Dear Parents,
ZZZZZZZZ-ZZZZZZ---Thats all I hear as I look at the boys in
their cabins early this morning. what a fantastic week weve
just had---Good weather, spirits high and a thousand activities
behind us. Friday the boys signed up for their 2nd section of
activities and that evening we had a special ceremony at our barbecue
area in which we had our key log ceremony. This is a time when any
boy who wants to give special thanks for anything that has occurred
to him during the past week throws a little piece of wood in the fire
and says a special thanks for what has occurred. The nicest things
for me was my little Texas boys coming up to the fire and saying
thanks to their parents for sending them up to this camp...Saturday
morning our second canoe trip boys returned and hey were singing as
they came into camp---boy were they grimy---we make them take a
shower and then rest, but they kept babbling about the next canoe
trip that they were going to take. We ran two activities on Saturday
morning and in the afternoon we sent out a golf trip, ran a
Timberlane ski tournament, started a three day all camp tennis
tournament for three age groups and finally sent out a short fishing
expedition of our mighty mites. The fishermen (average age 8 and 9
years old) came back yelling and shrieking with delight..They had
caught 22 fish and although a few (20 of them) were undersized, they
had brought the 2 keeps and were now going to clean them, then fry
them and have a gigantic fish fry for 12 guys with 2 pint sized
anemic pan fish.I finally convinced them to hold on till they caught
more fish in the future so we ended up with a burial for the two
fishlings and we sang a few songs.
Saturday evening was BLUE AND WHITE evening and the camp was split
into two divisions with Junior, Intermediate and Senior Teams in each
division. Then we played games of softball, soccer, football, tennis
(doubles) and finally introduced on the most exciting new games that
weve ever had---its called European Handball
and is played like speedball in which you can throw the ball, dribble
it, kick it, and really opens up the game of soccer. The boys loved
it, and I know it will be one of the most popular games at camp this
season. After our Blue and White evening, we brought the boys into
the lodge for a big cocoa and cookie party, and then shuffled them
off to bed. Funny, the way the boys drop right off to sleep when they
hit the sack. Yesterday the morning opened cloudy and gray---(4th of
July) and we ran a tough inspection---there are three cabins vying
for 7 inspection wins in a row in their division and if they get it,
they I pop for a pizza dinner for each of the guys---you better hope
they dont make it, or the tuition will go up next summer for
your boys...We ran our 3rd and 4th activities in the morning and then
gave the boys a long rest period. The afternoon activity was an
olympic day and the boys competed in six events. They consisted of
(1) obstacle race. (2) steal the bacon. (3) dodge ball (4) sprint for
time (5) basketball free throw toss (6) broad jump. The boys really
put out and it was wonderful watching those brown lean bodies
stretching for that extra or to save part of a second in an event. We
then let them swim or boat, canoe or sail. After dinner, were
going to taper off and let the boys have a nice long free period. The
dinner as previously mentioned will be a steak fry with lots of
trimmings, and then well hold our FILM NIGHT
featuring Island of the Blue Dolphin, and during our
intermission the boys will be served shelled peanuts and coke, and
shells must be tossed on the floor of the lodge where well be
showing the film.And the boys were shivering with delight because on
Monday morning we were about to have our famed LAZZZZZY
BREAKFAST---the idea is to let the campers sleep a bit later and any
boys that wanted to help would come to the lodge and help prepare the
breakfast---bacon, eggs to your order, toast, cereal, jelly, milk and
all you could eat....The campers were the cooks and you cant
imagine the hustling and bustling as the boys call out their food
orders and the campers are scurrying around the kitchen. The staff
just serve as waiters and do they catch heck from the campers. The
whole group usually comes into the mess hall in pajamas and its
just a lot of rib tickling fun. We will then move into our 4 period
day on Monday and at night itll be capture the flag with the
whole group involved.l We are now moving into longer canoe trips and
a 3 day trip will move out on Monday, with two more three day trips
slated for Thursday, Tuesday starts our section of activities and at
night well be having a quiet campfire with songs, stories and a
marshmallow roast. On Wednesday well be having our first
cruiser day and our youngsters will bevisiting a wildlife refuge area
and will have a chance to feed some animals. At night we have a
cookout and then well be having a social with Camp Ohtanegon in
which our younger campers will visit their camp, and their older
girls will visit our camp. It should be a lot of fun, and Timberlane
is a camp that most girls camps want to have a social with,
because we have boys from so many different areas and the boys
arent afraid to dance. In fact, the day that the social is
over, my boys anxiously await the mail man from then on in the
expectation that they may get a letter from one of the gals.
Thursday, we play camp Arrowhead in softball and most of our boys on
the all-star teams will have a chance to get involved on one of the
games. At night well be having a special Organized Free Program
in which the boys will take activities of their choice for one
evening only. Friday will be a regular day and well be shooting
lots of movie pictures of your boys in preparation for our new
camp movie, HIGHLIGHTS OF TIMBERLANE 72. Im
going to take some special shots of the ball boy tennis machine that
we have and our new rebound net. Both pieces of equipment have really
stoked up our tennis program, and Swany, our tennis coach
from Rhodesia has even given up his day off to keep working with the
boys in the tennis program. Our new trampoline beds arrived and all
day long the boys are bouncing on the tramps. One boy came up to me
and wanted to buy some trampolines for home. He asked me what it
would cost to set up the 2 tramps at home, and when I told him over
$1000, he gulped and said, You know, H.H., I think its
cheaper just to come to camp and use the tramps. Maybe
hes right. Our Next movie will be The GREAT RACEand
it is another fine movie.
TIME OUT---Ive had to stop writing this letter since 9:00A.M.
Here is the sequence of events. One boy came to me complaining that
another camper was bullying him and kicking up on his double bunk bed
at 6:00 A.M. I got both parties together and amicably settled the
scuffle. A second camper came up to me with tears in eyes and asked
if he could stay the last 4 weeks and I told him that Id have
to talk to his folks. A third guy came up and asked if he could call
home. I asked why, and he said that he hadnt heard from home
during the past 5 days. I called home to check and really was
somewhat upset at his parents for not writing. You have no right to
expect your boys to write home if you dont do the same
yourself. Just now, Stevie Gubin came into my office with 8 fish and
wants me to help clean the fish and hed like the fish for
breakfast. I guess Ill have to show him how to scale the
fish,
11:00 A.M.---I just returned from the infirmary...One of the boys cut
his finger and it needed two stitches. I called his folks and they
were very nice about it. (Thank goodness, Ill never get
gray---if I dont want to) Just a few other notes---each of you
should have gotten my 1st newsletter last week and also a note and a
cabin picture from you sons counselors. If you didnt,
then please let me know. This weekend our counselors will be sending
you a more personal letter about your son, and a I mentioned
previously, drop them a return line to let them know you were pleased
to hear from them. Now for a touchy problem---the matter of some
parents wanting to send the counselor a TIP...----NOOOOOOOOOOO--I do
not want nor will any counselor accept a tip from a parent. I pay a
fair salary, and I feel that this idea of tipping can lead to special
pressures on both the staff or some of the campers. If you want to
send a thank you---fine, or a shirt or something of this nature,
thats O.K. Eventually, I feel that just the time necessary to
say thank you via a note or when you see the counselor is sufficient
reward.
A special hats off to my photography campers. I enlarged the darkroom
to twice the original size and then I told the photography students
that it would be their job to fix up the inside, so they moved in
like bees and began to drywall the inside, paint it black, and seal
off any areas where light was getting in. They'll be done today and
the photo shack really looks professional. I also want to commend the
boys who are serving as disc-jockeys on our camp radio station. I
watched them deliver a commercial and it was most businesslike--Even
the light announcing that they were on the air because they will be
playing Camp Flambeau tomorrow night in a buckets game and we are the
underdogs. I used to be a star on the team, but Ive noticed
that every time we get ready to start a game, they hand me a whistle
and a basketball and claim that they couldnt get along without
my special skill at refereeing. Im beginning to get the idea
that maybe they think Im too old, and each evening as I sit
down, I feel that maybe theyre right.
Another interruption---the maintenance man poured fuel oil in our
tractors gas tank---Gloryosky, isnt there any end to
these interruptions...Oh, Oh, here comes Steve Silver and Fred Heller
yelling with delight----H.H. they just shouted, look what
we found, isnt it nifty. With that they handed me a
slippery, cozy, 11/2 ft. long garter snake. (Grass snake) I hate
snakes this type of snake. They wanted if for cabin pet, but I
convinced them that it was a lousy idea. Heres a cute one--- on
our last steak fry, I was making sure that each guy got seconds, and
then wed give out extras if anyone wanted one...Standing on the
side was yound John Levy of Dallas, Texas with sad soulful eyes, and
I pulled him to the front of the line, and I said if I give this
steak sandwich to you will it be your second one---he looked at me
mournfully and, No, H.H. itll be my fifths. But
thats the way it goes... Each day these boys mean more and more
to the staff and each one has his extra special meaning to us and
camp.
Again, remember, only a couple of openings left for the last 4 weeks,
so youve got to let me know if you want your son to stay on at
camp if he isnt signedup for the last 4 weeks. Its been
just great and now Im going to go home at 10:00 P.M. dig into
my refrigerator and something for a snack---OH,OH,I opened the
freezer and there were Gubins fish, then I opened the
refrigerator, and there were Gubins box of worms. ---you
cant win..
Bye Bye
H.H