Fall Update from Eddie

By:  Eddie Brill, 3rd Generation Family Member and Manager

Dear Capon Friends,

Here we are a few days after Labor Day weekend, a wonderful summer behind us, and the fall colors looking us in the face. The unseasonably cool temperatures, especially at night, and lower humidity during the day made for great weather days at Capon this summer.  It was great seeing so many familiar faces enjoying that great summer weather.

This season is ending up to be the most numbers of people ever visiting in one year, averaging 220 people a day for 70 days straight since.   We got to see people that we haven't seen for a few years as well as many new faces that came through our front door.  It is great to see so many families meet here from all over the country and just enjoy the outdoors, being together, porch sitting, or enjoying a homemade meal together.  In the hustle bustle of day to day life it is a rarity to see people taking time to just enjoy each other's company.

Eddie, age 2

Ginny and I have some great news to share with you.  Some of you may have heard already over the summer when you arrived for your time with us here at Capon Springs: Our daughter, Megan and her husband Brian are expecting their first child, a son and our first grandchild!  They are expecting him to arrive in about 8 weeks which will be around the time Capon will be closing for the season.  It has been a long time since we had a little one in our household, needless to say we will get our baby fix right away and then all winter long.  I didn't tell them but I have been ready to be a grandfather for awhile now and can't wait until his arrival.

The baby's Uncle Sam, "Farmer Sam", has increased the size of his cattle herd, Scottish Highland cows, from four to seven.  The anticipated arrival of 3 baby calves this spring was a welcomed sight on the scenic Hilltop property by the second fishing pond.  Sam has also been busy with his lady friends, 200 red sexlink laying hens that lay brown eggs, supplying Capon with about half of the amount of eggs needed to serve those high guest counts during the summer with brown eggs for poached and fried eggs  for breakfast.  The mobile chicken house Sam built has made a wonderful home for those ladies where they can go outside to roam and scratch for food on the ground and come inside when weather is bad when they want.  His 15 piglets purchased in June for kids to feed left over bread and rolls to at Hog Heaven, are doing well and getting big and fat.  Sam's friendly sidekick - loveable 100 pound dog, (a Rhodesian Ridgeback mix), Leonard will greet anyone he comes in contact with.  He will definitely give you a lick on the face if you want him to.  Sam could show you some of the tricks he has taught him if you ask about it.

Ginny and I plan to go on a trip out west at the end of November with my brother and his wife and then to the beach sometime in February for our summer in the winter beach trip.  We hope this update finds all of you doing well and we are still open for another two months so we may still see some of you before we have to close for the winter.  We wish all of you a colorful fall! 

Take care,

Eddie

Guest Blog Post: Family Time at Capon

We are bringing you a guest blog post today from long-time guest, Paige Wolf.  Paige writes about some of her favorite memories shared with family and friends and what makes Capon so special to her.  Take it away, Paige!

"Capon has been part of my life since 1972 when my parents wanted to find a place to take their 2 year old and golf. They found the perfect fit in Capon Springs and I haven’t missed a year since. As a young child, I have fond memories of playing on the playground, swimming in the pool, and eating lots of ice cream. 

As my family settled into “our week” in 1980, we developed close friendships with other Capon guests.  It has been truly wonderful to see my children repeat the cycle with their Capon friends.  As these pictures may capture, the technology-free activities (e.g., ping pong, hiking, shuffleboard) create authentic moments and connections among people of all ages.   

While there is a lot of downtime for spontaneous fun, there is so much to do that I created a schedule so that I was sure to get everything in!

	Before Breakfast	Morning	Afternoon	Night
Sun			Golf	Socialize on Porch
Mon	Tennis	Golf	Golf w/ kids; Pool	Dinner on the Hill; Kid’s Softball; Hayride
Tues	Tennis/ Walk	Golf Tourney	Frisbee Golf; Relax; Mile Race	Fishing; Live Music
Wed	Walk/ Exercise Room	Tennis Tourney	Father/ Son Golf Tourney; Massages	Family Bath Night; BINGO
Thurs	Walk/ Exercise Room	Kid’s Shuffleboard; White Cliff or Golf	Golf; Ping Pong Tourney	Dinner on the Hill; Adult Softball
Fri	Sleep in	Golf Tourney	Badminton Tourney; Free Throw Contest	Shuffleboard playing/watching; Patio Dancing
Sat	Walk/ Exercise Room	Hike to Eagle Rock	Golf	Adult Shuffleboard Tourney; Bonfire

As you can see, you can be quite busy at Capon. But you can also take time to catch up on sleep, read, or chat with others. As I’ve gotten older, I find the simple peacefulness of Capon and the mountain air of West Virginia is truly restorative both physically and mentally. And, best of all, you don’t have to cook!"

What are some of YOUR favorite things to do as a family at Capon?  What makes Capon special to YOU?

Capon Art Workshop Leaves Lasting Impression

By: Capon guest Bill Beckler, NY, NY who has been a regular visitor since early childhood

Like many kids who grew up coming to Capon, our family made the annual trip each summer. In our case, living in Florida, that meant a 1000 miles trek. While I loved those regular family outings and have continued with my own kids, I had no idea watercolor painting at Capon would change my life. In fact, I had no idea they even had watercolor painting at Capon.

My only intention on that particular trip was to have Janna, the girl who swept me off my feet, to pass "the Capon test". It just so happened to coincide with the annual watercolor workshop with master artist, Fran Call. Honestly, I was embarrassed by what I considered my artistic handicap, but Janna had an interest in water color and I was in love, so we tried it. At first, when we walked in and I saw the teacher's watercolor masterpieces displayed around the room, I wanted to run out. Then I saw there were a few kids in the class who were as eager as Janna, and I bucked up for the challenge. In fact the teacher was great for all levels of painting. She covered the basics in a way that was entertaining for the old pros, and she covered advanced techniques in a way that was useful to a total newbie like me. When we finished anything she helped us feel like the next Picasso. Janna and I were in love and painting together in one of earth's great paradises was the height of happiness.

We got married a month later. We brought a set of watercolors paints and papers on our honeymoon to Croatia and painted the sunset together from our rocky island in the Adriatic Sea. Since then we have traveled the world, living in four countries and having three kids, and in each home we have hung on our walls our watercolor clovers from Capon Springs and sunsets from Croatia. Now I'm not saying that same experience is going to happen for you if you come to Fran's program this year.... but I'm not saying it won't!

Fran Call returns in 2015 for her 20th year: May 31- June 3; Sept. 27-Oct 1. Come be inspired by her wit and whimsy as she adds a 4th day of instruction to her popular program. All abilities welcome. You are encouraged to bring your own supplies or buy them during the workshop. Bonus: On the last evening, have other guests admire your work at the popular Artist Show as everyone enjoys live music from a local dynamic duet.