Awesome! The energy, enthusiasm and excitement of what’s on offer at Collington!

Contributed by Marian Fuchs

Friday’s Activities Fair filled the Auditorium with residents at tables presenting 45 campus activities, ranging from audio-visual training to yoga. Arranged by the RA Executive Committee, this event was a huge success, offering a dazzling variety of things to do for the lucky people who live on campus. The photos below are just a few of the dozens of people who showed up to promote their favorites.

Marion Robbins at the Yoga table, Shirley Denman of the Coloring Club, Bud Gardiner at the Camera Club, Scotti at Dining Committee, Clarita Rickets painting for Creative Arts group.

Pat Duggan and Joyce Garrison of the Flower Committee, Peter Pfund of the Sustainability Committee, Jim Giese promoting audio-visual training, and Don Peterson representing both the Garden Committee and the Composting project. Liz Barbehenn is at the next door Weed Warriors table.

Here are Delores Padrone and Mary Bird offering Spanish; Pat Kirkham, Herb Stone and Joyce Koch three of the large Library contingent, and Elizabeth Gill representing both the Marketing Committee and the Ambassadors Program.

Noel McPherson and Faith Torsani on the Collington Singers table; Gretta Esty and Nancy Brown signing up a new member of the Fitness Committee. Lorrie Rogers is talking to Anita Myers about the Collington MACCRA branch

RoAnne and Helen Hindinger were showing some of the Glass Case wares they sell for the benefit of the RA; Stephen Poole and Bill Lively were playing to promote the newly created Chess Club (although Bill is obviously taking a moment to chat with Elizabeth Gill). On the right Florence Zook shows what fun is to be had playing mahjongg.

Here are Irmgard Dugge for the Weed Warriors, Dorothy Yuan for the Booker and Beyond Book Club and Eloise Brache and Marion Henry for the ever-popular Drama Committee.

On the stage were Jim Florini with his drones (unpictured, alas), and two gentlemen billiard players; Laurie Cobb was at the table of the Health Service Committee, and in that picture Barbara Florini is talking Bonnie Cronin of the Women’s History Month, shown in the next picture. Peggy Latimer is representing the Collingtonian. Jane Miller was one of three women at the knitting table.

As time wore on, the Auditorium became more and more crowded, and the noise level went up. Two residents were said to have removed their hearing aids. The energy, enthusiasm and excitement were palpable.

What a rich and lively campus we have! What an extraordinary number of activities we (and the residents before us) have created for our education, enjoyment or self-improvement! As if the array of activities on offer in the fair were not enough, there are many, many others – perhaps as many as another 45.

Consider, for instance, the unrepresented operational committees and groups (e.g. Grounds, Fiscal Review, Committees, Low Vision Group), so many other opportunities (working at the Country Store, visiting in Creighton Center, welcoming newcomers at dinner). Think of our many musicians, (the Kollington Kats, and the many great singers and players who accompany evening glasses of wine in the Ivy Bar.) Think of our radio hams, and the many folks who fix things in the woodshop/hobby shop, where a plethora of tools are on offer. Then there’s the list-serve and the residents’ website keeping residents informed of what’s going on. There are the diverse ways of worship in the Chapel, and residents bringing worship to folks in the Creighton; there’s the Speakers Program, the Neighbor Program, and the wonderful array of concerts that come our way on Sundays and throughout the week. There’s the Interiors Group, bringing art to the walls of our Community Building, and the OO Shop that finds new homes for the things we no longer need, and funds all the wonderful things that we do.

What energy on the part of our community! All this activity is generated by us, the residents. These things are neither initiated, funded or organized by Management, or Sage or anyone but just us, and the residents who came before us.

When asked if they had seen anything like the verve of the Activities Fair in their previous CCRC positions, Justin Reaves and Megan Barbour both said they hadn’t. It is they who used the word ‘awesome’.

Let’s give ourselves a big pat on the back!

The Collington Regata — History and Pictures

As we gear up for a new generation of radio-controlled skipjack models — now fully digital, and hopefully a new generation of organizers for the annual Regatta, here is a piece from our historian Frances Kolarek, and a gallery of photos from different years.

How did it all get started — the regatta on Collington Lake with model skipjacks?

The Beginning

Blame three early residents who were sailors. One of these pioneers, George Dankers, learned that “Pepper” Langley, a master carver on Solomon’s Island, had drawn up meticulous plans for a model skipjack, a boat distinguished by its raked mast.

Soon our Woodshop contingent was caught up in the building of model skip-jacks, taking infinite care in the details of their construction, scouring hobby shops for miniature turnbuckles and the like .

The models are controlled by radio signals to the sail and the rudder.

The skipjack is used in the Chesapeake Bay for dredging for oysters since use of motor boats for dredging is forbidden by law.

Appreciating George and Lauretta Dankers

George and Lauretta Dankers moved into the 3100 cluster in 1989, joining Pat and Charles Trammell, Jr. already residents. Both couples owned boats and loved sailing. By training, George was a marine architect and is credited with working on the designs for the Liberty ships of World War II fame. Other than the fact that George worked his butt off for everybody who lived at Collington, there are other reasons we we loved him. Here’s a little verse he wrote about the Woodshop where he spent many, many hours:

“Shop men and women are Collington trixters;
Of sick lamps and furniture we are the fixers.”

George’s car carried the vanity license plate GADZOOK. (His initials were G.A.D.) a gift from one of his daughters.

At a monster Christmas festival with a medieval theme George arrived in a coat of mail — a jacket to which were pinned envelopes that had been through the mail. Lauretta could weave unique baskets which were sold for the benefit of the Residents Association. She spent long hours teaching basketry to anybody who wanted to come to the Creative Arts Room and learn.

Remembering Charles and Pat Trammell

Charles Trammell, Jr., a lawyer and a sailor whose most visible asset was his wife, Pat. Coco Chanel would have envied Pat’s sense of style. She swept into the Dining Room stylishly dressed in an outfit no other woman of of her age would have dared to put together. Rumor had it that Pat’s wardrobe filled trunks as well as closets.

Charles was enlisted by former Executive Director Gail Kohn, to do whatever negotiating was needed to get water to stay in our lake. Asking for miracles? Mysteriously, water that drained into our lake from small streams and storm drains rapidly filtered out through its sandy bottom. Charles consulted with the proper county authorities — of which there were a number, since all the lakes and ponds in the county are man-made.

Finally an enormous piece of heavy rubber was laid over the lake bed. The miracle lay in the fact that Charles’ patience outlasted long delays and red tape. Negotiations lasted so long we could all recite, in unison, his periodic reports, ”Nothing new to report just now, but we hope to have an answer next month.”

And, in time, Charley did. Today, we have a lake, we have a Regatta, we have Canada geese and other wild life — and maintenance problems.

And, we also have these pictures. Please send more.

Rescue Boat at Regatta

Woodshop Report Highlights the Range of Shops/Services Run by Residents

Just out, the 2015 Woodshop Report, highlights the range of activities, and the move to integrate the many shop activities operated and contributed by residents. As the Report says:

The Collington Shops will include the Woodshop, the Frame shop, the

new Model shop, the Sign shop, furniture repair and refinishing,

Ham radio club, Billiards and the Regatta.

The Report also has great articles including on the recent clean up, the role of donations, services provided, and some wonderful photos, e.g. the new model shop.