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Fri Jul 9 19:56:46 2004 from Ben Vaughan <benvon@gmail.com> Hello everyone! I'm Ben. I worked the summers of '99 and '00 and they were easily the best two summers of my life to date. So, does anyone know of any sort of alumni directory for these summers? I'm trying to get a hold of a few folks... Anyway, I'm glad this is here! Hopefully We'll be able to keep in touch with this. Thu Jul 15 14:28:39 2004 from Hi. I just found this website, and I'm really happy about it. I can't come to the reunion this year, because I'm going to Chile to teach English for 16 months. Come visit. I've heard God's going to be there...take care! Bridget Monaghan ('96-'00) Wed Aug 4 17:46:27 2004 from Oh my goodness, I got all choked up reading the postings on here. I was also on summer staff with Charlie (Ok, admit it, who wasn't?) Here are the memories I first thought of, not necessarily my best favoritest memories, but there are so many how can I choose! One for all the people who have posted on here so far.... Adrian--yeah, I remember the shorts. Ew. Also, a less favorite memory--barking spiders every five minutes, thanks to you and that Kammerer kid. Richard--learning from you how to milk a cow, and the liscense plate on your car--FOAD. Lynette--Gunderburgers! Charlie--City of New Orleans every Wednesday night... Anoushka--Our Pioneer week with Kirk and Daniel. Hoover--doing laundry together in Strawberry, and having good chats during. Jason--listening to Bon Jovi on Sundays while packing food. And Indiana Jason was a classic also. Cyndy--You totally were the best Natives coordinator! Jeremy--I can't remember the song, but there was some game to it, and you would sing this song like a half step under everyone else just to drive me batty! Steffiebear--Being my trailroomie, and you slept through EVERYTHING. And Bridget--Eileen, I lean, get it? I love you all and you all need to come to the Alum reunion, because I will be there, and it would make my day to see even one of you, but all of you would make my YEAR! Wed Aug 4 17:49:26 2004 from Also, just for the record, I did not kill the cow. And Megan Owen, you were my camper, and I was going to send you a letter as soon as I got the Echo this week, but then I see that camp is over Fri! So I didn't know if you would get it in time. But I remember you, you wrote me letters, I thought that was the coolest! Oh, so many WONDERFUL memories... Sat Aug 7 17:37:25 2004 from Dear EWALU'ers (most especially Adrian, Lynette, Charlie, Anoushka, Kurt, Jason, Cyndy, Steph, Rich and Cindy!), Yes, I too, had the great honor of working with Mr. Charles Rod. And not only that, I got to go to college with him too, but only for four of his 13.7 Wartburg years. He taught me to play guitar--which would sound far cooler if I were some guitar-playing genius, but unfortunately our progress was hindered by a distinct lack of innate musical ability on my part. But the campers didn't care much. For some reason only serious "Charlie moments" are coming into my head right now [although they were admittedly far outweighed by the hilarious ones]: him giving Kurt and me the obligatory coordinator-suggestion that we "maybe shouldn't anymore" have fights with melted ice cream on rented houseboats; him scrambling frantically to find me and my campers, creek-stomping merrily despite the tornado warning (which I didn't know about!); and practicing for the mime during Peter Eide week (Charlie speechless: now there is a moment for you!)... Also, I want to note that I remember Adrian's shorts. Weren't they bright blue Nike shorts (what was left of them, that is?) My other memories are probably inappropriate for public-website consumption, having to do mostly with indiscretions of the "counselor clumping variety... I love EWALU! Easily the best and most intense summer of my life. Mon Aug 9 09:20:52 2004 from WOW! Hello Cyndy, Steph, Rich, Jess, Ben ... Good to hear from you! I'm listening to Chris and Johnny, reading old memories, and loving Ewalu all the more. Molly and I just returned from a great week. I was an artist instead of a pastor-much needed. I did pottery for MAD Camp, toured the old places. But, as that is we won't be back for the reunion :(. Jason, Charlie and Jeremy, if your back - Adrian needs a but whomping at A&A. I remember Rich always having a coffe cup in his hand and yet still only half awake most of the time. I remember life changing conversations with Cyndy and the ride up to DP, that was fun. Steph I still have a 'Bee' sticker on my sleeping bag , but not the taste of deoderant on my toothbrush, from our prank week. Ben was a great commrade for Confirmation ministry. Steph we had a blast on our outtrips, and I'd like to think the five+ campers from our 2 trips that becae counselors were a result of us :). Thanks to all that confirmed the Adrian shorts story. They were at one time blue nike running shorts. To short to begin with if not for the rip up one side. Adrian you still got those? God's blessing to you all as you lead the body of Christin your own ways. Mon Aug 9 09:31:30 2004 from My favorite memory of Jeremy is learning my stupid human trick one Friday staff meeting watching him stick carrots up his nose. Also, playing Fortress America and how he always consulted with his troops before sending them to battle. "I got thre words and they are all 'crap'" My favorite memory of Nikki is her contagious happiness, trialblazer luo things, and I still use a soft tooth brush to this day. Oh, and my best weeding message is still yours. Thanks for the song and the memoories. Mon Aug 9 09:33:39 2004 from my best wedding message. I'm still working on a good weeding message. Wed Aug 11 16:10:46 2004 from Hi everyone! It was a great trip down memory lane reading Paul's article in the alumni newsletter--Otter Slide, Swinging Bridge, etc. etc. We get back to Ewalu about once a year now to go camping with our kids and meet with their cousins from Des Moines. I've wanted to go to the staff reunions but every year we have a family reunion in St. Louis that weekend. I thought this would be our year because I have a wedding in Dubuque so an excuse to not to go St. Louis...but just got the schedule and the alumni weekend is about over by the time we'd get there on Sunday. We'll still probably plan to camp at Ewalu on Sunday-Monday and hopefully some of you from the late 80's will still be around. A little update in case we miss you...Keith Swartz, '89 staff, and I (Sherri Peterson, '87 &'89) were married in 1992. We lived for 5 years in Midland, MI and then decided to relocate closer to families. Instead of heading straight to another job, we decided to do some things we'd always dreamed of. Summer mornings I'd smell the air and see the sun sparkiling on the dew, it would remind me of my summers at Ewalu and make me wish I could be spending the day outside instead of at work. We had the itch to spend another summer outside and in tune with the natural world instead of the clock. So we quit our jobs, sold our house, put our stuff in storage, and spent 6 months hiking the Appalachian Trail! Then we bought a minivan and traveled around the rest of the country living out of that and doing a bunch of other hiking and outdoor stuff. When that little adventure was over (and we were yearning for our own bathroom, heat, and lights) we settled down again. We're now in Madison, WI and have 2 kids--Nathan, 4 and Heather, 2. Keith has a job designing heating and cooling systems for buildings and I'm home with the kids. It was great to see some familiar names from last years' posts on this board and I hope we'll see some familiar faces Sept. 5-6! Wed Aug 11 13:46:11 2004 from Ewalu staff from our time with identify with our e-mail address. Do you remember our dog, Tokei? He was "rescued" from the staff when he was a puppy and became Dave's best friend. Sorry to say Tokei has been gone for a few years now. We plan to be at Alumni Weekend 2004 but will stay in a building, not the campground this year. I keep looking for current messages but see none from those coming this year. We look forward to visiting with those who attend. Tue Aug 17 17:13:57 2004 from Hi Everyone! Sure wish I could be there for the get together over Labor Day, but it's a little too far away. We live in Twisp, WA - a little town in North Central Washington - just over the mountain from Holden Village. Little Paul - I chuckle everytime I read some of your thoughts in the newsletters! I think of all of you quite often! Have a great time together!!! Love, Sue-Bob! Thu Aug 19 16:33:27 2004 from I feel the need to straiten out a few items. 1) I actualy had 2 pairs of blue shorts, and neither of them were nikes. They were, and still are navy blue, walmart special. Yes, I still own them. In fact, some days I put them on and run around Ewalu, just to reminise. Great to see how many staff are using this board as of late! Jess Nipp? I don't quite remember who you are. did we go on a day camp together? Cindy Conrad! Holy Cow, I just remember giving you the upmost respect with Jon while you were our Native's Coordinator. Anyway, Pastor Hoover (be sure to use Pastor, he gets a little testie if you don't) was here for a whole week, and it was great! Let me know the next time you need a whooping in Axis and Allies! Thanks again Kurt. Anyway, Blessings, hope to see as many of you Labor Day Weekend as possible!!! Who knows, maybe I'll even put on the shorts for those of you who show up...maybe not. Thu Aug 19 16:34:24 2004 from I feel the need to straiten out a few items. 1) I actualy had 2 pairs of blue shorts, and neither of them were nikes. They were, and still are navy blue, walmart special. Yes, I still own them. In fact, some days I put them on and run around Ewalu, just to reminise. Great to see how many staff are using this board as of late! Jess Nipp? I don't quite remember who you are. did we go on a day camp together? Cindy Conrad! Holy Cow, I just remember giving you the upmost respect with Jon while you were our Native's Coordinator. Anyway, Pastor Hoover (be sure to use Pastor, he gets a little testie if you don't) was here for a whole week, and it was great! Let me know the next time you need a whooping in Axis and Allies! Thanks again Kurt. Anyway, Blessings, hope to see as many of you Labor Day Weekend as possible!!! Who knows, maybe I'll even put on the shorts for those of you who show up...maybe not. Fri Aug 20 12:25:35 2004 from OK, Adrian, I was THERE when you and Jon "respected" Cindy that summer in Native Americans. You guys gave her so much grief!! I think I remember someone named Jess Nipp--she always kept to herself, though. Not much of a people person. :) If Adrian's shorts are making an appearance at the staff reunion, can someone PLEASE make sure they burn in the campfire? They need to be put out of their misery. --Steph Fri Aug 20 23:21:06 2004 from Now, Steph, don't go making up stories. I, too, was around for some of Cindy's staff meetings and I recall Jon and Adrian having to keep her in line (214 salutes all around! Huzzah for wallball!). This board is really becoming a little Internet treasure - I'm glad so many people are posting! Hi to everyone I know who reads this (and to the people who post helpfully about ways to make thousands of dollars by mailing them money or with tips on where the best porn can be found; I'm not sure you guys add as much to the board, but I appreciate the effort). Matt Hibbard and I took our youth group on Rock & Raft a couple of weeks ago and it was wonderful to be back in the EWALU world for a week again. A lot of little things have changed, but the basic parts of EWALU that make EWALU what it is are still going strong. Apparently we weren't noteworthy like Kurt was, but it was fun to be back. Looking forward to the reunion weekend. Adrian - if you decide to reacquaint camp with the shorts, I'd suggest maybe an afternoon when no one's around. Out at Night Camp. Also, I'm pretty sure you're not allowed to say "he gets a little teste" about a pastor on a bible camp's bulletin board; I'm not positive about that rule, though. Sat Aug 21 16:01:44 2004 from After another wonderful summer at EWALU (with Adrian as Program Director... yes, lots of insanity), I am now preparing to leave for a year of ministry on the Captive Free SE team with Youth Encounter. I will be travelling to the states of Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Mississippi, Tennessee, and Alabama... so if anybody is anywhere near those states, it'd be great to have an EWALU connection sometime-- my team's itinerary will be on the website www.youthencounter.org. And sorry, but I will not be able to attend alumni weekend due to training. But i hope everybody who goes has a wonderful time building fires, singing, and experiencing the joy that comes from being together in that special place in God's kingdom. Sun Aug 22 06:04:32 2004 from My deepest apologies to Adrian's Walmart specials. And I will *most* happily send him a card relaying my deepest sympathies, should they come into accidental and fatal contact with the campfire per Steph's suggestion. I'm still racking my brain about the day camp thing... Kurt, if you do get that weeding message written, please send me a copy, as I've really been experiencing the lack of a good weeding message in the ELCA for some time now. And Steph, you'll be pleased to know that after countless years of "Smile Happy Therapy" with the acclaimed Dr. Rip U. Off, I am now a certified "Peopleperson". Cheers! Tue Aug 24 20:08:22 2004 from Who is coming to this 2004 reunion? All of the messages are about last year (2003). Dave and I will be there for the weekend and hope to see many of you there. Tue Aug 31 11:45:58 2004 from Howdy, all! An especially warm hello to all those I served with the summers of '93, '94, '95 and '97. It's great to see so many folks posting messages. Back to an earlier thread, I'd have to say my favorite Charlie Rod memory is from our staff talent show in '93. All the Luther students went up front to do their big Luther cheer, after which Charlie quipped, "Ever notice that it takes Luther students six tries to spell the name of their school?" That still cracks me up (go Knights!). Some of you may know that Charlie's dad, David Rod, is also a former summer staffer. I was wondering this morning just how many second-generation summer staff there have been at EWALU... Tue Aug 31 20:08:32 2004 from Hello! I'm hoping that some '92 or '93 staffers will be at the reunion. I'm bringing my husband Deno and my 17-month-old Sophia. I'm also trying to coax Lisa Nelson up for the day on Saturday. We'll see. We're planning on going to the Friday and Saturday night campfires, Lunch on Saturday, and as much of memory lane as one little girl will allow before naptime. Matt Hibbard...will you be there? Hope to see some familiar faces! Allison (Burke) Andrews Wed Sep 1 12:04:04 2004 from Hello, out there in EWALU land. I will not be able to attend your alumni weekend, but I have made several quilts with my mother and we have donated them to the quit auction, which we will be attending. I have been coming to the quilt auctions which enjoy as my mother likes to sew and since my father has passed away we try and find things to do together to pass the time. I am still teaching art at Roland-Story schools in Iowa. When I was at EWALU as a Jr. Staff member and later a counselor (way back in l967-69 maybe even l970....time flys when your having fun!)....I had many found memories and still do of good old EWALU. I still think of many of the staff members, but I have lost contact with many of them. Maybe I'll see some of you older EWALU alumni at the quilt auction. I have just had knee surgery, so I'm not walking as fast as I would like. I'll be thinking of all of you having fun at the alumni get together. Its too far to drive for me with my teaching position and responsibilies right now and I also have choosen to attend the qult auction instead. Tempest (or Tempy as some of you might remember me) Wed Sep 1 12:56:11 2004 from Hey, Allison! I'd heard you might be coming to camp this weekend! I'm glad to see it confirmed. I'll try to help with the effort to convince Lisa Nelson to attend: Lisa, you should really come to EWALU this weekend! (Think that'll help?) My wife (Laurel) and I are planning to come sometime on Saturday morning and stay through Sunday morning. I'm hoping to see lots of familiar faces, and agree that it would be great to see some folks from my first (and most formative) summer on staff - '93. Paul Rasmussen is close by - he's the proud owner of Spook Cave (I get so many confused looks when I tell people my friend owns a cave). Raz, if you're reading this (or even if you're not), you should come down for at least part of the weekend. I'm looking forward to seeing you all! Wed Sep 1 12:59:47 2004 from By the way, Allison, do you remember how to make flubber? I have fond memories of sitting in the ARC, listening to the Lemonheads ("Allison's starting to happen..."), sand painting and playing with flubber. Will you make a batch for us to play with this weekend? Wed Sep 1 13:09:10 2004 from I remember the Lemonheads and the sand painting, but did we really make flubber!? I'll see if I can find the recipe... We'll have to find a new place to hang out though. Wed Sep 1 15:34:14 2004 from Maybe we called it blubber... Flubber, blubber--one's a Disney movie, the other is whale fat. What's the difference, really? I think it was made of borax and Elmer's glue or something... Fri Sep 3 10:13:33 2004 from Hi, Tempy! And greetings to all from another “older” alum (1967-70). Yes, those summers bring back fond memories indeed. Do you remember . . . . . . when the Walnut and Cherry cabins were new? . . . Water Olympics on Thursday afternoons? . . . when we painted the camp bus green (with a strawberry on the back end)? And then we drove it to Oelwein for the drive-in movie on Saturday night, didn’t we? . . . how much it rained during the summer of ’68? (“Rained and rained for many weeks. Now my tent is full of leaks.”) . . . chow mein for dinner, for every group, once a week? . . . Indian stew in the big black kettle? . . . doing laundry with the old wringer-washer outside the canteen on Saturdays? I’ll be thinking of you all at the reunion this weekend. Hope everybody has wonderful time! Wed Sep 8 09:52:37 2004 from Hello everyone! It is so fun to read through all of the postings and memories that are on the site. I have so many fun and charished memories of Ewalu. I am blessed to have Pastor Kurt in the same synod as I am so I get to see him every once in a while. Here are the different things that I remember. I remember going up to Valleyfair and Steph and Cindy had one some real "cool" shirts. Charlie- you always had a guitar in your hand and somehow knew the cords to every song we could think of. Steph-do you remember Day Camp in Norway and Johnathan from Wales asking us "what time will you knock me up in the morning?" Richard- I have so many of you, but the best was putting Suran wrap around the chicken coop when you were still sleeping. Oh, Has anyone asked Adrian about his Appendix being donated to a elderly jewish man? Thanks for the great memories and I hope to hear from all of you soon. In Christ- Lynette Mon Sep 13 16:42:49 2004 from Dave, HELLO Out there....Its SOOOOOO good to hear from someone that I have thought of often through all these years. Its would be SOOOOOOO much fun to get our entire Jr. staff alumni back together again and see other and talk. Thanks for sending a message back. I thought that might be your son's message ealier when I posted a note just to see if anyone was paying attention. I have seen Jim Klosterboer a few times at EWALU's quilt auctions that I have been going too since l979 (right after my father passed away). Its been something that my husband David and I do with my mother. She enjoys quilting so we bring her to the quilt auction. She has been making mission quilts for the Waverly's St Pauls church and then usually makes a few quiltts to take to EWALU for auction. This past summer we both decided to make a few. Now were making them also for Story City: Camp Riverside, near where I live. I teach art still at Roland-Story. It would be nice to keep in touch and try and get everyone together. I just happened to run into "Jet: (Jean Suchsland) who married a Pastor that is Pastor now at St Pauls in Waverly. My mother just happened to find out so I went home one week end to see her while I viisiting at my Moms. Maybe youll decide to come to the EWALU Quilt auction this week end. Write sometime again. Good to hear back from you. Tempest (Tempy) Tue Sep 21 11:28:11 2004 from I just want to say how much I enjoyed the alumni weekend. It was wonderful to see so many friendly faces and to catch up with old camp buddies. I hope the turnout is even better in years to come! I was back up at camp this past weekend, and just want to share that there is a lot of reason to be excited about EWALU and its ministry! God has done marvelous things through EWALU's staff over its many years, and continues to work through the staff and countless friends and supporters of EWALU. I'm grateful for EWALU and its history and traditions, and very excited about its future! God's peace to you all. Wed Sep 22 08:10:22 2004 from I am in total agreement with Matt--the Alumni weekend was great, it was so nice to see everyone, if only for a little bit! So many stories and good memories! I was really glad to be able to bring my husband out too, I think he really saw a different side of me when I led that song at the Saturday campfire! Oh well, not the first time he has thought I was nuts...take care all, and keep in touch! Hope to see more of you next year! God bless... Wed Sep 22 09:18:18 2004 from All you staffer's from 1994, I received an email from Nate Weig last night! He tracked me down through a posting of Matt Hibbard's on this message board. So, it's great to see people using this. I knew about it from the alumni newsletter, but had never checked it out. Same with the staff reunion, I didn't know people actually were going to that thing. I, like many others, couldn't make it due to the travel distance. Hey, Clayton county is a big county, and I live in the northern part, EWALU is in the southern part. Labor weekend is the busiest weekend of the year here at Spook Cave and Campground, but I'll be at the reunion next year. For those that don't know, I worked at camp the summer's of '93 and '94, then full time from September of 1996-August of 1998. They were four of the summer's of my life. I still keep in touch with Eric Aeschlimann, Wendy Brendel (Timm), Jill Groezinger(Rasmussen), and Ted Fleener. Jim Kloesterboer is the pastor at my church, Bethany Lutheran in Elkader. In the last couple years I've also talked with or hung out with Kevin Roiseland, Lisa Nelson, Johnny Ottesen, Jesse Klosterboar, Kristin Clouse (Aeschlimann), Angie Khorll and Paula Wood. Along with the current full time staff at EWALU. I will be passing along to all my contacts to get on this message board, so watch for future postings from that crew. Wed Sep 22 10:58:51 2004 from Hi everyone. We were so sad to not be able to attend the reunion...do people have pictures they could post or email to us? It is great to read what people remember and have been up to. It is awesome to hear that everyone still has a sense of humor and cherish EWALU in our hearts. Wed Sep 22 11:06:02 2004 from Oh, man! What fun to have gotten a message from Paul (thanks!) prompting me to checkout this board. I live and work in Bangor, Maine (it's my fourth year out here) and had been in St. Louis, MO for four years before then. So, in short, I've felt somewhat "out of the EWALU loop." It's tough never to be back for Alumni weekend--talk about the drive distance, Paul, it would take me 3 days to get to camp. But, as a lifer, certainly, camp is always with me. I love hearing from or about the amazing individuals with whom I've had the privilege of sharing summers at camp. I often wonder where people are and what's up in their lives. Who has heard from people from the summers '90-94? I have had fun keeping in contact with Jenny (Haack) Olson, Cade Wenthe, Kevin Roiseland, Paul Rasmussen, Nate Kemperman, Jason Tunis... I've gotten to talk with Matt Hibbard on the phone (!) and really miss the rest of you all. I have lost track of Jane Bush (married now?) and Kristin Edwards and Katie Nelson and Chad Peterson and, well, I won't list everyone I with I was in contact with, but, I hope that word spreads and people check in here... Also, I want to extend a standing invitation to ANY EWALU alumni to come and visit in Maine. If you're ever passing through, want to hike or white water raft or canoe or kayak or eat the world's best (!) lobster and seafood, come visit. Look me up. I have a house with two guest rooms and tons more floor space and a back yard, for those of you who would insist on tenting--the only way to sleep at night. :) Love and prayers to all of you! Angie Tue Sep 28 10:05:06 2004 from What fun to see so many folks posting messages! I hope all those other former staffers get on here and post some messages themselves. At the reunion, Lisa Nelson listed a bunch of '93 staffers she apparently keeps in touch with, so I hope to see some of them on the board soon, too. | You know, Angie's referral to herself as a "lifer" got me thinking, and a lot of us would never have worked at EWALU if not for our experiences as campers there. The message board has been sort of dominated by more recent staffers (does 10-11 years ago count as "recent?"), but we owe a lot to the people who were on staff back when we were campers. Let me think... I believe my first summer at EWALU was as an Explorer in 1983. My counselor's name was Jeff Peterson, but there were two Jeff Petersons (or something), so everyone called him Pete Jefferson instead. I remember creek stomping for hours on end, catching and eating crawdads, and saying "moose poop!" when we had our group photo taken. I don't recall my counselor's name from my second summer, but if I remember right, it was the first summer for the Trailblazer program, and we slept in Army tents. The following summer I was an Indian (back before they changed it to Native Americans), but instead of sleeping in teepees (or tipis, if you prefer), we slept in what are now the Trailblazer cabins. I don't remember my counselor's name, but I do remember that Tony Egts was on staff (I thought it was tremendously cool that one of the counselors was from Waverly, my hometown). One of my camp friends had a flaming marshmallow jabbed in his eye by one of our other cabinmates, and I remember singing "One Tin Soldier" at campfire. Sadly, those were my only three summers as a camper at EWALU, though I returned many times for church and school retreats. If not for those experiences, though, I never would have thought of trying to get a job at EWALU, and I think my life might have been considerably different. As much as I love and cherish my memories from camp, they are not the most important things I've taken from my experiences there. My first summer on staff at EWALU was truly a life-changing event. Because of EWALU, the people I met there, and the Holy Spirit working through all of them, my life changed significantly, and for the better. After my second summer at EWALU, I decided to transfer to Wartburg and major in religion with an emphasis in camping ministry (I'd been an architecture/graphic design/art major prior to that). My experience working at camp completely changed my priorities and career goals. I met lots of wonderful people at Wartburg, including my wife. If not for the time I spent at camp, I may never have transferred to Wartburg and may never have met those people. I am so grateful for EWALU, its ministry, and all of the people who make it work. Mostly, though, I'm grateful to God for creating that special place in God's kingdom, and for using it and the people there to spread God's Word and God's love to countless others. Sorry for the lengthy post, but I just wanted to share the thoughts that have been brewing in my head over the last few months. I hope you all have a wonderful autumn! Peace, Matt Tue Sep 28 11:16:17 2004 from A couple things I left out of my previous post. I wanted to mention a couple of other former staff I still keep up with Larita Hamlett and John Waledom. Last time I went and visited John, he hypnatized one of his chicken's for us. He still keeps up with camps in Wisconsin, is on some boards and committees, and does ACA visits of camps. And is the grounds keeper at McDonalds in Praire du Chien. Larita works at the court house in Elkader. I also wanted to mention that I have an old EWALU bus sitting in my woods. I lived in it for 4 months in the summer and fall of 2002. That's another story. Some people wondered why I was living in a bus that said "We Stop for God" on it. It was painted by the SIT's, Staff In Training, (or staff helpers in training) one year. Blue and grey. Signed Alan, Rachel, Todd, Crissee, Victoria, Kelley, Dana, Kevin, Jill, and Sara. Now, that's what I call taking home a souvenir from camp! Feel free to come visit, Paul. Thu Sep 30 19:23:15 2004 from Paul Rasmussen just keeps an old EWALU bus because he is almost as big a packrat as I am. I returned to teaching. I feel the time I was at EWALU was productive, but when I left I was very, very tired. I try to keep in touch with many of the people with EWALU connections including most of the current staff and of course John Walledom, Paul and Larita. David enjoyed his summer as a counselor and his two summers as a substitute counselor. I miss certain aspects of the place, including so many of the people and the quiet beauty in the winter. Doug is in 9th grade, Sara is a sophomore in college and David graduated from Luther in May 2004 and lives in Chicago. More later. Drop a note if you like. Peace. Ted Sun Oct 3 09:57:36 2004 from I agree with Matt in the fact that if it weren't for the staff that was at EWALU when I was a camper...I don't know if I would have wanted to be on staff so much. I didn't start going to camp until I was a Pioneer. (1982)(I didn't miss a year after that) I'm not good with last names, so please forgive me. But Cheryl was my counselor and DC was the Coord. There was a Eric and Keith that were counselors to that week. I had so much fun! Including holding hands with my wagon mates and the end person touching the electric fence and everyone feeling it. (oops maybe I wasn't to tell that story) DC was the coolest and he was always up for a fun time. I remembered his big, heart felt smile all year...and I wanted to go back to meet more people like him. (Thanks DC) The next year was Woodlanders. I can't remember my counselors name but Grace was the leader of the other group. We were pretty much one big group anyway. Next was Adventurers.. Paul (not Little) was one of my counselors. I remember there were about 12 of us and only 4 girls. Yippie for the girls ;) Then I can't remember what they called the next year, but it was white water canoeing in Wisconson. Paul again was my counselor. That was a very emotional trip. Having to really work as a team to make sure everyone made it through the rapids okay. Then there were Islanders with Doug Piehl. Ahh what a GREAT wanny trip. We even had a kid break his arm. I later counselored with Doug and learned so much from him and Colleen. Then I was a Saint (as they called them back then) And Joleen was our fearless leader and we lived in the farm house. Then I was a counselor for 2 summers. But I truly believe the reason I kept coming back year after year was the great people who have worked at EWALU over the years. There was always at least one person that I connected with. Someone that improved my life in some way. Someone who helped me see God and His world in a different way than I had before. Someone who made me realize that the weeds were just as pretty as the flowers. And the rain was just as refreshing as a cool, dew filled morning. Someone who made me realize that I was hauling a heavy pack so that I would be greatful for when I wasn't hauling it. Or that the pain I'm feeling today (from canoeing) wouldn't be near as bad as I would feel tomorrow. Someone who knew that there was music in the air, even when no one was saying a word. Or if you let your mind be empty of thoughts that it becomes more full than you ever thought it could. These are the lessons I think of when I'm stressed out and need to get away. I think of all the great people and times I had in a place where there is little concrete, no cell phones or computers. When I think of EWALU, it puts me at peace. And I thank everyone who was ever a part of EWALU for that. Even if I have never met you... you have been a part of making EWALU what it is today... my happy place! Mon Oct 4 12:56:48 2004 from Just thought I would say that I got to visit with John Walledom on Saturday October 2 and have supper with him and Mary Ann. We had a good visit and he is the same old John, full of stories and a zest for life. He owns a home near Ferryville, Missouri and is involved actively with two camps in Wisconsin. Fri Oct 15 16:05:20 2004 from Howdy EWALU'ees, has life changed at all for any of you? Me neither. After my years at camp in '93 and '94, I joined the Buffalo Bill Wild West show, where I played the part of "Damsel in Distress #2". Later I was kidnapped by wolves and forced to eat hipnotized chickens with two left feet. Just kidding, but I know Hibbard appreciates my stories. Matt, if you read this, please inform the audience how New Mexico got its name! Ah, road trips! Seriously though, after graduating from LU, LU, LUTH, TH, TH, THER, L-U-T-H-E-R, LUTHER, LUTHER, LUTHER, in '96 -(speech impediment - Can people with a speach impediment say speach impediment?), Paul Rasmusen and I hit the Alaska highway, where we worked and played, Raz came back, I stayed and ended up teaching up in the boondox for a couple years. I then married my wife, a South Dakotan, and we moved to Texas for a year to thaw out, and have since moved to Rochester, MN, where we live with our two kids, ages 5 and 3 (Sydney and Tyler), and expect #3 in May. Raz is going to ride his snowmobile up this winter to check on things if it gets too snowy! Missed Nordic Fest this year, but often see a bunch of you alumni there. If you are ever in Rochester, I am in the book (in the 1-900 section). Nurse Penny is in the twin cities, though we haven't seen her for a while, she finally made it to the Phillipines last spring to see her family. Hope everyone is doing well, fun to read these messages from the past. Eric Fri Oct 29 14:41:10 2004 from New Mexico... I can't say that I recall how it got its name, but I do remember something about Idaho. Aeschlimann, you'll have to be careful about all the north-to-south travel. Those freeze and thaw cycles sure wreak havoc on the roads, so they can't be good for you, either. I'd hate for your asphalt to buckle and for you to develop potholes at such a young age. It's good to hear from you, Eric. It's been too long. I hope you're doing well up in Rochester. -Matt Fri Dec 24 14:05:37 2004 from Hello, I will take your money to pay off my Seminary loans, IT's totally legael, Sorry I will not give you my kidneys though. :) Seriously, I a wasting some time just before Christmas Eve services and would like to wish the alumni and current staff of Ewalu a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. |