Camp Tecumseh Week: The End

First Post of the Day

Emily and the girls went home Sunday morning after church. Before they left, we gathered outside for a family photo.

Back row: Craig, me, Lisa, Curt, Ian (as tall as me now), Vanessa, and Emily. Middle row: Lukas, Kate, Mila (taller than Julie who is two years older), Julie. Front: Susie (take a closer look at her.)

I hadn't realized that she'd brought Poppy with her to church! Absolutely a girl after my own heart and I am delighted that she loves her new horse so much.

The player piano always gets a workout when we have family in, and this visit was no exception. There are certain rolls that get a lot of play (Star Wars, Mary Poppins) but Red Wing is gaining in popularity.

It's Lisa's favorite player piano roll and she is the person you can hear whistling in the background. (At the end you can hear Curt's dismay as I make a play in our card game - he thought I'd sabotaged myself. But I knew what I was doing and ended the game well if you catch my drift. LOL)

Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious from Mary Poppins. The words are scrolling so fast that the kids are struggling to keep up!

But not everyone plays the player piano by using the rolls. 

Julie is becoming an accomplished pianist, and she sat down and played this song (and others) by memory. She's been studying the piano for seven years and loves to play. Her Grammy loves to hear her play.

That mostly wraps up Camp Tecumseh, 2026. We will do it all again in 2027 and I can hardly wait!

Stay 'tooned!

Camp Tecumseh Week: Snippets

It's early Thursday morning of Camp Tecumseh week. My mornings have been starting like this:

Pepper by my side while I write, and Kate and Susie popping in to say good morning and ask questions about my collection. "This is my favorite room in your whole house, Grammy," Susie said yesterday as she arrived for our morning chat.

Honestly, there is so much happening, I don't know where to begin. Maybe some random photos?

The upstairs overlook has a family room open to the main floor below and the kids often play up there.

My guess is that someone was lying on their belly as they played and needed to stretch out their leg. Why not poke it through the bannisters? 

Miss Rosie has proven to be a big hit with the family - she is a firecracker, loves everyone, and makes us all laugh.

She is fascinated by mirrors and the television.

The other dogs are very tolerant of her as she learns boundaries (Good boy, Henry!)

but they like her and especially enjoy playing with her. (Good boy, Nashie! Although you do realize that that's Rosie's bed you climbed into, right??)

Tammo and Henry taking a break with Lisa after playing hard together. 

Craig and Cole wound up their trip to Maine with a stop at Gettysburg and then returned home to join the rest of us.

After a day of camp and various family activities (kayaking down the Wildcat, pickle ball, dog walking, and more), we gather in the evening for dinner. 

A family favorite is apple crisp, so I made a big pan one evening for us all.

We also celebrated Cole's birthday.

Using his brand new ax to "cut" his cake. 

In the evening, we've been watching the World Cup and playing games in what the grands have started calling "the game room." Honestly, they're right - we do play far more games in there than we dine!

This photo may look puzzling, but to me it is a treasure. I'd lost badly at a card game and was stretching across the dining game room table to hand in my cards. 

Both Curt and Cole reached over and grabbed my hands in consolation. Thanks, guys. (I will beat you next time! LOL)

Finally, I may have had a very welcome breakthrough on a health issue. I'll share that soon, but here is a sneak peek at some evidence that I am feeling better.

Stay 'tooned!

It's Camp Tecumseh Week!

Second Post of the Day

Our second round of summer family visiting began this past week. 

Cole arrived on Thursday to pick up his dad and take him on a trip to Maine!

They're having a lot of fun together

and I hear that the lobster rolls in Maine are the best!

The pups are great company for me here at home

although Tammo has been laughing at my noodle-armed frisbee throws.

Cole brought Henry and left him with Lisa. (She has a doggy door and a fenced in yard; I don't.)

A very proud and happy Henry after he won a three way tussle with Nash and Rosie for Squeaky Dragon.

Emily and the girls were in Michigan last week visiting her sister's family and they are coming here today to spend the week with us.

I did a Walmart delivery yesterday afternoon in preparation for their visit.

This is an annual tradition - Julie, Kate, and Susie come up from Tennessee to attend Camp Tecumseh with Ian, Mila, and Lukie.

Camp T is a world-class facility on the Tippecanoe River just north of us.

Kids from all over the world come, some even spending the summer there.

Flags of the kids' home countries are hung in the indoor arena.

We are fortunate to live so close and to be able to host the cousins during their camp week.

Emily and the girls roll in around noon and then Ian and Julie (who are doing the overnight camp) will be driven up to camp and dropped off today around 2:30. 

The other four kids (who are day campers and will start tomorrow) will hang out here and play games or head over to the park. Pepper, Tammo, Nash, Rosie, Henry, and Gus will get some walks and then charge around the living room until they all are exhausted and collapse onto the random dog beds that are placed around the house for them.

Lisa is making us all chicken teriyaki for dinner, and we'll all pitch in with sides and a dessert or two. I can hardly wait - I love Camp Tecumseh week!

BreyerFest-wise today, I won't be online today at all. There just won't be time. I do hope to hear what the theme is for next year as I'd like to begin thinking about possibilities for a seminar for next year. (If Breyer invites me back. I hope so but it isn't a sure thing.)

Camp T week can be a little crazy so if I miss a blog post, you'll know why. But I'm hoping to keep up with that.

Enjoy the last day of BreyerFest, and safe travels to those of you who will be heading home!

Wrapping Up the 4th of July Family Gathering

I'm sure that if I write that this is the last post I'll write about this summer's family gathering, I will find something I've left out, so let's just say that this is the INTENDED last post about it, right? LOL  (And it's long - fair warning!)

Legos

Legos are beloved around the world, and my kids and their kids are no exception.

I have a huge tub of Legos that had belonged to my children, and we keep its lid full to the brim and under the large coffee table in the living room for the grands to use whenever they visit. (Curt's idea - brilliant!)

For her birthday, we gave Kate a Lego Botanicals floral arrangement.

Botanicals are very popular among Lego lovers, so I also bought a few other boxes for the kids to put together while we were together.

That vase Kate is holding belonged to her Great Great Grandma Honeywell. I love the family connection she got through those Lego Botanicals.

Dog Fun

Someone asked if having so many dogs together caused fights, and you would think it might.

Trinity with Gus and Henry while Nash, Tammo, and Pepper hang out.

But only very rarely do we hear a serious "leave me alone" bark. They know each other well and get along. Of course, we keep an eye on them and if one does seem to be getting stressed or upset, we intervene before things can escalate.

Rhett taking a rest break with Todd. 

Kyle and Nash while Tammo sleeps on Kyle's foot.

The dogs get a lot of attention, playing, and walks when they are together. (They sleep really well at night, too!)

And if you're playing and they aren't included,

some of them will invite themselves into the game!

Games

A hallmark of any Isenbarger family gathering is to play games around the dining room and kitchen tables. (My sewing table has been brought down in the past to make a third spot for folks wanting to play.)

Guide-Dog-Pepper always heads under the table, and often the other dogs follow her. In this case, Tammo and Rhett. (A little "dog cave!")

Sometimes the game playing begins as early as whenever the family early birds get up, and we sit around in jammies, playing a game and waiting for the rest of the family to get up.

And almost every evening there's a group that stays up into the late hours of the night.

The late night players sometimes get a little goofy.

I don't remember why Kyle was passing Sarah a card like that, but I do remember laughing about it. 

Depending on what's planned for the day, we squeeze games in multiple times.

Not only did I set out Legos for the kids,

but knowing that some family members love working puzzles, I set up a table and put out some puzzles on the overlook upstairs. (Looks like Henry is helping Emily and Kate.)

Then there was the unexpected bonus of Curt's neighbor's trash. He was throwing away an old television which had a working DVD player and let Curt take it. Curt's plan was to see if it worked and, if it did, put it into his basement where the kids could watch old DVDs.

Curt set it on the floor in his garage where Lukie found it, plugged it in, and discovered that it did indeed work.

The kids hauled some camp chairs over, put in a movie, and Curt discovered them all happily enjoying themselves! The spot is now called "the kid cave" and that TV may not make it down into the basement until cold weather arrives!

Camp Tecumseh

Ian and Julie went to overnight camp while Kate, Mila, Susie, and Lukie did day camp.

This was the 101st year of the camp. Emily was a camper and a counselor here herself. 

Saying good-bye to the two overnighters. See you in a week! Have fun!

Julie scored a top bunk! Aside from Ian, she knew no one else there. But many of the kids are in that situation - campers come from not only around the United States, but from around the world. 

Granny Janet Mila does a cannonball. (How did she get up those stairs without her walker??)

And Granny Rita Kate also takes the plunge!

Ian playing ga-ga.

Drop-off on a misty morning - look at those smiles.

Miscellaneous

Finally, just some photos that make me happy.

Lisa, Trinity, Emily, and Sarah ready for fireworks on the 4th of July.

Susie down on the dogs' frisbee field, picking flowers.

My kids commemorated the first anniversary of Abby's loss by giving me a beautiful wind chime with her name on it. (Thanks, everybody. ::sniff::)

Some daddy/daughter time for Cole and Kate.

Vanessa had done a photo shoot with a woman name Kylie,

and Kyle rearranged the letters on her welcome board - perfect!

Four of my six - Lisa, Sarah, Kyle, and Cole.

Kate cuddling up to her Aunt Sarah in church. (While Julie does the word search in the church bulletin.)

Kyle trying to not smile as Lisa takes his photo. 

We never did get everyone in one photo, but we did get photos of everyone who was there over the ten days we spent together.

As always, I am grateful for the gift of time our kids gave us, with those who could rearranging their busy schedules to come to Indiana. Thanks, all. I will cherish that time we spent together.