$ for camperships

Click on the image above for a larger view. I know you won't believe this but it's true: the summer camp staff (not a well paid bunch) contributed $11,000 toward camperships (financial aid for families who can't afford to send their children to camp) on the final day of staff training in June. The total for all staff (year-round and summer-only) is $29,000 so far for 2011. This we call "Project 332," the aim being to send 332 children to camp who couldn't otherwise come for financial reasons. Of course the overall goal for FV's annual campaign is much larger. But what you see here gives you a sense of how the fund-raising on the part of camp staff continues through the summer. We all wear our tie-dyed 332 t-shirts on check-out day. Counselors who greet parents and receive kudos and compliments ask parents to make a donation to Project 332 instead of the traditional "tip" to the counselor. The village staffs compete to see which raises the most money for camperships. The winning group of staff each session gets to have an evening off at Dan Weir's house - enjoying DVDs and some serious BBQ and grilled eats.

If you're reading this and want to contribute, please go to http://www.frostvalley.org/ and click on "Help Us Change Lives, Donate Today!"

they can't keep away

The summer of 1986 was a strange one for me. For the first time in 23 years I was not spending at least part of my summer at Frost Valley. I only vaguely remember the specifics of the disorientation and heartache, but I certainly recall the fact of it. I kept looking at the calendar and thinking thoughts such as: "Tonight is the opening ceremony of Olympics." Fortunately I have the opportunity to spend time here, sometimes lots of it, to this day. But most folks can't manage such things and life's commitments--all for the good, since the FV magic does its magic elsewhere as the result--encourage us to move on.

I do find it fascinating to see the reactions of those lifers, enduring their first summer out, when they come back for a visit. Smiles on the faces, here, of Shannon Mooney and Annie Galligan, belie their intense nostalgia and longing during a recent visit. At right is Mariah Bohn who is most certainly here this summer, as a counselor in Windsong--daughter of Sandra Bohn, whom you might know as Sandy Shapiro from her many years as camper and counselor years back. Sandy manages to spend some weeks (this summer = 4) here too, helping out (driving, always a huge need).

a blog entry for the FV wonk

Lots of heads were put together in order to come up with a more efficient check-in for the beginning of each session. I should have said "an even more efficient check-in" because in the past few years it's been already quite good.

When parents and campers arrive, and find out that this form or that (or many forms) are incomplete or missing, they've had to discuss it with the director right there at the table and then wander through various administrative set-ups to finish the paperwork. (I say "paperwork" but I don't mean it's trivial stuff. We're talking about whether we know the camper is going home by bus, a crucial piece of info. Or via health forms, about the medication the child is taking.) But for the start of session 2, we assembled a high-level team of staff, with access to the database of forms via computers. Parents arrive down the hill and are giving a green card if there are no forms missing; these folks move right through to meet directors and go up to the cabins, whereupon mom or dad makes the bed, greets counselors, says goodbye and hits the highway. If you don't have a green card, you move through the room in this photo above, where your forms are completed and any further work is described. Basically, we're just using the square footage of our site a lot better, to keep the lines down and move along fast those who can. Everyone seemed happy with this.

This is the sort of blog entry only former directors or true FV wonks will want to read. But I'm one of 'em, so there you go.

going up Slide (for the Nth time)

Looking north from the top of Slide Mountain a few days ago. Although the trees at the top have grown up and now you can't command a view from the entire top of the mountain, as you could back in the '60s, there are a few spots where you get a spectacular view. It was in the humid mid-80s as we started up the trail from the road (county road 47, the one that passes through FV), but by the time we got to 4000+ feet, it was less humid and downright cool (low 70s) with a breeze. Fantastic relief and a reward for what really is quite a steep climb. The trail isn't the most beautiful at the bottom (too much travelled), but it's still 2.5 hours up and a real workout. (Going down takes 1.5 hours at most.) The much more interesting and beautiful way up Slide is from the end of the East Branch Neversink Road (by the Tison house), the "back way." A further note: while snapping this photo from this viewpoint, I heard a little bing go off on my phone and realized that from the top of Slide we were picking up the slightest cell phone service. From where? I don't know. But I actually was able to upload this photo from the top of Slide and to call my wife Jane to report our successful ascent. I didn't know whether to howl with laughter or with crying at this new aspect of immediacy.

some thoughts on the raid

"The raid" is an artifact of friendly village-to-village affectional rivalry. I've never been a fan of it (to say the least), but was amused by this mild, aesthetically pleasing version. What you see here is a little raiding done by Tacoma "against" Lenape. You're looking at the main room of Quirk Lodge, where Lenape resides, after some folks from Tacoma had come and gone, leaving a symbol of indoor-outdoor switcheroo. A little bit of camp left behind in what I consider a very non-camp kind of space (common room of lodge, with video-game-enabled TV, etc.). I like the humor here. Do you?

another McFarland joins us

Pokey girls at lunch...from the youngest cabin (21). At far right is Sarah Dickson, daughter of Cathy Dickson who as Cathy McFarland was (with her sister) a camper and counselor years ago. Cathy's mom, and Sarah's grandma, is (also) Cathy McFarland, a fabulously effective and helpful member of FV's Board of Trustees and former executive director of the Victoria Foundation. Sarah's brother Andrew is also here for his third summer. All in the family, for sure.

the weekly VC meeting - the same as ever

I continue to be amazed at the continuity represented by what you'll see in this video. For anyone since 1976 who (as a program staffer, a director or a village chief) has attended the weekly VC/Program meeting, this video will speak for itself. After the round of announcements, the VCs scramble to negotiate the use of spaces, program staff, and other resources, sharing them (through a grid arrangement of the daily schedule) with all the other villages and programs such as Tokyo, Day Camp, etc. Watch and listen as VCs, who weren't born when this exact system was invented, talk with their colleagues, make reservations, confirm plans, and collaborate with each other to resolve scheduling conflicts - and then, ultimately, sketch out a beautiful weekly plan on one side of one copy-able page. What I find amazing, as I've said, is how absolutely the same this has been for 35 years. Below are two photos capturing the busy earnest scene, taken just a minute or two after the bugle was sounded (as it were) for the start of the sign-ups.

cheese puff record at a weekly VC/Program meeting

Keeping somewhat to the theme of outlandish camp-y behavior - in the spirit of what it takes to work this hard so close to so many other heart-filled people for such a concentrated 10-week period - I couldn't help but take a photo of CIT Director Rich Krudner as he broke the record for most cheese puffs stuffed into a human mouth at a weekly VC/Program meeting. So there you have it. Rich came over to me and a few others, and indicated with his hands and fingers that he has 27 cheese puffs in there.

closing campfire

Camp Hird's closing campfire a few days ago, the final night of session 1. It was a gorgeous night. After a while, the sun all the way down, a full moon rising over Wildcat, and plentiful stars, the songs got even sweeter and the sentiments rose - with the finale being (of course) the VCs each saying a final word about the session and then singing together (with a little help from yours truly) "Four Strong Winds."

Lion Hunt once more

If you look closely at this photo, at left, you'll see me sitting on a chair on a table - leading Camp Wawayanda in the "Lion Hunt." "I'm NOT scared!" (The photo was taken by Dan Weir, our Director of Camping Services.)

checking in with the Kremers

Ray Kremer was the very first of the many, many, many Kremers to work at Frost Valley. We think that Marie Kremer (the matriarch of the clan) was the second to work here - as a cook, at first, then office manager. Others came along too, quickly: Charlie Jr., Margaret, Ann Marie, Charles Sr., Andy, and John (did I miss any?). I've written about the Kremers variously in this blog over the years, so search for "Kremer" in the searchbox at right or click the keyword/label below - for much more about them.

Anyway, Ray is at left in the photo above. Along with Bob Eddings and me. Ray and Meg Kremer (Meg, Ray's wife, also worked at FV) joined Jerry and Patti and several dozen other neighbors and FV staffers at a belated July 4 party on the evening of July 10 - camp's decided-upon date for celebrating independence day with the annual "Small World" carnival (featuring booths on countries represented by our international counselors), an evening stage show, and fireworks shot over the lake.

It was great to see Ray, now 65 years old and long retired. He and Meg have built a cabin on the Kremer family property at the end of the Frost Valley road (country road 47) in Claryville.

alumna comes cross-country to give her own young children a chance to be Frost Valley people

Jen Antinoro and her brother Matthew were campers during my years as camp director, and I remember them both well: they were lifers. Jen (now Jen Antinoro Storey, residing with her family on the west coast) stayed on and became a prominent staff member (did Matt do so, too? I'm not sure). Then, like so many of us, she kept her connection to Frost Valley, visiting reunions and staying in touch with FV friends, but mostly setting up her life apart, or mostly apart, from her great FV upbringing. And when her kids came along she hoped they would grow up soon so that she could send them for two weeks to summer camp back here. Well, such waiting - until they're 7 or 8 or 9 - was not for Jen. She brought her two children across the country, rented a cabin in Claryville, and has been sending them to our day camp for the past two weeks, and getting a view of camp life herself here and there as she dropped them off and picked them up. One day she stayed the day, and I saw her in the dining hall, and snapped this photo of her witnessing the mealtime chaos and remembering her own hooplas past.

Gottscho Board members visit

Today Judy Eichinger (daughter of Eva Gottscho) and members of the Gottscho Foundation Board visited us and met with many of the kids affiliated with the dialysis unit - from various villages. Above are some photos I took during our lunch with the Gottscho Board.

three beards

Three beards converged yesterday afternoon during the "Small World" carnival (booths arranged around the field, each celebrating the nation represented by an international counselor). The beards belong to (left to right): junior counselor Jonah, myself, and junior counselor Sam.

This (on July 10) was our belated celebration of American independence, six days late. It ended with a dazzling fireworks display shot up across the lake from the end while the campers and staff were sitting at CIT Point. I stationed myself at a fabulous party hosted by CEO Jerry Huncosky at his house, just above the end-of-lake location of the fireworks shooters. Lots of noise and smoke up there.

Hemlock does a Project Adventure activity

in pajamas at campfire

Sacky staff, led by Maddy Geftec (at far left), wears pajamas to opening campfire (session 1).

son of the Amazing Dave

All Frost Valley people from the mid-1970s through the mid-80s will remember David ("The Amazing Dave!") Allen. He was a counselor, then a Totem VC, and later our Wawayanda Director. Now David's son Jon (in the middle, above) is here - a counselor in "Pac" (Quinnepiac) Village, living in Hird Lodge. The Allen legacy, intact. We'll be sure that Jon is deemed "Amazing!" too.

CITs become JCs

Last summer's CITs, now JCs. These photos were taken on the final day of staff training. Excitement....

you've got to be a little whacky to do this

Camp is just camp. And at the start of the summer, some craziness of spirit just gets out, a defining moment reminding us that you have to be game to do this. So when Mike T. last night was challenged to drink an entire quart of duck sauce - yes, that sweet gooey stuff the Chinese restaurant adds to your order - he of course went through with it. And this morning - I saw him - none the worse for wear. And maybe better than before, because we all now just know that Mike is fully in.

the White Rat truck on luggage day

It's the last day of the session sometime in the early 1970s. Time for the CITs and others to put the luggage on the "White Rat." This was a 1951 Chevy truck that was the mainstay luggage and all-camp-program vehicle for many, many years. Eventually it was supplemented by a nice big blue stake truck, and other late model vehicles. But the White Rat was the one. It's shock absorbers (such as they were) created a hilarious (and perhaps dangerous) bounce up the rocky hills going up to the cabins. It's wooden stakes would literally fly up into the air and fall to the ground on some of these trips up.

swimming at Farm Camp

Did you know that at Farm Camp the campers swim in the East Branch of the Neversink River? There's a pool (not deep - but certainly swimmable) just across the road from the vegetable plots. Andy Szymczak, I'm delighted to say, is the new director of the Farm Camp. Above you see him chatting with Jerry Huncosky. The air was warm and the water, well, the water was frigid. But the boys we spoke to just loved swimming in such clear water. Even with all the mucking around kids do when they swim and play in water, the river retained its crystal clarity. Amazing.

new sign at White Pond

Yesterday a new sign was installed at White Pond. Click on the top image above, and if you have good eyesight you can see that under "fast facts" we indicate that White Pond was built and is dedicated to Chuck White.

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.

invasion of Ketchams

Three of the newest generation Ketchams arrived yesterday. Cole and Isaac, and Kalayla. Amy (at right), who was once herself a camp director here, is very very eager (to say the least) to know how the boys are doing, so this blog post serves that purpose in part. Amy: They're doing fine! We did a challenge contest this morning and, as you see, there was a Ketcham represented in the Junior Architect challenge and in the weirdest boy contortion challenge.

the Beirut connection

Looking over the camper list just prior to their arrival yesterday, I noticed two with the last name of "Hibri." This put me in mind of Bassem El-Hibri, whom I knew as a young man from Beirut, Lebanon. Bassem attended a Y camp in the mountains of Lebanon and somehow through that experience met Paul Brown, Halbe Brown's brother. Paul was doing an international Y stint in the middle east. (I think David Allen met Paul, and perhaps Paul and Bassem, over there too. David was in Egypt, I think.) Anyway, Bassem found out about Frost Valley from Paul and arrived in 1973 (in the midst of war and civil war back home). He was here in '73, '74, and '75, possibly '76 too. One summer he was the Totem village chief. Another summer he climbed all 46 high peaks of the Adirondacks with Bud Cox and a group of boys on an Adventure trip. He and I became pretty close friends and spent some wonderful days off together in '75.

I lost touch with Bassem a few years later. Last I heard, he had moved to the U.S. and was running an import/export business in South Carolina.

"Hibri" on the camper list. Okay. Then I promptly forgot about all this and went on with my check-in afternoon. Coming back from taking a family up the hill to a cabin, I ran into staffer Jessica Dymond who said that someone named Hibri was looking for me. His first name was Nadi. He was in fact Bassem's brother!

Nadi and his family live in Texas, where he is an MD (radiologist). "My brother has told me for many years that Frost Valley changed his life - that I must bring my own children here." So from Texas they came - with son Omar and daughter Nadia. As they drove a car along the New York highways, Bassem called his brother from Lebanon and asked where he was. "We are driving to Frost Valley!" "Oh! When you get there, look for Al." So they did.

Yes, Bassem is back in Beirut (running a business). So now I'm aiming to get back in touch with him. Meantime, Omar, as you see above, tried his hand at limbo in the Challenge contest this morning. He was eliminated fairly early (big guy) but seemed to have fun.

- - -

David Allen notes: "I met Paul Brown in Beirut but Rich Hanna new him there better. Rich came to Frost Valley first, and called me about an opening. Definitely a Beirut connection though. Part of my childhood was in Egypt, some teen years in Lebanon."

Jere Schwait's daughter Maya is here too

Jere Schwait Sirkis has brought her daughter Maya to several alumni reunions. When Maya was quite young, I remember how much she loved playing Geronimo. This must have been in 2006. Now she's 7 years ago and of course it's time for camp. The morning of the first full camp day, after presumably a lively night of late chatting in the cabin, Maya seems none the worse for wear. That's Maya in the middle. And as you see Helen Cornman's daughter is at left. Two alumni kids in the same cabin, by chance.

camper 1979-85 now brings his two sons here

Also arriving for the one-week camp - which we sometimes think of as a "starter" session for new campers who've not been away from home - are the two sons of Charles Colajiuri and his wife Liz.

Charles was a camper here from 1979 through 1985 and remembered me as his camp director all through those years, first in Wawayanda ('79 was my first summer as director) and then in Hird (when we split anew into older and younger camps).

Charles saw me in the dining hall and couldn't believe his eyes. Was I still here? We took the boys to their cabin and settled them in, talking all the way about Charles' great feats as a camper, including his achievement as Honor Camper at least one summer.

Then he and Liz set off on a long nostalgic walk around the camp. Charles had last been here in 1986.

two new Cornmans

Summer 2011. Session "A" began yesterday, a one-week session occuring while staff training is going on. (Some veteran staff are serving as VCs and counselors in the two session A villages - Thunderbird for boys and Moonshadow for girls.

Above you see Helen Cornman arriving with her two children who are attending camp here for the first time! (With Helen is her nephew, Dan Weir, our fabulous Director of Camping Services.)

Mike Ketcham per Dave King

Dave King writes:

"I first met Mike as a camper in the first Lenape Village at Camp Wawayanda in Frost Valley in 1958. He and Bill Haney were together in Cabin # 18, and Jessie Arey was their counselor. It was obvious that Mike had been to camp before, and was great in the village. When we had the first "Olympics", I found out how great an athlete (swimmer) that Mike was. However, I came to realize over many years, that Mike was a true living definition of a "gestalt". Mike was a whole far greater than the sum of his parts.The variety of positions that he held at Frost Valley, his life as a family man, his work in the "Y", are all a part of the pieces which comprise the "picture" of Mike. That one of "my kids" is retiring is a shock to my central nervous system! I am proud of the man that he has become, of his accomplishments, and of his contributions toward making our world a better place!"

Frost Valley of the Pacific Northwest

David Scherer Water tells the following wonderful story about what happened when he looked for a camp for his son in the Seattle area. Dave knew that sending Random to Frost Valley entailed too much travel, but he hoped he'd find a little Frost Valley out there. Well, he found Camp Seymour and got a lot more of Frost Valley than he ever imagined. Here's how he tells the story:

'Living in Olympia it just wasn't practical to send Random to Frost Valley and I've always felt kind of sad about that. I looked into the closest Y camps and discovered Camp Seymour was only 40 minutes away. When Random was 4 the two of us did a family camp program and had a blast. The camp reminded me so much of Frost Valley, but I figured this was because all camps reminded me of Frost Valley. Then I met Mike. At first I didn't know that he was from Frost Valley. I even made a joke about his last name being a classic camp name and told him how there was all kinds of things named "Ketcham" at my old camp and wondered if he was part of a secret society. It was one of those small world kind of moments, the kind of uncanny coincidence that made me wonder if some mystical camp force was at work. I would have preferred to have had Random continue the tradition of going to Frost Valley (he'd be the 3rd generation of Frost Valley campers in our family), but Camp Seymour has also become very much a home for us too. I am grateful for the ways Mike transplanted a lot of the Frost Valley culture to Camp Seymour. Random continued as a camper at Seymour and has a group of camp friends that he stays in touch with. I've been to several workshops at Seymour. I think of it as the Frost Valley of the Pacific Northwest.'

-David Scherer Water
Olympia, WA

the Ketchams in 1958

Chester McLemore recalls: "In 1958, the first year at Frost Valley, Mike Ketcham was probably 14 or so. He was a Jr. Counselor and was assigned to my cabin. He was quite and involved with the staff in our village. We were in Cabin 10. Mike DeVita was the village chief and Mike's Brother, John, was a camper in my cabin. It was a great summer. Of all the campers that I had in the 3 years that I was at Wawayanda, I mostly remember the Ketchams, Mon, Dad, Mike and John. It's been so long since this happened that I do not remember specifics, but I do have good feelings when I think of Mike, John and the family. Their sense of family has always been with me."

Forest village, 1980

Mark Gottdenker's mother recently found a village photo taken in 1980 of Forest village. Mark was a Forest camper that summer. Here is what Mark writes about the photo:

To give you an idea how long ago this was taken, my own mother couldn't pick me (or my older brother David) out from the campers in the photo!

I was a camper in cabin 6 (with Dave Hall, standing counselor on the far left of the photo) and my brother was in cabin 9 or 10 (with Scott Robinov, standing second from the right). Other village staff included Tom Frankowiak, Greg Aggs, Gigo from Egypt, and Jim Neilson.

I believe that you blogged about this staff during last summer when Greg visited the Valley with his family and soon after Jim dropped off his daughter for an adventure trip. Hopfully this will put faces with the names.

snow again

It's snowing at Frost Valley again today. Oh goodness. I don't think the photo above was taken today but it was taken during this long and snowy winter.

Pokey-Totem for the 90s

Karen Carnegie Johnson ("KC") has scanned and put up on Facebook a number of weekly village schedules for Pokey-Totem from the 90s. Above is one of them.

Pam McPhee (Pam Kerr) wins award

Pam McPhee at the University of New Hampshire has won an award. We knew her as Pam Kerr, long-time FV'er and member of a significant FV family. Brother Doug, who has been mentioned in this blog several times, also came of age at Frost Valley--and for a time lived (with Leslie Black and their son Jake Kerr) in the valley as a full-time maintenance department staff. Pam doubtless learned a great deal about outdoor education--"experiential education" as it is called in her field--from her FV years and we're thrilled that she is being acknowledged.

Mark Gottdenker writes: "She was my advisor briefly while I attended UNH. Our shared Frost Valley connection was always a great source of pride. She is a great example of someone taking many of the honorable traits we preach and work to instill in youth at camp and putting them into practice everyday in the world."