playing hookey from swimming lessons

When I was a camper in Lenape in '68, I met an Outpost kid named Steve Breitenfeld and we instantly hit it off. And we were together at camp for the next ten years. As it happened we were assigned together to the Olympic team from Egypt, which in those days of Nasser was called "the United Arab Republic" or "UAR." ("You'll go far / with the U A R!" we shouted hoarsely throughout; we came in dead last.) Steve's last summer was '75 as a Lenape counselor. Somehow - even though we were in different villages - we managed fairly regularly to play hookey from Waterfront period. We would meet in the long thin grove of trees separating the Big Tree Field from what was then called "the Flagpole Field" (currently Margetts Field--there were no hardcourts and the row of trees was denser than now and of course there was no road running up to the dining hall there). We had constructed a home-made checker/chess board at Arts & Crafts and we hid it somewhere in the woods. We used stones for pieces. And we'd spend a blissful activity period playing chess and talking. The other day I remembered all this and had to urge to contact Steve again. Here was part of his reply:

It was wonderful receiving your note, Al. It is great you found me in the cabin list from 1968; if I recall cabin 13. Hard to believe I started at camp in 1966 in Totem, cabin 3 with Jim Ross, and ended in 1975 counseling in Lenape. I often remember running around a bit wild with you - hiding in the woods between the Rec. Hall field and big tree field - playing chess with our camp-made chess set. I don't know if you remember that, too. There are so many memories sometimes it is hard to keep them all straight. It was a long time ago, but I have many fond memories of the 10 years at camp. My fondest memories are of the Olympics, which were then held on the last two week of the summer. It was held over four days - two full-time days - including country meeting, opening ceremonies, country trials, Olympic events and closing ceremony. It must have been so much work for the counselors, but it was pure heaven for me, as a kid. I came back year after year to live out that wonderful experience. I remember being on the UAR - United Arab Republic, my first year. In retrospect, it was quite a diverse experience - us all accepting and learning those different cultures. All is well with me and my family. My wonderful wife, Christina and I are living in Lexington, MA in an old 1780's home just 1/2 mile from the Lexington Battle Green, where we get to re-live the Revolutionary Battle of Lexington every April 19th. : ) Christina and I had lived a number of years in Tokyo, Japan in the early 90's before we started having kids & moved up here from NYC in 1995. We have three children, Sarah - 14, Laura - 12 and Paul - 10. They are avid readers, great skiers & back-packers. In fact, we just returned from a three day hike in the White Mts. of New Hampshire. Sarah is heading off to spend 12 days hiking & canoeing in the Whites & Maine with the Appalachian Mountain Club's Teen Adventure Program next week. She went on an all-girls 7-day trip last year, and was hooked.

Many reading this will also remember Cathy Breitenfeld, an FV mainstay in her own right. I recall Cathy as, among other things, a lifeguard at the waterfront.