Registration!

September 25 - 27, 2020. Registration will open in spring!

Tuesday, July 7, 2015

Visit the Mt. Kearsarge Indian Museum

We try to schedule at least one 'off camp' event at Great Escape each year, and this year we've planned a trip to the Mt. Kearsarge Indian Museum.  Our friend Mel loved this place, and used to 'sneak out' to visit almost every time she was at GE.
The story of the founding of the museum is touching, I think.  Here's an excerpt from the website.

"In 1929 Grand Chief Sachem Silverstar visited a second grade classroom. Silverstar emphasized the uniqueness of each individual and their interconnectedness to all other life. He told the children that within each of them was a special power, a talent, that could make the world a better place and that he hoped to someday hear how each and every one of them had made a positive difference. That same year, on summer vacation at his grandfather’s farm in Connecticut, Bud Thompson found an arrowhead and his lifelong love of American Indian artifacts was cemented.

Bud and his wife, Nancy, were troubled by the harm being done to the environment by greed and apathy. Bud and Nancy set in motion a plan to create an education and cultural center – a “Museum with a Voice” to pass along Silverstar’s message. The artifacts would inform the study of cultures that understood how to live harmoniously with this land so as to leave it fruitful and beautiful for generations to come. With this in mind, the Museum galleries, grounds and gardens were designed as teaching tools while also functioning as tranquility zones in which visitors would find respite from the hectic pace of modern life."

Silverstar and the Thompsons are people who have lived our Girl Scout law and a trip to the museum will be both informative and fun!   (And yes, there's a museum store for your shopping fix, as well as a tranquility trail to soothe your soul.)

Friday, July 3, 2015

Full Workshops

Only 27 days until Early Bird Registration closes!  A few workshops are already full, but lots are open still. Register now - remember, it's $10.00 off before August 1st.

Wednesday, July 1, 2015

Coolest GS Camp Ever?

Where can you go if you're a Girl Scout?  How about camping at the White House?
To celebrate Girl Scouts' new outdoor badges and our partnership with the National Park Service, 50 girls and their leaders camped out in a National Park - the White House. As everyone knows, Girl Scouts love to sing and their 'fire circle' included a couple of fun loving landlords.


The requirements for the new badges are online here:
Brownie Outdoor Adventurer:

Junior Horseback Riding:

Cadette Archery:

Senior Paddling:

Ambassador Ultimate Recreation Challenge:
https://system.na1.netsuite.com/core/media/media.nl?id=841224&c=317771&h=613fcd57ad2e0abc7916&_xt=.pdf&ck=QA_kBhYDAsQ7xsj7&vid=QA_kBhYDAsk7xqZo&cktime=131814&addrcountry=US&gc=clear

Monday, June 29, 2015

What is Chalk Paint?

( This has been one of the most popular posts on this blog so I've updated it as of December 2019.)

The first answer is - it's not chalkboard paint!
Chalky finish paint would be a better name!  It's paint that contains a binder, such as talc or plaster of paris, which helps the paint stick to the object. The finish is matte - not glossy or shiny.  It may be called mineral paint, or plaster paint. You can buy paint premixed with the binder, such as Annie Sloan Chalk Paint (the original invented 25 years ago by a British woman) or many other brands.  See the Annie Sloan website at


This finish is often associated with the 'shabby chic' aesthetic. The biggest draw is that when you paint furniture, you don't need to sand or strip the old finish first.  (Although there are exceptions to that rule - in fact, the exceptions are probably more common than most writers will admit!)
Furniture may be painted, waxed, and sometimes distressed.  Here are some examples of chalk paint-type finished furniture for sale at Home Goods.







All very nice furniture, but you might wonder, why spend a lot of money buying furniture that looks old, but is not?  Zillions of women are now painting furniture in their homes either to get the 'in' look for cheap, or to sell!  Take a look at these blogs.

Here is an all time favorite of mine from Australia.
http://www.lilyfieldlife.com/

Many more examples are at my Pinterest Furniture board - Pinterest Furniture!

You can buy the paint in powdered form and mix it with a prescribed liquid, or you can mix your own binder with commercial paint - that way you get exactly the shade you want without having to mix colors from a limited palette available from the specialty manufacturers!  Many of the specialty manufacturers pride themselves that their paint is low VOC, if that is important to you.
One advantage of the paint is that it sticks to wood, but also to metal, ceramics, and fabric!  Recently other manufacturers have put out lines of paint - Rustoleum, Behr come to mind.  I've used the Rustoleum, not as good as Annie's but way cheaper!

Here are some of my pieces: 

Knotty pine roadside find painted in Annie Sloan Napoleonic Blue.
Another roadside find.  Used rub and buff for the turnings.  Paint is Rustoleum Charcoal and Annie Sloan Paris Grey.
Primer and original finish - more roadside trash!
Finished in Annie Sloan Paris Grey.


What goes around comes around - I remember my mother and aunt painting and distressing furniture in the 1970s.  They called it 'antiquing.'

Saturday, June 27, 2015

Beginning To Look More Like Christmas

Why is it never sunny when I need to take a progress shot of my glitter house?  It really is looking shiny and wintry - in the right light!  Note the new chimney and the snow on the roof and on the window sills.  Want to learn how to make these houses?  Sign up for the workshop at the Great Escape!

Wednesday, June 24, 2015

Cold June? Order A GE Fleece!

We're selling embroidered Great Escape fleece vests or jackets again this year. They are from LL Bean and come in 6 colors, in misses', women's or men's sizes, with an embroidered Great Escape logo on the left-hand shoulder.

Orders must be placed by August 20th to be available for pickup when you get to GE!  Go here for  details and to place your order!  People who missed the deadline last year were disappointed when they saw how warm and well made these vests and jackets were!


Here's the logo that will be on the shoulder, embroidered in bright green:
Here is the committee in their vests/jackets during the big blizzard in January - note Danielle's doing yeoman service keeping two people warm!  Navy and charcoal  were the colors of choice last year - but my hubby really looks snazzy in his royal blue!



Sunday, June 21, 2015

Early Birds Get Something Better Than Worms!

My school is out, is yours?  We've all looked forward to summer, and with the summer solstice happening tonight, I'm taking a moment of the longest day of the year to look forward to the fall equinox!  Yes, it's just three months until Great Escape! 

Remember, Early Bird registration ends on August 1 and we're about half full right now!  We offer a $10 discount to Early Birds - it's a great deal when you remember you get 4 full meals, snacks, and two nights lodging for only $45 dollars.  We researched every Girl Scout weekend in America and confirmed - ours is the best and most reasonably priced.  Any Girl Scout adult or high school senior is welcome - no matter what council you belong (or once belonged) to.

Register now to get the best choice of workshops - one is full and one is almost full!