Camp Wakonda 2025

We did a whole lotta camp this summer. 

Sam took Jim & Leah down to Camp Wakonda (about 1/2 an hour west of Springfield) - it was Jim's 4th year coming to Wakonda & his 6th and final week of sleepaway camp this summer. Leah had been anxiously, eagerly, excitedly awaiting her turn to go away for a week and this was it! Amelie decided she'd rather bum around at home & revel in having no little siblings instead. Even though she had fun last year! (Link to last year.) 

The camp very helpfully posts pictures each day so that we can stalk the children. The kids were in different age groups & I think they do a lot of stuff with their cabin, but they still did see each other sometimes at meals they said - and we got this one photo of them together at the pool. (Pics in reverse order!) 

Gaga ball? 

Lake day: 

Hoe down: 

More square dancing: 

Playing a game during cowboy dinner - when they cooked their meal outside on the campfire. Leah said she had Mac & cheese & I asked how on earth they made Mac & cheese over the fire & she says there was a choice of what they wanted & they wrapped up the food in foil & put it in the coals. 

Jim in the middle of the pack: 

Leah making a fun pose - all the way on the left: 

They could choose different clubs to do each day the night before. Leah said her favorite part of camp was the clubs & her favorite club was junior lifeguarding. Here they are headed out to junior lifeguarding club: 

Headed to music club - they practiced the songs that they sang at the closing campfire & then at the closing ceremony when the parents came to pick them up: 

One of the junior counselors & one of the counselor-counselors (according to Leah): 

It seems Leah managed to put both legs in one side of her romper: 

This was the opening campfire - she says she doesn't remember what she was volunteering for here!

Leah had 10 girls in her cabin, but one went home before the week was over. 

Where are Jim's shoes? 

I asked Leah if she ever got homesick & she said no & that she definitely wants to go back again next year. 

Here's the video they played at the closing ceremony - Jim's lighting the campfire: 

Minnesota Quick Trip & Barenaked Ladies

One of Jim's camps this summer (more on those later) was Camp Pillsbury, which is a fine arts camp in Minnesota. 

I had never been to Minnesota before - so Jim & I both added a new state! Sam & I drove possibly the most boring 6-hour stretch in all of the Midwest from Columbia up to Owatonna to get him. We did get to stop in Kirksville & see Grim Hall, where we met. It's no longer a dorm, but the building's still standing/in use somehow. The porch swing was gone, though. 

We had lunch at Bellacino's and it was exactly the same as I remembered. 

We stopped in Pella, Iowa & walked around & got German letters (the pastry) & took a picture in front of this windmill: 

There was a buffalo at a gas station/rest area: 

Unrelated to the quick trip, but related to selfies of us, Sam & I went down to Camdenton to see the Barenaked Ladies - such a cool outdoor venue. I had a $13 beer. 

There were open seats closer to the stage so we got to move up. This was probably the result to a pricing problem/miscalculation on vendor’s part - the cheaper back seats all sold out - the blue ones were still available two days before the show:

Guster & Fastball were the openers. 

Ashland Pride

Amelie & I went down to Ashland Pride, which was just lovely. It's much smaller & more chill than the one in Columbia - maybe 300 people or so, all there in the park.

Sunflowers

The MU practice farm grows sunflowers & they posted on Facebook that people should go see them & take sunflowers & photos before they were mowed down so we went! 

We drove out about 8pm & the humidity hit us when we got out of the car, but it was much cooler & the sunset was lovely. 

All of the other women there came prepared & I was a mess from working & then working on our table after work. Ha! It was a cool experience, though, and we got good pictures of Amelie! 

I picked some of the smaller sunflowers to take home:

It looks fake!

There were bees, too

AJR

Sam's taken the big kids to see AJR twice - in 2022 & 2024. (They are big fans.) 

We all 5 went to see them this summer! It was Leah's first real concert & my first time seeing AJR - except it really was JR - just Jack & Ryan since Adam's doing a book tour. 

We stayed at a hotel that had free breakfast & a shuttle to the Hollywood Casino Amphitheater (but it was cooler & easier to walk back afterwards). I think that everyone else we saw at the hotel was also going to the concert, and Jim kept counting the AJR shirts he saw.

Unfortunately, the hotel gave us the wrong type of room & there weren't enough beds for all of us (but Sam contends sleeping on the floor wasn't that bad just for one night). 

It was hot!

Leah got bangs! Hollywood Casino Amphitheater was extremely vigilant about checking our tickets every time we came back from the bathroom and getting snacks, which was surprising since we weren't exactly close to the stage! 

There were 4 opening bands! (Madilyn Mei, Valley, Lawrence, and Quinn XCII - Jim & I both liked Lawrence the best. Amelie liked Madilyn Mei. 

It was dark when AJR came on & a little cooler. They put on quite the spectacle with graphics & videos (as usual, I think!) 

 Amelie said the best song from the show was "Yes, I'm a Mess."