Maqua After Camp

Happy New Year!

Published on by Kathy Baker

I “kinda” miss those fun posts and stories from all my Maqua girls. My camping experiences at Burningman were posted after the fact. (Post camping, but the memories were vivid.) Once the stories from campers and staff ended, I probably could have kept on going with interviews from other women, but as one camper so aptly stated, “YOU HAVE TO STOP SOMEWHERE!” (She was so eager for the book to come out and her name will remain a secret–Nancy, you know who you are.)

I am on Facebook with so many of the girls I interviewed and many have become such great friends. This week Randi Wynne-Parry will visit me in Florida. It is so fun meeting the women who left their joy in the walls of my summer home, for I believe I can still hear their voices. The stories continue and the relationships evolve. All of you have brought a wonderful dimension to my life. There were some who were annoyed at me for their own reasons, but as my editor said, “Where there is controversy, there is readership”, so I accepted the good with the bad.

Having sold our golf business and home in Florida, life has become a simpler life and I am enjoying it. We are living in our guest house for the time being and enjoying the ability to lock it and leave to visit family and friends. Soon, our Michigan golf course will be a business of the past. Retirement has been lovely! My husband and I worked together for over 45 years and still enjoy being together, so I guess that makes us a rare breed of marriage material.

This past summer was a family summer. Our children grew up on Loon Lake in the lodge with mixed feelings of leaving their friends in Florida for the entire summer. Now that they are grown with families of their own, they wonder why their appreciation was not greater. We, as parents, are grateful that they realize what a treasure this little slice of heaven in Hale is. We managed to get 99% of our brood together for one day this summer, but many of them spent a month. Many new memories were made with our children and grandchildren.

Every once in a while I get a message from a previous camper who will be passing through the area, wondering if they can stop to say hello. I am always happy to host a little tour, but only if they promise to bring me a slice of their happy memories of summers at Camp Maqua.

I wish you and yours the best in 2020. Thank you for always sharing your memories of this happy place!

Camp Envy–Closing up

Published on by Kathy Baker

I have mixed reactions this time of the year. I love the autumn in Michigan and with my newly-retired husband by my side all summer, we have decided to visit the fall color in the upper peninsula, which is a first for us both. But, with the temperatures getting colder and the lodge with no heat, it means time to pack up and head south. The porch and lawn furniture have to be cleaned; linens laundered and stored; food emptied from the pantry and fridge; screens covered to keep the snow from damaging the floors; bulbs planted and covered and water shut off to keep the pipes from freezing.

The upper dormers and windows, plus the tall east and west sides of the building were painted last year. This summer my hubby finished the rest, with the help of his cousins’ from Texas, who took time out of their vacation to scrape and paint some trim. The project list will never run out, as the roof leaked this summer and ruined our front porch ceiling. “Next summer”, says he–next summer’s project to install new wood ceilings and fans with lights for the hot summer nights playing Euchre.

The leaves are turning color and dropping on the trail of our morning walks. All the foliage is turning brown. By the lake, seaweed is washing up to shore and with very little boat traffic or children swimming, the water is crystal clear. We have chores to do to in the boathouse with all the inflatables and toys and picnic tables to store for the winter. The boat will be taken out of the water and refurbished with new seats for next summer’s fun.

One of my neighbors gave me an old camp bench, presumably used in the craft hut with the interior colored with paint spills. The original rusty hinges are still on the lid, which lifts up. I bleached the old wood and gave it a new look with chalkboard paint to store my grandkids’ crafts and supplies. Our sons’ also built a fire pit on the front lawn, so the younger kids could be heard when the adults are still up. Along with little projects like this, the garden was hacked back to ready for the snow and the totem pole will be stored. Hut one is cleaned, wood ants are sprayed and it is locked up to keep the hunters from using it as a deer blind. Goodbye summer, hello winter. See you in the spring.

 

 

Silver Burners-We Have Been Placed!

Published on by Kathy Baker

“We have been placed!!! 4:45 and Jove. Co grata everyone. And they have us more space – 150×50 feet,” wrote our camp leader Sara, who has been to Burningman multiple times and appreciates the extra space in this city in the Black Rock Desert. Our camp sits on the outer rim of the horseshoe and consists of seven miles of named streets. Our camp-mates are on a Facebook page with all the camps in that sector, so it has been fun to look at the activities that will be offered.

The 2019 Metamorphoses theme selected the following names for their streets:

  • Esplanade
  • Andromeda
  • Bacchus
  • Cupid
  • Diana
  • Echo
  • Fortuna
  • Ganymede
  • Hyacinth
  • Icarus
  • Jove
  • Kronos
  • Labyrinth

The souls belonging to “Camp Nailed It” will be a group of thirteen from all walks of life, most of whom I have not met. Bubbly, effervescent Sara is the camp organizer and good friend of my eldest daughter and husband, who will be there, as well as my second daughter. Teri and I are excited about getting to know the people in our own camp, as well as those we meet on our journeys every day. Meeting new faces from all over the world excites me most about this adventure!

Most of our fellow camp-mates are from California, so we are on the receiving end of their organizational skills, equipment storage, and distribution. Memos, conference calls and one on one meetings for planning have occurred over the last few months to gather tarps, tents, coolers, furniture, rugs, shade structures, generators, outdoor shower, food, water, and other necessities, which will be trucked into the campsite. Teri and I will miss the set-up and tear-down of “Camp Nailed It”, as we bus in days after the opening day, but have been offered the job as ice-bearers for the camp.

We have been told the only two things that cost money at this event are ice and coffee. No money is exchanged within the confines of Burningman, and the traditional gifting from each camp can vary from a party to make-up, drinks, jewelry, massages, yoga lessons, TED talks, help with a flat tire, or a shoulder to cry on. In our own camp, two people will be dealing with death and grieving with those who need to discuss these issues. (We both know we will have some eye-opening experiences in relation to walks of life that may not be familiar to us.)

As the days get closer and I picture Teri and I either walking or biking around the Playa, I wonder to myself– how do we choose where to stop? How much will we actually be able to take in? Will we be able to stay awake long enough each night to enjoy the city alive with lights or will the heat wilt us like old flowers? Will the vibrations from the music camps seep through our bodies as we try to nap to keep up? Will we really get to the point that showers will seem pointless and hair don’t care attitude is firmly in place? The answer to these burning questions remain. Stay tuned.

 

 

 

 

 

Silver Burners

Published on by Kathy Baker

We have been like little giggling schoolgirls ever since we began our plans to go to Burningman (google www.Burningman.org). Two gray-haired virgin burners with a penchant for costumes and design, watching every video we can possibly watch; reading all the “Jackrabbit Speaks” newsletters that arrive in our e-mail boxes; rabidly perusing Pinterest for ideas on new outfits and loading up our Amazon carts with the necessary camping items.

Teri and I are only going for six days. On a good day, we experience our own personal summers far too often and worry about the 100-degree heat, the porta-johns and the lack of showers. The upside of this adventure, we optimistically voice, are the cool nights, people watching, art installations, and dancing like ravers in our creative costumes.

I met this spikey, silver-haired bundle of 64-year-old energy in Florida and we became fast friends and walking partners. Her passionate career involves advocacy for women and children, but she loves to create costumes and dresses from bits and pieces, baubles and leftovers, especially for her grandchildren. Her loquacious 70-year old friend happens to have a background in fashion design and illustration, a love for mentoring children and is also a graying grandmother.

When I told her I was gifted a ticket to Burningman for my birthday by my eldest daughter and husband, she was so excited for my bucket list item to be crossed off! Come with me, I urged, and it took one minute for her to agree to this adventure with me. What could be better than a partner in the same age range to grope around the dusty Playa?

My trip to see my kids in San Francisco was the first leg of costume excitement, as I scoured Haight Ashbury shops looking for the right coat for the nights of cool air in the desert. I found a floor-length faux fur coat and a short pink fur for Teri. I waxed nostalgic at the fashions that were featured in the vintage shops, which I just sold from my 60’s and 70’s days in England.

 

My friend and I have purged our closets of all things that can be re-purposed and created butterfly costumes, Steampunk couture, denim designs, tutus and jewelry with ribbons. Daytime outfits will be anything that keeps us cool—linen and cotton, bathing suits with sarongs, and gauzy harem pants. The jewelry-making with beads and ribbons have been sessions of silly.

When I tell you we have lost sleep planning, it is due to a mixture of fear and elation. We walked for weeks discussing what we might experience. Will we be able to stand the heat? What about our personal hygiene? My son-in-law and daughter are the expert Burningman campers, hauling in all our food, water, tents, and supplies. They borrowed a shift-pod and rebuilt a portable air conditioning unit and will set up camp before we even arrive. Our duties include greeting people and fetching ice. We know we will be well-taken care of from many angles, but also know we must be self-reliant.

We have shipped our costumes, boots, and items in plastic bags to avoid the dust. We are ordering our last minute supplies. We feel ready, but we have no expectations. We will board the Burner Bus in Reno, Nevada on August 26 and return different women on our trip back. We will shuttle back to our hotel, probably take shower after shower to remove a week of alkaline dust and fly home. Stay tuned!

Camp Envy–Traditions

Published on by Kathy Baker

 

 

 

 

 

The evolution of the new Maqua traditions began with the previous owners, Bob and Luanne Sukenik. Their hot dog and champagne cook-outs, with a Native Indian theme, hosted many friends and family members with water relay races and games. (One year they invited us, long before we bought the lodge and property. Bob started talking to me in the grocery line and invited my husband and me out to their “camp”.  (This photo was of that very day in 1984 on the shores of Camp Maqua with my husband Bill and Uncle Aaron Starks.) For years our association meetings, held in September, continued the hot dog and champagne tradition on the lodge porch following our meeting.

What is summer without a campfire, and we have had many! The fire-bowl or campfire pit, rimmed in huge boulders, appears to be in the same spot as decades ago. Our pile of wood is artistically stacked by one of our wood-chopping residents and we have never run out of logs for our fires. The usual activities take place under the stars overlooking the lake—adult beverages, hot-dog roasting late at night on long pronged forks and the traditional S’Mores for little and big kids alike. We sit in comfy chairs instead of sitting on logs, but the ambiance is traditional and ageless.

The Independence Day traditions include our annual potluck at the beach with our residents, and if it is raining we gather on the east roadside screened porch at the lodge. (We expanded the porch years ago to accommodate five vintage camp dining tables and the original bootstrap benches.) Other traditions in the past have included naming the baby Loon contest at our festivities and decorating the beachfront.

The most fun in recent years has been the boat parades, usually on the Saturday closest to the 4th. The Loon Lake Association purchases a boat flag with a loon and the date to be given as the prize for the best-decorated boat. Some years the weather has prevented many from participating, but each year a handful of families go all out to get into the spirit. Last year our family boat won with the Teddy Bear’s Picnic theme, so we were the judges this year. My eight-year-old granddaughter was so sad not to be here for the judging, so she was number twelve with the decision by viewing photos taken and sent via phone.

One boat was filled with cousins dressed as firecrackers and a patriotic theme, complete with music. One double-decker was the movie theme “Frozen” and nine kids were dressed in costumes as the characters. It was such a difficult decision, but the winner was a bubble bath theme boat, decorated with white balloons and friends taking showers. We hated to see the disappointed faces of the losers, but there is always next year!

Walking the trails in the autumn or cross-country skiing in the winter is a favorite with all the residents. The trails are usually mowed after the mosquitoes are no longer a problem, and residents have named their trails with wooden signs. We walk the roadside with family and friends to the main gate and pick flowers with our grandchildren during the summer, but when the black flies and deer flies appear, we have to cover up to avoid the bites or run!

Sunset cruises never get old and we all have so many photos of the spectacular skies over Loon Lake. One neighbor races out to the cove at the far end of the lake and parks his double-decker boat, expressing his amazement as if he had never seen a sunset before, but we all love the slow cruises and try to spot the family of loons or the resident eagles. Sunrises are a specialty for one of our early-bird residents, who tries to compete with a friend’s photos.

One of the most fun summer traditions happens with the adults and kids when we hook our boats together.  Each boat has appetizers to share. If the gates are opened, it makes it easy to walk from boat to boat to boat, catching up with our friends and sharing food. The night parties sometimes include adult beverages, music, and dancing on top of the Mother Ship–the  doubledecker!

 

 

 

Camp Envy–Opening Up

Published on by Kathy Baker

THE ROADSIDE PORCH ON THE EAST SIDE OF THE LODGE

I wish for the magic of an energetic crew to appear to help me dust the cobwebs, tear down the screen tarps that protect our wood floors from winter snow and mop the winter dirt off the porches of the lodge. The pollen from the pine trees coat the porches and furniture in pale yellow dust 1/4′ thick.  I tip the bootstrap benches over and vacuum the spider webs and laugh as I see wads of chewing gum older than me clinging to the old wood. It takes hours to clean the screens, furniture, and floors.

In days of old, there was a volunteer crew. Either the YWCA committee members, staff or volunteers from different organizations assisted the caretakers with the opening of camp. It had to be a huge undertaking to open a camp for the season, with so many outbuildings and acres of property.  My offspring will discover how much work is involved when they start taking over from their aging parents, (As they have grown into adulthood, they have taken on a  new sense of ownership and offer to help when in residence. This summer, they labored at the beach with the weeds, raking, gardening, and general repairs.)

Many years I paid to have the place opened up and cleaned before our arrival. With four young kids and slivers of a break that fit into the time slot between the end of the school year and the beginning of the next one, summers seemed to fly. By the time our family of six arrived, I just wanted to unpack, be on vacation and relax. Other years I have just done the work myself, especially when we have had construction and I knew cleaning was a lost cause.

The perennial garden has to be weeded, and if I get up in June instead of May, the weeds have taken root and the acorns have sprouted into baby trees that are difficult to uproot.  It is a rock garden of sorts, with Michigan stones and pieces of the old sidewalk that trailed to the door by the kitchen between both porches. Irises, peonies, lilies and other summer flowers grow under the two planter boxes that house red geraniums. They appear happy from my tall paned kitchen windows, and it is a garden that needs only a modicum of care to keep it lovely.

The bunkhouse next to the lodge, which is in use all summer with relatives and friends, needs the spiders and ants eliminated, so our guests don’t get a fright in the night. I even turn over the mattresses to make sure no nests or webs are hiding. The boathouse and craft hut get a good sweep and thorough cleaning to ready for guests who enjoy the rustic camping style. Since the new stairway went up to hut nine, it is now a favorite spot to camp, but needs all new screens. The lower boathouse, catch-all for anything beachfront, gets its yearly organization and sweeping, too. The craft hut still contains a few cots with the original mattresses, but most of the campers have their favorite inflatable beds. Usually, the chipmunks and mice have dragged in pieces of nesting material that we sweep out, which has also included pieces of our mattresses.

Our association of residents takes the maintenance of the Maqua property very seriously, plowing the roads in the winter and grading them in the summer. When the potholes jar our senses, fill dirt and stone are brought in. When tree limbs look precarious on our trails, the men get their chainsaws out and make our world safer. When the corral fence planks rot, new ones are nailed up. When the biffy needs new plumbing or cleaning, someone volunteers. If the dock is dipping and splintering, the crew goes into action for repairs or replacement. The beach sand is refurbished when needed, the campfire pit is cleaned out periodically and one resident is appreciated for his Paul Bunyon skills by keeping our firewood piled high for campfires.

It took a village when the camp was a real camp and it takes a village now! Thankfully, the next generation, with their happy memories of this magical place so ingrained in their childhood, return with grandchildren for all of us to love and create new memories. And, they are young and strong and able and we don’t mind watching the babies in the water while they take over some of the maintenance and repairs and heavy lifting, and they do! The circle of life at Maqua continues in familiar traditions.

 

THE ROADSIDE PORCH ON THE WEST SIDE UNDER RENOVATION