The first weekend in October was a productive one up at Camp Fence. It was this weekend, that we had the pleasure of hosting all of Joel's closest friends at the camp to help with the siding and giving the cabin a major push forward.
My weekend started with a high stress dash to the airport. I left school, at what I thought was a decent time, however, when the buses are late and the traffic doesn't cooperate - it is a recipe for disaster. My flight was boarding at 6:20PM... and I made it to the PIT airport at 6:30. Yikes.
I had already spent most of the bus ride calling Paul frantically and calling United Airlines to try to book a different flight into Wisconsin somewhere, but this was the last possible departure. Dang. My only hope was to run as fast as possible and pray that security wasn't backed up out the door, like it usually is on Friday afternoons.
What happened next, I call a "Buck Intervention"... I ran out of the bus, up the stairs with my luggage and spotted the security - and... there wasn't a soul in line. I walked right up and through the Xray. It took 30 seconds to get through security. I didn't even put on my shoes, but ran to catch the next train to the terminals. I then sprinted up the escalators and to my gate. I was the last to board the plane... before they shut the doors after me. A Buck Intervention. I was going to Wisconsin! The adrenaline was rushing through my veins and I was laughing hysterically at what Buck was probably thinking watching the whole spectacle.
After a layover in Cleveland, I ran off the plane in Green Bay to be greeted by Lyssa in her Packer stocking cap, and the tan Marsh Van waiting patiently in the parking lot. We didn't blink or stop to breath before hitting the road to Camp Fence. We were bound to get up there before Midnight.
We arrived at Joel's camp full of his buddies from Seymour, Tech and beyond. It was a blast to see everyone and have them all in one place - at Joel's Camp. It was only right to let Joel's friends be the first to spend the night in his cabin. He once told Mom and Dad that we weren't going to move into the cabin early, like we did with our house and Lake Eva - he wanted to make sure it was close to done before that happened. Joel's friends had the honor of sleeping there first. As Buck would say, "Perrrrrfect."
The VanGompel's already had a chance to get a jump start on the stone wall in the front, and the next morning, the crew started with the siding - a big job to say the least! There are definitely some big walls and peaks that needed to be sided - and thanks the the hard work of many, it went up pretty fast! The boys were determined, and we ran out of siding before they could finish! Matt was leading a crew on one side of the house while the Birdseed Brother's were tackling the front peaks and all of the wicked angles that came with it, especially after Curty added another hexagon window in the peaks.
The ladies were in charge of feeding the masses, and served three feasts a day to try to keep up with the construction crew - it was quite an impressive feat! Uncle John and KJ were kind enough to let us shift the party to their place between shifts - and we had a couple grand camp shots and toast to Buck! The boys even worked through the snow which hit Camp Fence early Saturday morning! Brrrrr, another Buck Intervention if you ask me!
We really cannot thank everyone enough for all of the help during the Buck's Camp Fence work weekend, and all of the support that you continue to provide our family. There were almost 20 people that came up to the cabin to help! We are absolutely in awe of the lasting friendships that Joel had and will continue to have, and we're so inspired by all that you do.
You all have been a blessing in our life, and in Joel's.
I hope you enjoy the photos from the weekend and are able to take some of the memories with you. Feel free to download the photos from the album - and let me know if you need help doing so!
Alyce
