First off, I apologize for the gap in posts. It has been a hectic midpoint to our summer here. Our community split into seven groups to embark on a separate adventures. We send out trips for a multitude of reasons. Primarily, they are fun and break up the schedule of camp. It is cool to take a break from our farm schedule to hike in the White Mountains, to canoe on the Green River Reservoir, to work with farming organizations in Burlington, or to work on a shelter at Tiny Pond. Of course, one trip stayed home and kept our farm running smoothly. There is also the two-fold group dynamic aspect. Separating into smaller groups allows campers to get to know a different set from their cabin mates or established friends. When those groups merge back together, the trip bonds merge with the previously cemented community ties. Year after year, trips prove to draw us tighter and closer. And, of course, a week on the trail would make anyone thankful for the luxuries of our outhouses!
Watching those trips return is always a pleasure for us. The hikers stepping gingerly down from the van, leaning slightly forward as if they were still wearing their packs. And, oh man, the smiles. The canoers swing their heavy arms, the campers on service projects stretch their backs. And, oh man, the smiles.
Visiting Day was the following day from those joyous reunions on our lawn and the event was a very successful one. The visit hold this natural tension of trying to show the visitors how a normal day at camp runs and how the camper is a part of this community and, at the same time, it is such a different day from anything else. I call it a success because I believe it can be a special day for family and friends. A camper watching a mother fly off the rope swing can shed new light on that relationship’s possibilities. A friend helping a camper milk the cow can foster a deeper tenderness. For campers without visitors, it is a day that can be unusual, but I appreciate how the whole group supports those campers. They are invited to join picnics and sit with families. The staff are also particularly mindful of them. So, I do believe it works for everyone involved and I want to thank anyone reading this who may have been present there.
We are on to week 5 now; we call this “push week.” The projects that were pushed aside are brought forward, we reach out to sit with those we may not have shared a meal with yet and we sign up for the work project we’ve always wanted. This is the time, when we are back as one complete group, when we grow and transform into the true essence of Tamarack Farm 2011. We even start to finish each other’s ……..
My Best,
Medicine Shield Dancer