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Director's Log

1999

December 8, 1999

Welcome to the inner sanctum.  You are now privy to my deepest and most sacred thoughts.  Here you will experience profound truths such as: "I believe there is a new pothole on the camp road."  I know, I know, you're feeling powerful aren't you? 

You're probably asking why this is the Director's log and not the Manager's log.  Good question cybercamper!  The personnel committee met last Tuesday and changed my title from "Pilgrim Lodge Manager" to "Director of Outdoor Ministries."  It stems from the fact that I need to move my ministerial standing to Maine and therefore am scheduled to be installed as a pastor in specialized ministry by the Kennebec Valley Association during their May 7th, 2000 meeting here at Pilgrim Lodge.  (clap, clap). It was a pleasure to work with the personnel committee.  They were very supportive and helpful in defining this work as ministry.

I just got back from a two day retreat in New Hampshire of the New England UCC Conference Staffs.  Very nice to get away and worship and connect with others in the biz.  Today I spent the morning with a mason going over all the fireplaces and woodstoves as part of the research necessary to determine what to do to keep them safe.  (only one cabin fire per career, thank you.)    What's ironic is that I had scheduled to do this evaluation this winter before (the late) cabin 5 incident.  Today I am catching up on phone calls and e-mails and then resuming work on the PL 2000 brochure.  I hope to get it to the printer by the 20th. (HA!)  I also then need to update the website to reflect the new season.  In addition I am meeting with Stewart Cooper on Monday to try and gather a strategy for applying for ice storm refund money.  (Thank you Stew!)  Oh and I am in the middle of working on putting in a new septic system for the entire camp.  Well, I'm not exactly out there with a shovel, but you know what I mean.  (I feel so blessed that you and I communicate so effortlessly: gives me a warm tingly feeling inside).  Eric is coming up on the weekends and is a tremendous help. Last week he surprised me by decorating the farmhouse in Christmas lights.   We're moving forward and things are feeling good.

 In the meantime, Deb and I are happily enjoying this advent season as the past two were spent moving.  Christmas cheer is alive and well at PL.  Till next week... Godspeed.

Camp Date: Thursday December 16, 1999

Greetings Cybercamper!  I trust you are enjoying the advent season.  Don't let the lack of snow keep you from entering that sublime anticipation of the divine breaking into the human realm!  And if you're just too dang busy, at least enjoy the pretty lights.  This is truly an advent season for Deb and I.

In the meantime... I came in Sunday and plugged away on the brochure, a long but satisfying process.  I banished Eric to the laptop.  It was nice to have someone here to answer me when I talk to myself.  Chakra and Forest are getting spoiled coming to work with me everyday.  We usually take a walk around the camp at noontime.  Monday I went to the US Forest Service with Stew Cooper, who has championed the pursuit of ice storm reimbursement funds.  We made some significant headway.  Nothing ventured nothing gained, right? 

Tuesday was a Yarmouth day: Staff meeting in the morning and staff Christmas party at Jean Alexander's in the afternoon.  She was very hospitable and it was very nice gathering.   I discovered I was not the only one with a father who would 'doctor' the family Christmas tree by drilling holes in the trunk and inserting branches into bare spots.  There were three of us!  We also discovered that the acronym for "Director of Outdoor Ministries" is "DOOM" so Jean has dubbed me "Dr. Doom."  :) 

Today (Thursday) I walked the camp with a gentleman from a propane heating company.  We are really checking out all the options on safe heating for the cabins: Fireplace refurbishment, propane heat, woodstoves.  If you have a thought on the subject e-mail me.  Many thanks to Peter Godfrey for his tireless work on that project.

This afternoon I will meet with OMC co-chairs John MacDuffie and Peter Godfrey.  Every other spare minute is squeezed into the brochure project.  If you have material to send me...  please get to it!  I'll be in and out all weekend working on it.  Thanks for all the great Christmas cards I have received.  Deb and I probably will be sending out Epiphany cards this year as she is swamped with church work and I with said brochure.

Christmas peace to you and yours,

Bryan

Camp Date: December 22, 1999

Such an auspicious day!  The final winter solstice of the year, a full moon, and the brightest moon in over a hundred years.  Very impressive.  I'm trying to decide if I should get up at a ridiculously early hour and try to get my photo of the moon setting behind the islands.  It's a goal of mine.  Every now and then I go on a moon hunt.  Sometimes it's too cloudy, sometimes it sets at the wrong angle.   I'll get it eventually.

Still, this longest night of the year causes me to take pause.  We don't really know when Christ was born, so the powers that be just picked the celebration of the winter solstice. The symbolism seemed right: the end of darkness, the coming of light, the return of the sun (son).  What better way to convert the masses than to assimilate their holidays (resistance is futile).  So when I think of the blending of the Christian and Pagan holidays it makes me think of tolerance and harmony (OK so we'll forget the actual history - work with me here).

As our world starts its journey back toward summer (for we Northerners of course) and we watch the calendar click from 1999 to 2000,  I can only hope that we are wise enough to slow down and remember what's important in life.  We only get one go around you know (although I suppose my Hindu friends would argue that point, another journal entry perhaps). 

So... on with the riveting account of days: This week has been consumed by getting the brochure to the printer, a task which was completed yesterday (ding ding ding!!).  It's so nice to have the brochure done just before Christmas.  Although it may seem like I'm just complaining about it, it is really a very creative task that I enjoy.  This is my third time through the process and this time there were no all nighters and significantly less stress.  Let's hope that's a good omen for the coming year. 

I also spent a morning with a representative from a woodstove company.  I'm hoping to have all the information on our various options for the OMC meeting on January 8. 

Eric is working on getting new signs posted for the various approaches to PL.  We are going to bring people coming from the south in a different (shorter) route. 

If you're back from college, welcome home! Hope the semester went well.  Consider coming to our new 3 day camp for young adults (for those out of high school through age 25) June 18-21.  We'll get it on the web soon.  We're going to have all the fun PL stuff you remember, but if you feel like just sitting in a burp and talking you can!  Imagine that: all the good stuff about PL without the hectic schedule!  Spread the word.

In the meantime practice wiggling your ears, and going hee hee and ho ho and important stuff like that.  (reference?)

Wishing all a peaceful Christmas.

Bryan

Campdate 12 31 99.13

As I write this the year is 1999 on part of the globe and 2000 on others.  Kind of makes the whole thing seem like not much more than a change  to a really big number with a lot of zeroes on your car's odometer.  I, for one, will be really grateful to not hear the word "millennium" again for a very long time: about a thousand years should do it.

Next week I hope to catch up on some long neglected administration and  put together some information on the heating proposals for the OMC meeting on Jan. 8th.  I also hope to pick up the brochure at the printer.   I always look forward to that moment when I read through the finished product for the first time and find errors that five million proofs somehow missed. Somehow, I think it's good for me.

Much to my surprise I actually did it:  I looked up the hour of moonset in my Old Farmer's Almanac (wondering if, in fact, young farmers ever use the thing) during the solstice/perigee/full moon event.  I woke up before dawn to slip into my very fashionable long johns and drive to camp with tripod and camera in gloved hand.  I was actually rather disappointed with the resulting photos.  I think it's because I have a particular image in my head that I haven't yet been able to duplicate on film.  The moon itself was spectacular.  I was actually glad to have run out of film before the moon sunk below the horizon so I could just sit on the beached docks and watch it disappear.  I have this tendency to see the most intense and fascinating events of my life through the lens of my camera.  When it's over I have great pictures but I realize I wasn't really present in the moment.  So, I just put my camera down and watched the last moonset of the year saying a prayer for Pilgrim Lodge, and all the children, youth and adults who will come here in the year 2000.  It was a sublime moment.  You can judge for yourself how the photos came out.  I posted the best one on the facilities gallery.  You can get there from here. 

Talk to you next week.

Faithfully,  Bryan

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