Halbe Brown drives a hayride

August 1999.

at the reunion

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

CIT long ago

David Sacker with his old CIT shirt--at the recent reunion.

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.

the cheer that was supposed to be tamped down

This link here should take you to a Facebook video that will truly tickle you. It's based on an audio recording made in 1993. You'll hear the voices of Forest counselors griping hilariously about having been told by directors to stop chanting a certain village cheer: "Twenty-Three." Just watch and you'll get it. Charming video made by Dave Scherer. I'm not certain that non-Facebook users can use the link, but perhaps so. I'm not up on video-sharing protocols and whatnot. Give it a try and let me know.

Here is what Dave wrote when he uploaded this to Facebook about a year ago: "In 1993 I was a camp counselor at the Frost Valley summer camp. Last week I started listening to some of the tapes I made that summer in my car. This video is actually a 2 minute sound sample with text. It tells the epic ongoing story of Frost Valley and similar places worldwide. / Credits: Forest VC Fred Biggs, Apolllo Bey, Jon Lockwood, Leon Greene, me and countless campers."

Carly's blog

In the photo at right, Carly Einstein (at left, with the backpack) talks to several of the inter- nationals.

Carly is a FV alumna. She was at camp from 1991 to 2003, remaining on the staff until she was 23. She worked in Tacoma throughout all but her last FV summer (Windsong counselor that year) and for two of those years (99 and 00) she was the Tacoma VC.

She is currently a Program Coordinator at New York University, where she's also getting her MPA degree in Non-Profit Management. For four years before that she was Education Supervisor in the NYC Department of Homeless Services.

Carly writes to her blog pretty much every weekday. Today's entry is about camp, and here it is:

Summer camp brings an indescribable sense of self, gratitude, acceptance, and joy understood only by other camp people. And we'll incessantly attempt to explain the unexplainable, to our loved ones / friends / anyone-willing-to-look-at-or-listen-to-hours-of: camp photo albums filled with sentimentality; lyrics of cheers sung in dining halls during, oh, just lunchtime because that's what camp people do; trips to the infirmary in which being sick is just as fun as the missed cabin-activity; and stories of the moments in between where unexpected friendships are forged, secrets are shared, first kisses are had, people fall in love, mohawks are shaved, shirts are tie-dyed, swim tests are avoided, camp fires are burned, scavengers are hunted, and penpalships are maintained out of obligation because, let's face it, who has time to write letters? There are few milestones in the lives of us camp people that mirror the anticipation felt on the drive towards camp at the start of the summer before our newest memories are forged, or the heartache shared during the inevitable tearful goodbyes, weeks or months later, in which lifelong promises of friendship and love are exchanged and, even if they don't work out, the sentiments are the most sincere and honest as any other promise to come. Enjoy!

Here's a link to Carly's blog.

Below: flag-raising led by Matt Buczek in 2000 - presumably this is during VC training. Carly is at the far left. Click on the image for a larger view. Others here: Dale Whittaker, Megan Hurley, Sindy Subance, Brian Dougan, Mikia Eatman, Jeanna Moyer, Carrie Jacobson, Joe Elliott, Mike Harrowfield, Matt Buczek, Katie Kelly, Rick McKay, Amanda Harrowfield.

Lion Hunt '92

I ended my full summers as director in '85 but began visiting - usually for one- or two-week stints at first - in 1987 or so. In '92 I spent all of session 2 at FV and here I am leading a Lion Hunt in the dining hall. It would seem that the Tacoma girls at the first table were less than enraptured. Photo by Meg Hanna, and thanks for Katie Kelly for pointing this out to me. If you are not a Facebook user, this link won't work for you, but if you are, it should take you to all of Meg's 1992 pics.

former director comes back

We were all very happy to see Steve Purkis back at Frost Valley. He spent the weekend here and is staying through tomorrow afternoon. Of course he was given a staff shirt, and a van, and told to search for lost luggage. It's just what happens when old directors show up. Steve is very active at the school where he works, and in the school's community - especially in programs and activities related to his work as the school's soccer coach. He's incredibly busy. We're glad he'll be back, along with hundreds of others, for the Labor Day reunion. Above is a shot of Steve with Jeff Daly at dinner tonight.

cabin 8

David Scherer writes: "In the summer of '93 the cabin number sign on Forest cabin 8 got loose (the first time it really did just happen on its own). We renamed it "Cabin Infinity". Sadly a few days later, FV Maintenance came by and fixed the sign. Luckily I had a hammer and was able to refix it. This touched off an epic maintenance battle. Over the next few weeks the sign got so many nail holes that soon it was hard to read the numeral. By the end of the summer it had fallen off completely. I brought it home where it hangs to this day as an infinity symbol."

Pictured from Left: Lee Chapman, Noah Abbot, David Scherer Water (C), Appolllo Bey (C, cabin 7), Lenny Soberman, Damian Frye (JC), not sure, not sure, Collin McCombs, Danny Rodriguez, not sure. A famous cabin group, years later many of these campers became FV staff.

Diana Finkel: CIT coordinator to ultra-marathoner

Marc Hanna (1987-95) writes:

I was recently reminded of Diana Finkel when I came across her name in Sports Illustrated. Diana was my co-leader for the CIT's in 1994. She had endless energy and was one of those rare people who enjoyed absolutely everything she did. She couldn't sit still and couldn't stop smiling. During the camping portion she declared her role was to be the pack mule. It certainly wasn't navigator as she ateempted to start more than a few of hikes off in the opposite direction. She was also always up for a challenge, and I took advantage of that many times by saying, "I bet you can't........."

It seems her determination and deep gas tank are serving her well now since I recently saw her mentioned in Sports Illustrated's "Faces in the Crowd" section here.

She has become quite the ultra marathoner and recently broke the female course record in the Hardrock 100 by a whopping 2.5 hours. Two quotes of hers from an article on the race jumped out at me. On whether or not running 100 miles is fun - "Like I always say, it doesn't have to be fun to be fun." On how she was able to improve on her previous winning time by 4 hours and best the course record by 2.5 hours - "I didn't get lost as much. Last year, I got lost a lot. This year, I only got lost a little."

Below are two photos of Diana during her Frost Valley days.



The photo just above shows Diana with then-CIT Yoland Philpotts. Yoland was a FV'er from 1988 through 2003. Yoland writes: "After that CIT year with Diana and Marc, I went on to climb the counselor ranks and was VC of Pac in '99, CIT coordinator in '00 and again in '02. These days I'm in medical school at Einstein in the Bronx."

1992

Here, at right, is the first page of the 1992 summer staff list. Click on the image for a larger view. How many names do you recognize?

Pac men for the ages

Well...at least for the age. By which I mean: for the 1990s. At the wedding of Jeff Daly and Kelly Zingone at Frost Valley last weekend, a gang of Pac Village guys - from the early to late '90s - gathered for this photograph. They are: Mark Gottenker, Jim Gibbons, Steve Purkis, Richie Eddings, Brian Butler, Malik Jenkins, Bob Eddings, Matt Buczek, Jeff Daly, Joe Elliott, Bill Baker, Ryan Annettes, and Eric Blum. By the way, I have some great photos from this wonderful event, but I've been crazily busy and am late-ish in getting them here. So I'm thankful to Jeff who today, before heading off on a Hawaii honeymoon, sent me this photo. So: more soon, I promise.

Forest VC & Susky VC wed!

Attentive readers of this blog may remember mentions of the photography of FV staff alumnus Max Flatow. Max loves shooting Frost Valley weddings! In fact, as he told me this past weekend when he shot the Jeff Daly/Kelly Zingone wedding, he's done three FV weddings in the past week or so! Three. (Contact Max if you want him to shoot your own FV wedding! Click here for more information - and go to http://maxflatow.com/home.html.

One recent Max job was the wedding of Dan Weir and Alison Ryczek, who met at camp some years ago (when Dan was VC of Forest and Ali VC of Susky - brother and sister villages, naturally).

The photo above was taken of the FV'ers at the wedding. From left to right: Kam, Heather, Brekke, Eamonn, Helen, Jeff, Kelly, Gail, Matt, Dan, Laura, Hannah, Brian, Andy, Matt (in the shadow), Lexi, Dylan, Alison, Dan, Dave, Lisa, Matt, Allye, Kevin, Mike, Anne, Moira, Max, Leigh, Iain, Kurt ("$2Goat" was the band).

the family

Steve Cornman (camper & CIT, '70s) --> Helen Cornman (camper, counselor, VC, director, '80s) --> Dan Weir (counselor, VC, director, late 90s/'00s). I've remarked here and there in this blog over the months and years about this FV family. Happily, since I like them all. I'm particularly a fan of Dan this morning, after his superb presentation yesterday to the FV Board of Trustees who met for our annual at-camp meeting, under a tent set up at Reflection Pond. Dan's younger sister Liz is in camp this session, so Dan's family gathered at the beginning of the session. That's when the photo here was taken.

Elsewhere in this blog:

[] Helen Cornman & David Sunshine

[] legacies

[] Wawayanda in good hands

I dare you to be insanely dedicated

Being "on call" can be a lonely late-night business. The summer camp directors here rotate through a two-week schedule; each night two of them - or others at that level of experience/responsibility - walk around, walkie-talkies at the belt, and check out every village and most of the main camp buildings, usually finishing at 2 AM. Last night Jeff Daly, our Director of Camping, the big mahaff, contemplated his on-call night ahead and decided to call his old pal Brian Butler, and said on the phone: "I dare you to drive up here and join me for on-call tonight." It was 9 pm. Butler had done a long day's work in New Jersey. He had to be back in the morning for another work day. His days' off are limited and anyway he was in a company car. But, being Butler (the title of this blog entry should really be "Being Butler"), he took the dare, and drove up. Arrived at 11:15 or so. They joined Dan Weir, just back from his own day off, for a bit of grilled steak and pre-On Call warm-ups. I was driving by, on my way back from a CQ fire, having told stories to Forest and then Outpost, and noticed the little steak-smelling cozy enclave. Stopped and there was Butler. The conversation that followed has been recorded and I present it feelingfully here. Have a listen, and I'm going to suggest that you follow your dearest friends' dares, wherein a night's happiness lies.

CQ redux

Today's blog entry on the CQ fire stirred up a good many memories, to judge from the emails I've been receiving. Below is D'Arcy Oaks' response:

- - -

"Your post about CQ etc. got to me. I remember those things, and I want to be there, and I am sentimental now having read that. Your explanation of that "cycle" of the camper taking risks by being uncool and ridiculous which generates some loyalty from peers which promotes the ridiculous to cool seemed emblematic of similar cycles I would see at FV. Your description of that night time scramble for some social interaction with adults even though its raining, yet the adults still talk about "work", which is about how the campers are doing, seems representative of a daily occurrence during my tenure at FV. Your discussion of how to deal with the logistics when things like the weather intervene reminds me of how Carrie and I had to scramble to make a plan B (as CIT coordinators) in 1997 after Ranger Patty kicked us out of the state park for sleeping too close to the stream the night previous. Your description of the moodiness of the Sacky village converting to unity and team spirit reminds me of something people would say at FV in the 90's: a day Frost Valley is like a week in real life. Something that happened mid-afternoon becomes a distant memory for a staff member by the time CQ begins.

"I loved CQ. In 1990 as a Hemlock JC I remember the staff frequently being around CQ when not assigned. We got the campers to sleep, we could have gone to staff lounge, we had spent the day around each other, yet we hung out at CQ. We were located in that middle cabin grouping, between "The Hill" and the Dining Hall/Outtrip road, cabins 36 - 40, and that fire ring is a good one, for you can face the ravine thus reducing the risk of keeping campers up when you are talking. That summer, for us, it was backgammon and Billy Idol, and, well, some visits from raccoons, that characterized the Hemlock CQ. Bill Baker, Mark Hanna, Josh Tucker, Wentworth Miller, and David O'Brian (VC) were amongst the Hemlock staff that summer. Sometimes we'd complain, sometimes we'd talk about our lives, sometimes we'd bond, but a lot of times we'd strategize about how to make tomorrow's experience better for Hemlock campers. So your post reminds me of that kind of thing: enjoying working, enjoying your co-workers, helping kids have good experiences. Nice memories."

met in '99, engaged in '09 - same spot

Last Saturday, on the Biscuit Creek Bridge at Frost Valley, Chris Lane proposed to Lindsay Chandler-Alexander. She said yes! This photo was taken not long after the moment. Lindsay thinks she was at FV summers from 1992 to 2001. Chris was there from '98 to '02. Lindsay says: "We met in the summer of 1999 which was my JC summer and his second summer at camp. We decided to start dating on July 15th under the Biscuit Creek Bridge and 9 and a half years later that is where Chris proposed to me! Frost valley means the world to us. It is where we met, fell in love, and now where we got engaged. We couldn't be happier!"

Another Frost Valley romance turns into marriage. How many have there been? I can think of a dozen without even trying.

Of course Lindsay is in a long-line of a Wawayanda/Frost Valley family - the Chandlers of Long Island. (I remember Dave Chandler and Cathy Chandler very well - from 40 years ago.)

get rain, make fun

This fabulous photo comes from Karin Turer ('88-'97), and here is Karin's story:

This is from my summer as a VC of Woodwise (1996). I had a great, well-balanced staff, and amazing kids!

The night of this photo was one of my favorite instances of FV gumbo spirit, and it actually mirrors a night in my first summer (1988) that clearly had an impression on me. On the night in 1988, I was in Susky and we had an evening activity with Forest - I think a soccer game - which was rain-interrupted and turned into lots of mud fun with a finale of a greasy watermelon in the lake. I believe all of it was planned on the spur of the moment (even the watermelon? who knows???) and was a high point to the session.

Fast forward to 1996 - we'd spent the whole Sunday post-brunch packing up for our two-night overnight (over Wildcat, to Strauss, then to Pete's Pavilion I think) which we were supposed to leave for later that afternoon. Packing with Woodwise was always difficult because the kids are -fair enough- still in the no-equipment phase of life, and we didn't have enough out-trip packs to go around. So there was lots of cooperative kneeling on duffel bags to try to squeeze the zipper shut on a huge sleeping bag inside. Anyway, it was a long process and we were thrilled to get going.

Of course then - Boom! Huge, huge, thunderstorm - one of the biggest I remember - and we were delayed again. BUT - there was some really good mud forming! I don't know how we got started, but we were off! We got the kids in their skankiest clothing and got as dirty as possible, running through camp. Hodo dinners had been moved inside the dining hall, and we ran through yelling and chanting and who knows what else. It was awesome.

Finally we ran to the lake to jump in and joyfully de-mud. By a miracle, my brother was visiting for the day (he wasn't working that summer) and snapped this photo. The lighting was perfect, and here's my kids: Andrew ("little man" - who is now tall and an EE staff alum), Dan, Caitlin, Chelsea (who had been horribly homesick), Peter (who had a brother in MAC but had his great times at FV as well), Craig (on staff), me, Ryan, Laura W, Julia, Ayelet, Julia Rose, Phil, Avala, Ren, Rachel (on staff - we'd been campers together), and Jarret!

At another point in that session, we'd had a fancy cookout dinner and a "porch party" - Hird Lodge had a great porch and we brought a boom box out and we and the kids danced. So much fun! The next day at VC breakfast, Rob Lehman said to me, "I could hear your kids last night all the way from my house". Uh oh, I thought - I wasn't always the strongest at rules and order (and getting the kids to breakfast on time). I started to apologize, but Rob stopped me saying, "It was great - it was really clear that the kids were having the best time."

Yay - well, I was, too! Spending time mainly working in Woodwise and Sequoia was tougher on the social life - no periods off, weird schedules, out of camp a lot - but I seriously had the greatest times with the kids.

driver extraordinaire

Eric Blum is back for his usual month-long stay as a volunteer. (He's amazing. This is his entire annual vacation.) Tonight at dinner he mildly complained that I haven't put up a new blog entry every day (he checks the blog every day when he's home in Charlottesville). "Well," I responded, "the total number of July entries far exceeds the numbers of days." "But you've done these in flurries. I like something new every day." Ah well, ya can't please FV addicts.

One entry I cannot believe I've missed so far mentioned another alumnus who is volunteering here this summer - all summer. And that's Dave Lockwood. Dave (English by birth) came as an international counselor sometime in the '90s, met his wife here (now former), got married here, was a camp director in his time, and has been on and off active with the Alumni Association and in organizing the 1990s generation through Facebook.

And he, like Eric, has taken his vacation to be here and help here. He does a lot of driving (adventure trips, hospital runs, etc.) and is very generous about it. The photo above here shows Dave (at right). Thanks, Dave.

toothless roosterman returns

Last night marked the return of an evening program called "The Ichabod Craine Revue," a story night featuring an anthology of three stories by noted FV story-tellers. Most of the Hird villages (older kids) and a little more than half of the CITs were in attendance, sitting in the upstairs of Geyer Hall waiting for spun yarns to delight and astonish them - give them something to talk about later into the night.

First up was Gail Morris, who started here in '92 and is this summer on the administrative team as, among other things, the coordinator of our Newark Partnership Program. Gail casually but mysteriously told the story of strange happenings up on Banks Hill over the years.

Next up was Jeff Daly, celebrating (have I noted this yet?) 20 years since he first came to Frost Valley in 1988 as a Sequoia camper. He's now one of the two overall directors of camping and--as those who know him already know--a person of unmatched summer camp instincts: timing, staff talent, the balance of enthusiasm and sternness, etc. Jeff told a new and truer version of a legend that had (he tells me) come up through the ranks and years starting in (I think) Hemlock in the 90s. The figure in this myth is the Toothless Roosterman, a scary figure who at the same time is utterly ridiculous.

Jeff told "The Legend of the Toothless Roosterman," and the campers and staff loved it. I made a recording of this. Tonight, when you get home from work, build a fire in your Manhattan apartment or Mississippi condo or Seattle suburban house, get out the marshmellows and sticks, and put on this story. Camp again.

Here's your link to Jeff's story: LINK

Oh, yes, I told the third story last night - the story of J. C. Pony (Forest counselor in the 1960s) and the mysterious "Haunted House" overnight camp site. The key lines are: "Does Forest have the spirit?" (to which you answer: Yeah man!) and "Does Frost Valley have the spirit?" (Yeah man!)