CAMPING FILLMORES

 Last time we posted, we were just getting ready to move from the little cabin into the Caretakers house, and there was still lots of snow on the ground.  Here are some icicles that were on the Dining Hall. The biggest one got knocked off.

But spring finally came after we experienced some flooding and a lot of rain.

As the snows melted, Bear Creek overflowed its banks and carried logs, silt and debris over our main bridge.

                                                            Bridge after clean up >

 

Our house really had a dramatic transformation.  We traveled to a town called Dunkirk with three trucks and two trailers, where a church building was no longer in use and is waiting to be sold.  We had permission to take anything we might need for the house or camp, so we came back with a couch, corner table, lamps, Relief Society chairs, folding chairs and rack, pictures from the walls, copy machines,  vacuums, cleaning supplies, and even the electronic piano/organ for use in our dining hall....and much more.  

The balloons were from two birthdays that we celebrated, and we have hung two quilts on the walls that feature old girls camp t-shirts that I have collected over the past 53 years.  Yes, I have been to over 50 weeks of girls camp in my career, but no, I do not have  t-shirts for every week I spent at camp.

 One amazing and much needed addition to our home was a pantry that Bruce built in our kitchen wall where a stove pipe used to be.

Besides being a contortionist, this guy can fix or make ANYTHING!

I love this picture

Finished Pantry>

We have had three of our children visit us with some of their kids, which has been a lot of fun.  Jason Brown's crew even brought Ginny, the neighbor's dog that they were dog-sitting over Spring Break.  

Of course, each time a family crew would stop in, we put them all to work.

We do see some wildlife out here including deer, wild turkeys, fish, mice, birds and worms for fishing.

    Woodpecker Condo>

<Dead mouse....it died of natural causes, of course

Tick found on Bruce with flesh attached

       

Cozy mouse nest found in drawer in the Nurses Station

                                          

Don't show this to the kiddies....they might FREAK OUT!  Remember that this camp has not been maintained for 30 years! You can only guess what they once were.

We have been working hard but have found two things to be self-evident: Murphey's Law applies to most projects, so you have to think outside the box and improvise at times, and every job takes longer than you planned on.

No, Bruce is not fishing, he is collecting water samples from the lake to be tested by the state health department.

    

            The greatest mode of transportation after your                                      legs get tired.

Besides fixing raingutters, pond testing, and burning brush piles, we have also done some plumbing repairs, floor tile repairs, electrical repairs and running new electrical lines,  replaced most of the lights with LED bulbs, and painted.  

Currently Bruce and the other missionary and a friend have started replacing the old windows in the 4 cabins with brand new donated windows.  Four are installed with only 20 left to go!

As for me, I have become the Latrine Queen.  I have learned more about latrines than I ever wanted to know!  On a couple of "Royal Thrones" I discovered that the black seats are actually white seats waiting to be unearthed with soapy water and disinfectants! Bruce is making some cute little shelves for each of the 8 latrines to hold hand sanitizer and a hanging garbage bag.

This is a 4-room Nurses Station, which actually has a flushing toilet, sink, shower, and kitchen.  

The Lodge, or Dining Hall also has a flushing toilet, as well as a stone fireplace and a moderate sized kitchen area.

This was the trading post when the Boy Scouts owned it, so there is a room behind the pavilion for storage.  We will be using this for a craft pavilion, so we currently have craft supplies stored inside as well as targets for the archery and rifle ranges.

                                                    Thanks for sharing this adventure with us!