We were a little surprised to wake up to rain Friday morning but luckily, it stopped by the first activity period and the rest of the day was beautiful.  Friday morning was a typical morning but in the afternoon, we had “Friday Trips”.  One group climbed Rattlesnake Mountain, one traveled by canoes and sailboats to the other end of Panther Pond while a third group played soccer on the field.   Everyone returned to camp for a swim  followed by Friday Candy.

Relatives from both Big and Little Wohelo (our sister camp)  arrived during free time and joined their relatives for dinner.  They also stayed for part of our evening activity which was a magic show by Leon Etienne the  Illusionist!  He was pretty amazing, he had great tricks but he was also funny.  Although all his tricks were good – his last one has us all wondering how he did it but you’ll have to ask your sons about that – it had to do with a large wooden box.

There are lots of pictures from the day – don’t forget to check them out.

It was great to wake to sunshine and we almost had a perfect day except one very brief and kind of freak shower just before lunch. Other than that, it was a perfect summer day.

The Eagles and Crows both returned from their camping trips by lunch. Although the Crows had some rainy days, they had a great trip. On Wednesday, they went Whitewater Rafting and because of all the rain, the river was high and fast. They had a blast! You can view pictures from their trip on the Three Rivers Whitewater Rafting Company website (June 27, Kennebec River).

The Eagles traveled a slightly calmer river, starting out in the Songo Lockes and then canoeing through the Songo River to Sebago Lake where they spent the night. They were lucky and had great weather.

There was a lot of activity on the water today with waterskiing, kayaking, canoeing, sailing and of course swimming all open at some point during the day. The first Twilight League game was played during the free evening between the Bravehearts and the Shack Gnomes.

Just a few reminders about the Shutterfly picture site:

• You must have the password for the 2012 site to view the pictures. You may request it by emailing info@campt.com or clicking the link from the Shutterfly sight. The 2011 Password will not work.
• You may download pictures ONLY if you are a member of this year’s site, which is different than having the password. You may request to be a member by emailing info@campt.com or clicking the link in the upper right hand corner of the Shutterfly site. If you were a member of the 2011 site, you must still request membership to this year’s site.

Although the morning started gloomy and there were a few brief showers, all in all, the day was pretty good! The Ravens returned from their trip and unfortunately, they had the worst of the weather. It rained pretty much the whole time they were camping which limited their canoeing but they learned a lot about keeping a fire going with wet wood! Everything they took with them went straight to the laundry. The Cardinals and Eagles both left on their trips and should have better weather.

The wind picked up in the afternoon and there was some great sailing. Wednesday dinner was our first “Jimmy Buffet” of the summer. It is always a popular meal as there is lots to chose from and everyone eats outside. For crowd control, Dave asks the campers trivia questions – when someone answers correctly, their cabin gets in line for food. The Ravens were the first cabin to go in by correctly knowing the name of the lake they had canoed, Lake Umbagog.

Just a reminder that although all parents may send Bunknotes, Bunk Replies are only for international campers.

The early morning runners were able to avoid the rain but by breakfast, it was pouring again so everyone went straight to the barn without the normal flag raising. At the end of breakfast, the campers lined up in the barn for the first known inside personal inspection (normally done at flag raising). The torrential rain let up during cabin cleanup and the rest of the day was on again/off again showers. Most activities were able to go on as normal.

The first laundry was returned after lunch and the big challenge was having the campers carry their bags to their cabins without letting them touch the ground as the ground continues to be pretty soggy.

Although shower free for a good part of the afternoon, the rain started up again during dinner making it a great evening for singing in the hall. We sang a lot of camp songs – for the new boys it was the first time they sang a few of them but we also sang a few favorites like “Puff the Magic Dragon”. We also watched “Twinkie Island”, the video made here at Timanous by some of last summer’s campers and counselors. The weather reports have us hopeful that the worst of the rain is over for now.

Monday morning, both the Ravens and Crows cabins came up to breakfast with both their laundry and their gear for their camping trips. After breakfast, the final items were put in the vans and they were off for their camping trips. We are of course hoping they will have sunny days but they were well prepared for anything!

The Mallards had one last orientation period at riflery but the rest of the cabins had their first sign-up – activities to chose from included riflery, archery, sailing, woodshop, soccer, basketball, and handicrafts. The first activity period went off without a hitch but just minutes after the second period started, a thunderstorm hit and everyone headed for shelter. It rained hard right through lunch. The rain lightened up in the afternoon but many activities remained closed as everything was soaked.

The first laundry went out at lunch and will be returned today at the end of lunch.

Although the skies remained dark, the rain held off so after a delicious taco dinner, we were able to have our evening activities outside. The rain came once again when everyone was in bed – rain on the cabin roof when you are tucked into your bed is such a great sound.

Sunday was a perfect day from start to finish. As happens on most Sundays, it was a late sleep so the first bell rang at 7:45 rather than 7:15 and breakfast began at 8:30. Sunday cabin cleanup is always a longer cleanup as most weeks, the campers will change their sheets but as the beds have only been slept on 4 nights, the first sheet change will wait until next Sunday. Sunday cabin cleanup is also the time the campers write their mandatory letter home (they are welcome to write as often as they want but must write a letter home on Sundays as it is their ticket to Sunday lunch). This week, the “letters” were postcards with cabin pictures. Parents can expect to receive them shortly.

After cabin cleanup, the entire camp meets at our outdoor chapel for Sunday chapel which is led by a head counselor and completely non-denominational. There is a link to this week’s chapel talk in the right hand column of this blog.

There was no rain Sunday afternoon and it was a beautiful day for all activities. The lake was busy with sailboats and canoes and all over camp, the sounds of busy, happy campers could be heard. It is such a great sound and something the pictures can’t show.

After dinner, the entire camp gathered once again for Council Fire which is a time to reflect on the past week and share the weeks accomplishments. The campers and counselors enter the clearing where we have Council Fire, singing “Old Chief Timanous” and make 2 circles, the campers on the inner circle and the counselors on the outer. After we are all gathered, Dave, with the help of all the campers, makes the spark to start the fire. A very long rope is attached to a large wooden spindle. Dave holds the spindle while the campers all hold the rope. With each camper pulling, the spindle turns, making a spark that is used the light the fire — pretty neat! The first Council Fire of the year is a kind of a practice but everyone did great that the fire was started in no time at all.

This next week is going to be very busy. The first activity signups will be Monday morning and four cabins going on camping trips. Now that we are on a regular schedule, many more activities will open up. Just hoping the weather will cooperate!

Saturday started as another beautiful summer day. After breakfast and cabin cleanup, the campers continued with their orientation.

At lunch, before the announcements, the counselors announced this years’ Twilight League Team names with crazy skits. The Twilight League is our evening softball league. Every boy in camp is on a team and half the fun is the crazy team names. This year’s teams include: Where’s Ebbs?, Timanavengers, Shack Gnomes, Level 5, Hippos, Barn Jousters, No Eyed Deer (took me a while but based on the fact the counselors had “no idea” for a name), Bravehearts. The games are played during free evenings and will probably start on Monday.

The afternoon was a repeat of Friday with thunderstorms again interfering with the schedule. This time, however, the rain stayed with us, forcing us to have our usual Saturday night cabin cookouts in the barn.

I apologize I didn’t get this up sooner as from my own experience, I know the first few days are the most nerve wracking for parents. Although we do try to update the blog on a regular basis, it may not be updated every day but for the first week, I will do my best.

The first night seemed to go well and Friday morning was another picture perfect day. When the bell rang at 7:15, most of the younger boys came running out of their cabin, either already dressed and ready for the day or heading straight to the beach for a quick wake-up dip. At flag raising, the boys learned what table they would be sitting at for the first week. Breakfast was at 8 and as there is every morning, there was plenty to chose from: cereal is always on each table but there is also a toast bar, fresh fruit and hot cereal. Our “second course” was waffles and sausages.

At the end of breakfast, Dave and Sandy explained the morning’s program which included the start of orientation. For the next 2 days, the campers (old and new) will go with their whole cabin to an orientation during their activity period. The activities each cabin will rotate through include riflery, archery, woodshop, sailing, and tennis.

During free time, the campers can go to any activity they went to during orientation in addition to soccer, handicrafts, the climbing wall, canoeing and boating and basketball. Once the orientation period is over, there will be even more activities.

The morning was hot and sunny so there weren’t too many complaints when it was time for instructional swim! In the afternoon, exactly one minute after the bell rang signaling the beginning of the first afternoon activity and the lower bunkline was headed to free swim, there was a very loud clap of thunder so everyone returned to their cabins and just minute later, there was a torrential downpour. The weather remained unsettled the rest of the afternoon but we were able to get most activities in between the showers. Even though it was only the second day of camp, as it was Friday, we had our first Friday Candy — each boy gets 2 candy bars and a soda (there are alternatives for those who do not one or both of those).

During dinner which was pizza, the sky opened again but luckily the skies quickly cleared and so we were able to enjoy a great free evening. There were games on the field, along with basketball, tennis, fishing, canoeing. Everyone was busy with something. Then it was time to get ready for bed and it didn’t take long for the bunkline to quiet right down.

After spending the week getting ready for camp dressed in pants and sweatshirts and sleeping under piles of blankets, the heat finally hit Maine. The day before everyone arrived it hit 91 which is pretty hot for Raymond Maine. Opening day started out hot and humid, making it a little uncomfortable as we rushed to finish the final details but by early afternoon, the wind picked up and the air changed, making it a perfect summer day.

There was a steady stream of campers arriving and it was great to see old faces and meet new ones. Everyone checked in with the nurses, had their mandatory head checks and then headed to their cabins to move in. It all went so smoothly, it seemed hard to believe that 100+ campers had already arrived when the bus pulled in around 4:30.

There was a swim at 3 and then the new campers were taken on a tour of camp. By the time the bell rang at 6 for dinner, everyone was pretty hungry. Campers picked tables to sit but Friday morning, before breakfast, everyone will find out their assigned table for the first week. After dinner, everyone went to the field for flag lowering and then the hall for a quick assembly. Dave introduced the 3 new counselors and those that were returning after one or more years away from Timanous. Activity heads spoke about their activities, we sang some songs and then everyone was dismissed their cabins to change for dips. After a quick cooling dip, it was time to get ready for bed. Cabins had their first cabin meeting before lights out.

It is great to have everyone here!!

Youngest Camper??