Yesterday we saw slow-roasted goats at Flying Cloud; summer transformed into a winter landscape at Timberlake; and tables turned into birds nests at Indian Brook. Young children enjoyed a dinner cooked over an open fire during their overnight trip at the Barn Day Camp. The sun shines today on Pickup Day for our overnight camps’ first session and the Barn Day Camp’s second session, with parents hailing from California, Pennsylvania, France and countless locales in between.
The events to note of the past week include Nutmeg’s birth of a calf, caught on film, and sadly the calf’s twin, stillborn hours later in the quiet of the barn. While life blossoms among our healthy crops, it is a reminder how precious our existence is, and how special are these moments in our wilderness and world. Your children’s energy, enthusiasm, and passionate voices lift everyone’s spirits here.
This week, I visited Indian Brook to continue the name change conversation begun last year. The thoughts and perspectives of this summer’s campers and staff were added to the other voices and perspectives we’ve heard. F&W’s Management Team will make a recommendation to the Board of Trustees on whether to keep or change the name in the fall. What we’ve learned, most importantly, is that there’s an opportunity to regain some of the lessons lost about our roots, about Native American/American Indian cultures and beliefs.
Tamarack Farmers left on Sunday for their trips, and the silence, sans teens, was palpable. Timberlake was visited by the American Camping Association (ACA) on Monday for its accreditation evaluation and passed with high marks. The visit provided conversation, ideas, and insights about our practices. The visiting evaluators are camp professional themselves, and often gain some ideas to bring back their respective camps. Megan (IB) and Tulio (TL) did one-day visits on behalf of ACA to other camps this summer.
We received some positive news yesterday afternoon from the sheriff who has been leading the investigation of the Flying Cloud incident (see blogs 7.7.17, 7.14.17). The sheriff found and spoke with the individual who walked through Flying Cloud on July 5th. The individual, who was very apologetic about the trouble he had caused inadvertently, told the sheriff that he had no intention of harming anyone and said he would not return to the Flying Cloud area.
Full season campers will have a special intercamp day tomorrow at SAM Camp as we get ready to reset for second session families arriving Sunday 1pm-4pm. We are thankful for our community, the natural surroundings that sustain and inspire us, and for you and your children, for being a part of our magical world here in Plymouth, Vermont.
In peace,
Rebecca Geary