The Half-way Point

So I've been putting off updating the blog the past few days because it hit me that this week marks the middle of the summer...meaning, we're half-way done camp...meaning, in just a few more short weeks, camp will be empty. I don't really want to think about that. It's much too sad. Today, though, I've decided I can brave the sadness and put my best foot forward to talk about the fun things that are happening in Second Lodge.

Last night, we celebrated everyone's birthday by having a Birthday Party for mass program. All of the cabins rotated through party games like Musical Chairs, Bouncing on the Bouncer, Balloon Games, Pin the Mustache on the Mario, Parachute, The Egg and Spoon Race, Apple Bobbing, Tag, and Ball Toss. To top it off, we all got Ice Cream to celebrate!

Please enjoy these pictures that were taken last night!

The memory of camp

For the past few days, we have been thinking and talking about camp memories. At Chapel on Sunday, a staff member told a story about how camp got to where it is. I guess you could say it was Belwood Lodge and Camp's memory. She described all different places on camp property that have changed and evolved over the years. I decided it would be nice to upload some photos of camp property and describe a little bit of it's memory - of how it came to be how it is today...So, here it goes! 

This is the Activity Centre. (As a side note, it is the focus of our Walk-and-Roll-a-thon this year). The AC is used for board games, puzzles, ping pong, air lites, air hockey, the bouncer and other fun activities like that.  It is a recent addition to camp - and by recent, I mean after 1970. Around a decade ago, though, the AC got replaced because of a fire. It is now proudly holds the "I love Camp" sign, and continues to be a favourite program place for many people - lodgers and staff alike.

The Nature Centre (2006) and the Barnyard (2011) are some of the newest additions to camp.  The barn was built before 2011, but was deemed unsafe. It reopened again just a few years ago and has been a hit since. This year, we have 2 sheep, 3 pigs, some rabbits and some chickens. We are doing a community garden this year at the nature centre. It's really nice to see the space there being put to great use, and it's also nice to see the project progress throughout the summer.

These are pictures of 'Pete's Place' - our camping destination! In 2008, we replaced the army tents with the tee-pees. It is much more of an experience with these tee-pees. The campfires and sounds of the water front make camping a nice getaway on the weekends at camp. Pete's Place is actually named after a previous staff member (as is Harry's Hollow, which is on the opposite side of camp). 

The baseball diamond was the recipient of Walk-and-Roll in 2006. This is the spot where every year we take on the Kwanians in a baseball match.  There's not much to say about this place, except that it is such an improvement from the make-shift diamond that used to be there. It's a fun program that includes benches for those who would prefer to watch the game as opposed to play. (I am included in that group of people). 

These are the cabins! They are beautiful! They take the place of the rickety white cabins some may remember. They were built in stages, and the new design is much more accessible. The colours coordinate with each other - Green, Orange, Red, Yellow and Blue on each 'side' of camp.


Camp has come a long way. We are proud of our past, as it has made us what we are today - and we love what camp has become! It's fun to think about where we might be soon. All of this has been possible because of YOUR support, so thanks for that. Many, many people have benefited because of the support you have all shown, weather it has been by sending people to camp to volunteering to donating. We have the best support system!

A Sunny Belwood Day

These are some pictures of how we are all enjoying the sun and heat here at camp! It has made some of us put on the bathing suits, while others are enjoying the heat in a little more of a relaxed fashion... :) Hopefully all of you are enjoying the week as much as we are! 

Hot hot heat!

Today...it is sweltering. As the thermometer rises, so do the creative ways we have had to discover to keep everyone cool.  From swimming in the pool to spraying the pigs to running through the sprinklers, everyone seems to be happy about the water games and the relief they provide. To get excited about our carnival tomorrow, we are going to be watching the movie Madagascar 3. It will also be nice to sit down and not have to run around in this heat.

Some of the lodgers got to go to the zoo today. They each got placed in animal groups. The team name corresponded with an animal that is held at the zoo. The teams were encouraged to learn about their animal and intentionally visit its exhibit.

Tomorrow marks the first mini-banquet of 2013.  For the people who are staying just for the first week, we are going to celebrate by having an outdoor dinner, awards and dressing up included. It will be sad to see our short-term lodgers leave, but it has been a fun time getting to know each other, and we look forward to meeting the next week's lodgers who will come on Monday!

Back at It

I just found some breathing time on opening day for All Ages Lodge.

I first would just like to thank everyone who was involved in any capacity. If you came to camp as a lodger, if you brought a lodger, picked up a lodger, called a lodger, volunteered, visited or donated to camp, we sincerely appreciate it. It's a cliche statement to make, but we could not be where we are without you wonderful people. From the bottom of all of our hearts, thank you. Thank you a hundred times over!

As first lodger ended, all the staff had the weekend off to rest up, reflect on how it went, and get prepared for the younger crowed who are currently registering. Opening days are always a little hectic (as most of you who are reading this know), but the business is closely accompanied by excitement and anticipation for the next two weeks. The forecast looks a little sunnier and warm this week, which brings its own set of excitements and challenges.

This lodge we feature carnival and fantasy week. We have some fun program ideas up our sleeves and a lot of costumes that will help to boost camp spirit and excitement.

We're excited to get this lodge under way as well.

As always, if you have any comments or questions, you can email info@belwoodlodgeandcamp.com.

Thanks again to all!

Be Our Guest

Today is a day for guests! 

     We are very much looking forward to evening program tonight. We will be enjoying music from some visitors called Grand Harmony.  They are a group of women who will be gracing us with their beautiful voices. Weather permitting, they will be putting on their concert/show at the amphitheater. The sun is now shining, so our fingers are crossed for better weather than last night. 

     We also had some of our lodger's relatives come visit today. It's always a nice surprise for the lodgers when they get to see a familiar face as the lodge starts to slow down. 

     Also today, we had a very special guest all the way from overseas! The old cook, known by many as "Yeti" recently came back to Canada from England, and visited us today, distant English accent included. 

    We agree with Ralph Waldo Emerson in that we believe that "The ornament of a house is the friend who frequents it."  Thanks to all the visitors who have made time in their day to make ours better! 

Full Steam Ahead!

Today we welcomed all the lodgers who are staying with us for one week. 

Now that all the cabins are full, things are going full speed ahead into a wonderful summer.  We had a nice amount of sunshine, tuck, and are having Kangaroo Court (a "fun-rule-making" game) today, making today one of the highlights of first lodge so far. 

As I sit down to write this blog, I'm trying to go through all the events of today to pick something to elaborate on, but it's proving to be a difficult task. One exciting thing that comes to mind is the Lodge Newspaper. As this gets underway, it's fun to hear what things the lodgers enjoyed the most so far about camp and what they are still looking forward to. It's also fun to act as reporters and photographers to capture the highlights of day-to-day camp and attempt to put into words the special moments that happen while we're here; one of which being the Chapel that we held yesterday morning. Our theme was "I <3 camp", and it was very fun to hear from the lodgers the reasons they love camp. The theme of friendship often camp up - it is a place where friendships are indeed made, it seems. 

One other thing I have been noticing these past few days is the unique relationship development that is happening between lodgers and staff, lodgers and lodgers, and staff and staff. It's almost like a self-discovery camp here at Belwood, finding out the different ways in which we thrive. I feel like the statement often said about camp, that "there truly is no place on earth like it" is indeed a truth I've come to learn about Belwood. (My apologies if these blog entries sound the same. I seem to talk a lot about how special camp is, but I honestly couldn't think of something more heartfelt and sincere to say about this place.)

It's raining, it's pouring!

We're at it again: playing in the rain! 

It's been VERY wet these past few days, but that hasn't stop the camp festivities! Thankfully, our staff and lodgers packed for any potential weather. Armed in rubber boots and rain jackets, everyone at camp braved the weather and made the best of what Mother Nature gave us.  Earlier this afternoon, a few of us were discouraged by the sad, rainy weather; so our Director and out trip director saw an opportunity to make us all laugh: by inventing a spur-of-the-moment mudslide. Staff and lodgers watched as they ran through centre field, dripping wet, and slipping everywhere. 

For those of us who are less brave, we took to blowing bubbles, takingshelter under the treehouse, sitting on the porches at the cabins, or taking pictures of the fun.

It's a returning pleasure to notice that camp spirit is not weather permitting!  We've got enough smiling faces around to keep our spirits high. 

(That's not to say we wouldn't appreciate some sunshine for the weekend...)

A day in the life

Please enjoy these photos of some of the lodgers at program today! 

Blue Jays!

Today marks the first out-trip of 2013! As the Blue Jays take on the Tigers, Belwood takes on the Rogers Centre.

We have just over 20 lodgers who are itching to get on the bus that’s about to pick them up.  Program today was focused on preparing for the trip. We have a pretty impressive Blue Jays banner, some fun cheers and a lot of team spirit around property that are sure to leave an impression tonight at the game.  Lodgers and staff were adorned in their Blue Jays garb to get everyone excited. The Jays won last night, so we are anticipating a fun crowd and hoping for a big win.

The lodgers who are staying back can look forward to some super hero related programs, including watching the movie The Avengers.  New this year is a projector and big screen in the REC hall, making a movie night something the rest of the lodgers are quite excited about.  Some of the staff that are staying at camp instead of going on the trip are wearing clothes that show off their favourite superhero to add to Belwood’s movie theater experience.

As an important side note: 

We are watching the weather radar for southern Ontario and notice a storm coming in. Since we can currently hear thunder, we have taken our safety measures and have ensured that all people on camp property are inside of a building unless it is an emergency (Bathroom trips, meals, or meds etc.).  

The Places We'll Go...

Today during tuck, after all the lodgers got their treats, a few cabins gathered in centre field to read the Dr. Seuss book Oh, The Places You'll Go! What started as an activity to pass the time eventually changed into a conversation about the places we all want to go, both figuratively and literally. The question "what do you want to be? where do you want to go?" circled the group. Fun answers like "I want to always have tuck" and  "I hope I play games" lead into deeper, more heartfelt answers. Take Olivia, for example, and her dreams to become a famous public speaker at a clinic she wants to open up. Or think of Riley. He wants to be an EA at a high school someday. I was curious to see how (if at all) camp has affected the dreams and goals our lodgers have for themselves. Olivia said that camp "let's me be around people like me...no judgement". The question didn't stop when we reached the staff. Alix said that camp "confirmed what I want to do with my life in that it gave me the self-confidence to be myself and truly experience life to the fullest". 

It's encouraging to see camp helping people form goals, especially when we can sit beside each other and dream together. 

"Oh, the places you'll go! There is fun to be done!
There are points to be scored. There are games to be won. 
And the magical things you can do with that ball
will make you the winning-est winner of all."

Opening Day is Finally Here!

Here we are at the start of another summer at Belwood Lodge and Camp!

2013 is a very exciting year for camp. New program changes bring a lot of excitement into the summer. As we completed training week last week, our anticipation grew for opening day.

After all the clothing lists were done, and the day got under way, we decided to talk to some lodgers about what they were most excited about for this season, and about what they most enjoyed about previous years at camp. Ken is excited for the Blue Jays out trip that will be happening on Wednesday, while Jean says she’s excited for “swimming and some other activities like nature”.  The addition of the new Program Counsellor positions allow for more specific and theme-based programs that hopefully will be able to feed into the excitement the lodgers seem to have about day-to-day program at camp.

More important than the new changes camp is seeing this year, though, are the memories that Ken shared with me.  They are just what we strive towards here at camp: “Lots of good times with a lot of friends.” That’s a main focus for Belwood Lodge and Camp, and even more this year than in years past: friendships. Looking out my office window at all the lodgers going to their programs, I’m very excited about all the new friendships that are forming, are going to be formed, and all the old ones that are going to continue to grow. 

It’s a happy day at camp today! And we’re excited about the summer finally arriving!