This project has been a LONG time in the making!  This fall…Dave brought home a surprise for me one day after work.  It was a pallet, which isn’t ordinarily very exciting.  But, he had seen an article about someone who took a pallet and turned it into a vertical garden, and he thought it would be fun for me to do the same thing…so here’s what I did…I painted it (Canadensis Gold of course!) and then I added fabric weed backing around the sides and the back in order to make it a structure that could hold soil and plants.  Then, it got very cold…so I just left the pallet painted and empty over the winter.  Once it warmed up, I put on my flip flops and purchased soil to start filling in the entire pallet.  It takes A LOT of soil to fill up the pallet.  I had originally bought 4 bags thinking I could make two pallets, but it wasn’t even enough for one!  My suggestion is to buy extra and return it later if you don’t need it…Then, I took a trip to my favorite place on earth…Terrain in Glen Mills, PA.  If you live anywhere within two hours of this place, I recommend clearing an afternoon for lunch and shopping here!  I purchased all my plants at Terrain, and I tried to get things that were hearty and perennial.  I played around with my layout for a while before I started planting everything.

Annie gets a little bit jealous when I spend too much time in the garden…she doesn’t like when the plants get all the attention.  Here’s a picture of her trying to blend in with nature…Anyway, after about 3 hours of packing all the dirt into every corner of the pallet, I was finally ready to plant, and here’s what the pallet looked like at the end of the day.  I needed to leave it on the ground for a month so that the roots could take hold, and then it would be ready to lean up against the wall.  In four weeks……it looked like this!  My pallet garden had grown out of control!  It was finally time to lean it up, but I had to give it a big haircut first.  Luckily, it was a sunny day, so Annie didn’t mind me spending time with the plants…So, I trimmed the plants back, and Dave helped me lift the very heavy pallet into place.  If you are going to try this, it is really important to have strong layer of fabric weed backing…trust me!

It’s worth the effort though, I love the way it turned out!

A big congratulations to Robin and Eric Forti on the birth of their daughter

Carli Brooke Forti!

This is a question I often hear around this time of year…packing for camp is a big task, and we are here to help whenever questions arise, don’t hesitate to call the camp office!

On a recent trip to Long Island, NY – Brian, Eric, Cara and I made a stopover at Morton’s in Cedarhurst – which is an official distributor of Camp Canadensis gear (it’s where I used to shop for camp as a kid!)  There are so many fun things for camp in stores like these, but no one needs everything!  Before making purchases, stop and think about what you camper needs, and the camp packing policy.

At Camp Canadensis, our goal is to maintain a simple, “down-to-earth” environment, without an emphasis on clothing.  Clothing should be casual and comfortable.  We see our parents as partners in creating a healthy and non-competitive environment that allows campers to achieve a strong sense of individuality and self-esteem that isn’t characterized by materials, clothing or labels.  We send home a packing list with a suggested number of items as a guideline when preparing for camp, and we ensure that campers stay withing these guidelines.  Simply, please keep in mind that this is camp!

In the photo above, we are holding squishables – which are super soft and cute, and I expect to see quite a few of them around camp this summer.  I really did fall in love with the happy pink octopus I was holding, but, as you can see…they are also quite large!  So here are some packing tips when it comes to packing things like squishables…

1.  We really only need one or two pillows for sleeping, and a few stuffed “friends” to hang out on our bed.  I think the ideal number of pillows/stuffed friends is right around 5.

2.  If a squishable is going to make the cut in your camp luggage this summer…do you really also need a pillow pet?  Probably not.  As you are packing, think about similar items like this…and choose the one your child would use the most.  Let only that one make the trip with you to the Poconos.

3.  Think about skipping the “autograph pillow”…our girls side campers have a graffitti party where they write notes to each other on t-shirts, so is an autograph pillow worth a spot in your top 5 bed accessories?  On boys side, they often use the end of the summer shirts to write notes to each other.

4.  Things at camp get used…a lot.  It’s not a pristine environment for favorite stuffed animals or cherished blankets.  Think about how durable these things are before packing it for camp.  If your child can sleep without, maybe it’s a good idea to keep these items safe at home.  You can take photos of them, and send the photos up to camp as a reminder of what’s waiting for them after the summer.

Just one example of how to pack items for camp…again, if you have question don’t hesitate to be in touch!

Just before the calendar page flipped from April to May, I spent four amazing days with my two closest college friends, who both live in San Francisco, and are named Julie!  They planned an absolutely perfect pre-camp trip for me, and the weather really cooperated!  We got to do a lot of camp activities…including bike riding, cooking and hiking!  It was so great to catch up and share old college stories and photos.  I also wanted to see GIANT trees, so we went to Muir Woods and I was so impressed!!  I think the Canadensis trees are beautiful and tall, but these redwood trees are super huge and as tall as skyscrapers…

Before heading out of town, I got met with Cortney, a student at the Academy of Art University in San Francisco.  She is going to be our Fabric Arts director, and she is coming to camp for her first summer.  We decided to meet up and shop in an amazing fabric store in order to start brainstorming up some great camp fabric projects!  I’m so excited for the program she is going to run this year, and she will be putting together some sample projects for me to share on the blog soon!

Hello Camp Canadensis!

Here is my Camp List, A through Z!

A is for Apples at Fruit on the Fly!  Of course, other days will bring peaches, plums, pears and even ice pops on the really hot days!

B is for Basketball on the Office Courts!  Who’s playing in the NBA, NCAA, WNBA and IBL Leagues this year?  I have to start practicing my jump shot.

C is Color War!  No one does Color War quite like Camp Canadensis!  When will it break?

D is for Dancing!  If you don’t know, I am always dancing at camp!  J.Cal once even made a video.  Ha Ha!

E is for Electives!  Elective choices for Summer 2012 will be sent out soon!  What will you choose?

F is for Friday!  Friday!  Gonna get down on Friday!  Can’t wait to hear that tune again at morning line-up.

G is for GaGa!  I’m sure the Gaga pits will be packed during Free Plays at camp.  Maybe I’ll even win my first game ever this summer?!

H is for Honor Bunks!  Will your bunk be collecting all the great prizes for being the cleanest bunk?

I is for i-Can Nights.  This is returning for its third summer for our Senior Campers.

J is for June 23!  The day when the buses will roll into camp!

K is for Kind.  One of the many words I use to describe the campers at Canadensis.  To prove it, we have out 366 TAC (Tagged at Canadensis) Awards last summer for Random Acts of Kindness.

L is for Lake Parties on Lake Lenape, one of the best private lakes in camping!

M is for MTV Night!  Can’t wait to see all of the creative routines you come up with this summer!

N is for Never Ending Fun!  The summer calendar promises non-stop activities all summer long!

O is for Outdoor Adventure!  The camping trips were one of the biggest hits last summer!

P is for the new Pool that is being built for Summer 2012 (with two waterslides)!

Q is for the Quality Staff coming to camp this summer!

R is for Reveille!  I bet you can’t wait to be woken up by the bugle call!  Ha Ha!

S is the Summit!  One of my favorite activities at camp!

T is for Taco Tuesdays!  One of my favorite meals at camp!

U is for U Know this is going to be the BEST SUMMER EVER!

V is for Visiting Day!  A time to show your parents all the great stuff you are doing at camp!

W is for Wednesday Special Days at camp like Carnival Day and Revolutionary War Day!

X is for 10!  As in ten year jackets!  Congratulations to all that will be receiving them in 2012!

Y is for Yoga!  A new activity coming to camp!

Z is for Zoogle!  Can’t wait to play again.  I’ve been practicing!

Okay.  That’s all of the alphabetical fun for now!  I hope you enjoyed.  Feel free to send us your Alphabetical Camp Lists!

I got some really great e-mails over the past few weeks that I wanted to share with everyone.  The first was from former camper and CIT Jamie Schneck.  For her high school photography class, Jamie had to prepare a photo montage, which must have had her thinking of camp as she incorporated alma mater lyrics from Summer 2011 in it.  Here it is…

Summer 2011 Counselor Michelle Goldberg was just recently published in the online newspaper, The Huffington Post.  The title of the article is “Why is This Generation Different From All Other Generations?”  To read it, click here .  Congratulations Michelle on a wonderful article!  I am sure this will be the first of many!

Some great home visits to report as well in this blog…

I met up with the Keim Family in my hometown of Montclair, NJ for dinner.  This summer, both Harrison and Ben Keim, of Livingston, NJ.  Harrison will be back for his second summer as part of our Upper Inter Boys division while Ben joins us for Summer #1 in our Junior Boys division.  Both boys have been busy all year long.  To start, Harrison, now in 5th grade,  plays forward and midfield on his travel soccer team, the Livingston Landslide.  Now, he is also in baseball season, playing pitcher and short stop on his team, the Mets.  Just recently, he even had two home runs over the same weekend.  He is also playing the trumpet in his town-wide band.  For Ben, currently in 2nd grade, he plays forward and striker on a travel soccer team, the Livingston Leopards.  He is also playing baseball on his team the Brewers, where he plays short stop, pitcher and first base.  He is a fan of the Mets, Knicks, Rangers and Giants.  Both boys in the winter ski black diamond slopes.  This summer, Harrison is looking forward to Color War and Dorney Park, while also reminding all Eagles fans (especially Pete Tarnoff) that the Giants won the Super Bowl.  Harrison also wanted to give a shout out to all of his buddies in Summer 2011’s Bunk 8.  Ben is looking forward to Dorney Park, Canteen and meeting a whole bunch of new friends.  Here is a picture…

In Plainview, NY, I met up with the Cohen Girls, Julia and Miranda.  Julia, now in 7th grade, is back for her 4th summer as part of our Lower Senior Girls while Miranda, now in 5th grade, joins us for her first summer in our Upper Inter Girls division.  Julia told me that she has been involved with her dance group, called “Attitudes In Motion,” where she has been practicing for a tap dance recital in the spring.  She just recently finished up her first year being on a CYO League volleyball team.  This year, she has also seen a lot of her bunkmates at a number of different bat mitzvahs.  She wanted to give a shout out to the girls of Bunk 12 from Summer 2011.  When I asked her what she is looking forward to this summer, she simply answered, “Everything!”  This year, Miranda has been involved in taking an acrylic painting art class.  I even saw some of her work.  It was really, really great!  Miranda also likes to ride her bike with friends and family and play tennis.  She also played in a basketball league this winter.  She told me that her favorite color is pink.  When she gets to camp, Miranda is ready to try the Art Shack, Jewelry, Tie Dye, Ceramics and Photography.  Here is a picture…

In Tenafly, NJ, I saw the Ginzburg Girls, Julia and Kasey.  Now in 4th grade, Julia will be in the Lower Inter Girls division for her second summer while Kasey, currently in 1st grade, will be in our Junior Girls division.  During our time together, I also got to meet the girls’ new hamsters, S’Mores and Marshmallow.  Julia told me that she has really been into fashion designing this year and can’t wait to be back in the Fabric Arts room at camp.  She wanted to say hello to all the girls from Summer 2011’s Bunk 3 and can’t wait to get to camp to set up her area once again as well as see all of the campers and counselors.  In 2012, she is ready to do a whole bunch of activities, including cheerleading, rocketry, glass fusion, needle art and photography.  Kasey can’t wait to also get to camp.  She told me that she is really looking forward to glass fusion, the Summit, zumba, cheerleading, fabric arts and meeting all of her counselors.  Here is a pic…

Before I finish my blog, I wanted to tell everyone about a great movie I saw recently.  If you haven’t heard about it or seen it yet, you should.  It’s called “Bully” and covers the serious topic of bullying at schools.  It is a documentary that follows many different children that were and have been the victims of bullying.  For more about it, check out the website, where you can even view the trailer, at www.thebullyproject.com .

Well, that’s all of the blogging for now.  Counting down the days until Summer 2012!

HAVE A GREAT DAY!

-Brian