The Tyler Place Duckman Triathlon

By Becky Dean (Adult Entertainment Co-Director)

1/3-mile swim. 8.8-mile bike. 1.4-mile run. All for the glory of charging through the toilet paper, getting your duck keychain and sporting your faded race number proudly at cocktail hour. But for some, the famous Tyler Place Duckman Triathlon becomes more than that. A longstanding tradition, the Duckman was started by Cecile and George “Jigger” Harrington, about 17 years ago as a fun activity for their week. However, word leaked into other weeks and the demand grew. Eventually, the triathlon was added to the weekly entertainment schedule for any of our guests to participate in.

At the Tyler Place, the race begins at the swim dock (or the kayak dock for our gill-less participants!) and the racers swim 1/3-mile out to Bandstand Island and back. But the lake isn’t the only obstacle – often racers will navigate around the big blue floating mat, the death slide and the odd life-jacket sporting kid. After the swim, the racers hop onto their bicycles and ride past all of the farms along Route 7 into the town of Swanton, where they turn around and head back. Many racers admit to abstaining from breathing as they pass some of the more aromatic farms! Finally, once the bike crosses the checkpoint, the racers take off on a 1.4-mile run around Highgate Springs – via Shipyard Road and finish down Old Dock Rd charging straight through our classy finish line of TP.

For some guests, the Duckman was a gateway into participating in other triathlons outside of the Tyler Place. Our current male and female record holders, Mike Long (37:30) and Cindy Hutchings (43:47) both started by participating in the Duckman several years ago as a fun way to get some exercise and friendly competition. However, both of these guests “got the bug” and since have participated in other triathlons, including the National Championships down the road in Burlington, on August 20^th! Although many guests participate all over the country in much larger (but probably less fun) races than the Duckman, many of our racers will admit that this is the most intense race of their year – with their children holding the finish line and family and friends cheering them on!

           

The Duckman has room for everyone to participate, no matter what your skill level or age! We have witnessed guests from ages 6-84 participate and relay teams are always welcome. No matter what, the best part of completing the Duckman is the ability to proudly have thirds from the dessert table. Why not start training now?

Get your Duckman T-Shirt from The Tyler Place Online Store!

             

The International Passport Event

By JD

One amazing aspect of The Tyler Place is the International Staff that come from all over the world to experience life in the United States. Hailing from Bulgaria, Scotland, Russia and South Africa, to name a few, these wonderful employees bring with them rich cultures and many traditions from their native land.Cultural games, songs and crafts are ways to share these traditions with our young campers in an exciting evening activity called the International Passport Event for Junior and Senior groups. At this activity, campers have the opportunity to learn about different countries, participate in songs and play games about the World such as a Landmark Trivia displaying important landmarks located in over 20 countries, Friendship Bracelet making from Bulgaria, Surf Lessons from Australia and our favourite, the Waka Waka Dance from South Africa. Campers design their own multicultural streamer belts and learn the choreography to Waka Waka by Shakira featured in the 2010 World Cup Games to perform as a group. This night is filled with interesting information, multicultural awareness and an uncanny amount of fun!  Watch the video

June Updates from the TP Garden

By Claudia (TP Gardener)

Summer is here. Temperatures are rising, plenty of sunshine, and our vegetable garden is sending out its' rewards. Baskets filled with spinach, radishes, leek, Swiss chard, lettuce, and herbs have made their way into the kitchen, filling our guests dinner plates with delicious, organic produce.

Unfortunately, this is also the time of year where many unwanted critters are crawling or flying in, to sabotage our hard labor and efforts. I am always trying to embrace a more holistic organic philosophy for our gardens by working to create a healthy ecosystem in which plants thrive while pests and disease are held at bay.

Companion planting is a great approach to keep pests under control. For instance, planting onions with lettuce will keep the bunnies away (a fence will do, too), radishes between cucumbers fight off cucumber beetles, tomato plants between asparagus diminishes the invasion of the spotted asparagus beetle.

“Killer Spices” are another great alternative to end pest harassment. Oil extracts of thyme, rosemary, and mint are easy to prepare, and are potent enough to penetrate the brain cell membranes of bugs, which will literary “fry “ their nervous system. Sounds quite cruel, but on a positive note these essential oils also allow for a more fragrant solution of pest control.

And then there is Otto the rooster, our first animated insecticide. Otto arrived with the beginning of our opening season of 2011, made his home in our vegetable garden, and has already been promoted to our new department head for pest control. As he is patrolling the rows of our raised beds, continuously on the move, he picks up bugs and weed seeds with nearly every peck he takes. He seems to enjoy his new territory and assignment; he loves to mingle with our young guests, and sublets his coop to a little chipmunk.

There are many other organic procedures, tricks, and recipes to keep those pesty intruders out of your and our garden. I will make sure to share some more in future updates from The Tyler Place Garden. Until then, “Happy Gardening”.

Let's All Play S.P.U.D.!

With nine separate children's groups we play a lot of games each week and throughout the summer and we want to share some of those with you to play at home or just to warm-up before your Tyler Place vacation.


How to Play:

Spud, not just a hot potato but a game of chance that everyone can enjoy!

You need 3 or more people, a ball and a large playing area free from obstacles.

S.P.U.D is a game that is simple and always a good time. Players are numbered and one person, "it", stands in the middle of everyone else in a circle. The "it" tosses the ball into the air and calls out one number. The person with that number runs into the middle of the circle and catches the ball, becoming the new "it" while the other players run as far away from the circle as possible.

Once "it" catches the ball, he/she yells S.P.U.D at which point players must freeze in one spot. The "it" gets 3 giant steps towards other players and attempts to hit players below the knee. If one is successfully hit, that person becomes the  "it" and the thrower in the middle of the circle. Additionally, that person gets a letter, "S" then "P", etc, until someone gets all four letters to spell S.P.U.D. Any player with "S.P.U.D" is out.

Now Let's Play!

The Colors of Spring

By Claudia (TP Gardener)

The snow and ice are now a distant memory and everything is green and colorful at the T.P.  Trees are leafing out and the springtime bulbs show their floral faces to the sun.  The bright yellow daffodils, vibrant red tulips, and patches of snowbells and crocus have reminded me of my days in England and Germany.

Although our guests will miss our spring flowers, early summer flowers have made their appearance through freshly mulched areas, and fiddleheads are turning into ferns, sending their first long shadows in the sun. 

As families arrived Memorial Day weekend our lilac trees were in full bloom, followed by irises, lily of the valley, peonies, poppies and many more.  The vegetable garden is showing its growth.  The raised beds, earlier covered with fresh stable manure, still steam in the early morning hours.  The vegetables frames are sown in rows - celery, cucumbers, peas, squash, lettuce, kale, radishes, peppers coming up in green ribbons, the radishes racing ahead.  Asparagus, the spears pricking through early in the month so you could watch them growing inch-by-inch, are in full season.  Ted, Chad and Hector made short work of the first of the crop.  As the Inn kitchen is getting ready for the season, so will the asparagus stalks find their way into the hands of our creative chefs. 

Click for more photos!

Shiitake Mushroom Farm

By Claudia (TP Gardener)

Last spring we introduced the new raised bed gardens and this spring we have been working on a new addition: a Shiitake Mushroom farm. The Shiitake farm is located down by the hillside of the Clubhouse. Once the wood is fully colonized mushrooms will spring forth from cracks or channels in the wood.

Long-valued for their culinary and medicinal properties, Shiitakes are low in fat, high in protein, vitamins, and minerals. Fresh and dried Shiitake mushrooms are used nutritionally to fight cancer, fibrocystic breast disease, high blood pressure and viruses, to strengthen the immune system, improve circulation, and reduce cholesterol.

Our guest will have the opportunity to participate in our Shiitake workshops to learn more about the cultivation process and benefits of this gourmet mushroom.

The photos show the inoculation of  our cut logs and stumps with mushroom mycelium.

Winter Storm Turns to Spring

By Gen Morley 
(Children’s Program Director)  

The largest storm of the season was just a few weeks ago on Sunday March 6th, 2011. Big, heavy flakes fell steadily into the next afternoon. Snowfall rate was about 2-3 inches an hour and total accumulation at The Tyler Place was near 20 inches. Snowdrifts created by the lake winds came to over four feet in places.

Most winters our maintenance staff spends some serious time out in the Vermont snow and cold. The guys know to be ready each morning for a full day of work outside. There are days they spend on remodels and repairs inside, but the weather often dictates a day’s work. I came upon the crew one sunny, but intensely frigid day, while they were clearing off cottage rooftops. Commonplace here, but certainly not so in most of the country, roof tops that don’t clear themselves have to be cleared by hand because accumulations of snow of several feet or more simply weigh too much for the structures to support for very long. 

The day I met up with the guys, temperatures were in the teens even without considering the wind-chill coming off Lake Champlain this time of year. Despite my heavy winter boots, a down coat, and decent pair of gloves, it was very cold out there. The guys were just fine. I managed to get some good winter photos of the roof clearing process for everyone to check out before the process digressed into a snowball fight. Working outside in the Vermont winter has its perks.

At this point, the snow has pretty much melted away, leaving the ground moist and ready for the spring green to move in behind it. It’s amazing how quickly the seasons change around here; we all look forward to that, largely because it means we are that much closer to the 2011 Tyler Place season. With the approach of the upcoming season comes the anticipation of making new friends with guests and staff alike, and seeing all of our old friends from many years gone by.

Back of the Inn

 Nature Dave & Lachlan Tyler         Geoff Tyler, Tyrell &Nature Dave

Tyrell                                                       Blake