Tumpline August 2015
Published: Sun, 08/09/15
Get news, announcements, and the latest camp scoops in our newsletter. View a web version of this issue
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Family Camp 2015
In 2015, we will be holding our 32nd family camp from Wednesday, August 19th to Sunday, August 23rd. Over 80 people have registered, so we should have a good size group once again this summer.On Wednesday after dinner, Sean Dagher hosts an evening of Celtic music. Young and old are encouraged to get up and dance. It is a great way to kick off family camp!  Some other highlights of the five days : Friday steak & corn roast casino night Saturday wine & cheese council ring On the schedule daily: beach activities, yoga, crafts and woodworking, kids’ club, daily canoe trips into Parc Papineau-Labelle, bike trips, nature walks, climbing, archery and lots more!  To register, please use our online registration system. Cedars Dragon Boat Race & Festival 2015
The Camp Nominingue Alumni Association is proud to enter a team in the Cedars Dragon Boat Race & Festival, on Saturday September 19, 2015.As with all members of the Nominingue community, we love to paddle! So now we're proud to "accept this challenge," and put our paddling skills to good use in supporting the Cedars Cancer Institute of the McGill University Health Centre.  In 2014, the following Nomininguers paddled for the CN alumni team: Ignacio Gallo, John Christou, Andrew Cleland, Shawn Weiland, Mike Shatilla, Vincent Leclerc, Grant McKenna and Ted Kalil. We are, however, still seeking a few more interested dragon boaters! If you are interested, please let us know. We hope to have a full boat-load of CN alumni this year! To join the team, please contact either Ted, ted.kalil@rbc.com, or Grant, grant@nominingue.com. Maison-de-Pierre, 1957 Part VII Andy Webster
John Blachford drove up to Camp Nominingue on a Friday and by noon the next day, we had decided to embark on a more ambitious canoe trip than either of us had ever been on. This decision on my part meant that I must quit my counselling job, but the money I would have to forfeit was inconsequential when I compared it to the overall experience of the trip we were to take. The following is an account of the 14 days we spent out in the bush. Monday, August 12 The weather was unsettled again the next day, but the sky showed good possibilities of clearing. We were out paddling on the lake again by 9:00 against a strong northwest wind. Upon reaching Lac Pin Rouge, we had two alternatives…We could either paddle through to Clifford lake, with an unmarked portage in between, or we could follow the gravel road to the lumber depot at the top of lake Mitchinamecus. The latter choice meant that we would be portaging close to five miles by road. Common sense is important in any form of human endeavour and, in canoe tripping, common sense is the quality which counts most towards whether a trip is successful or not. John and I supposed that since a road had been built from this point into Lake Mitchinamecus, the trail would be rendered obsolete. The latter choice was longer, but was much less involved and the chances of success were very high. The former route may have been easier, ut common sense told us that a possibility existed that the trail which Mr. Van Wagner had used some 15 years ago now was hopelessly overgrown. So we took the road.  Two-thirds of the way along this road, we were surprised to see a car roll up going in the same direction towards the depot. The car stopped and we discovered that the driver worked for McLaren’s Lumber Co. and knew the territory extremely well. He told us, “I have worked in the bush all my life and I know this country like my A,B, C’s.” Indeed he did! He tied our canoe on the top of his car and drove us to the unoccupied Depot, where he entered one of the wooden shacks and fetched us three maps of flooded Mitchinamecus. The top of the lake is surrounded by a horrible looking burnt area of trees and, since the lake had been flooded, ugly contorted stumps protruded above the surface of the water, giving the lake a mysterious and foreboding look. The lumberman had told us that there had been a forest fire four years ago, and this was the first time I had seen the terrible results. Which can come from forest fires. The weather was still unsettled and it was bitter cold. Ugly, black and portentous clouds swept across the sky with great speed, giving spotty rain. Sometimes, the sun appeared for a moment to warm us, only to disappear seconds later, and have the bitter cold envelop us again. We half expected to see a sea monster poke its head above the water and devour us. The whole lake had the appearance and atmosphere of evil… Pillar of Nominingue – Bob Wilkinson
In 2008, The Camp Nominingue alumni association created the Pillars award to recognize individuals who have made a significant contribution to the development of Camp Nominingue. In 2015, the CN alumni Association would like to recognize Bob Wilkinson. Bob was a member of the senior staff for 19 years, beginning in 1953 and finishing in 1971. After working as a section director, he became CN’s program director. Bob also left his mark at camp with a number of West Coast First Nation paintings, two of which still hang in the dining hall!  The Pillar presentation will take place on Saturday evening, August 22nd, in council ring. If you are interested in coming up to Nominingue that day, please contact us at camp. Alumni Weekend 2015
We will be holding our 3rd annual alumni weekend for past campers and staff, from Friday September 6th to Sunday September 8th, 2015. It is a relaxed weekend, a chance to re-connect with old friends and make new ones with Nomininguers from another generation, and an opportunity to return to camp. Accommodation is in tents and all meals are provided. A barbeque on Friday evening kicks off the weekend’s activities. The registration form can be found on the alumni reunion page of our website. Personal Project: Making a Paddle Part III Alexander Meyers
Alexander has been a camper for the last two summers and is returning to Nominingue in 2015 in the LIT program. He lives in Holland. As part of a school project, he chose to make a paddle and write about this project.I clarified and tested my ideas by consulting many websites containing videos and tips, and by contacting Ernst Buwalda, a master carpenter in Amsterdam. Ernst also taught me many working methods and tools. If I had questions about actions that should be taken regarding the carving of the wood I would always consult him. Sometimes, when in doubt, I also discussed the planning issues and actions with my father, and considered his opinion of what had to be done.  Planning for resources was fairly simple since I only needed two primary resources: wood and tools. Fairly soon after I had settled upon making a canoe paddle I found a wood store, and went there to choose the wood. At that time I also and gathered the hand tools like sandpaper and files from a local hardware store. I had to plan for using the power tools, which I could not buy due to their cost, but had to rent them. I had to plan ahead so that when I was renting the power tools I could minimize the cost of renting them by using them intensively for a week at a time. In terms of time planning, when I started my process I made a schedule keeping the due date of the 2nd of December in mind.  I had to teach myself how to constantly work with precision, and to plan ahead, which became an important habit throughout the project. I developed a new skill in judging whether a paddle could be made from a large piece of wood, by looking at the grain and whether there were any knots in it. I had to become familiar with different kinds of tools, including some large power tools that could be dangerous to use if not managed well. During the hours that I was busy filing, sanding and working on the paddle, I developed the skill of looking at the paddle and analysing if I needed to do more work on certain aspects on the paddle, for example, one side or the other, to ensure it would be symmetrical. Another skill I developed due to spending many hours sanding, filing and working with my paddle, was the ability to estimate how much time it takes for me to finish something. At the start of the project, my estimations were not close to the time it actually took to achieve a milestone or goal I set myself. However, after experiences where I correctly could plan and estimate how long a specific task would take, it finally became a habit, which was of importance during my creation process.  My project, the canoe paddle, was completed when the layer of varnish I had applied to the paddle had dried and the canoe paddle was read for use. • I decided to use ash wood for my paddle because this was a very durable and hard wood with a long grain, which would make a durable and good quality paddle. • I decided to create a workspace in the garage at the back of our garden as a place to work. • I decided that I would need to help from a master carpenter to make the initial cuts needed to create a “rough cut” of the paddle from a heavy block of Ash that was approximately 20 cms x 5 cms x 190 cms, and explained to him what my purpose was and the design I wanted to use. • After learning that the wood dust of Ash – the type of wood I from which the paddle is made - can cause cancer in the long run if inhaled, I decided to use a facemask when working, to prevent breathing in the wood dust. • I decided to use an electric plane to shape the blade, and two different kinds of electric sanders to sand the blade and the shaft. • I decided to shape the handle of the paddle entirely by hand, using three types of files, to get the right shape. Alumni Association News / Nouvelles de l’association des anciens
Please share with us news that you would like to include in the Tumpline that you think might be of interest to other Nominingue alumni.SVP envoyez nous des nouvelles que vous aimeriez inclure dans une prochaine édition du Tumpline.  Alumni Socials Each spring and fall, we try to hold at least one Alumni Social in Montreal, Ottawa and Toronto. It is always great to renew with recent and less recent alumni. The next opportunity to re-connect will be either at Family Camp in August or Alumni Weekend in September. Family Camp Wednesday, August 19 – Sunday, August 23 Alumni Weekend Friday, September 4 – Sunday, September 6 Dates and locations of future get-togethers will be posted on Facebook on the Nominingue Socials Group page To get involved with CN Alumni Association, please contact John Christou at john@prospectorfilms.ca. Tumpline Submissions - Soumissions pour cette lettre de nouvelles
We are looking for submissions for our newsletters from campers, staff and parents… from this summer, as well as from recent and less recent alumni. These submissions may be general memories of camp experiences or specific memories about a canoe trip, about a favourite program or a funny experience. Please send your submissions to grant@nominingue.com. You may submit your stories and memories in English, French or Spanish. Nous sommes à la recherche de textes de campeurs, parents et de moniteurs de l’été 2014… et de souvenirs de nos anciens campeurs et moniteurs des années récentes et moins récentes. Vos textes peuvent décrire vos expériences en générale ou une excursion de canot, un programme favori ou une expérience drôle. SVP envoyez votre texte par courriel à grant@nominingue.com. Votre texte peut être écrit en français, en anglais ou en espagnol. |
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Camp Nominingue | Tel. 819-278-3383 | Toll-free 866-910-1551 (Canada & US)
Email: info@nominingue.com | Web: www.nominingue.com |
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Camp Nominingue
Winter Address: 112 rue Lippée, Les Coteaux, QC J7X 1J4 Summer address: 1889, chemin des Mésanges, Nominingue, QC J0W 1R0 |
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