First and Big Lodge have been out on trips – more about them soon. What important for parents of First and Big lodgers is know that the oldest kids in the camp are doing a great job of showing how positive the “big kids” can be.
Saturday July 3rd.
Does mixing up 8 cabins of 13-14 year old girls and boys sound productive? Well, it was! The Senior Lodges of Indian Brook and Timberlake got together on Saturday July 3rd and hauled brush, chopped wood and started to build our Interdependence Day fire for July 9th. We feasted on 21 pans of home-made pizza and had a swim in the cove. There was spontaneous dancing and singing over dinner, and guitars and songs during the evening (Including “Bohemian Raphsody” from TL and “Closer to Fine” from IB). My favorite comment from a Senior Lodger was “It wasn’t awkward at all”.
Sunday July 4th. Build it up!
Cabin raising has started well. Dan Reagan, whose mother was one of the first campers at Indian Brook, is putting his timber-framing skills to work with us today and over the next few days. Other Snr Lodger were improving the trail to Catamount cabin, building cabin signs, putting in a new “Slack-Em” stump, and continuing to build up the brushpile for the fire.
Life Skills
…is a phrase you’ll hear often. Perhaps so often it loses meaning. At TL, I see an incredible work ethic coming from our young leaders of the oft-maligned ages of 13-14. I bear witness to boys that are at the kitchen at 6.00am sharp (a half hour before the 3-bell) to voluntarily help with baking and food prep. I see teenagers doing their morning chores at 9.00pm before bed so they can sleep in. I see a young man new to TL brave enough to speak up and correct a counselor to make sure boy and girls were evenly divided for our work projects with IB. It gives me a lot of hope for the future working with these young men.