Subscribe to Podcast: iTunes or iPhone

Did you know there is an easier way to listen to Stoney Lake Reflections?  I was looking at some stats recently and I noticed some anomolies in the data provided to me from iTunes.  This data showed that there is an area of opportunity for all of you!

While Apple is looking into their numbers, I wanted to make sure you are getting the most out of listening to the podacst.  To that end, I wanted to provide detailed instructions on how to subscribe to the podcast.

 

√ The Podcast will automatically appear in your feed when it is published!  One time sign up and always up to date!

There are 3 ways to listen to Stoney Lake Reflections.  I’ve listed the choices below, from easiest to more cumbersome.I personally subscribe to my favorite podcasts through my iPhone because it is always with me.  It provides a great break while walking the dog, waiting for someone, lunchtime, commuting, working (did I say that?), and  anytime you want to chill.

I’m technically inclined, but I wanted to provide a guide for those who this is the first podcast you’ve listened to or for those who prefer visuals while navigating phones.  No judgements here, I’m just glad to have you as a listener!  P.S. if the instructions still don’t help you, find a son, daughter or even grandchildren to help you sign up 😉

 

 

1) Through your iPhone via Podcast app (that’s already on all iPhones)

 

2) Through iTunes

3) Through a computer, and going to StoneyLakeReflections.com and checking to see if there are new episodes in the Podcast Category

 

 

I’ve attached a handy dandy visual guide to make subscribing easier.

Click on the following link >>>>  HowToSubscribe

 

 

BONUS POINTS if you RATE and Leave a review for the podcast.  This can be done through iTunes.  Ratings and feedback help me attract sponsors and ratings at iTunes.

Preaching to The Choir !

Years Removed and Miles Away- Summer Camp Still Pays Dividends!

It will come to no surprise to readers of this blog, that our Storer community believes deeply in what our camp provides to so many.  Whether it is Outdoor Environmental Education or good ol’ summer camp, camp serves the greater good.  Our camp in particular has been providing character-building experiences since 1918.  Like I say in the Stoney Lake Reflection’s podcast opener, there are some pretty amazing people involved with YMCA Storer Camps.  That’s why I enjoy producing the podcast.  One aspect is recognizing some ‘amazing people’ and their contributions. Some of our guests are well known, others you may not be that familiar with.  But altogether, these people have been touched by camp and made great contributions to her history.  No matter the forte of the individuals, at the end of the day, it all benefits youth development.

 

The Stoney Lake Reflections Recipe

The recipe for the SLR Podcast is not exact and one that is hard to define, yet here’s a partial attempt to call out some of the ingredients for the SLR podcast:

1  part history lesson

1 part reminiscing

1 wink and a nod

Touch of dry humor- as needed

1 pinch of laughter

Sprinkle of tradition – to taste

A nod to history

1 spoonful of the present

1-3 parts philosophical musings

1 swig of zippy (oops, wrong recipe)

Lessons on leadership- as needed

Always stir in a healthy helping of Hope (for a prosperous and continuing future)

 

 

The Good

Throughout the Podcast, we also talk to specialists in their particular fields, from Naturalists to Outdoor Education teachers, Waterfront Directors, Citizen Archeologists to Equine Managers.  Specialties aside, the programs always should return to the central focus: serving children.  It doesn’t matter if the lessons are educational or vocational in scope, for the importance is enrichment of those we serve.  You’ll hear this theme time and time again.  And I believe it is not just one of a bygone era.

I’m hopeful current staff listen to these episodes and gleen at least one thing from them.  It could be an insight on history or the essence of what timeless principles ought to be practiced in the present.  As a young staff member I too was subjected to the tales of yore.  But as I matured, I came to realize that those ideals and principles weren’t half bad! 😉

Because of these amazing guests, other common threads surface from their stories: the power of love, community, faith, character development, and serving others.   It’s a great fraternity to belong to as our family spans many eras, but we have a common interest and principles we believe in.

 

 

When the Nostalgic Clashes with the Present Day

So many times in my professional pursuits, I have looked around a boardroom table and had a pretty good guess who did and didn’t go to a summer camp!  In my professional life as an Advertising executive ‘ad guy’ in some ways I couldn’t of picked a profession farther than some of the ideals cultivated at camp (At times I amuse myself and imagine what Abimbola would say to some of the stuff I’ve seen).  I’ll spare you the war stories in this article.  But I can say without reservation that the corporate world can be a very cold place.

I often think, perhaps naively, how some people may be radically different if they learned about teamwork and leadership in an environment like YMCA Storer Camps.  Then I wake up to reality.  In the interest of eating, I have a job to do.  I can’t help some of these people, but I can put into practice some of what I learned at camp.  How to lead a group, how to navigate around difficult personalities or situations, bring common sense to the fore (stretch goal) and move forward with our assignments that will help us attain whatever goal is before us.  And dont forget about Gumby-like F-L-E-X-I-B-I-L-I-T-Y.  To say at times I’m in conflict between professional goals and personal fulfillment is not a stretch.  I’m afraid this phenomenon is more prevalent than we think.  That’s the reality of facing bigger challenges as we progress through life (note: I think the challenge is better than the alternative).

 

 

 

At the end of the day, all I ask is that my fellow humans be decent. I was once praised for my politeness, but was also marked down by the same observor on a performance review for not being forceful enough and at times, too polite[?] Yes, really.  But considering the source, I wasn’t surprised.  So the message was clear, nice guys finish last?  Do I always practice this beau ideal of being the best human I can be?  No.  Do I get frustrated with traffic? Perceived incompetence? Inpatient? Testy between meals-YES, guilty as charged.  But in aims to be driven, yet fair, that’s why I’ve always provided my teams a book to read entitled “The No Asshole Rule’ by Robert Sutton.  So the title is a little crude and wouldn’t make a good chapel, but you get the point of the book from the title alone.  Don’t hire jerks, don’t work with jerks, don’t let jerks poison the well.  Furthermore, those working with me are clued in to observe and practice the following principles and guidelines for my teams:

√ Don’t approach me before I FINISH my first cup of coffee. OK, half joking.

√ I’m not the best in the morning. OK, not really joking.

√ Always ask before calling a meeting “Do we need this meeting?”

√ Communication is fantastic (as things move very fast in marketing), but if you have an issue to report (problems), make sure you have solutions to offer, don’t just dump off ‘Problems’

√ Courteousness and decency go a long way.  I’m not looking for saints, but I am looking for decency amid a stressful environment filled with demanding clients and quick deadlines. Work is stressful enough.  Don’t negatively contribute to the team dynamics.

√  Be responsible for your work and comportment.

What Everyone Should of Learned

With camp in mind, the attached article spells out what this choir already knows.  If everyone had a place like Camp Storer in his or her lives, humanity might be more humane!  Or at least people would be more rounded and in tune with productive teams and beautiful souls.  The headline extolls what I learned long ago- The Summer Camp experience is better than SAT prep.  In fact, my college essay was written about my experience on Storer’s high ropes course.

So here’s some external validation to what Storer Alumni Know….Read On!

Overnight summer camps are better for your kids than SAT prep classes

 

 

 

Quick Look: Storer’s Outdoor Environmental Education Program

Many have heard about STEM as an education movement and most definitely as a buzzword over the past decade or so, and if you may have missed what it stands for, it stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math. Those fields of education are being focused on now more than ever because of the economic trend that manufacturing and skilled labor is being overtaken by a wave of automation and robotics based workers. This means the ability to problem solve, code, and program are going to be prioritized in the job force. Our curriculum is working to reflect those movements by helping campers explore and become problem solvers. Children working through our program often will observe and hypothesize about why certain phenomena happen. The power of children playing and observing can be seen at Storer Camps everyday.

 

Our campers come from varied backgrounds, from the farm to the city and everywhere in between. We develop all students to become stewards of our earth. The environmental programming precedes me by a large amount of time, but it is possibly my favorite part about camp. The enthusiasm which students learn about renewable energy, preventing food waste, and local ecology is inspiring. There is a camp garden which is managed by Tia Black that helps us show how to farm responsibly and how to use compost from our dining hall that becomes the feed for the plants that will then nourish consumers.

We have a classroom, The Net Zero Experience, managed by Kevin Knapp, that walks students through various energy ideas including the carbon cycle, circuit building, latent water and energy usage, energy conservation, problem solving for world situations, and career opportunities in energy. The Net Zero Energy Experience is fun for students because it is completely hands on and interactive. My personal favorite activity in the Net Zero Experience is an interactive display that features a bike pedal and three types of lights, all which require differing amounts of electricity to power. The participants get the chance to use the bike pedal to see which light takes the most of their mechanical (pedaling) energy to power. It is a lot easier for students to then quantify how it takes more energy to light an incandescent light compared to an LED light. This makes a lot more sense to a child than reading a home energy bill. We often hear from the leaders of schools that attend Storer Camps who speak about how their students continue to limit their energy use and food waste in school and at home long after their visit.

 

 

 

An aspect to my job that is new is developing an advisory board for our STEM outdoor environmental education program. February has seen the finalization of who is involved as founding board members and the scheduling of our first board meeting in June. The goal of the advisory board is to include other educators from the surrounding community and abroad to help guide our program. We have selected highly thought of professional educators with various specialties to lead our program. Storer Camps strives to be on the leading edge of educational change and with this group we will have the tools needed to provide continuing excellence.

 

 

 

 

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Thanks Curt Reigelsperger for sharing this piece.

 

What Michael Rowles taught me about Spaghetti

Sometimes life-lessons spring from the most unexpected places.  And those lessons are recalled as randomly as they first appeared.  Or sometimes an object triggers the memory.  In this case, spaghetti.  Without fail, when I think of cooking pasta, I quickly recall the many spaghetti dinners cooked while taking campers to hills 1 & 2 for an overnight.  In concert with that culinary memory, I remember what I learned from Michael Rowles when preparing this meal.

 

As much as I liked the ubiquitous (and obligatory) foil-dinners, during the 90s, a new meal tradition was born with the advent of the spaghetti dinner.  This ‘new’ meal simplified things greatly.  The roll of foil, carrots, onions, potatoes, ketchup, mustard, salt and pepper were replaced by one food-service bag of tomato sauce (it resembled a large bag blood), dried parmesan cheese, a bag of dried pasta, one ‘man with beard’ tool, and two pots.  The roll of brown paper towels (same ones used in the bathroom dispensers) was still used.

The overnights became rote, as we did a dry run during staff training.  Then every session, we would repeat this tradition of leaving North Center, canoeing across the lake (much as our camp forefathers did) for dinner and sleep.  For the Long-termers, this was a dry run getting the campers used to pitching camp, as they would do on their way to Mackinac Island.  Typically, Two cabins would stop by the Venture Out building, double-check the manifest, ensuring all supplies were in order, including tents, food, cooking utensils, sundries, and a first aid kit.  Next stop, the path leading out of South Center, past the climbing tree, then hills one & two.  Hill one had a pump, and the fire circle there was used for cooking for both groups.  Hill 2 did not have a pump, but was more open for great nighttime stargazing.  Both campsites provided an ‘out of camp’ experience for the campers as they were no longer in a cabin or going to a dining hall to eat, but ‘out in the wilds’.  As an adult, it’s a pretty controlled environment.  As a camper, it was something unique with a sense of adventure.

 

 

Arriving at the campsite, groups were assigned different duties.  There was a group formed to erect tents and a group in charge of the fire (wood gathering) and a group assigned meal prep.  With the new spaghetti menu, things were streamlined versus the prep needed for foil dinners.  It may seem trivial, but it did make a big difference for the counselors.  Getting through prep was much faster and getting to dinner was faster as well.  Diners didn’t have to herd a dozen foil packets around hot coals, fight about whose dinner is whose, or accidently dumping someone’s meal (no more hot grease packet flipping!).  And hungry campers no longer had to navigate through burnt hamburger, charred onions, raw carrots and potatoes. Or more like, counselors didn’t have to forgo their own perfectly cooked foil dinner for a camper’s whose contents were partially sacrificed to the fire gods.

Spaghetti dinners utilized the same hot coals to boil water.  Beyond that, the meal only required a ‘Man with Beard’ potholder to move the pot. Recipe: Boil water, dump pasta in said boiling water, and warm up sauce. Voila, a hearty dinner, Grazie!  Despite how easy this meal was, I was making things hard for myself.  Little did I know, things could be easier, until Michael shared a little piece of wisdom.

 

As I was his JC, I referred my self as the ‘stable boy’.  And if you knew Michael, he impishly enjoyed calling me that.  He delighted in calling out, “Oh, Stable Boy” in the same tone as a prince would call for his fiddler’s three.  The term was used in jest of course, but was just part of our dynamic and ongoing repartee.  In my naiveté, I proceeded to sully a second pot, filling it with cold sauce in preparation to some fire warming.  Quickly, Michael shook his head and said something like ‘Oh, Stable Boy’ in mock exasperation.  I of course wondered what I was doing wrong as this is how I’ve always done the spaghetti dinners.  As the pasta was cooking, I’d warm up the sauce, what’s the big deal?  Well, he pointed out what we call today, a life-hack.  He pointed out to me what I was doing was fine just as long as I like cleaning two pots back at the VO room the next morning.  I was still puzzled. I always did it ‘This Way’.  He forced me to think about it.  It wasn’t a matter of a ‘right way’ or a ‘wrong way’, but there was a smarter way.  This magic moment was born from a mundane task. He shared with me a different perspective on doing things. (You mean my way isn’t always right?)  It was a good lesson in perspective and being able to creatively problem solve.

 

Even if its as mundane as making a pasta dinner for campers.  Use one pot, not two (even though we were issued two pots).  Now this lesson does not go in the record books as a major epiphany or even a true game-changer.  But I learned to be open to other people’s way of doing things.  Damn if he wasn’t right.  Boil the water, add pasta, when cooked, drain water, add cold sauce to hot noodles, voila- a one pot feast ready to be served.  It also limited pedantic requests for varying degrees of sauce…everyone was served the same amount.  In fact, I don’t recall complaints of ‘this has too much’ sauce or requests for less. And the next time we did an overnight and had pasta, I was always glad I only had one pot to clean early the next morning, not two.  In subsequent years with different teams, I passed along the Rowles Method of preparing this overnight feast, and without exception, everyone had that ‘oh, duh’ moment of how silly it was to use a second pot.

You maybe thinking ‘that’s not a big deal’ and it is not. However, as I get older, I’ve learned to appreciate the small things more and more.  And to this day, I share this story on perspective.  In daily life, we often get caught in our own rote duties, not taking a moment to stop and think things through and ask, is there a better way to do X, Y or Z.  Or do we only focus on doing A, B, C because that’s the way we’ve always done it.  My small epiphany is offered as food for thought.

 

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Note: This isn’t the only thing I learned from Michael!  He was an amazing person and taught me so much.  I’m sad he’s no longer here to share in the laughter years later, but I know he lives in the people who remember him fondly.  He’ll be looking down at the 100th celebrations and we’ll take a moment to remember him.

Crowdfunding – Donor Challenge for Matching Gift!

I have a crowdfunding update and it’s

GOOD NEWS

I’ve been contacted by a donor who says that if donations I get on gofundme.com or through PayPal get to $1,200, this donor WILL MATCH THOSE FUNDS.  And if we go over $1,200, they’ll donate money to camp as well!

We’re at $730 and we need to get to $1,200.  With $1,200 matching funds on the line, I know we can do this in a week!

Summary: Go from $730 to $1,200 in donations, donor will donate $1,200.  Anything over $1,200 Donor will make a donation to Camp! 

GOAL DEADLINE: Raise $470 in a week.   

 

 

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This Week’s Question!

This Week’s Question is a new feature, one that we hope you take adavantage of!

We want to hear from you and all it takes is a call…from you!  Leave a message in sixty seconds or less, answering the question.  Your replies will be shared in a future episode or on-line.

 

This Week’s Question:

“Your Favorite Place at Camp and Why”

Call and leave a message in sixty seconds: 858-367-7298

 

858-367-7298