10/11/2026
🌲🏗️ Sunday at Buttonwood – Week 38 🏗️🌲
WE DID IT!
Good morning from Buttonwood!
I'm not sure I can adequately explain how good it feels to type those three words this morning.
A few weeks ago, and honestly even earlier this past week, there were people who looked at where we were with construction and thought there was absolutely no way we were going to pull this off.
I have to admit, there were a few moments when I wondered myself. 😂
But here we are.
Every single campsite we needed to complete for the 2026 season is finished and open!
NOT ONE RESERVATION HAD TO BE CANCELED!
After months of construction, delays, mud, rain, more mud, and some extremely long days, our Buttonwood Team, Final Grade Excavation, and all of the other contractors and suppliers involved pulled off something pretty incredible.
And you know what made it even better?
Our guests LOVE the new sites!
We've received some wonderful feedback from guests staying in the expansion, along with guests from the existing campground who have walked through to check everything out.
That means a lot to me.
🏕️ Quality Over Quantity
About two years ago, I made a decision that wasn't necessarily the easiest one from a business standpoint.
I decided to eliminate approximately 40 campsites from our expansion plans.
Why?
Because I wanted to make the remaining sites wider and give our guests more room.
In the campground business, every campsite represents potential revenue. So removing 40 of them from a plan isn't exactly a small decision.
But I've always believed that we need to focus on the experience we're providing, not simply how many campsites we can squeeze onto a piece of property.
Quality over quantity.
After hearing the comments from guests this weekend, I feel even better about that decision.
I think the extra room is going to be something our guests appreciate for many years to come.
And that's exactly what I was hoping for.
🌧️ Mother Nature Couldn't Let Us Celebrate Too Long
Now, I'm not sure all those happy campers are quite as happy this morning. 😂
Because apparently Mother Nature realized we had completed our deadline and decided we needed one more reminder of what construction in 2026 has been like.
MORE RAIN!
And not just a little sprinkle.
We're getting another one of those lovely 2026 rainfalls where more than an inch comes down.
The new expansion has been graded, compacted, rolled, and rolled some more.
But with all the recent excavation and construction, the ground is still settling in places.
Add a bunch of RVs, vehicles, and heavy rain, and we've discovered a few spots that need some attention.
There are definitely some ruts we'll need to repair this week before we're completely full again next weekend.
But you know what?
I'll take fixing a few ruts over trying to finish 27 campsites in a week! 😂
That's a problem I'm happy to have.
❤️ I Have Some Pretty Amazing People Around Me
I really want to spend a little time on this because I don't think I could possibly thank everyone enough.
Final Grade Excavation, LLC
What can I say?
The amount of work their crew has accomplished over the last several weeks has been incredible.
They've been working right alongside us, dealing with the same weather frustrations and deadlines, and doing everything possible to get these sites finished.
Sporting Valley Turf Farms, Inc.
Thank you for helping us get all that beautiful instant grass and equipment needed!
And to the companies that delivered truckload after truckload of stone, sometimes when we needed it in a hurry...
Thank you!
To our electricians, utility contractors, suppliers, and every other company that had a hand in getting this section open...
THANK YOU!
I'm going to try to put together a complete list of the contractors and suppliers involved in this project because there are so many people who deserve recognition.
But I also need to say something about our Buttonwood Team.
Over the past few weeks, we've had employees out working on the new sites, laying sod, cleaning up construction areas, moving things around, and doing whatever needed to be done.
And while all of that was happening, we still had a campground full of guests!
Someone still had to answer the phones.
Check guests in.
Clean the bathhouses.
Take care of the grounds.
Run activities.
Handle problems.
And keep the existing campground operating.
Some of our employees were working directly on the expansion.
Others were holding everything together in the existing campground so the rest of us could focus on getting those new sites ready.
Every one of those roles mattered.
I've said it before, but I truly believe I have an amazing team.
And these past few weeks proved it.
Thank you to everyone who helped us get across this finish line!
🚜 My New Career Opportunity
Speaking of laying sod...
I learned how to operate another piece of equipment this week!
There's a picture and video of me running the sod installer.
I have to admit, I was getting pretty good at it.
So if this whole campground ownership thing doesn't work out, I think I may have a promising future in the landscaping business. 😂
Although after seeing how much sod we've installed over the last few weeks, I'm not sure I want to make a career out of it.
I think I'll stick with Buttonwood for now.
📶 One More Important Thank You!
I also want to give a huge shoutout to CKG Technology Solutions for getting Wi-Fi installed throughout the new expansion area!
Getting all these sites ready involved a lot more than simply putting down stone and sod.
We needed water.
Sewer.
Electric.
And, of course, Wi-Fi!
Our guests expect to be connected, and CKG helped us get that important piece of the project completed.
Thank you!
🚁 Take a Look at What We've Accomplished
Another big thank you to Dan Myers Drone Services for providing more aerial photos of the expansion!
I hope everyone enjoys looking through these pictures.
They really give you a bird's-eye view of what we've been creating.
If you've been following Sunday at Buttonwood since January, I encourage you to think back to some of those first aerial pictures.
It's pretty amazing how much the property has changed.
And we're not finished yet!
If you ever need aerial photography or video, be sure to contact Dan.
🐛 Our New Construction Weather Forecaster?
I included a picture of something a little different this week.
A woolly bear caterpillar!
Now, according to some old folklore, you can predict how harsh the upcoming winter will be by looking at the black and brown markings on these little guys.
The more brown in the middle, the milder the winter is supposed to be.
The more black, the harsher the winter.
Now, I realize this isn't exactly a scientifically proven weather forecasting method...
But after the weather we've experienced during this construction season, I'm willing to consider just about anything. 😂
Based on my amateur caterpillar research, I'm hoping this little guy is predicting a mild to moderate winter.
And that would be GREAT news!
Because we have a whole lot of construction left to complete before the 2027 season.
So what do you think?
Take a look at the picture.
Is our new Buttonwood meteorologist predicting a mild winter?
Or should I start ordering more mud boots? 😂
🏗️ So... What's Next?
We're certainly not finished with the expansion.
We're just moving into the next chapter.
This coming week, we'll be shifting some attention back to the new miniature golf course.
We still need to finish landscaping around the outside edges of the course, and hopefully we'll see some fencing installed soon.
We're also getting started on Phase 2 of the new campsites.
That means we're going right back to installing stormwater infrastructure, utilities, and preparing more areas for future campsites.
Yes...
More digging!
And we'll continue moving forward on the building wherever work can be completed.
There's still a lot to accomplish with the indoor pool, snack bar, arcade, outdoor pool, splash pad, and the rest of the expansion.
But for this Sunday, I'm going to allow myself to enjoy one accomplishment before worrying too much about the next one.
💭 One Last Thought
When we started this project, we knew it was going to be a challenge.
I don't think any of us realized just how many challenges Mother Nature and construction would throw our way.
But this past weekend reminded me of something.
It's one thing to look at a set of plans and imagine what you want to create.
It's another thing entirely to watch families actually enjoying it.
Seeing those new sites filled with RVs, families, and happy campers made all those stressful days feel a little more worthwhile.
And hearing guests tell us how much they love the new section?
That was pretty special.
We still have a long way to go.
There will be more problems to solve, more deadlines to meet, and I'm sure plenty more surprises along the way.
But this week, I'm especially proud of what our team accomplished.
We made a commitment to our guests, and we delivered.
And we did it without canceling a single reservation.
That's something worth celebrating!
Now, if you'll excuse me...
I have some muddy roads to go look at. 😂
Until next Sunday...
We'll keep bringing the smiles, getting stuff done, and keeping it real.
That's Sunday at Buttonwood – Week 38.
