candy. Once they have their candy, they head over to their cabins to get ready for rest hour. This is a great time of the day for the campers to relax, write letters home, and even take a nap! Immediately after rest hour, we head back down to the waterfront for our big general swim! General swim is a big free swim where the campers are able to swim with their friends in their designated areas. 

Fourth period follows general swim. This period consists of the last class of the day which is the one that they did not get to do during the first three periods in the morning. During dinner, our counselors offer activities all throughout map that they are going to play during activity period. This time is right after fourth period. 

After activity period, we get ready for supper. Supper was tacos and applesauce with potatoes chips on the side. As we finished cleaning up, Chris announced that our evening program game was going to be Capture the Flag! Here at camp, we play this game partially in the woods, so our campers are getting their long pants and tied shoes on as we speak! 

We should have a great time with this game as it is always a favorite for the campers! We are all looking forward to another day here at Asto Wamah! 

~Allissa and Sloane

Day One of Camp

Today was a great day here at Asto Wamah! We had 86 excited campers arrive with some nervous parents. The parents spent their last couple of minutes with their children and then drove off leaving them with us for an entire week! As the parents headed home, the campers spent time getting to know their new cabin-mates and counselors. 

The cabins went on tours of camp to get a good refresher for the returners and our 50 new campers found out what their home looks like for the next week. After rules and introductions of our amazing staff, our 50 new campers headed over to the waterfront with Catherine, our waterfront director, to find out what level they would be in. Our new campers take a swim test, although, it really is not a test at all. It is more of a showcase of what skills they have. 

When swim tests were finally over and everyone changed out of their bathing suits, we gathered around the flagpole for flag lowering. After we all learned how to fold the flag properly, we headed on up for supper. 

Supper tonight was our traditional first day supper. It consisted of hot dogs, baked beans, tater-tots, coleslaw, carrots, and as many toppings as you can imagine! They campers gobbled up the food so they could get to dessert! Brownies are our traditional first day dessert, so everyone was looking forward to it!

Once everything was cleaned up and our dishees learned how to scrape plates and sweep, everyone went back to their cabins to get their tied-shoes on for Medical War! This game is a big dodge ball game consisting of two teams. When someone gets hit, they sit down and wait for the "medic" to come and run them back to the "jail" where they have to count to 100. Once they count to 100, they can return to the game and keep playing. Everyone had a ton of fun and are now off to their cabins to get their teeth brushed and pj's on for bedtime.

Every night, the counselors will read a book to the campers to help them fall asleep. We are hoping for more sun tomorrow for our first full day of lessons and activities!!

 ~Allissa and Sloane

June Update

Dear Followers of Asto Wamah,

            The start of the 2017 season is now just 3 weeks away.  Preparations are in full swing.  The field has been mowed and cut back, the buildings are being cleaned and made ready, a truck-load of sand is on its way to the gaga pit, supplies have been ordered and are arriving daily and staff are involved with on-site and online trainings. 

            On May 27th we welcomed enthusiastic families and campers to Open Camp Day.  Close to 50 families visited to see what Asto Wamah looks like, meet staff and have questions answered.  It was a successful event that generated a lot of excitement.

            I fear I have disappointed some of you with my failure to include pictures with recent Blogs.  I am always looking for the unusual and fallen short.  Last week I did see a rare sight, one I have not seen for years.  The attached picture was taken close to the huts on the hill.  If you look closely you will see three, pale pink Lady Slippers.  There use to be large patches of Lady Slippers growing in the Asto Wamah woods.  For some reason they disappeared.  I am hoping these 3 Lady Slippers represent a come back for this wild flower.

             This is my last Blog entry until September.  Beginning on June 25, the Blogs will be written daily by a staff member reporting on the activities and details of that particular day.  Hope you will follow daily to keep updated and informed.

            As we enter the 108th season at Asto Wamah, we are looking forward to a spectacular 7 weeks where friendships will be made, new respect for the natural world will increase and life-long skills of respect and inclusion will blossom.

Always,

Nancy

Be sure to check out our April & May updates just in case you missed them.

May Update

Dear and Faithful Asto Wamahites,

Now that May has officially arrived, the Asto Wamah camping season cannot be far behind!!

With the traditional camp clean up day behind us, the grounds and buildings are ready for the fun and adventure that lies ahead.  Clean up day 2017 brought a particularly enthusiastic and dedicated team of workers to camp.  For the first time in eons, the staff was invited to take part in this annual ritual of removing leaves, spider webs, and winter dust.  A total of 8, former and present staff arrived ready to help.  They (Maddy, Janabeth, Emily, Emma O., Charlotte, Olivia, Kaitlyn K. and Colleen) along with 30 regulars (including Sue, Catherine, Chris, and Drew) have succeeded in transforming the vacant buildings and ignored landscape into a welcoming site where exciting and fun filled days will soon rule.

This summer’s enrollment is complete.  That is great news for all except those who are still waiting to register.  There are waiting lists for all sessions, which in the past have proven to be a very effective way to eventually get a spot.  Cancellations are inevitable.  Faith and patience is required:)

May is always noted for the Saturday afternoon when we hold Open Camp Day.    This year that will be on May 27th from 3 pm to 5 pm.  There will be staff present to give tours of the camp and answer questions.  Former campers who would like to help on the 27th are welcomed to participate.  Open Camp Day offers a very important opportunity for first year campers to see the inside of a cabin, get a feel for the ‘campus’ and get to meet people they will soon get to know during their stay.  We look forward to meeting many new camp families on that day.

If your health forms are complete don’t forget to send them in (Camp Asto Wamah, 42 Route 87, Columbia, CT 06237 or Fax: 860-327-5618) by June 10th so they can be reviewed.   A FAST PASS will then be emailed to those with complete forms who are NOT bringing any medications.  Even if you are bringing meds, having your forms reviewed in advance will speed up the process on Check-In day.

Happy May,

Nancy

April Update

Dear Followers of Camp Asto Wamah,

March was a very busy month at camp with lots of changes taking place.

To begin with, Camp is looking a lot different today than it did a month ago.  The level of Columbia Lake is rising.  The rafts that were wintering on the lake floor (in the sailing area) are now getting closer to floating.  Plants, like skunk cabbage, are pushing up through the dirt and making the woodland look more like spring.  When the sun is out, it is providing more warmth than it has for some months now.  Birds are numerous and at last the snow is about gone.  Each day is looking more like spring, so the camping season cannot be far behind.

Probably the most critical piece of preparing for the new season is the registration of campers.  The process began in February and at this point is just about over.  The only session that has openings is the 4th, an all-girls, 2-weeks session.  Waiting lists are being formed for the full sessions and have in the past proved to be a very effective way to get a spot at camp.  There is still a need for additional campers in session 4, so keep spreading the word!

April will see the start up of the wells.  Because our water pipes are on ground level, the water is drained before freezing weather arrives.  Once the water is running there is lots of work to do to clean up from a long winter.  It is at this time that major maintenance can be undertaken to ready Asto Wamah for the new season.

2017 will mark our 108th year of camping on Columbia Lake.   A devoted and enthusiastic staff has been hired.  All of them are excited to get back to camp and present a program that is challenging, fun and meaningful in a place where children and young adults can learn valuable life lessons and grow in positive ways.  It won’t be long now!

With best wishes to all,

Nancy

March Update

Greetings to All,

With only a few days left in February, we are looking at this month with great satisfaction.  It is always our most active registration month, and we are off to a good start toward meeting our 2017 goals.  There has been the perfect mix of first year campers enrolling with returning campers.  A good number of staff and campers have told a friend/neighbor/relative/ classmate about Asto Wamah and encouraged sign-up.  We are entering March with a healthy enrollment and yet there is room in all sessions for more.  Please keep passing the word so that there will be NO empty bunks at Asto Wamah this summer!  Thank you!

Along with the camper registration, this summer’s staff is growing daily and we are seeing the return of many of the 2016 staff.   We are excited that in addition to our awesome and multi-talented staff, we are increasing the number of counselors with the ability to teach the ukulele and other string instruments such as guitars.  We are focused on adding more “fun” time activities to the afternoon.  If you have any ideas, pass them on!

With the snow having left the gaga pit, we are looking to add a good layer of sand there as well as in the ‘sand box’. Both areas were hot beds of activity last summer and we will make sure they are ready to go by the first day of Coed!

After the last few days, it is difficult not to think that summer is right around the corner.  Working outside at camp on 2/22, 2/23 and 2/24 it was very difficult not to assume winter is over and warm days will be the new normal.  History tells us that Mother Nature is not done and we probably have another month or 6 weeks of cold ahead of us. 

Hope you are looking forward to the start of the new camp season as much as the staff and I are.  Lots of preparation is underway.  Supplies are being ordered.  Repairs are in progress throughout camp. New campers are visiting.   All is being made ready!

Trust you are staying well and remembering the lessons learned at CAW! 

Warmly,

Nancy

February Update

Dear Followers of the Asto Wamah Blog,

According to my calendar, we are now officially starting the 2017 season at Asto Wamah.  February 1st is a day of anticipation when the new Brochure and application form are mailed to returning and new campers.  Thanks to all of you who have worked to ‘spread the word’, we are mailing out an unusually large number to new families.  Of course it is never too late to give me new contacts to whom I can send our registration materials.  So keep them coming!

We were so disappointed that the Camp Reunion had to be cancelled on January 7th.  It seems as though that day was the only wintery weather of the entire month.  Early on that Saturday morning it was clear that holding the reunion would be unsafe.  As the day turned out, cancelling was the only option.  Wouldn’t you know that the one major storm in January would come on the day we needed dry roads and good weather?   We had planned on having a new set of Minute-to-Win-It” games, Drew’s skits and Eskimo Pies.  All had to be put on hold.  An extra long list of RSVPs, were disappointed.  We will try again in January 2018 and keep our fingers crossed.

As you may be aware, Columbia Lake is lowered in the winter to keep ice from breaking up docks and stonewalls at the shore’s edge.  So far this winter we have had very little ice on the lake.  I took two pictures of the lake to give you an idea of how different it looks in winter.  One was taken from the Icky Water Bridge and the other from the fishing dock at the White Cottage, looking toward camp.  You would have to agree that these views are quite different than they are in June, July and August! 

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Don’t forget to get your camp application form back ASAP.  This year’s form again asks new campers to indicate who recommended Asto Wamah to them.  Each person who is indicated as one who ‘spread the word” will be given a special t-shirt on arrival day.  Last summer 43 shirts were awarded.  I hope even more will be handed out this summer!

Stay well and safe and don’t forget the lessons learned at CAW! 

With warmth and best wishes,

Nancy

December Update

Dear Asto Wamah Fans,

            Welcome to December and the final Blog of the year.

            December looks to be another busy month at camp.  Applications are coming in for staff positions and letters of application are arriving for the new group of LTs.  Purchases of programming supplies are being made daily.  Meanwhile, leaf removal and routine maintenance is keeping us busy as we hurry to beat the arrival of snow.  It clearly is a time of preparation in many ways.  Much effort is being directed toward gearing up for the printing of the 2017 Asto Wamah brochure and the camper registration that will quickly follow.  There will be 3 two-week sessions.  The 1 one-weeker is the only coed session.   Here are the details:

• June 25 to July 1           Coed           Ages 8 to 12
• July 2 to July 15            All Boys       Ages 8 to 14
•  July 16 to July 29         All Girls        Ages 8 to 14
• July 30 to August 12   All Girls         Ages 8 to 14

            Last summer we began a reward system where anyone who tells a friend, relative, classmate, etc. about CAW will receive a free t-shirt if that new person signs up.  In 2016 we had more that 35 people qualify.  We encourage you all to spread the word and help us make sure all the bunks are full.  It is not too early to start.  If you talk to anyone who would like to be on the Asto Wamah mailing list, please email me their contact information.  Know that your help is greatly appreciated. 

            The Camp Reunion invitations were sent our yesterday via email.  (If you did not get one let me know so I can fix that.)   The date is January 7 from 1:00 to 3:00 at Center Church House, 60 Gold Street, Hartford.  We will be playing Minute to Win It games as we did last year.  Everyone enjoyed a hilarious time in 2016 and we are planning on a repeat of that.  Because dessert will be served, having a count of those attending will be helpful.  But don’t worry, there will be extras, so if you don’t RSVP come anyway.  The more the merrier.  Hope you can come.!!

            Wishing you a joyous Christmas or Hanukkah and may 2017 bring us all happiness and peace.  This is a good time of year to Remember the Other Fellow!

Always,

Nancy