 On Sunday, we celebrated our second annual World Culture Day. I hope you enjoy this summary from Senior Counselor Kellen Rooney.
Yesterday we had our annual culture day at Timanous which celebrates the many countries and cultures that make up our community at camp! This includes meals from different cuisines, language classes, and activities taught by campers to their peers and counselors. We started the day by walking into the barn and seeing the flags of all the different countries strung up in the rafters. From Japan to Germany, over a dozen countries were represented and celebrated. The three meals of the day were all inspired by non-American cuisine. This includes Latin-America burritos for lunch and a Chinese dinner including potstickers, eggrolls, and sesame beef. The campers loved the new foods served and I personally hope the eggrolls make their return sometime soon. A highlight of the afternoon was a "World Cup" soccer tournament where campers represented different countries and played teams mixed between lower and upper bunklines. It was a perfect, sunny day and we all can't wait for culture day next year here at camp. Here we are, five weeks into the camp season, and ten days into the second half. We are in a wonderful place. Our new campers are incredibly well acclimated to all elements of camp and are now going deeper into their understanding of what is possible here, from honing skills in sailing to working on a project at woodshop to the simple joys of outdoor life on a lake in Maine. And I must compliment our veteran campers as they are really showing our newest campers the Timanous way.
I am thrilled with their leadership, from modeling the correct attitude and mindset at events like Chapel and Council Fire, to taking time to be kind and friendly as we walk around camp. The weather this week has been much more comfortable than last weekend, as the evenings are cool for sleeping and the days just warm enough to make getting into the lake a very pleasant experience. Many of our older boys are exploring the natural beauty of Maine through our second-half camping trips. Last week we had one group summit Mt. Katahdin, while another enjoyed exploring Rangeley Lake State Park. This week, a group went to Mt. Blue State Park and hiked Tumbledown Mtn. The group returned today with stories of successful hiking and sleeping out under starry skies. Today at lunch, Consulting director Dave Suitor offered up another installment of his popular “History with Dave” announcements. He showed a wooden triangular frame with lots of bisecting sections. It almost looked like the lattice work of a window frame. Turns out it was a model of the bridge that campers used to use to walk over the Plains Rd. to our barn for meals. Yes, Timanous campers used to commute to meals across a bridge! Our barn is filled with amazing artifacts and history. We look forward to savoring the days ahead as they will fly by! Head Counselor Reid Temple shares his thoughts on the first day of the second session!
The weather from yesterday cleared and it was another sunny and beautiful day at Timanous! It was the first full day of the second half and we wasted no time in opening up all activities for our new campers after an afternoon of orientation yesterday. There were scores of enthusiastic campers taking part in archery, riflery, sailing, nature, woodshop, and various sports on the field. I had the pleasure of leading two archery periods in the morning where many campers shot rounds and learned new skills. A moment that really stood out for me was two new Mallards shooting together on the firing line for their first period of the summer. After each shot that landed on the target they were both eager to congratulate each other and celebrate their accomplishments! It was certainly a glorious day at camp, and a great way to start the second half! Additionally, many of our sailors went to O-At-Ka for some sailing races where we earned first place in the regatta! Congrats to them for their hard work and good sportsmanship! Just a brief update after a full day. Our second-half campers arrived today, and everyone is settled in. The heavy rains from this afternoon and evening certainly didn’t dampen our spirits as the entire camp stayed in our barn after dinner for a night of introductions, songs, games and orientation. The rains have cleared, followed by a windy evening and calls from the loons on the lake. It's a perfect night to be tucked into bed in the cabins.
It’s been an exciting and full day. We love having these campers here. We look forward to the next three weeks.  I hope you enjoy the latest from our guest blogger, Senior Counselor Danny Alonso.
July 13 marked the age-old Timanous tradition of Beach Day. After breakfast, campers, counselors, nurses, cooks, and everyone else packed into buses and made the 45 minute journey to Maine’s famous Scarborough Beach State Park. The weather was perfect, the ocean a clear and beautiful blue, and the beach nearly empty; we knew it was going to be a fantastic day. Some campers spent hours in the ocean jumping waves. Whenever the largest wave came through, everyone would yell “party wave!” with enthusiasm. Many spent the morning building large sand castles to compete for a candy prize. When everyone returned to camp, the Timanous community took to the docks to wash off any lingering sand. Though exhausted from a day full of activity, campers were all very happy with the way 2022’s Beach Day turned out. Beach Day is an interesting contradiction: While it is the only day of the summer where not a single camper is within the camp's borders, it is also wholly representative of the Timanous spirit. It is one of our oldest traditions at camp, representing the continuity we emphasize, and beach day is the perfect day to find unity in body, mind and spirit. But above all, we’re all having fun together, and it is always a special day for all! |
