"Camp is Short So Make Every Day Count!"
This is an important saying we have around Camp Ak-O-Mak. With so much to experience in such a short time, we encourage our campers to "make the most of every day" because, before you know it, it's time to head home.
This is also very true for those of us who work at Ak-O-Mak all summer.
It seems like yesterday that we were filled with that PRE-season energy and excitement…"We can hardly wait to see our campers again!". Grateful for the longer days, the chore list ran til dark as we rushed to make everything "just right" for our girls. Here we are twelve SHORT weeks later, PACKING UP the 'accoutrements' of a summer of adventure, laughter and play! The days are now shorter and the nights are much cooler. The thermometer has frosted over a few times, silencing the symphony of crickets so characteristic of late summer.
Living on the 45th parallel has given me a perpetual longing for the glory days of summer. Nevertheless, I remain awed by Mother Nature's "art show" every September, her dramatic kohl skies, fire-y sunsets and, of course, the autumn colours around the lake. I wish that you, our wonderful campers, could see how beautiful Ak-O-Mak looks in her finale of colour… her last "hurrah" before a long winter's rest.
My gaze drifts from the forest to the soccer field where dozens of Canada geese have assembled. Their low, muffled honks belie the victorious cacophony that eruptedone special night in July. Do those geese not know they are standing on sacred ground? I find myself smiling as I remember the screams of pure joy and excitement, the embraces shared by the entire camp when the Ak-O-Mak girls' soccer team BEAT THE BOYS. Their victory warms me in spite of the cold rain that has begun to fall.
To me, summer is really over when the canoes are finally placed in the Main House for safe-keeping, nestled against each other as though cozying up for a long nap. The water pipes are drained, cabins and HOPs, cleaned. The docks have been pulled into shore for protection from the miles of unforgiving lake ice yet to form. The kitchen that so fragrantly hustled and bustled all summer to produce delicious meals is now silent, cold and hollow…like the pots on the shelves.
Although the "stuff" of camp is packed up and stowed way for another season, the wonderful memories we made this summer remain instantly accessible, keeping us close though separated by miles and oceans.
…Until we meet again…next summer!
Catherine & Dianne