As I mentioned earlier, Felicity Brock Kelcourse joined us. How great to see her and to catch up! She and Paul Kelcourse (they were then engaged, I believe) both worked two summers at camp back in the late 1970s. Or maybe just one summer. Anyway, for part of the summer he was the Outpost village chief and she was the Arts & Crafts Director. They also led an Adventure Trip.
Now their son Jon is a camper! (In the photo, you see Felicity along with Dave Bieler, a new FV trustee, alumnus and dad of Joss who spent her first two weeks at camp during session 3.)
Felicity, like Ladd Connell, is a grandchild of the Connell family matriarch, Frank Connell. Frank's son Karl (Ladd's father), is now in his 90s. Ladd's and Felicity's visit back home to Frost Valley coincided with part of Karl's annual time spent here.
When Karl was a child he attended school in the little house that is now where Bud Cox lives, across the road from the Haunted House site along the Neversink, toward the west end of FV property. One of Karl's schoolmates was Kingdon Gould, a descendent (grandson?) of a wealthy industrialist-investor Jay Gould. The Goulds owned - and still own - a great deal of land in the area. In fact, Kingdon owns thousands of acres on the other side of Doubletop Mountain! He's our neighbor! To drive to his house and property you have to go all the way to Big Indian, and then turn north (left) on Route 28 toward Margaretville. But as the crow flies it's just a few miles up and then down the ridge of Doubletop.
Well, from what Ladd and Felicity tell us, Karl and Kingdon became good friends, and, in the style of the time, for rural neighbors in the mountains, they took hours to walk to each other's houses to meet up. Karl would hike several hours over the mountain to Kingdon's place, and Kingdon would return the favor on other occasions. And they would meet up and play games of chess.
Not long ago, just after Hurricane Irene struck, Karl was caught in his summer house here, with the road out. And he, at nearly 90 then, worked out a plan with a family member - and walked out of the valley. Still, to walk to Kingdon's place would be too much at his age.
So the other day, Ladd and Carolyn Connell drove Karl over to Kingdon's for an afternoon of chess. They played two games. And here are two photos of the old old friends.
