MORNING GOOD LakeTimber Camp!!! Today was Cowboy Joe Day!! A backwards day filled with donuts and fun. The legend of Cowboy Joe is a Timberlake tradition, but some of you may not know the story, so let me fill you in.

In the distant past, there was a cowboy named Joe. Joe was an odd fellow who went about his days in reverse some would say. Joe liked to talk in gibberish and dress backward with his boots on the wrong feet. Cowboy Joe was here during the California Gold Rush, trying to make his fortune selling his famous “nut-do’s” (donuts) to all he could find. Well, while many folks decided to head west pursuing dreams of money Joe decided to head east, probably because he was riding his horse backwards ending up here in Marion, NC. We take one day a session to celebrate the legend.

The legendary day starts with a very-needed extra hour of sleep, but the surprise comes when the bugle doesn’t sound; instead, the senior staff comes around reversing on golf carts to the cabins to deliver nut do’s and chocolate milk. Apples, Nutrigrain bars, and Yogurt are also delivered to give us the calories we need to conquer the day. Instead of heading to chapel or the morning yell, we cleaned and headed straight to the Mark for battle ball (dodgeball). This Tribal game may start at 9:30, but that doesn’t bring down the energy as the Black Bears and Golden Eagles clash for a victory toward the mighty banner. After getting up and moving for the day, we continued to normal day activities only in a backward order. Fourth Period was the first activity of the day, then onto lunch (being at mid-day this doesn’t change). Lunch was an all-time favorite as delicious CHICKEN AND WAFFLES were served. Normally rest time follows lunch, but today we headed straight to the trading post for free time to begin. Many of us were enjoying the beautiful weather while playing ga-ga ball and enjoying our snacks. Now after all this, it was finally time to take a break and race to the cabin for rest time.

While Cowboy Joe Day is special, that didn’t stop Alex B, Kenny C, Banks P, Dakota M, Graeme W, Dylan H, Robert I, Sam G, and Jack H from getting their bronze in pickleball. Andrew I went above and beyond getting his bronze and silver in pickleball today. The third and Second Periods came after rest time when Hugh W was tearing up the mountain biking trails hitting insane jumps. Meanwhile, David F and Luke T were on the waterfront working towards getting those bars. Down on the riflery range Sam G got a gold grouping while Edward S shot an awesome grouping as well. The Rocketry class launched their rockets into the atmosphere before we headed to dinner. The day had come to an end as delicious pulled pork and creamy Mac N Cheese were delivered to the table, but WAIT, there was another twist as the counselors switched seating with their Junior or Senior Camp equivalent. This meant Greybeard and Turtleback switched counselors for the meal since they were the oldest two, while the rest of the cabins followed this order. I was able to sit with the mighty men of Greybeard and have a great meal. There was no morning yell, so of course we had to have an evening yell lifting our voices to the heavens before heading straight to the chapel. From the chapel, we headed to Spencer’s Green for Timberlake’s Country Fair, playing fun games like tug-o-war and water balloon toss while enjoying cotton candy together. As the end of the day came, we said “you thank” to Cowboy Joe for riding backwards into Marion on that day long ago.

Nate Blanton

Turtleback Counselor

Black Bear