06/14/2026
🌲🏗️ Sunday at Buttonwood – Week 21 🏗️🌲
Good evening from Buttonwood.
I'm getting this week's update out a little later than usual. Between a busy campground, Hydro Havoc Weekend, Dirt Talk, tubing trips, and everything else happening around here, I'm playing a little catch-up tonight.
But wow... what a week.
💦 Hydro Havoc Is Back!
This weekend was the first of our three Hydro Havoc Weekends.
One of the videos attached shows me driving the tractor while guests on the wagon engage in a full-scale water battle with campers at their sites.
For those who have never experienced Hydro Havoc, it's exactly as chaotic as it sounds.
It's one of my favorite activities of the year.
It's also one of the most exhausting.
By the end of the weekend, I'm usually running on equal parts adrenaline, sunscreen, and poor decision-making. 😄
🌧️ From Mud... To Dust... And Back to Mud
One thing I've learned during this project is that construction always seems to present a new challenge.
For months we battled mud.
Rain delays.
Failed compaction tests.
Pumping out trenches.
Waiting for things to dry out.
Then we finally got some sunshine.
The contractors brought in a water truck to help keep dust from blowing onto the existing campground and improve the guest experience.
For about a day, I thought our biggest problem had become dust.
Then it started raining again.
Apparently Mother Nature heard my complaints about mud and decided to remind me who's in charge. 😄
🏊 Outdoor Pool Progress
This week we started to see the installation of the gutter system around the outdoor pool.
One of the photos shows a mock-up of the tile that will surround the pools.
It's exciting because we're finally getting to see some of the finishing details rather than just concrete, steel, and dirt.
Every week it starts looking a little more like a pool and a little less like a construction project.
🏗️ The Building Is Rising
The biggest visual change this week was the arrival and installation of structural steel.
The steel er****on process has officially begun.
If everything stays on schedule, within the next two and a half weeks you'll be able to see the full skeleton of the indoor pool, snack bar, and arcade building.
Guests staying with us over the next few weeks will get a front-row seat to watching cranes lift and place steel beams.
It's pretty impressive to watch.
We did hit one small snag.
Six pillars were poured about 2 feet 8 inches too high, which means some of the steel didn't quite line up as planned.
That will need to be corrected, but fortunately the crews should be able to continue working on other sections while those pillars are fixed.
Construction always finds a way to keep things interesting.
💪 Helping with the Steel
One of the pictures this week shows me moving some of the steel by hand.
My original plan was to install the entire building that way and save the crane rental expense.
Unfortunately, someone pointed out that the crane was already scheduled to be there anyway.
So I guess we'll let the professionals handle it. 😄
🚧 Project Signage and a Groundbreaking
This week we also installed project signage at the site.
The main sign shows the campground map and vision for the project.
The supporting signs recognize some of the key companies helping make all of this happen:
• Design Build Custom Construction
• Final Grade Excavation
• JEM Group
• Juniata Valley Bank
We also had a project meeting with many of the contractors, engineers, architects, and vendors involved in the project.
Since we had so many people together, we decided to take a ceremonial groundbreaking photo.
Yes, I realize we've already moved a mountain of dirt.
But I've always wanted to be in one of those pictures holding a fancy golden shovel. 😄
Representatives from Design Build, JEM Group, Juniata Valley Bank, Final Grade Excavation, HRG, Wallover Architects, Vision Pools, and our family were all there.
If one of those shovels had actually been made of gold, I probably would have headed straight to the bank and made a payment on that expansion loan.
🚣 Operations Continue
While construction continues, campground operations keep moving forward too.
The winery shed is now open 7 days a week.
Our Wednesday activities begin this week.
Eventually we'll have activities happening all seven days of the week.
I think I can handle that... maybe. 😄
Tubing season is also in full swing.
This past Saturday alone we put out 54 tubing trips in addition to all the Hydro Havoc rides.
Our team has been doing an incredible job keeping everything moving.
🎥 Looking Ahead
I think the next few weeks are going to be some of the most exciting yet.
The timelapse camera should capture the building steel going up rapidly.
The outdoor pool continues to progress.
Utilities are moving toward future campsites.
And for the first time, guests can really start to see the vision taking shape.
Not just on paper.
Not just on a map.
But in real life.
Thank you for continuing to follow along on this journey.
Thank you for your patience.
Thank you for your support.
And thank you for giving us the grace to build something special while continuing to operate a busy campground at the same time.
Until next Sunday...
We'll keep bringing the smiles, getting stuff done, and keeping it real.
That's Sunday at Buttonwood – Week 21.
