at the East Valley Ranch

Readers of this blog might not be aware of the changes taking place at the Straus estate. Since the 1970s, when Frost Valley acquired the land and buildings on this property along the East Branch of the Neversink River, what we've called "Straus" or "Straus House" has served as a conference retreat for families and small groups, all year including summer. But with the dramatic increase in excitement about our various horseback riding programs here in the west valley, and with the decrease in interest in the use of Straus by family and other groups in the summer months, we decided to create an Equestrian Camp there. It will run only during the summer months, while the September-mid-June schedule will remain mostly the same as before. As you see from the photos I took there yesterday, the EVR (East Valley Ranch) is up and running. For this early 1-week session ("session A") the horsebarn is finished and filled with horses; the yurts in which the campers sleep are all set up; the bathhouse is gorgeous and ready to be used; and the main house will now begin to serve, summertimes, as housing for some staff and of course the dining hall for the campers and staff in the program. EVR is just for girls; various ranch programs in main camp typically fill with all girls anyway, so we decided to make that official when opening EVR. Ranch campers, horseback riding lessons, and the special "Mustang Village" in the main camp in our traditional west valley location, will continue, and boys can sign up for those. But this turns out to be a girls' thing. There's already a ton of community building going on. Jerry Huncosky and I visited there yesterday and were stunned by how paradisal the whole situation is. We will go back there again today to have lunch with the campers, after which I'll lead them in some songs.

late 70s

Lynn Rowling, during Olympics, summer of '77 or '78. Lynn, from Westfield NJ, was a camper, CIT, JC, counselor and then worked at the horsebarn.

horsewoman departs

Lisa Kenna has left Frost Valley after five summers and several stints year-round too. Here's part of what Lisa wrote me recently:

Frost Valley has really inspired me in so many ways, I have made so many life long friends there. I completed my fifth FV summer last year and will be sad not to return this summer. Although I will surely return someday soon. I miss my horses, the community, Jim Tisch, the beautiful Catskills and the Frost Valley atmosphere so much. Right now I am currently teaching English in South Korea with my boyfriend Shane, who I actually met at Frost Valley while doing my 18-month Visa contract. We both worked EE and I also worked in the barn on the weekends. I have added your page to my 'blog list' on my 'Korean Adventure blog' as a must read.

Here are three photos of Lisa during her FV time. The photo above was taken by Dave Mager last summer. Great shot, no?

Rudy, come & gone

Before computers, the making of the cabin lists before each new two-week session was a major project - complex and almost always done late at night when directors should have been out and around checking on things, dealing with last-minute problems, getting some sleep before the big exchange day/holdover weekend.

I can still remember all the all-nighters I pulled doing this. Usually the memory is about the friends who helped me. Read off the names, check the birthdays, make sure campers who requested each other are together, check to be sure we haven't created a cabin full of lifers next to one full of rookies....and what are the possible bad combos of camper-counselor personalities?

Here you see a photo taken of two staff people assembling the cabin lists (either them or the bus lists - the latter just as crucial for different reasons but less complex an activity) in 1962. The two are Bill Starmer and Rudy Gilbert.

Can you tell where they are working? It's inside the Lake House. This is the small house across the camp road from the boathouse and across the county road from where the old horsebarn used to be. Later Everett Lake lived there, and still later Leslie Black and Doug Kerr.

Rudy Gilbert was a counselor. He went on one of the Canadian trips with Jim Wilkes. Rudy was a student of civil engineering from New Orleans, attending Mississippi State College (which was at the time a feeder school to Wawayanda). This was Rudy's one summer at Frost Valley.

Shortly after that summer (1962) Rudy was murdered on the streets of New Orleans. Lots and lots of fine young people have passed through FV in the summers before and since, and probably few of us remember Rudy Gilbert there that one summer. So why not use this 21st-century-fangled mode (this blog) as a means by which to honor such a person, and (because we still do the same things Rudy did then) to remember him even we don't ourselves remember him?

Bill Starmer, upon seeing this picture after all these years, writes: "You have no idea how often I think about Rudy. We became really close in just a short time. Wonderful future ahead of him. So sad his life had to end so suddenly. One of the few people from those days that still floats through my memory."

So here's to Rudy! And here's to such friendships! Cherish them while you have 'em.

former camper & staffer saves horses

On the left is Mark Gottdenker, and on the right, Brad Gaver - at the Labor Day '06 reunion.

Brad was a barn rat, pretty much from the start (I think he was first a camper at the age of 8 - I was his camp director). Years passed and next thing you know he's on the staff at Frost Valley's horsebarn. And then, flash forward, and he has a dream of creating "Pure Thoughts Horsemanship" and of specializing in rehab and in the animal-human connection and equine therapy.

Now he is involved in the largest rescue effort yet. It's such a big deal that apparently he and Jen will be on Inside Edition on TV in the coming few weeks. Watch out for them.

The project is described at length here. The final paragraph of the long press release describes Brad, and here it is:

Pure Thoughts Inc. has the advantage of having a fantastic rehab trainer Brad Gaver M.Ed, Co-Founder of Pure Thoughts Inc. Horse & Foal Rescue, has a history of success working with youths. His conceptual dream, “Pure Thoughts Horsemanship” which has turned into a reality, was started so that he may lead and guide our children on a path of success through equine therapy. Mr. Gaver has spent years studying the animal / human connection and has developed a program that unitizes horses as his means for not only reaching these children but also as a catalyst for each youth to grow within their selves, understand their true self and know that their future is for them to discover…. and decide the path they wish to take. The horses deserve a second chance to be loved and so do our children. Bradley Gaver is also an accomplished horseman, farrier and trainer specializing in the "Art of Equine Communication for the Competitive Edge." Brad trains both human and horse to communicate on the same level so that their experience together is a rewarding one. In his words..."There isn't a horse out of reach.... time, patience and repetition are the key. Before anything a bond and mutual trust must be formed.

Diana Siderides, horsebarn in '74

Diana Siderides (whose home base was Cherry Hill, NJ, near Philadelphia) was our "Riding Director" at the horsebarn in 1974. The previous year she had ridden with two friends 3,000 miles from Morrisville, New York, to Ventura, California on horses named Okie and Collar Bars "and a pinto mare." This remarkable feat can be confirmed here. I believe '74 was Diana's only summer at Frost Valley. Later she was the founder of Flight to Freedom, Rehabilitation Resource for Raptors and has written several books about her work with owls and hawks. She created this project in 1985, while she was recovering from an accident that severely injured her right hand and arm. Since then, she has worked hard to develop a sanctuary for injured and orphaned birds of prey, and provide assistance so that they may be reintroduced to the wild. For a biographical profile, go here.

1990 Ranch Leaders ("barn rats" made official)

Prior to the late 80s, campers who loved to hang out at the horsebarn were permitted to do so informally, and they were known around camp as "barn rats." Perhaps the most famous of the early-80s barn rats was Spencer Levy. A program called "Ranch Leaders" was formed to enable kids to learn advanced horsemanship as an official part of the camp program (this was distinct from Ranch Camp, which was a "specialty camp" and included beginners). Chris Mills worked at the barn on and off from the mid-80s through the early 90s (1985-91, to be exact) and sends me this photo of a number of barn staff and "Ranch Leaders" from 1990. Among those in the picture are: Brad Gaver, Brian Butler, Jen Rotella, Jess Soller (Jess is the girl on the lower right, leaning up against Olivia; Jess is wearing a black top and light-colored shorts), Chris DePuy, JD Louis, Debbie Floyd, and Olivia Ostrow. Olivia's sister Jenna was of course a lifer too. Leon Greene is second from the right on the top row (in the light blue shirt). In the bottom row, sitting to the right, is Becky [last name?]. If anyone can identify others, drop me a line. I believe that the girl standing at far left is Tammy Lynn, who in recent years was Frost Valley's full-time camp nurse. I'm guessing that's a young Brian Butler standing at the far right. That would mean Brad Gaver is third standing from the left.

When Karin Turer (FV 1988-97) saw this photo, she sent some thoughts, triggered by seeing Jess Soller in the picture. Here's Karin:

A girl in the Ranch Leaders photo is named is Jess Soller from TX. She was close with Becky Merino...and we were all in Tacoma and Windsong together. Jess was the coolest girl and we all shaved the backs of our heads and listened to the Violent Femmes and Fishbone. My age group lost a lot of people as counselors because the year we were all supposed to become JCs, they camp decided to de-emphasize under-18 staff and create the "A.C." position. So in 1993, there were only 8-10 previous CITs who had the opportunity to "graduate" into being JCs. It was too bad because we lost a lot of the friends I'd grown up with. Jess had an older brother named Mike who was a counselor. We all thought he was hot. He played the guitar too, so he was double-hot.... I was never a barn rat, but as staff I was always a woods rat, spending most of my time in Sequoia and Woodwise.

June Kaiser, Sven Grotrian, Rich Weinberg, Brad Gaver

Today I spent the day on the phone calling various friends and supporters of Frost Valley. Among them were these old camp friends: Sven Grotrian, June Kaiser Campbell, Rich Weinberg, Brad Gaver. Brad picked up his phone while he was feeding hay to his horses. He co-runs a horse ranch just west of West Palm Beach in Florida, and does a lot of traveling to teach about horsemanship. (We talked about the possibility that he would come here to Frost Valley to lead a session.) Sven's silvery slightly yodel-like voice reminded me instantly of some wonderful weeks and months we spent together here. Sven started at FV in 1963 and his last summer was '77. Today he reminded me that (a) we roomed together one summer and (b) that for the last two weeks of his last summer he was a Camp Director. Sven's two daughters were both campers here a few years ago. I caught Rich in Maine where he was putting siding on his cabin up there. I hope to talk with him again soon. Rich spent some of his many years here as a counselor in Lacota, the tipi village. Rich is somewhat in touch with Heather Sachs. We knew June as June Kaiser--hailing from Summit NJ (her brother David and sister Linda both also worked at camp). She is now an attorney in Seattle and lives with her family on Bainbridge Island. Her kids are 16 and 14. I hope to chat with June again in a day or two. The photo above is a picture of June taken at the old horsebarn (aka "the Lazy Nag Corral").