Timberlake Friends and Families:
Another amazing week was brought to a close on a rainy Sunday evening near warm fires and restful games indoors. For some of us, this was the end of our 9th week and the 12 remaining days feel far too few. For the Full Season campers they are also reaching the closure of their summer, but for 2nd Half boys they are only half way through their adventure. Week 6 of camp was a mix of “in and out” as many of the campers are out on backcountry trips throughout the wilds of New England and the rest remained back at camp to work on projects and enjoy the benefits of a smaller camp with just as many options to choose from. With a solid core of Program Staff in camp, we were able to offer the full range of TL programming and even reworked the morning schedule to allow all of the campers to choose an area that they wanted to focus on for the full week. It was appropriate then to fit in BIZZARO DAY right smack in the middle! As a spontaneous jolt to routine, we spent Wednesday upside down and backwards, starting the day with General Swim at 6:30 am! From there we jumped all over the place, switching up activities, having Silent Meeting after dinner (which was actually breakfast) and generally doing everything we could to laugh at the little things and include general silliness where we could. There were costumes, face paints, goofy songs and of course those numerous little surprises only TL would love! To end the day with style and flash, we held an eco-fashion show in the Upper Lodge complete with designers, models, music, a light show and photographers. If some of your boys begin a career in the fashion industry, I wouldn’t be surprised.
The rest of the week was “normal” and included good ol’ TL program as well as some new activities. Monday afternoon we got together with our friends from Indian Brook for a couple hours of shared projects, games and work and rolled right into a dinner time gathering. We also sent a group up to Flying Cloud to join in a Naming Ceremony overnight. Thursday night the staff led campers in a discussion on race and racism and I only wish that you could have been there to hear the articulate, compassionate and insightful comments made by your boys. It was a positive and hopeful evening and one that sparked a great deal of continued discussion and interest.
On Friday our Big Lodge Head Kwame Nyongo, shared with us the culture, music and language from his native Kenya and topped it all off with an incredible East African meal and a slideshow exploring his life in Nairobi. My brother Luke also shared slides from his semester studying the four legged wild things from Namibia. According to most of the campers they will now be planning to visit Kwame this year in Kenya, so expect a few requests for travel this year. Saturday was all about fun and games and the traditional end of the week Council Fire.
(Editors Note: the following paragraphs originally described photos attached in the email)
We had a Saturday game of Bulldog down on the Soccer Field. A wonderfully simple game that is wonderfully fun and if nothing else is an extended bit of exercise disguised as tag. The game starts with one “bulldog” in the center of the field attempting to catch the others as they dash from one side to the other without getting their AP (bandana) pulled in the process. There are a few campers who have the moves to juke their pursuer or spin out of the way, but most of us run as fast as we can with a big smile and gasping lungs! It is a constant blur of running bodies, yelps and laugher. When the first camper is called forward, there is a palpable anticipation in the few seconds before the mass of bodies is released to run and the chase begins. It is so great to watch children just play…
As always, each morning starts with Silent Meeting and in the last week or so I have noticed a general calming and stillness growing in the community. Where before there was a constant fidgeting and a clear unsettled energy, our family of 150 is learning to sit and beginning to cherish the silence and time together. More and more campers are also speaking from that silence and we have been so impressed with the depth and compassion in their words.
Each Tuesday night we close down the kitchen and have Cabin Cookouts, where each cabin has the chance to cook their dinner over an open fire and share time together in a more informal and more intimate setting. The cabin Aunts and Uncles (non-cabin staff connected to a particular cabin) also join in and in many ways it is like a small family reunion! I am always reminded that no matter how old a camper (or counselor for that matter) gets, a marshmallow on a stick will help anyone find their inner six year old. This is one of my favorite times of the week and I will spend part of the evening walking through camp and visiting each cabin.
As part of our East African celebration, the kitchen ordered two goats to grill for the main meal. It was a moment of learning for the campers as they were given the opportunity to see and discuss the cycle of animal to table and to take part in a traditional African goat roast. To be honest I turned out not to be a fan of goat meat, but there were plenty of campers and staff heading back for seconds. In addition to the meat, there were a series of other East African dishes of both the carnivorous and vegetarian variety. We also learned a little bit of Swahili.
As the father of a little girl, I am always fascinated by the many moods, attitudes and characters that are adolescent boys!
In one of those wonderful Timberlake moments, Brad Edwards (Program Director) received his 5 Year Knife. A long standing TL tradition, staff who work for five years are honored with a beautiful knife and the celebration and appreciation of their community. Before the knife is presented, there was the opportunity for both campers and staff to speak for Brad and it was clear that in his time at TL, he has touched many lives. Because his year round commitments were calling, he had to return home this week, but we hope to see him return for number SIX next summer.
One of the highlights of this summer has been the number of musicians that contribute both for morning songs as well as performing during Council Fire. This week we were introduced to a new “band” that should be soon taking the world by storm. With a combination of original numbers (written about a KYBO) and some popular favorites, to say the least the crowd was entertained.
But as always a new week begins and we move forward. With Fair coming up this weekend we have some work to do to prepare, including work on the giant bonfire. But we do our best to not let Saturday’s festivities overshadow all of the other adventures planned for the week, especially tomorrow’s final Adventure Day and a live band that will be performing for TL and IB at Ken’s Lodge on Wednesday. We are hoping to see some of you this weekend at Fair, but also know that for many of you it will not be possible. I will be sending along Closing Day information later this week, but wanted to include the following link: http://www.farmandwilderness.org/events-and-retreats/alumni-bbq. I also wanted to throw out a couple of other lodging options:
The Snowed Inn (listed on the F&W site)
The Maple Crest Inn: http://www.smithmaplecrestfarm.com/Bed_and_Breakfast.html (tell them Margaret Thompson and Martin Brown sent you!)
We also hope that some of you will join us on Sunday morning at TL for more visiting and songs. The schedule for Sunday is as follows:
Sunday August 10th
7:30 Breakfast. Visitors are not invited
9:00 Visitors can start arriving and join us for coffee and songs at the Upper Lodge
10:00 (6 BELL) Silent Meeting – 45 minutes in length. All invited.
11:45 (2-Bell) Visitors say their good-byes and head for home.
Tulio Browning will be the new Timberlake Director starting at the close of this season and arrived yesterday to spend the remainder of this summer as a part of the community. Here is Tulio’s email: tulio@farmandwilderness.com. Those of you coming for Fair or for Pick-Up will have the chance to meet him. You can visit this link on the F&W website for more information about the Timberlake Director transition: http://www.farmandwilderness.org/news-and-links/news
These next two weeks will be exciting ones and we are doing our best to enjoy every single moment together.