Good Morning! It’s another stunning day here at Timberlake. We got through that rainy Saturday where 3 inches fell and since then it’s been glorious.
Here’s what’s been happening so far:
The Food
After living in a Mediterranean country for over a decade, I have to start with the food! The first night, there were ten serving bowls on the table including pasta, home-made Alfredo, Basil, Meat and Vegan Marinara and focaccia bread, baked at TL with garlic and herbs from our gardens. Other highlights include a hearty seitan loaf, garlic and rosemary stuffed pork loins with Yukon gold potatoes and gravy. But the meal that got the highest accolades from returning campers simply stunned me. It was a salad bar. I never thought at TL a salad bar would win over our boys but there were 17 toppings including three types of lettuce, a massaged kale being the most popular. Four home-made dressings, bacon bits, and chicken noodle soup won over the pickiest of eaters.
The Activities
We jumped straight in and began to lay planks down and the new multi-tiered deck aka “The Ziggeraut” was finished in a few days. Swim checks happened in less than ideal weather, but since then we have had some great instruction, including one-on-ones with our Red Cross Water Safety Instructors. Older campers who want to leave a legacy are walking the woods flagging the new trail to connect the Upper Lodge to our old Outdoor Living Skills area. And in OLS they build a giant, multi-person bow drill. Barns and gardens have a dedicated following. They have milked goats, moved sheep’s pasture, made ice cream from our own milk and set up a weather station. The six oldest cabins left on trips on Sunday and will return Monday to tell the tale. The way all three trips prepared and departed so seamlessly bode well for well-prepared trips.
The Community
Songs have been up to the high energy we expect from our very own Trading Post Legends. Singing together brings us together and at full camp, this means a dining hall full of campers and stage full of performers. With trips out and a few staff on day off, our band consisted of a guitar, bass clarinet, and toy drum set leading (50) 9-11-year-olds in “Space Oddity” and “Sixteen Tons”. We rocked it!
Silent meeting follows, with the opposite energy – we are gathered silently in the woods and even the most fidgety campers have managed to settle into silence. After we break the silence, I heard profound appreciation for the trees and nature, summarized by the sentiment of how the height and size of the trees remind us of how small we really are and if people could realize that, there wouldn’t be so many wars in this world. Quaker values of peacemaking coming unprompted from our youngest campers. It’s been a great week.
Peace,
Tulio
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