Welcoming 2010 at the farm

Posted By: Kelly Marston on 1/3/2010

The blue skies, green fields, and then a bright moon rising over the trees greeted us. Quite a way to ring in 2010.  We had work to do with the 15 new lambs, the ones in the picture are just 2 days old, as well the rest of the flock. So we herded them into the corral, docked tails, trimmed hooves, and gave medicine.

All of this was done with the help of much of our senior staff.  Some are from the Bay Area and so it was an easy trip to visit, but others were in from Illinois and even England (yes, that really is Oliver).  It was so great to see everyone -- as good as it gets!

Summer still feels distant, but our staff is is already coming together and getting excited for another fabulous season.  Campers are signing up, and we will be hosting more open houses at camp this spring.  Stay tuned for more updates soon!

2010 Camp Calendar

Posted By: Kelly Marston on 12/29/2009

Looking forward to the new year is the perfect time to reflect on the wonderful memories from last year.  The 2010 calendar has pictures from the 2009 summer and important dates for the coming year -- when First and Second Session begin and end, Visitor Day, enrollment deadlines.  We hope that you enjoy it!

Help the Milo Foundation

Posted By: Kelly Marston on 5/24/2009

Plantation has a strong connection to the Milo Foundation -- many of our camp puppies and kittens over the past five years are from Milo and Lynne Tingle, the founder, and her family have been a part of the Plantation family for years as campers, parents, and staff. Lynne founded the Milo Foundation "to rescue adoptable at-risk animals, match them to homes best suited to provide lifetime care, rehabilitate those who need it, offer sanctuary to those who are not placed, and educate the public about responsible pet guardianship, including spay/neuter".

Now, the Milo Foundation needs our help to conitnue its amazing mission. Watch this ABC News video to learn more:

Summer Love

Posted By: Kelly Marston on 5/13/2009

As we prepare for summer, we are also continuing the traditions of generations.  Plantation has welcomed campers for almost 60 years.  Some of these alums have shared their memories of what made Plantation special to them and how it is still alive and relevant in their lives today. You can read some on the Alumni Memories page.  Here's one excerpt...

Summer of Love, Carlos Alcala

For me, the Summer of Love was spent at Plantation, but really, it was more than one summer.

The first year I went to camp, on campership, was 1967, the famous Summer of Love. At Plantation, it was not about free love and being a hippy, at least not in the ways conjured by popular myth.

It was about being 10 years old and falling in love with everything. The bright orange and purple sweatshirt of the Mother-to-All who ran the garden. The cute college-student energy of the young woman who was my pigeon-chore counselor. Crush. Who knew pigeons could be cool?

I loved fishing and caught a fish with an unbaited hook that snagged the bluegill’s belly. I loved horseback riding and rushed every day to see whether my riding skill had been properly recognized by Prunella. Prunella was the donkey that mysterious redrew her list of equestrian hierarchy each night.

I loved my counselor who read us “The Hobbit,” and my other counselor who played guitar and looked like a real cowgirl. I loved sleeping in a canvas tent where deer would come to eat the apples in the tree above.

I loved the bouncing dances in the redwood-floored barn where you could see the carved initials of those prankster McKenna boys who once hoisted a wagon up into a tree. I hated going back to my unit before the dance was over, and hearing the music continue for the older kids.

Read the rest to learn more about the magic of Plantation.

Because of camp...

Posted By: Kelly Marston on 5/4/2009

What has camp meant in your life?  How has camp helped you become the person that you are today? 

I know that we hear many stories each year about how camp helps to transform kids, give them the confidence to excel and try things they never dreamed of.  The ACA has just released a video in which celebrities talk about what they learned Because of Camp...

Locks of Love

Posted By: Kelly Marston on 4/28/2009

I took a big step today and had about 14 inches hair cut off today.  It's more than just preparing for summer by getting an easier hair do. After last summer I realized my har was a bit long so rather than cutting it right then I decided to let it grow a bit more and donate it to a great organization Locks of Love.

What is Locks of Love?

Locks of Love is a non-profit organization that provides hairpieces to financially disadvantaged children in the United States and Canada who are suffering from long-term medical hair loss from any diagnosis. The donated hair is made into hair prosthetics (wigs) that help to  restore their self-esteem and their confidence, enabling them to face the world and their peers.

If only making a difference in a kid's life was always this easy.

Earth Day -- Make a difference

Posted By: Kelly Marston on 4/22/2009

Today's the BIG day.  Everyone talks about it, TV stations are dedicating evenings to being green, and generally grand gestures abound.  While I love the attention that the environment gets today, I also know that one big day isn't what we really need. It is the small actions that you take which add up over time to help us protect the environment.  Can we undo what has been done? Should that be our goal?  I don't know.  What is important is to think about how our daily actions affect each subsequent generation. 

At camp we have always integrated respect for the environment into our program (well before green was more than a color).  Raising our own food, composting, living outside with almost no electricity, conserving water are all just ways of life at Plantation.  We celebrate Earth Day every day, and each summer, campers and counselors learn to live it a little bit more all the time.

Don't give up the big celebration today, just also don't forget to carry those ideals forward into your everyday life.  It really is easy.

• Say no to plastic drinking straws
• Carry your own water bottle and/coffee mug
• Support green business and you can find a great listing by going to the National Green Pages
• Compost.  It is really easy and will greatly reduce your waste. Plus, your garden will love it.
• Try growing some of your own food.  Lettuce is a great place to start and a fresh picked salad can't be beat
• Remember to unplug.  Just a little more time outside, away from electronics will benefit you and the environment. Don't wait until summer camp rolls around to get outside -- have a picnic, find a new place to hike, or just sit under a tree.

In the words of one of the favorite camp songs "Hey farmer, farmer, put away your DDT/ I don't care about spots on my apples,
Leave me the birds and the bees - please/ Don't it always seem to go/ That you don't know what you got till it's gone/ They paved paradise and put up a parking lot/Hey now, they've paved paradise to put up a parking lot"

Get ready to welcome some new staff

Posted By: Kelly Marston on 4/15/2009

Here are some of the new faces that you will see at Plantation this summer.

Ashley

G'Day! I'm Ashley and this will be my first summer at Plantation Farm Camp, in fact it will be my first time at any summer camp! I am most excited about the culture and lifestyle of summer camp and also meeting so many new people! I love change and the great outdoors and couldnt possibly think of a better way to spend my winter than in summer!...

Emily

Hi, I'm Emily, an eighteen year old from Vermont. I just finished my freshman year at St. Lawrence University in Northern New York where I am a member of the equestrian team...

Read more...

Look who's coming to summer camp...

Posted By: Kelly Marston on 4/8/2009

In less than two months the first excited group of people are going to be arriving at camp.  No, we haven't moved First Session early this year.  While most campers are still in school, counselors and staff will be arriving at the farm and transforming it from the winter working ranch to a summer camp.

I'm always so excited to see the summer staff come together.  With new and returning counselors, former campers and people who have never even been to California getting to know everyone is so thrilling.  We have started to receive introductions from our staff and I will keep posting them as I get more.  So, enjoy the first two introductions from two returning counselors who couldn't be more excited for camp to start -- Stikey and Oliver.

Check back for more counselor introductions...