July 27th, 2005 

Busy time at the camps!  I told Gene everyone must be thinking his beanhole beans got the best of him since he hasn't written a journal update so I am pinch hitting.  The beans were excellent!  He has made them a couple of times and were enjoyed by all very much.  Summer is a busy time at the camps.  There is the good stuff, swimming, fishing, hiking and campfires and there are the projects.  Today Gene is rebuilding the insulated box surrounding the water source which runs to the barn.  The box is about 5 feet deep into the ground and 4 feet square.  As you might imagine, frost comes early and stays late here and the water pipes all need extra insulation so as not to freeze up. 

Other projects this month included upgrades to the dock, new cedar benches and new signs for the Golden Rd.  For fun stuff, Gene and Jed built a raft, right out of the pages of Tom Sawyer, it even has a sail!  Jed and I took a day to climb nearby Big Spencer Mt., what a beautiful view from the top and an eagle soaring over us as we ate our lunch. 

Many people remark how there are relatively few bugs here.  We thank the dragonflies for that and our night friends of the forest, bats and night hawks.  There are a couple of families of goldeneye and merganser ducks on the pond.  The loons nested twice without success due to the natural predators.  Now they cruise the waters fishing and frequently coming very close where they can be observed.  Folks often compliment what a great place this is and I can only agree, it is where we want to be when we are not working or doing other things.  It is where we vacation too.  I've started a monthly newsletter called Woodswoman Outdoors and invite you to take a look at it.  We always welcome your comments and encourage you to email us a story or memory we can share in the journal of YOUR trip to Frost Pond Camps!  ~ Maureen
 

July 1st, 2005

Well, my picture taking of the Dragonfly transformation did not work out.  For some reason I was unable to get one that made it through the stages.  I will not give up, so sooner or later I will have them here online.  We have been having campfires in the evening and the kids (and some who are not kids) have been eating s'mores on a regular basis.  The owls have been down in the campsite area hooting for the guests to enjoy.  Many of our guests have been seeing moose while out on their rides.  The baby foxes are out and about and they are seeing many of them as well.  The foxes will sometimes put on quite the show for you if you pull over to the side of the road and watch them.  Remember, if you are watching wildlife up here pull well off the road to avoid any conflict with a logging truck.  They will always win that battle.  One of our guests came back with a report of seeing a bear on one of their rides.  It is always exciting for folks to see a bear out in the wild.  Today is they day that I will put in the first pot of Bean-Hole beans here at Frost Pond.  I used to make them all the time and have gotten out of practice.  Maureen has been talking to the neighbors about this.  They are actually checking to see if they have enough "cans" of beans for Saturday night.  How terrible to not have faith in one as wise as I, in the art of bean cooking.  I have only ever had one pot of beans fail.  That was in January and I did not have enough loam to cover the top of the pot well.  I used gravel instead and the heat came right up though and the beans were not even hardly warm.  Of course I was only 16 or 17 years old at that time and figured that it would work.  I will be putting in a big smoked shoulder in the bottom of the bean pot to add to the delight of the taste buds.  We are outside now burning the fire to make coals for the beans.  I will let you know just how great they are after tomorrow night!  The fish are still biting, and folks are having a ball with them in the evenings especially.
GT