Spring 2002

Welcome back to another great spring season at Stegbone's.

Always a couple of changes around the camp, and they seem to be headed in the right direction. Jim and Terry have relocated in Jacksonville to allow Jim to be closer to his new job. This also makes us about 10 minutes closer to where we would like to be all of the time. It is just as hard as ever to drag Mike away from the camp and, as always, he is doing all he can to make our guest's stay the most pleasant and comfortable possible. He is helped in this effort by his harem - Sadie, Goldie and Mocha (a chocolate lab new last July). Ronnie is back and helping us around the yard and with odd job chores. Robin is our indispensable cabin cleaner who magically appears and does a white tornado job on the cabin interiors. Terry's son Rick has been doing a great job in painting the outside of the cabins and storage buildings and by exporting his positive attitude. Between us all and with the help of a host of others, the camp seems to be working better than ever.

Every year we seem to be able to get a few additional things done in order to make our guests' stay here a bit more pleasurable. This past year we have put a metal-roofed cover over the fuel, live-well and ice areas and moved a fish freezer out there; installed a new entry sign over the road; made our new Cabin #7 more a part of the camp by doing some clean-up work and by removing some fencing; painted cabins 1, 2, 5 and most of #7 and its outbuildings; installed eight new dock piles for the slips at the south end of the dock and stabilized the finger piers going out between the boats; replaced a bunch of well pumps; and cut up a bunch of firewood for the fire-pit down by the dock. Not to mention cleaning up from high river water that brought 4 inches of water over the floor in our dock office.

As the spring season of 2002 draws to a close, we seem to be on the verge of our best one yet. We attribute this to four things that make us different from other Florida destinations - the strength of our internet site, the constant improvements our guests come to appreciate yearly, Mike's abilities as a host extraordinaire, and, of course, the wonderful, inherent, positive qualities of a genuine 1940's Florida fish camp on the St. John's River.

In the end though, we would not be here if it weren't for the genuine, warmhearted, honest and appreciative guests that return to us year after year. You are the heart and soul of Stegbone's - and of our country.

Thank you all for your continued and growing support.

Catch ya later -

Mike, Terry and Jim