We have to appreciate them. They scrub the place until it is unreasonably clean. The carry canoes, they cook, they tow. They came here to take care of people, and they’re really good at it. By this time in the summer, they are the heart of Tuscarora. It makes me a little misty to think of them, and the uniqueness that they each bring to peoples’ experiences here..

Even if Haley didn’t really come from a primitive log cabin in Michigan, she fits the profile. She’s as spunky as the lost boys from Never Never Land. And sometimes she carries a hatchet on her belt. Can’t you just tell how likable she is?

Megan worked for most of May and June. She was the creator of the orange popsicles in this photo….which were actually frozen old oranges. We liked her energy and creativity, and we missed her when she left even if it meant that our sliced cheese staff food orders dropped by 50%.

Little Ben took to Carl—and so have we. Carl knows a lot of things about a lot of political science , and he also can hustle around the canoe yard and get it all done. We give him an A.

Shelby has had one great summer, and sometimes she even finds time to work at Tuscarora.

Here’s Juan (on the left)……., a great guy and a worthy fisherman. The fact that I sent him to Clearwater landing instead of Duncan didn’t phase him one bit on the phone just now.. It’s fun to have him here–he loves the woods so much, he spends all his spare time in a boat—-and I don’t think anybody can touch him in the fishing contest of the summer.

You might think Daniel looks disappointed because the rules of the fishing contest say that he will have to open his tackle box for the winner to choose a lure. Actually though, I think Dan simply knows that, although he reached 6 feet this summer, his mother who brought him into this world, could still take him out if she wanted to.

Maggie is the Tuscarora veteran, and is as competent at transporting canoes, as giving fishing advice, as cleaning cabins. We love it that she chose to come back this year….some day she is going to be a big cheese at the DNR, just you watch.

Allie got to pick out the Upper Lakes Ice cream flavor, because it’s already time for her to go. She was the latest to arrive this summer, but she caught on quickly, and she tends to run wherever she needs to go. If we’re lucky, I think you might get to see Allie here next year. She is upbeat, and never gets caught in any dramarama.

Andrew isn’t coming to dinner for the next couple of weeks: he’s busy harvesting blueberries and fish. He’s staying on for the winter at Tuscarora. I sort of admire his Sam Gribley (My Side of the Mountain) approach. He’s a quiet guy who spent the first couple months working in a cowboy hat. And he has the best story for “what’s the hardest thing, physically, that you’ve ever done.” Ask him.

Well, we definitely could hand the business over to Rachel and her many talents. She politely keeps her accounting ideas in her head, but we know they could be bubbling forth. Her photo of Abbie from last fall appeared in the Chicago Tribune AND the Milwaukee journal. This year she manages all the food we eat–and holds it all together splendidly.

You can’t imagine how funny Anne is. Everybody has learned to perk their ears in her direction…when she says things like “Anne likes it when Sue talks in the 3rd person.” It makes me chuckle a little just thinking about her. Also, she’s a movie expert, and she knows everything there is to know about the constitution…and the presidents…and….I don’t think she even needs to sing any songs to let us in on that.

Aren’t we lucky Jamie came back for another summer with us?—last time she worked here was in 2007. The guests who just left kept complementing Jamie on her food packing and canoe lifting skills–telling her that she just put her masters degree to good use. Jamie just laughs it off–one of her biggest skills is her ability to shrug off the size of a task, and just tackle anything with competence and good humor.

I am grateful for the way that they take care of the Tuscarora guests–but the part that they weren’t hired for, and the most amazing thing I think, is the way that they take care of us.

Cheers to the Tuscarora Summer Staff 2011.