The Camp Duffield Adventure

Here are some images from a fun weekend with a group from Saint Martin in the Fields Church in Grand Island, New York. We went to Camp Duffield in Delevan, New York. Camp Duffield was originally located in Allegany State Park, not as a camp, but as a yearly summer conference for young people. The name "Duffield" is in honor of the Rev. John Duffield of Olean, who passed away in 1937. According to the Camp Duffield website, the Rev. Duffield was a leader in organizing conferences for young people. The camp was moved to its present site in 1950. There are a series of camping programs for children and for adults with developmental disabilities during the summer. During the rest of the year, the camp is available for rental to groups.

About 22 people came for the camping adventure. We arrived on Friday evening and enjoyed conversation and a campfire. On Saturday morning, we were treated to a delicious breakfast of baked French toast and an egg bake. After eating that scrumptious food, we went for a hike through pine trees. They grow in long, straight rows, which was quite an amazing thing to see.

These trees are especially amazing if you look straight up.

Here we are, peering from behind those rows of trees. Notice the lovely one-point perspective in the photograph.

The last time that I was at Camp Duffield was three years ago. Since then, new tents were added to the campgrounds. Here, Mike Walker, Amy Heist, and Beth Boron pose in front of one of the tents. We stayed in cabins for the weekend and only discovered the tents when we were taking a morning hike. 

Tom and Sharon Petz peek out from inside a tent.

Trish and Ray Weiser discover the fun of peering out from a tent.

Here I am in the tent, with Ellen Valvo.

Eric Boron and Pete Schlau prefer to run through the woods.

There are many interesting things to see on the adventure. Here are mushrooms growing out of a tree.

We walked along a creek and found some interesting rocks and stones.

On this tree trunk, the mushrooms are oranges.

This is the pond at Camp Duffield.

Later in the morning, Paula Cramer, Amy Pickwell, and I took a second hike.We walked through the pine trees but went on different trails.

Of course, there were more mushrooms to photograph.

There is truly a never-ending supply of mushrooms. Since "mushroom hunter" is not on my resume, I photograph mushrooms and then leave them where they are. Some mushrooms are poisonous and will make you ill and others will cause you to pass away unpleasantly. Food is meant to be enjoyed, so I hunt for mushrooms in the supermarket! I usually don't want to skip an adventure but death by food... um... no.

Amy and Paula in a large lean-to.

After our hike, we went to enjoy lunch. No. Mushrooms were not on the menu. We had tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches. We talked and laughed and enjoyed our time together.

After lunch, I went to paint in my watercolor sketchbook. Before I could finish my painting, I was asked if I would like to hike to the waterfalls. It is a small waterfalls at the end of a moderately strenuous hike. 

Here is a group of hikers standing in front of the Duffield sign. We crossed the street and started on our hike. The hike was quite the adventure. It was steep in spots and slippery in other spots. Several people fell. Some of us avoided falling by crawling on our hands and feet. After much slipping, sliding, and climbing, we arrived at the waterfalls.

Marge Schlau enjoys being near the waterfalls.

Beth, Allison, and Eric Boron enjoy the waterfalls.

Engaged couple Allison Boron and Dave Porter add a touch of romance to the weekend adventure. They are both teachers. Allison teaches kindergarten, and Dave teaches high school science.

Here I am at the waterfalls.

Here is another photogenic mushroom.

After the fun of the hike, we walked back to the camp. There were words tacked onto trees.

After the hike, I went back to painting, finishing just before the rain started. I returned to my cabin to make sure that the camera didn't get wet. It did start to pour and, at one point, there was a tornado warning, which was very dramatic. Fortunately, there was no tornado, just rain and wind. That is why there are no pictures of the dinner or of evening activities. We had a delicious spaghetti dinner, thanks to Tom Davide and friends. Afterwards, we played a dice game called bunco. It was very entertaining and fun and there was much laughter. I had a good deal of beginner's luck, and some of my friends asked me why I had never told them that I was actually a gambler. Well, what can I say? I must never show my hand!

On Sunday morning, we had pancakes and the rest of the egg bake. We left, well-fed and happy to have spent the weekend with friends.

It was a fun weekend.