A Letter from Our Founding Director

Dear Friends,

I hope this email finds you healthy and safe. Even though we have been under stay-home orders for more than a month now, the situation continues to be unsettling. Here at Camp Blue Spruce, it’s testing our adaptability and our patience. It’s not easy to be uncertain about the future!

One thing we are certain about - the sense of belonging and community our campers look forward to each year is VERY important and will be even more important after this long isolation. We continue to hope that we will be able to do this with our traditional in-person camp, but there is a chance that this summer may not look like all the summers that have come before or any of the summers that will come after. We are monitoring recommendations from the CDC, the American Camping Association and the Oregon Health Authority, and we will keep you informed as we weigh our options.

We were disappointed that the Food-Free Fun egg hunt could not be held in early April. That event brings together families from across the region to enjoy a springtime tradition without the risk of finding a plastic egg full of candy you can’t eat. We are looking forward to bringing the food allergy community back together again for our Teal Pumpkin Party in October.

The spring session of our online peer mentoring program is in full swing. Allergy Pals and Allies USA brings kids together as a community via an online platform and is needed now more than ever! We are feeling pretty proud of our early adoption of Zoom and that this proven successful program is able to provide some comfort during these unusual times.

I've been thinking about our wonderful camp song that was written by Kyle Dine and a group of campers back in 2014. We sing:

The place we go every year, Camp Blue Spruce
Happiness is always here, Camp Blue Spruce
When we leave we shed a tear, Camp Blue Spruce
Worry-free, you and me, Camp Blue Spruce

Let's remember that no matter what happens, we are still your worry-free happy place!

My best to you all,

Louise aka Rudy

Louise Tippens aka Rudy Rutabaga Riversong
Founding Director

Earth is Passing through Rock Debris from a Comet on April 22!

Our good friend, Astronomer Jim, is offering some guidance for Stargazing this month.
These suggestions are easy-to-see star, planet, and moon groupings that can be observed with only your eyes or a pair of binoculars. If you have a small telescope, that means that you could see them even better!

Note: If you have any questions that you would like to pose to “Astronomer Jim,” please reply to this message, and we will forward them to him. He will try to answer them directly, and he might put some of them in next month’s column!

April Evenings:

• The planet Venus is the “evening star” and is very bright, much more than any stars. At the beginning of the month, Venus will be at ½-phase (just like a ½-phase moon, but appears to be smaller). The ½-phase will just barely be observable in binoculars.
• By the end of April, Venus will appear larger as it moves closer to Earth and instead of a ½-phase will become a ¼-phase.

April Mornings

• On the very early morning of the 22nd (less so on the 21st or 23rd), before twilight, the Earth will pass through rock debris once left by Comet Thatcher. Meteors of approximately 20 or more per hour can be expected. If you can, it would be best to go to a place with dark skies to observe the meteors, which are called the Lyrid meteor shower. Meteors are definitely best to see after midnight, when the rotation of the Earth puts a person moving dead-on toward the rock rubble left by the comet.

• Jupiter rises about 3:00 am and will be, besides the moon, the most visible object in the sky (Venus will have set by that time). If you hold your binoculars very steady, you may be able to see one two of the four Galilean moons that Galileo was the first to see with his telescope.
• Saturn rises about 30 minutes later than Jupiter and is about the width of an extended fist to the left of Jupiter. It is bright, although not as bright as Jupiter. It has a definite yellow hue. Binoculars aren’t powerful enough to see its rings, but with even a small telescope you could!
• Mars rises at about 4:00 am, about one fist-width further to the left of Saturn. Mars is definitely reddish and not as bright as either Jupiter of Saturn. But a fun thing to see will be all three of them right in a row!

Join us for some fun camp activities while the kids are out of school. We’re posting fun crafts, songs to learn, nature activities, and even some astronomy on our Facebook and Instagram @campbluespruce! Post a comment and share photos of how these activities are working with your family.

Siegfried Was a Slug…..

….but he’s not your average bug. In case you missed it on our Facebook and Instagram (@campbluespruce), enjoy this super fun video of some of our rock star counselors singing about Siegfried the Slug from their separate abodes!

Head Outside and Plant Some Seeds!

As we walk around our Portland neighborhoods, we are amazed at how beautiful everyone’s yard is! Gardening is a great activity during a quarantine. Our Nature Coordinator, Wahkeena, made us a video about making your own mini greenhouse to start seeds. It’s a wonderful way to get to know nature.

As you know, many businesses are struggling during this pandemic. Please support our amazing corporate supporters with your business this spring and make sure these allergy-friendly companies are here when we come out the other side of the pandemic. Most of our sponsors have product available in the grocery stores and/or take orders online. Rudy and her family just got a box of chocolates in the mail – what a treat! You can find links to all our sponsors on our website.

It will Change Your Life and the Lives of Your Campers

We are optimistic about camp and are still working hard to create an amazing team at Camp Blue Spruce this summer. Make a huge difference in the lives of our campers and learn skills that will serve you throughout your life. Camp is an amazing experience. You want to be there!

We are looking for program staff, cabin counselors, and kitchen staff. Apply today and join a team of camp professionals who build optimism and community, even in times of uncertainty and fear.

Camp Blue Spruce's vision is that all children and families living with food allergies have a sense of belonging, trust, and community.

Camp Blue Spruce provides children with food allergies a summer camp experience where they can be independent, confident, and worry-free