Camper visits are awesome! I love being able to see all of you during the “off-season” and so Thursday night, Pam and I headed up to L.I. to visit the Glassman, Ambos, and Yedid families. We had such a good time in the car on the way up talking about camp, filling Pam in on all of the inside jokes of camp, etc.

Our first stop was Amanda Glassman. Amanda is doing so well in school and is having a great winter. She told me she keeps in touch with several of the girls and may be having a sleepover before the reunion with some as well! Of course when I asked about what activities she misses most, cooking came up as number 1 (a common theme always!). Amanda also has a great glass fusion project in her basement, but its not mounted yet on a block of wood. Unfortunately, I forgot to take a picture (sorry Amanda), but at the reunion we will be sure to get good photos!

Next, we went to see Lauren Ambos and her sister was home as well. Lauren has been very busy between art class (with Amanda), hebrew school twice a week, and basketball to name a few! She says hello to everyone and even took me to her room to see the reunion poster hung up from last year! During the photo below, Lauren and her sister were very good sports as her parents tried to use my phone to take the picture! In their defense, taking a picture with the Blackberry Storm isn’t easy.

Finally, a quick stop at the Yedid’s! Jake was running out to tennis practice and was running late, so we had a chance to take this quick photo before he left.  A side note about Jake- he works at a very well known candy store near his house in Port Washington and apparently alot of camp kids see him at birthday parties, etc. I am told he is ALWAYS friendly and so excited to see campers- good job Jake and thanks for continuing the Canadensis Spirit all-year round! Can’t wait to see your spirit this summer as a CIT.

I also spent some time with David Yedid. Believe it or not, I was his counselor in Summer 2000 in Boys Bunk 2. I know people always say, “I feel old”, but I truly do! David is a Senior in High School and applying to colleges. I can’t believe that at all! Pam and I had so much fun with David reminiscing about Canadensis, talking about Key Club (which I was president of back in the day, and now David is!), and the whole college process. I know David would like to come back to camp as a counselor (after taking a year off) and is thinking about it, depending on his H.S. graduation and college start date. Good Luck David with college apps and keep in touch!

I hope everyone has a great weekend! Robin will be flying in tonight and we will be going to hear a band play down in Maryland! Very exciting stuff…

Hello Canadensis!

You know, sometimes in life it is all about the little things that make us happy.  As a self-proclaimed foodie (a term that has become popular over the past few years), today was one of those days when it was the little thing that made me happy when I had a delicious falafel for lunch.  For those that don’t know what a falafel is, it’s a fried ball or patty made from chick peas.  You eat it in a pita with tomatoes, lettuce, pickles and tahini dressing.  About a mile from me in Montclair, NJ is the Falafel Hut, which makes the best falafels!  If you haven’t tried one before, definitely do so.  You might be pleasantly surprised how good they are.  Here is a picture of what a falafel looks like…

So, has anyone seen the teaser Canadensis Today trailer?  Does anyone know what the announcement is about?  Any guesses?  If you are still in the dark, but here is a sentence that might help you figure it all out:  “I don’t mean to sound so stern, but this will be great.”

What a great week it was in the camp office.  Earlier in the week, I got a chance to catch up with Group Leader Marshall Weinstein, who is all set to return to camp in Summer 2010 for his 5-Year jacket!  Marshall is just finishing up his student teaching in Washington near where he attends college in Bellingham at Western Washington University.  Marshall said his student teaching experience was a most amazing opportunity and he can’t wait to attain a full time teaching gig once he gets his degree in less than a week!  Marshall is looking to work in the elementary school system, so if anyone knows of  any leads, let him know.  His schedule has been quite busy, but that doesn’t keep Marshall from keeping in touch with so many campers and staff throughout the year.  Marshall wanted to give a big shout out to everyone that reads the blogs.

On Tuesday, I got the chance to meet up with some of our campers in the Bala Cynwyd, PA area.  First, I stopped by to see Noah and Ben Rubin.  Noah will be a Freshman in 2010 while Ben is a Lower Inter.  Both are back at camp next summer for their 3rd year.  The family had just returned from their annual Thanksgiving trip to Scottsdale, AZ as they have family out that way.  Both Noah and Ben said the trip was awesome.  It was great catching up with the boys, who have been keeping in touch with their bunk mates.  Turns out that Noah Zaslow paid a visit to Noah Rubin a few weeks ago and Ben will be getting together with Max Rapoport very soon.  Great stuff!  Both are enjoying the school semester so far, but can’t wait to get back to camp in June.  Of course, they plan on attending the reunion in a few weeks.  Here is a pic from my visit…

After that, I made my way over to see Julia Rosenau and her sister Emma, who will be at camp for the first time in Summer ’10.  Emma is in the 3rd Grade and will be in the Junior Girls division next summer.  She enjoys playing soccer, softball, basketball and gymnastics.  She also plays the piano.  This summer, she is looking forward to activities like waterskiing, the art center and gymnastics.  As for big sister Julia, who will be back for her 4th summer at camp, she has been busy with gymnastics and soccer as well and will be playing basketball and softball in the upcoming seasons.  She has been in touch with so many camp friends and is really looking forward to the Hershey Park trip that the Freshman Girls go on.  Here is a picture…

The visits were great.  In the next few weeks, I have a lot of visits scheduled with camp families.  It is going to be a really exciting month of December.  Even in the cold winter, thoughts of summer keep me warm!

On Thursday, Eric and Pam came up to New Jersey as we had a meeting with the company that does all the camper prescriptions.  It was the first time that anyone from camp had seen the New Jersey Satellite Office (aka my house).  Ha Ha!  The three of us also had time to sit down and talk about staffing items.  The three of us are so excited that we have so many returning staff so far, but we have already begun hiring some new talented and amazing staff!  Eric and Pam then went on to see some of our campers in Port Washington, NY.

This week, I also got to see one of my favorite bands Phish play at Madison Square Garden.  Actually, I got to see them play a few times (three to be specific).  The third show is tonight.  I know what you are saying.  Three times?  Well, the nice thing about Phish is they never repeat a set list…ever!  In fact, for all three shows, not a single song will be repeated.  Pretty cool stuff.  Anyway, I will be in really good shape from dancing all three nights.  Last night, I even broke out a few of the Rak Dan moves we learned this summer.  Ha Ha!  I also ran into Adam “Baby Shark” Scharfberg before the show, who ended up being in the front row!  Good to see you, Adam.  I also attended the show with some of my camp friends that I grew up with which was just awesome.  See, your camp friends are truly your best friends forever!

So, anyone have any good weekend plans?  I will be taking it easy tomorrow and catching up on some house cleaning.  Really exciting, right?  On Sunday, we will once again be at Giants Stadium as the Giants face their divisional rivals the Cowboys!  As the open invitation always stands, if you are there, be sure to stop by our tailgate in Lot 5F.  On the menu this week is steak tips, chicken, corn chowder, grilled pineapple, hot apple cider and much, much more!

That’s all for now.  Again, if you would like to Guest Blog, let me know.  Everyone have a great weekend!

Until then…Brian

Hello Canadensis…

I hope everyone had a super Thanksgiving holiday last week.  Is anyone sick of turkey leftovers just yet?  For me, Thanksgiving is by far the best of all the holidays!  What is better than stuffing your face all day and watching football?!  Actually, after eating so much food all afternoon, it was difficult to watch the Giants game at night, considering they played so poorly, that my stomach was churning!  Ha Ha!

Actually, Thanksgiving is the one holiday that my mother makes for our family.  I look forward to this meal every year.  From appetizers to dessert, everything is homemade and absolutely delicious.  I have made the bold statement before that I would put my mother’s Thanksgiving meal up against anyone else’s in the state of New Jersey and I think my mother’s dinner would win.  Very bold, I know.  But, I have to give my mom the kudos for the amazing cook she is.  In fact, every year after the appetizers, the consensus is the same from everyone.  We all say, “Do we still have an entire dinner to eat?”  Ha Ha!  It’s a great tradition at the Krug household.

Speaking of great traditions, a few nights before, I had dinner with Jared “Groundhog” Katzman at a restaurant callled Kirsten’s in Lebanon, NJ.  This is the third year in a row that Groundhog and I have met at this place that we discovered a few years ago.  Basically, it is halfway between where I live and where Groundhog’s parents live in Allentown, PA.  In addition to great food, G-Hog and I talked about camp for several hours.  Of course, he is slated to return for his 21st summer at Canadensis and is excited to be at the reunion in a few weeks.  He has also put together the ’09 Photo poster that we will be the give-away at the reunion.  Let me tell you…it came out great and looks even better than the last two year’s posters.   Here is a picture of me and Groundhog at Kirsten’s…

Apparently, the Thanksgiving break is a great time for camp friends to see one another and have some sleep overs.  I got some great pictures sent to me this weekend.  Some of the girls from last summer’s Bunk 4 got together in Long Island.  Here are some pictures…

Also, some of the guys in last summer’s Boys Bunk 11 got together in Wayne, NJ over the Thanksgiving break.  Here’s a shot of them…

Last night, I got out to Livingston, NJ to meet some of our new campers.  In this case, three campers in one household!  We are so happy to welcome the Minion Family and boys Zach, Dan and Josh to the Canadensis Family.  Zach is in the fourth grade and will be a Lower Inter in Summer 2010.  In the winter, he plays football, basketball and baseball and also enjoys biking, running and reading.  This summer, he is looking forward to Archery, Hondas, Sailing and Glass Fusion.  Dan is in the second grade, making him a Junior for 2010, and plays soccer and basketball.  He also enjoys reading, sledding when the snow falls and cartoons.  He is excited for a number of different activities this summer including tennis, fishing, radio and ceramics.  His twin brother Josh plays soccer, goes running and really enjoys Lego building.  This summer, he can’t wait for glass fusion, woodworking and photography.  Here is a picture from my visit…

I got a lot of responses from the question I posed in my last blog about when a camper can officially consider themselves in the next division.  Some campers believe you are in the next division as soon as the buses leave the summer or the very next day.  Other campers think you can consider yourself in the next division on January 1.  Finally, there are campers who think you are in the next division when the next summer begins.  So, I don’t think there really is a correct answer.

Finally, please make sure you make your way over to Eric’s blog for a special teaser of a very special Canadensis Today show which will be airing in the next week or so.  We have some very big news to announce.  From the trailer, can you guess what it is? If not, you will find out soon enough!

By the way, I am so blown away by how many of you read this blog.  It is great to hear from so many of you through e-mails and comments.  Keep staying in touch!  Of course, if you would like to guest blog, shoot me an e-mail at brian@canadensis.com .  Hope to hear from you!

Until then…Have a Great Day…Brian