a lake and a kitchen

"I drive tractor today" 

Yep. He did! Without Tegan staying on top of the lake dig at camp, I'm not sure anything would be getting done!

He's going to be letting all the readers of the e-newsletter know about it via his first vlog! Yeah. That is when his mother gets around to getting that newsletter done. ahem. (don't get our WM e-newsletter? go here to tell us you want it!)

The sunshine is good for this muddy pit that will soon be our new lake site! With it drying up a bit, the boys are trying to take down the rest of the trees and burn them so digging can commence! Oh, how fabulous to have a larger-than-the-creek body of water on our camp property! 

In other news:

 

WM is hosting a Pampered Chef catalog show to help stock our kitchen with a few needed tools. You can help us get those necessary tools through your purchasing a gift for yourself or someone else! You can shop online here and your order will be shipped directly to you. (The host name is Whisper Mtn.) All orders have to be in by March 31. Hope you'll jump in on this easy way to help us out! We sho' do thank ye!

Happy day to you, friends!

The Destruction of Martilocks [video]

What you've all been waiting for in the Martilocks Hair Saga is now available for your viewing!

 

(If the above video is not working, follow this link)

Thank you to all who have been a part of this project at Whisper Mountain!

Blessings on your day, friend!

getting giddy

Sometimes you just gotta do things yourself.With the uninsured locals unable/willing to help us out, and because of a generous feller, we have cranked up his piece of machinery and are beginning to get the job done! And it's so exciting!

While going out to snap these pictures I was positively giddy! We've waited and dreamed and waited! What was feeling impossible was starting to be! Woohoo!

Whisper Mountain's Lake Project has begun! Are you as giddy as us?!

just…amazing!

Whisper Mountain recently held, for our third year, a Christmas dinner for our local church’s deacons! Since I am now a deacon’s wife (eek!), Patti worked hard to keep me a little more on the receiving end rather than the work end of things! She did a lovely job with decorating the place, didn’t she?

Aside from the usual help of the other full-time staff, she pulled in some great help both locally and not so locally! We thank the youth for their willingess in serving each guest with class and style! And Leann Peery & Delores Eland for their help in the preparing of food, seeing to last minute decorating details, and general moral support!
Prime Rib Dinner and delicate desserts filled the tables (and our bellies!).

And of course the fellowship was the point of it all! These people, servants in the community and lovers of God and others, were the gems of the evening. How we, as a ministry and as individuals, have enjoyed being part of this community of believers!

Deacons, thank you for choosing Whisper Mountain as your place of celebration this season!

painting dirt

Whisper Mountain's high ropes cove probably never felt as big as it seemed to our guys this week! They felt every square inch of its vastness as they raked to (near) perfection! I don't think this cove has ever looked so good! For the past five years, our campers and our staffers have dealt with the dirt and mud as they experienced our course. But folks…that's all about to change!

Today our miracle workers showed up and painted the cove green! We watched with big ole grins!

 Because we all are dreaming of the lush growth that should come by spring!

Lord, bless the growth!

and they all came tumbling down

Fall is bustling at camp. Between retreats, prep for retreats, building the tent platform, and doing necessary work around the property to ready it for winter, we each have our days full! But is there anything like a good ole tree drop? We have been dropping dead hemlocks like there's no tomorrow! This guy (the professional we call friend!) has been lending his skills and we couldn't be more grateful!

He's such an efficient worker that the guys helping to haul out what he was chopping down were hoping he'd decide to be done a lot sooner than he was! Things are safer and looking so much nicer with all the trees down. One tree that was sort of dreaded, but very necessary to come down is one that stood tall by cabins 1 and 2. With the winds we get throughout winter, there was fear of it coming down on one of these buildings. With Frank and his chainsaw (and his know-how!), they decided it was a good time to bring her down!

To ensure it fell the right way, the guys had a bright idea to help pull it with a rope! I wish I could have captured them running as the tree came down. Pulled muscles and escalated heart rates reminded them they made it out alive! (these are no spring chicks!) 

Though it's quite a bit of work after the drop, there's nothing quite like watching a tree fall, hearing the cracks, feeling the thump as years of growth tips over and shakes the earth. Quite an experience! There's plenty more where this came from! You want to experience it? We welcome any lumberjack wanna-bes! Come help us out sometime soon! (The food's good!)

sighs

  As quiet as the fog above the river in the morning, so is Whisper Mountain after the days of summer camp have ended! As a staff we are breathing a big sigh: of relief that we made it through; of satisfaction that we accomplished the work God had for us to do; of completion (for a window of time) as we allow our bodies, minds and souls to have a little rest.

I will meet you here again next week! Until then, blessings on your days!

:: revealing ::

Exactly two months ago today, I mentioned something new was coming to Whisper Mountain! After playing twenty questions with one reader and leaving the rest of you in complete suspense (I know you were losing sleep over it:)!!) the revealing is to take place now!
:: it's a swingset ::

The wooden seats were handcrafted by one of our board members (thank you Chuck!), and the holes were dug with lots of hard work from Marty, Ramsey and the jackhammer (the ground was the hold up in getting this completed!)

Turns out, this quiet spot of simple fun is quite refreshing, even for our summer staff!

When was the last time you went swinging at the playground. I dare say, it's impossible to not smile while swinging! Go try it out!

(See you back here again tomorrow for another reveal!)

joyful trots

 Our minds and energies are being spent on preparations for the new arrivals that will be trottin' the Whisper Mountain trail this week! I can't wait to introduce you to our summer staff!

For now, I wanted to give you a peek at the littles running around! How Mama Turkey keeps all her chatty babes in tow intrigues me! As I watch, I find myself grateful that I only have 3 (though some would say 4!) to look after rather than ten!Whether tending to the family like Mama Turkey, or preparing for summer like the WM Staff, or working, living & playing however it is you do, may the walking be with joy as we walk with a thankful heart!

:: captured moment ::

Days spent working at Whisper Mountain are days of purpose! Days of purpose are days well-spent! But I sho' am tarrrrd!

May your weekend be purposefully relaxing…if even for a short sneak of time:)