Coolidge Camp and Comment on Persistence

White Pine Camp Canon EOS IDS Mark III 300mm 1/30 ISO 100 F11 5 stitched images at sunrise

Our 30th president, Calvin Coolidge, a Vermonter, spent summer time at White Pine Camp in Paul Smiths in up-state New York. Patty and I had the pleasure of sleeping in his bed in the President's cabin this weekend. The log bed is original. I think the mattress has been changed since his one term presidency ended in 1929!

You can't help learn a little about the former president while staying at this very remote and quiet camp; the camp was full and you hardly knew anyone else was there. There are large fieldstone fireplaces all over the place, including boat houses, bowling building, tennis courts, the great living room and, of course, each cabin. We must have used up a cord of wood during our two day stay. The summer, stone fireplace fires reminded us of good times gone by at Patty's family of origin northern Minnesota cabin on Gull lake.

Quiet Cal, as Coolidge was tagged, may have earned the label by spending too much time under the white pines, and fishing on Osgood Pond. He loved the camp and he loved to fish for brook trout. He was sometimes  criticized as avoiding issues while persisting on catching enough trout to feed all his quests.

Osgood Pond; where the fish hide - Canon EOS IDS Mark III 285mm 1/250 sec F11  ISO 100

Coolidge wrote about persistence. He said: "Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not: nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not: the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent." What drives persistence and determination - Love, Passion, High Priority.