Powell Central

Making yourself welcome at Spruce Lodge

In the good old days, when the children of Nolan and Florence were young, we had it made. Other than a few chores, we could spend the whole summer living the good life at camp.

Now that we are (over)grown, our responsibilities related to camp have grown. If we want to enjoy the camp each of us must take a share of the responsibility for maintaining it. We enthusiastically invite the participation of The Next Generation.

Being at the camp is not an entitlement, but a privilege to be earned. No one in the family should expect to spend time at camp without putting in effort for the common good. Everyone in the family is capable of either figuring out what needs to be done, or, if you are not sure, ask someone before they have to ask you.

After so many years of opening and closing the camp, Dave and I have been learning that tasks which are second nature to us may not be obvious to others. It's been great to have Jeff and Ken involved and we're happy to welcome anyone else who wants to learn what it's all about.

The following notes address issues that may or may not be self-evident. If any siblings have adjustments or additions to suggest, please open a conversation.

Do not plan to use Dad's room, except:

Only Alan, Scott, Dave, Ken, Jeff, Sue or Marilyn and their spousal equivalents may stay in Dad & Mom's room. This has been an expectation for many years, first set by Mom. (Originally, NO ONE was allowed to stay in Mom's room.) When figuring how many people to bring, do not plan on using Dad's room for anyone outside this immediate sibling group. If none of the siblings are present, don't use it. If you are not familiar with this expectation, you can ask Dave for confirmation.

For Family

When Dad/Grandpa is at Sekon, only family, and Dad's friends, may be invited to stay. If you have a friend Dad already knows and likes, that may be OK. Don't ask Dad to invite someone he doesn't already know and like. It puts him in an awkward position and he is too generous to say No, even when he should.

When visiting Dad/Grandpa at Sekon, spend time visiting with Dad/Grandpa. Even with a crowd visiting, Dad may be left alone and overlooked if everyone goes off to entertain themselves. He really enjoys having people to talk with. Just get him started, ask a question occasionally and he can happily carry both ends of the conversation.

Sheets & towels.

Make a plan for dealing with linens, sheets and towels you will use. I keep a set of sheets and towels of my own at camp to use when I am there. If you do the same, be sure to fold them up and store them in a clearly labeled bag when you're not there, or you may not find them when you return. Others prefer just to bring linens from home and take them back for laundering.

Bringing food.

In the fall, I collect, and take home to store, items that should not freeze, restocking in the spring. For a few years, I've spent over $400 each spring stocking the camp with basic food and health care items, paper and cleaning products. I've done this so that Dad has what he needs when he gets there, without making multiple trips to Tupper. So, there are common items in stock. You generally won't need to bring flour, sugar, basic condiments and seasonings, etc.

However, don't expect that you can feed yourself and guests entirely from the stocks at camp. Common sense: if a couple people are visiting for a couple days, you don't need to bring breakfast cereal or mustard; there's likely plenty in stock. However, if you're bringing a group or staying longer, be prepared to provide what you will use.

If you use up something, or notice that something is needed, please replace it before you leave. Or ask the next persons scheduled to arrive to bring stuff that is unattainable in the tri-lakes area.

Plan to cook

... even pancakes and omelettes. Don't leave it to Dad/Grandpa to do. He really enjoys being able to relax and talk with visitors while someone else cooks the pancakes and sausage. If someone is already cooking, offer to help, or chat with Dad and then take charge of clean-up.

If you want something to eat, make some for Dad too. It is not OK to make yourself a sandwich at lunchtime without making half a sandwich for Dad. If it's chilly, heat up a can of soup to share with him. Split a beer with him now and then.

Leftovers

When cooking, think about using Alan's technique of making enough so you can leave some in the freezer for Dad and Dave to have another meal later.

On the other hand, when there are already two open bottles of mustard in the fridge, please don't leave another. When deciding what to leave or take back with you, most of us can guess what will be useful and what would be still hanging around in September.

Anyone want the bottle of strawberry milk flavoring that has been in the pantry for 30 years? It's still factory sealed and unopened.

 

Leave the place in better shape than when you arrived.

• There are lots of cleaning supplies, including the vacuum cleaner, in the storage closet across from the top of the stairs.
• There is also a "Clean Up Before You Leave" bucket in the storage closet. It includes supplies and tools for cleaning the bedroom and bathroom you've been using.
• Kitchen cleaning supplies are under the sink.
• Laundry supplies are in the laundry closet in Alan's room.
• If we seem to be out of something non-edible, please check the storage closet shelves before you get a bunch more.

There is a good stock of Windex and paper towels ready and waiting for us.

I propose that every Powell family member shall wash one pair of windows when staying at camp. If everyone in the family does this, we might be able to get most of the windows washed in a couple summers. If we don't do it, who will? (Dave should be exempt as he does so much other stuff.)

Clean up after yourself. Wash your dishes (and Dad's) ... right away. It doesn't matter what you do at home. At camp, don't walk away and leave dirty dishes by the sink. Keep the kitchen clean.

Put things away where you found them. If you don't know where something belongs, check the labels on the shelves and drawers or find out who took it out and ask where it goes.

If you, or a guest, break something (like a closet door that was broken when a group visited a few years ago), please arrange to fix or replace it.

Before you leave:

• Make sure all the bedroom(s) you and your guests have used are dusted and vacuumed, and bathroom(s) are cleaned.
• Vacuum Dad's room and clean the bathroom.
• Clean up the kitchen. Sweep and mop the floor.
• Vacuum the hallway and/or living room.
• Sweep the front porch.

If other family members are also visiting, divide the tasks.

If you get bored while visiting, there are lots of other possibilities:

• Rake or mow the lawn as needed.
• Restock the kitchen woodpile, or order more firewood as needed.
• Clean and organize the leanto down by the dock.
• Clean up and re-organize the back shed (including washing out the compost bucket and trash can).

I could go on and on, but you should be getting the idea.

This stuff doesn't grow on trees

Over the past couple years, Dave and I have noticed that a number of things have disappeared, or have been left soiled or left where they don't belong. This is especially true of kitchen stuff, but also linens and sundries. For a while we blamed it on Mom's disorientation, but it has continued since she has not been there. A few small examples:

• There used to be a half dozen large beach towels. When Dad needed one last weekend, I couldn't find any.
• Four of the regular dinner forks are missing.
• Pans have been left hanging in the pantry with cooked-on grease and grunge.
• The surface of one of the newer non-stick pans has been badly damaged.

Be mindful that the camp is a shared place and pay attention. All family members who use it must take part in respectfully preserving and maintaining it. Anyone who takes more than they give will not for long be welcomed gladly.

Our neighbors at Sekon rent their camps for $2000 - 4000 per week. Do not believe that staying at Spruce Lodge is free. Everyone must contribute time, attention and effort.