Never liked keeping a diary...

I have realized this blog has become more of a diary format than what a blog typically is or should be these days...and I know from way back...that I am not a "diary-type-of person"...so, also being the perfectionist type of person I am .... I am officially giving myself permission to change to a "random" format and have entries that not only pertain to life happenings...but also thought processes as well (so we know there will be a whole lot less entries, if it has to do with thought processing!) (Did I just dog myself?....I think so...)

Young State Park 2011

Once again, we borrowed Matt's pick-up and Uncle Ed's RV and headed north to Young State Park.  This has truly become our end-of-the-summer home away from home.  We are able to relax and kick back there and other than Zack getting a little bored now and then, we all seem to enjoy the routine.   We have been going there long enough, we kinda have our favorite things to do...such as our traditional first meal of steak and corn-on-the-cob, our numerous trips into Kilwin's (or Dairy Queen)...along with once-a-day wifi trips into town also.   We will almost always make a trip up to Charlevoix or Petosky...and sometimes both, and every other year we will probably rent a jet ski for a day.  This year Zack and I made history by making a long jet ski trip up to Charlevoix  and going under the draw bridge on the jet ski while it was up...and then going on out into Lake Michigan...just far enough to say we were there.  It was a fun trip.
We also hang at the beach...and by the way, Young State Park has an awesome beach on Lake Charlevoix.  We can walk from our camper down to the beach in just a couple minutes.   We always take our bikes and they get plenty of use, and we will usually make a bike trip into town...although this year we did not.

Many years we will take a family hike on the hiking trails and this year I had a specific goal in mind.  I wanted to try and "recapture" a picture we had taken years ago during our family hike of the kids and I.  And, the goal was also to try and find the same place...or at least someplace that looked about the same with the tree we were sitting on and the trees behind us.  We didn't exactly succeed in duplicating the picture...but it was fun trying and the updated picture of the kids and I was a memory maker in itself.
We eat out a lot and have some favorite places, but this year  BC Pizza was the place for us.  One day I think we had donuts for breakfast and just bread sticks and cheese bread for supper.  We were quite the junk food junkies...and lovin every minute!

I buy our firewood by the truck full.  We kinda like to keep the fire going...most of the time.   It's the kind of fire that you only have to throw a little more kindling on in the morning and the hot coals, and a little fanning or blowing will get it going.    And, personally, the coffee maker is a huge part of my vacation needs, along with my little transistor radio...which this year I discovered I could also get working on battery power, so I was able to take it to the beach with us.  There is a great radio station out of Petosky that plays a great mix of oldies and pop rock. (Lite 96.3 WLXT) that I usually keep tuned in.

That's the quick re-cap of our camping trip.   I recommend Young State Park as a great place to go...but being in the campground business...I have to really watch promoting "other" campgrounds too much.

Summer Blurr......

Ok...I have 15 minutes until dinner, and 15 minutes to tell you about the summer blurr that occurs every summer here at Somerset Beach Campground.   That's what we call it here.   It begins about the time our summer staff arrive (first week of June)...and life is crazy and in full speed, going like crazy...long days, lots to do and we are just plain busy.  Youth camps in session, RV camping with campers coming and going, work projects happening for me personally, keeping my summer staff busy and trying to keep up with many demands from all directions, ...and mostly, trying to keep up with the break-downs(you name it...it has probably broke down this summer).   Not a whole lot of time to just sit and relax...those moments are fairly few and definately have to be scheduled and intentional.  I am currently in one of those moments...and thus an opportunity to "veg" and reflect a bit.  A day off from the regular routine, although part of the summer blurr and although towards the end of the blurr...nonetheless, part of it.  I realized I had not entered a blog in a while, as "the blurr" had taken it's toll on blogging and most other parts of semi-normal life for the past couple months or more. 
We actually only have 1 full week of summer camps left in the summer camp schedule, and for most people, it is believed that life at camp basically ends...and of course...that is when I laugh, and let them know that SBC camp life definately continues and the schedule remains busy, actually very busy for at least a couple more months...and then it remains in action...but less busy.  The difference that will occur in the next couple weeks or so...is our summer staff will begin to end their time with us and go back to whatever they will be doing next in their life (school, work, ???), but our schedule of incoming groups will continue here at SBC nonetheless...and now we get to do it without the help of the 25 or 30 summer staffers that assisted us in the process in the heat of the summer schedule (heat is a very appropriate description of this past summer by the way....as I am really looking forward to cooler days).
Well, that is my 15 minutes of blogging...do you understand what the blurr is?  It is just a shorter "blurr" than our life as a whole...which I am finding to also be a blurr...so, get out there and make the most of YOUR blurr...OK?
Here is the summer camp video for 2011 that Sara put together to be used for promo and our camp dinner
Somerset Beach Youth Camp Video - 2011

Zip Line Dismount Platform Construction

After several ideas on how to get our zip liners dismounted...I think we have finally come up with a fairly simple idea, based on all the other ideas we had to work through to finally get to this one.  It has been a long and complicated process of thinking and re-thinking, based initially on our desire to not plant a structure out in the middle of the open field as a potential eye sore and visual distraction.   But, since something portable was not user friendly or even safe, we moved into the realm of creating something stationary.  Once again, ideas were many, based on input from other camps and other zip lines we were aware of...but all of them seemed to have potential problems or pitfalls of some form or another, and we could not come up with a good fit for our particular situation.  So, about a week ago, and after we thought we had come up with a dismount platform we could live with, I decided we had better do a simulation of the idea in mind and get some guinea pig riders out on the zip line, simulate the structure we had in mind and test the distances from the zip line riders to a structure in-between the lines.   I immediately realized that if we were going to have a fixed structure between the 2 zip lines, it was going to have to be at least 5 feet away from the rider passing by...or it was going to be too close to be considered safe.  After some more test runs we decided upon a plan of having a stationary platform w/ steps that would only be 3 feet wide...in-between our zip lines that are 13 feet apart at the point of dismount (which is near the belly of the gravity brake zip line and the point where the rider will eventually end up after gravity brings them to a stop).  So, after the rider has come to a stop... a rolling platform is rolled up next to the stationary platform, positioned then underneath the zip line, and the rider is pulled to the point of dismount on top of this rolling platform where they can be unclipped from the pulley and safely end their ride.  If the rider happens to be lightweight, and higher than the platform, a hook and crank system will be used to aid in pulling them down to the level of the dismount platform.  After the rider is unhooked, they exit the zip line down the steps on the stationary portion of the platform.    Ride over.

Here are a couple pictures of the construction so far...which is only up to Day 3 at this point.  Day 1 was forming and pouring the concrete footing runways.  Day 2 was setting the metal poles and the framework for the dismount deck...and dodging several scattered thunderstorms also.   Day 3 was pulling the forms and backfilling around the concrete footing runways.  More of the process and pictures yet to come... so stay tuned.

Recent Fishing Trip to Houghton Lake

Even though there were a few reasons that made this short weekend not the best...there were enough other good things to make it worthwhile overall.  A week before we were supposed to go, Caleb and I decided to join 4 other "Osborne Clan" and head up to Houghton Lake for a spring Walleye fishing trip.  The forecast was not good...but when you have a trip planned out...you don't back out...so we headed north.
3 boats, a friend's cabin on Houghton Lake our destination, Matt & Scott, Dad & Lenn and Caleb and I all headed north early Saturday morning, May 14...with visions of Walleye dancing in our heads...and on our lures and hooks.  The forecast was rain, wind & cold.   The weather man was not our friend...but he was indeed correct in his prediction.  Caleb literally was on the verge of hypothermia at one point in time...and to make it worse...the fish were not biting.  

So, the total of our first day of fishing was just enough for a fish fry that evening (6 keeper Walleye...a keeper has to be 15 inches).  Lenn prepared the best walleye I think I have ever had.   It was worth the cold and misery of the day out on a blustery, windy, rainy, rocking and rolling Houghton lake.  (I will admit, I felt really bad for Caleb, as he only caught 2 fish each day...and of course, we all had visions of catching our limit and having lots of fish to take home...which obviously did not happen). 

With the fact that we all froze our frames, Matt, Scott, Caleb and I took a trip into beautiful downtown Houghton Lake to Walmart to seek warmer clothing.  It was somewhat hard to find...but we did succeed, and had some fun in the process.

The second day we woke up to actually being able to see our breath...even after we brushed our teeth.  The sun was shining...but it was still cold...somewhere in the 40's...and still windy...very windy...and the rain did indeed eventually return also.  The fishing didn't get any better either...so we all decided that lunchtime break was going to be spent watching a movie...and warming up.   We watched "The Rainmaker"...appropriate for the weekend, right?   It was a long movie...so we had plenty of time to warm up...and unbelievably so, we were all ready to hit the lake again, hoping our luck would finally change...and the fish would finally be biting...but...after trying almost every lure in our tackle box...and then out of desperation...even resorting to a bare hook and bobber with a worm on it....we still could not coax all the fish we were seeing on our fish finders to take any bait.   Uncooperative fish!  They lived to see another day.

Caleb and I had to pack up and head out that Sunday evening, as Caleb had school the next day...and I had work and the busy season beginning at camp.  The other 4 stayed and fished the next day...but still...the fish were not hungry....and we came home with no fish in the coolers....BUT, we had a great time being together, made some memories, had a great fish dinner, and developed a greater resistance to hypothermia.   All in all, it was worth the effort.  We now have a great desire to go on a fishing trip to Canada where we hear the Walleye will actually bite.
Here is a link to my facebook pics of this trip if you want to see a few more.
facebook houghton lake fishing pics

Zip Line Excitement

The newest thing at the camp right now is the zip line.  This was initiated as an Eagle Scout project by one of our long time campers, Tobin Tarantowski and his family...and has now become one of the newest attractions at SBC.   Still in the midst of working out the dismount bugs...as I write this blog entry...but, hopefully in the near future we will be up and running for a summer's worth of zip lining here at camp.  
Here is a youtube video of Emily and Caleb from this past week, and Emily's first time to try the zip line, which was also historical, as it was also our first injuries...as Emily provided us with some good input on some possible ways people can hurt themselves on the zip line.   She held onto the wire cable at take-off, which scraped and cut her hand, and then on the second trip down she banged into the railing on the launch platform. (sorry you had to be a guinea pig here Em, but we did appreciate the pointing out of possible future problems!)
Here is one of her rides down the zip line:   Emily's historic zip line run

LOVE GOD - LOVE PEOPLE

Sometimes simplicity is good...especially for me, when I am so busy and stressed.   When I get busy and life gets complicated, and I get so caught up in everything I am DOING...I need to have this little motto tied out in front of me on a stick and hanging right down in front of me like a carrot out in front of a horse.  "Remember Chuck,  LOVE GOD & LOVE PEOPLE !"    Sounds easy enough doesn't it?    I think it was fairly high up on Jesus priority list too.  When Jesus was ask, what is the greatest commandment...his response was basically, LOVE GOD & LOVE PEOPLE!. Matt 22: 34-39    I guess that is once again my prayer then... that in  the midst of crazy, busy, hectic demanding times....that I can stick with the basics and not get so caught up in the stuff that has to be done...that I am not able to keep priorities in line with how God would have them ordered in my life.   Jesus was filled with compassion for people on a regular basis.  I know that I am not compassionate on a regular basis, and can even try to explain it away, due to the fact that I am not able to BE compassionate right now...due to whatever excuse I might have at the moment.  So, as I begin another busy season...the most busy season of the year for me...I am asking God that in the midst of responsibilities...that I might be able to keep HIM and OTHERS first...before the rat race.
By the way, I almost missed the exclamation point after this verse in Matthew.  If you add vs. 40 into the mix...you get a giant exclamation point!  If I could paraphrase this verse...I would say, "Everything else depends on this!"  (keeping God and others first).  Matt 22:34-40