friends since the early 1980s

Allison, Kste and Molly (left to right) met as campers in the early 1980s and they continue to this day as the closest of friends. They were reunited at the place where this extraordinary lifelong friendship began--you guessed it, FV. At the September 2010 reunion.

at the reunion

From left to right: Lillian Rountree Lippincott, Lisa Ernst and Eileen Bradley at the recent reunion.

Gorm Fosdal returns

Gorm Fosdal was an international counselor in 1982 and visited briefly in '85. He and his family (his wife and two kids, 19 and 22) visited Frost Valley recently. Gorm hadn't been back in 25 years. He was a counselor in Hemlock which in those days was housed in cabins 21-25. His was 25. The photo here shows Gorm sitting in front of cabin 25 once again. Below is what Gorm wrote about this trip and he asks us to forgive his imperfect English:

I had a very nice return to New York and Frost Valley with all my family, and youngsters aged 18 and 22 were ready to stay in the City. They just loved it. We were lucky to be blessed with very nice weather in The Big Apple, and though nice sunny weather very cold and some dazzle in the Catskills.

It was very nice to be back at Frost Valley, but also strange as it was the first time being there without the many children in the summer. I was counselor in 1982 and visited FV twice in the summer of 85, after touring US for 5 weeks. It was great being there and we, because of the weather, drove more than walked around, which was a big change from the time being a counselor, where the shoes were much in use.

My wife Anne Marie was a cuonselor also in the Catskills in 1981, close to Parksville near Elko Lake at a camp run by The Presbyterian Church. We found the surroundings the next day, but it has not been a camp for years, and now private property.

Being there again is just like it was yesterday though it is 25 years ago, but thats how wonderful memories are for your life. In Liberty we met some other people also on a memory lane tour, who thought we were from Canada with our strange language, and were very surprised that Europeans found this small place in the US of all places.

in hunker hawser, Dave Mager still champ

Reunion-style Challenge Night. The 1980s won again! (Actually there's some dispute as to whether the 90s or 80s won at the 2006 reunion.) The second-to-last challenge was of course Hunker Hawser - decade vs. decade. Dave Mager (80s) - the world champ - was challenged by Dave Scherer ("Radio Dave") in the final. Mager won. The other photo here was merely a demonstration round - John Giannotti vs. me (John won). Mager's tactic is legendary: he calmly sets himself on the very corners of the milk crate and waits until his opponent tires of tugging and feinting. For a while, Dave played skip-rope with the rope, but Mager was unflappable.

Roe, Mark, Jen

From left to right: Roe Balchunas, Mark Gottdenker, and Jen Antinoro. Jen came to FV this past weekend all the way from the San Francisco area.

DeMelle & Zabriskie

Todd DeMelle and John ("Lance") Zabriskie. I think Lance told me that he hadn't been back to FV in several decades at least. Click on the image for a larger view.

Tom Cometa remembers

Stuart Duff remembers

1981 internationals

Some of the 1981 international staff, from left to right: Maggi from Japan, Ulla from Denmark, Eric (was his last name Cahill?) from the UK, Elizabeth from Senegal, Thomas Franzkowiak from Germany and Johan from Holland. Tom F. was in Forest, Ulla was in Susky, and I believe Johan was a counselor in Sequoia.

Attentive readers of this blog will recall that Ulla was back here two weeks ago, along with husband now of any years, Greg Aggs, an Australian whom she met her at camp.

the grass down below (audio)

Listen to former long-time camper and counselor Kenny Abbott sing a song--"The Grass Down Below." Kenny and I used to sing a Dylan song (one of several, actually) at closing campfires, "You Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You Go." That song has a phrase in it: "the grass down below." So I like to think that years later, when Kenny was writing this song, he was thinking about those nights around the fire with everyone sad about leaving and we'd tune up and belt out the sentiment: you're gonna make me lonesome when you go.

Hearing Kenny sing this song makes me nostalgic--truly--for the era when singing songs (and really working to get them right, and teaching them to everyone) was a major tradition.

Above: Kenny Abbott in 1984, a counselor, with two of his campers, at the Castle. Kenny's twin brother, as most know, is Bill Abbott, now a resident, with his brother and sister, of Bozeman, Montana, after a big move from NYC. And with the aforementioned sister, Ann Abbott Klaas, also a longtime camper and staffer, these Abbotts made a huge impact on FV. Here's to them!

Cometa

Tom Cometa was a mainstay staffer here in the early and mid-80s (late 80s too?). Tom and his family have made a regular practice of coming to Family Camp at the end of each summer. Now Tom's son Andrew is here in Outpost cabin 35. Yesterday I stopped by my table to introduce himself. Mark Gottdenker was there and it turns out that Mark was a camper of Andrew's dad Tom--in Tom's cabin--some 25 years ago.

Todd Payton returns!

During Sunday's check-in, all sorts of former staffers showed up with their kids. Debbie Reich (Sacky counselor way back in the late 70s) brought her daughter. Jim Neilson (Forest counselor and bike repair guy in the early 80s) drove up from Virginia with his daughter, who left on an Adventure Trip this morning. Adam Weiss, a Lacota (tipi village) camper in the late 70s, showed up with his son and simply could not believe I was "still here." There were others, but the big shocker was Todd Payton. Todd Payton! He brought his daughter who also left today on an Adventure Trip (to Maine, I believe). I hadn't seen him in 25 years. Jim's daughter snapped the shot above: from left to right, Mark Gottdenker, Jim Neilson, Al Filreis, Todd Payton.

Now don't stop reading. You just have to experience the story Jim Neilson tells, which is partly about what his daughter Leah is about to experience and partly about his accidental meeting, after all these years, with Mark Gottdenker:

Funny connection happened to me during my short visit. It seems that Mark Gottdenker (out trip logistics coordinator) and I were both in Forest back in 1980 (or ‘81). He was a camper and I was Greg Aggs JC. I was telling my daughter a story about Gregg just before we left for FV. The story was prompted by a little swimming accident we had at Blue Hole (have you been there?) down here in C’ville. At the time, myself, Scott Robinov and Gregg were standing near the edge of the wall at Biscuit creek. It was a hot day and there were a few campers in the water cooling off. Scott said, in an off-handed way, “Hey, Gregg, why don’t you dive in.” I don’t think Scott thought that Gregg was going to actually dive in head first off the 8 foot wall – but he did. We were all in shock and stood there frozen on the wall. Greg surfaced (there was only 3 or 4 feet of water) with a big knot on his head. Thank goodness we were right next to the infirmary and so Val or Joy could get him down to the nearest hospital. As it were, the FV magic was in full swing that day and he was fine – or could it be that all the VC’s are thick headed. Anyway, as I was relating the story again in the dining room Mark’s eyes got big and said that he was at Biscuit when Greg took the dive. He remembered it as clearly as I did. I could see Leah grinning out of the corner of my eye, she’ll have her stories to share someday.

By the way, the very same Greg Aggs (with Ulla, his wife, whom he met HERE) will be visiting us later this session, along with Jody Ketcham who is escorting them.

dear friends for life

Liz White Russell and Leslie Black. Dear, dear friends since 1973. They met, needless to say, at Frost Valley.

Lillian's back

Lillian Rountree Lippincott was here (all the way from Pittsburgh) yesterday to drop off her two kids for camp. I remember her as a camper, moving all the way up through the villages, ending with a bunch of sessions (maybe all 4 that summer) in Windsong as a kid with tremendous prospective talent to become a counselor. That was '84 or '85 and now, a mere 25 years later, she's back with her own kids.

Mac was back

Mike McNamee - an Englishman living in Wales - was recruited to the FV staff in 1982 through the "BunaCamp" system. We think he was a counselor in Hemlock that summer - along with Dave Gold (his JC), Dargie Mombo and others. He came back in '83, '84 and '85. He was a great VC of Forest and then of Lenape. Now he's a professor of bioethics. His wife - Cheryl - worked at Frost Valley (waterfront, I think) during the summer of '89. Their two daughters - Megan and Fionne - can't wait to come to camp in the summer of 2011 as campers. Dad's visit back to camp this past weekend should solidify that decision. "Are you going to sleep in the Castle?" asked Fionne, full of hope.

Yes, McNamee was back after 25 years. I picked him up in Garrison, NY, where he was a Fellow at the Hastings Center for bioethics. He wandered around - found his first cabin (see above) - and had breakfast and a good walk-around with Glenn Horton (who lives nearby and came to see Mac).

I drove Mike back to Manhattan, where he was to stay with Kim Diamond overnight and would meet Stu Kaufer for lunch the next day, before returning to Wales. Just as we arrived, I put on an mp3 version of an old recording of Mike and me singing harmonies to Dylan's "I Shall Be Released," at a 1985 closing campfire, with Ken Abbott singing a third part and strumming a blowsy-sad electric guitar. There was a bit of nostalgia reverberating around my Toyota as we crossed the Hudson over the GW.

Sacky girl, mid 80s

Mary Beth Sullivan remembers her Frost Valley years. She sent me a photo of one of her visits as an "Indian Princess" in the late 70s or maybe 1980. She and her dad and friends are at the BB Range. The staff member, in the sweater, is Paul Nelson - who was a VC in the summertime (of Outpost in around 1978). Here's Mary Beth recalling her Frost Valley summers, along with my editorial insertions:

I was in Sacky for ’83 and ’84. I used to remember my counselor’s name immediately, but now I think having a kid has drained my memory a bit. I think her name might have been Mara. She was a village leader and she was from Texas. The last time I mentioned her name to you (when I completely remembered her first and last name), you recognized it and also mentioned that she married another FV lifer? [Mary Beth is writing about Mari Angers.]

I remember my first lunch and winning a TV theme contest you personally MC’d and sang (one-man show). I also remembered the touching story you told of your friend with the arrow you found in Lake Cole. You mentioned it during Hirdstock. [Here she is probably remembering a Challenge Night that I led, and also the story I used to tell about Charlie Shelton.]

I also remember Kangaroo Court with people teasing the guy named “Flash.” [She's remembering Gordon Fair, whom we called "Flash Gordon."]

You know, I’ve been dying to visit the camp for the longest time. I live in Florida, and my parents went there about a year ago to visit during a trip to my uncle’s. As a matter of fact, this weekend, I’m flying up north for my cousin’s wedding. They live in Middletown. I almost decided to take a side trip up there, but my mom assigned me limo duties for my grandparents.

You know I’m planning to send my kid up the coast for summer camp at FV once she’s old enough. It never leaves your blood!

Adam Gold returns

Adam Gold (brothers Steven and Mike were both long-time FV guys) visited this summer with his wife and children...in the hopes, I think, that the kids would begin to fall in love with the valley. I took this shot of Adam and my daughter Hannah in the Ad Office. We all hope Adam's family will make the connection and hope to see them at the reunion next Labor Day!

'88 Wawayanda staff

Above: the 1988 Wawayanda staff village assignment list. Notice that Pokey/Totem was combined that summer. Later the two were separated again and in recent years re-combined. Note also that Sacky and Hemlock were part of Wawayanda (now part of Hird). Also Outpost was a girls village that year!

little bit o' Lakota love

Don't these Lakota girls look happy? Sunny today day after a bunch of rainy days, so there's one reason. The one in the middle is Brea, and she's the daughter of Jim Neilson who was a staff here in the 80s. Jim and his wife send both his daughters here despite residing in Virginia. Naturally Jim was anxious to hear how Brea's doing? I asked her and she said, "Great!" "Are you homesick at all?" I asked. She said, "No!" - whereupon her cabin 42 pals gathered around for some Lakota love and this snapshot.

simple old sign

The sign that greeted you at the main entrance to camp - through the early '80s.