Louisa Enright's Blog

Interesting Information:  December 16, 2014

A Thanksgiving Family Retreat 2014

Going to Camp St. Christopher near Seabrook, SC, was Tami Enright’s idea.

The Montessori charter school that Mike and Tami’s children attend uses this camp in the fall to immerse children in nature, and Tami has been a chaperone every year.

When she discovered that the camp sponsors a family Thanksgiving retreat, she asked if we all thought it might be a good idea.

We did, and it was.

What I most loved about it was that we really did spend quality time with each other, rather than working ourselves to death to prep, serve, and clean up for a Thanksgiving feast.  We were 11, and next year we will be 12 in number–and that’s without all the other family living in the area whom we all love to see as well.  The people who really get lost in the Thanksgiving hub-bub, I think, are the children.  I, for one, feel I have limited time with my family, and I loved spending it BEING WITH THEM, not just being in the same geographic area that they are while we all shop, cook, and clean up.

The time we spent together at Camp St. Christopher was spent really being together, and it was lovely.

Ailey is our Thanksgiving baby–and this year she was FOUR.  So, Corinne and Bryan hosted us the night before we left for Camp St. Christopher for a dinner to celebrate Ailey’s birthday:

Here are my grandchildren on the porch of the big cottage filled with bunks where we “camped” out.

There was a beach to walk–the camp sits on the mouth of the North Edisto River as it enters the Atlantic:

This littliest one, Cyanna, was pretty exhausted by Saturday morning from trying to “keep up” with all the action.

Mike and I enjoyed the spectacular sunset one night:

There was a herpetarium and a man who loved sharing his knowledge of snakes.  Here’s Kelly with a corn snake.  There was, also, a coach whip snake.  I’ve always wanted to see one, and now I have.  They are very long, very fast (hence the name) and night hunters.

There was a gym with all sorts of balls:

And, a climbing wall that ALL the children tried, but Cyanna:

Bowen and Kelly made it to the top

As did Talula, after Wilhelmina succeeded in going higher than Talula did on her first try:

Here’s Wilhelmina getting ready:

And, Ailey, with Dad Bryan:

Both Talula and Wilhemina began to learn to knit this trip:

Here’s the scarf Talula and I made for her–I sent the Noro silk/wool/nylon yarn to her for her birthday in September.

Here’s Bowen showing us the dining room where we ate three meals a day:

There were so many special moments around our two tables, like this one between cousins:

All the children LOVE Uncle Joey (Tami’s gorgeous brother) and Aunt Megan (Joey’s gorgeous wife).  That’s their son Meyer with the green ipad next to Ailey.  They came down to us for Thanksgiving day.

I posted earlier about the resident alligator.

Fortunately (or not) it was a bit too cold for us to kayak, but we would have been fine in the river, as you can see from the beach picture above.

Next year, maybe…

But, in any case, I think taking time for a retreat as a family is time well spent.

Thank you Camp St. Christopher.

PS:  Don’t you love the way ferns and moss grow on the live oaks in the Low Country?