I got to spend the first night of Chanukah in Cherry Hill with new camper Molly, who is a current 4th grader and will be in the Lower Inter Girls division for her first summer.  She has an awesome family, including big sister Maddie, who is currently in 7th grade, going to lots of Bat Mitzvah’s, and will be back at camp for her third summer in the Lower Senior division. Molly made an awesome “welcome” sign that greeted me at the front door, and even though I already know her from the Tour & More Weekend in 2010 & 2011, I know tons more about this awesome new camper now!

First of all, she reads the camp blogs, and she is very excited to meet some of the other new campers.  She saw that a lot of the girls coming to camp are dancers, and Molly is also a very talented dancer.  She was asked to join the Petite Ensemble for her dance group this year, which means she is practicing routines 4-5 nights a week, and she’ll get to perform in Philadelphia & NYC!  Jazz is her favorite (more than ballet or tap) and she has performed for audiences as large as 700 people, so she’ll have no trouble up on the camp stage this summer.  She had to give up some other activities in order to be in this group, but she also loves other sports like swimming and basketball.  She is really excited for other activities too, including glass fusion, art, waterskiing and intercamp games.  She is planning to be on both the dance and swim teams that travel and compete again other camps during the summer.

As you can see from the wrapping of her Chanukah present above, she is also a huge Justin Bieber fan!  And, Molly is a very good little sister…she even plans to wake up early in the morning to wish Maddie a “Happy Birthday” at camp this summer before she gets on the bus for her three day trip to Lake Placid!  Molly also promised to write long letters home to her parents, but she has a lot to live up to because Maddie is known for writing long two-sided letters daily!  Maddie told me some really funny camp stories while I was over…and most of them ended up being about falling off stuff!  She also told me some top secret things about her Bat Mitzvah in March, but my lips are sealed!  It sounds like it will be very fun!

We ended the night by checking out their Chanukah Menorah, that will be filled each night with blue and gold candles (Canadensis colors!!) and the family sent me home with a latke to-go.  Molly also wrapped up the most chocolately chip cookie she could find…doesn’t that sound like a perfect person to be camp friends with?

I got to spend the second night of Chanukah with Anna, a current 3rd grader who lives Penn Valley.  She will be coming to camp for her first summer as a Junior, and I first met her at Tour & More Weekend in 2011.  She is a super sweet & can be silly too!  On the day I came over, she had given a book report on Pippi Longstocking to her class, and she actually put pipe cleaners in her pigtail braids so they would stick straight out!  Anna is also a well rounded girl…and I’m serious, this girl likes everything!!  She plays basketball, goes to Hebrew School, takes classes at the Handworks Studio and she is about to start hip hop dance classes in the new year.

Anna had made me a picture at school that day, and it’s hanging on my office bulletin board now.  She also prepared a very organized list of camp questions, which included…

1.  How is eating in the dining hall different than eating on the back deck during Tour & More?

2.  When do you find out what bunk you are going to be in?

3.  What are Special Days?

After she asked those great questions, she made a list of the elective activities that she would enjoy doing, and she wrote down EVERYTHING!  She’s excited for the ropes course, lake activities, mountain biking, arts, sports, and she thinks she might even try golfing!  She plans to sign up for water-skiing (she snow skis regularly during the winter) and she may audition for the camp show because she likes being on stage, and was recently a villager in Beauty and the Beast.  She really likes the Phillies baseball team, and has a Phillies Phanatic doll in her room.  She already picked out bedding for the summer, and it’s M&M themed!  Pretty much the only thing Anna doesn’t like is fruits and vegetables…but luckily, she does like corn…which is the official vegetable of all Canadensis Campers!

She is a “double” big sister to Lindsay and William.  They all had made such awesome menorahs and crafts around their home, and are a very fun family.  All the kids had watched the camp videos and knew SO much about camp, including color war team names and what shows we performed – you would have thought they were at camp in 2011!! Lindsay is in 2nd grade, and thinks she will come for Tour & More again this summer.  William is only 4 years old, but I think he’ll make a great camper one day!  They had gotten their big Chanukah gift the night before I visited…and air hockey table!  I think they are going to have a lot of fun family tournaments in the future.

In a constant effort to keep this blog fresh and interesting, I’m going to start a new series called “I Made This” Monday.  I try to do arts and crafts projects often during the year, and when I get home from work most nights, I pick up my crochet hooks or glue gun.  Since it’s getting chilly and temperatures are dropping, I thought the perfect first “I Made This” Monday post should be about cozy blankets I’ve made…

I made this t-shirt quilt three years ago.  T-shirt quilts are a great way to display all the old t-shirts you love, but don’t wear.  As you can imagine, after spending 26 summers at camps, I have tons of t-shirts on my shelves, and I just couldn’t bear to part with some of my favorites.  Here are the steps:

1.  Collect t-shirts and lay them out on the floor to arrange an order – I needed 20 shirts for this quilt.

2.  Cut out a square of fabric from the front or back of the t-shirt – my squares were 12×12.  Cara (who makes a lot of awesome t-shirt quilts out of old Canadensis shirts) has a great trick for cutting even squares…she lays down a precut piece of plexiglass on the t-shirt so that it’s easy to cut around it.

3.  Sew the t-shirt squares by column first, so you have four long strips.  Next sew those four columns together, and your blanket is almost done…

4.  Finally, I sewed on a fleece blanket lining to the back, but you can also use another sheet on the back and stuff it with batting like a quilt.

This quilt really represents different stages from my life – and it is the perfect light weight blanket to keep me cozy at camp.  There is a Hewlett High School shirt from where I grew up, shirts from a meaningful trip to Israel, shirts from my college sorority AEPhi in Arizona, shirts from when I was working at the New Orleans JCC, and most importantly…shirts from Camp Canadensis!!  I used the 2003 Color War shirt from the Gold Hippies, I was a counselor captain for the team, so I have very good memories of it!

Without a doubt, my favorite craft of all time is crocheting!! I’ve been crocheting for almost 10 years, and I’ve made lots of different projects that will be posted here weekly, but this blanket was for my best friends son, Aiden.  I’ve known this best friend for so long, that I made up a new term to describe her…”TBF” for The – Best – Friend.  She is such an amazing mother, and I hope that Aiden enjoys snuggling with this blanket, that has cables, a dark blue border, and a “A” in the middle.

Crocheting is similar to knitting, but I think it is much easier and more creative.  I don’t like to follow patterns, I just make up my own through trial and error.  I love teaching crochet to anyone that wants to learn (including Maya above) but you have to be dedicated to learning!  It’s hard to get the hang of it, but once you spend a few hours learning, you’ll have a new activity for life!Above is a photo of me teaching a group of campers how to crochet…

Below is a picture of gifts I’ve wrapped for kids & friends for Chanukah.  I used this AWESOME new tool that we bought for Arts & Crafts this summer.  We’ve had the Accucut for a while, but we recently added a 4 inch alphabet set, and it’s so easy to use!  You can cut fabric, scrapbook paper, and even aluminum cans!  What you see below is scrapbook paper, which I used a glue stick to attach.

Stay tuned to see more of my crafts in the coming weeks, and if you want to see what we are planning for the Canadensis Arts and Crafts program, check out my boards on www.pinterest.com!

I had a fun trip to Westchester last week with one of our directors, Brian! We went to visit Elizabeth (also known as Lizzie to some…) who is a current 3rd grader, and will be a Junior Girl at camp for her first summer.  I got to meet her while she came up and toured camp this summer, and I’ve already gotten to see her two additional times this year…at Canteen on the Fly and now at her home visit!  It turns out that she and I have the same favorite show on HGTV – House Hunters International – and she is in the process of doing a makeover of her room, complete with purple walls!  She has a really big open space in her bedroom, it’s big enough to practice her gymnastics moves, which is one of her favorite sports.  I saw her do two perfect roundoffs, and I know she can do a lot more in the gym!  She’s a very good writer and story teller, so her parents and big brother William should expect some awesome letters home about her camp adventures!  While I was over, we looked through the camp photo album, and I told her about the “Cornman” who comes to Canadensis a few times each summer, and roasts the most delicious fresh corn – Elizabeth and I are planning to visit the cornman together at Open House on June 3rd!  Elizabeth is very sweet, and is a good friend.  She also has tons of talents (she’s even won a hula hooping contest!) and she’s planning to pick up a few more talents before camp…including learning to play Mah Jongg…my favorite game!  There will also be a seat at my Mahj table for her, and I can’t wait for her first summer at camp!

The next stop was with Zoe, a current 2nd grader who will be a Lower Junior Girl at camp this summer.  You will never believe this, but Zoe LOVES broccoli and doesn’t like Justin Bieber!  She is totally a fun and crazy girl, and Brian and I enjoyed getting to spend time with her.  She is a very talented artist – her artwork was spread throughout the house!  She can copy drawings of things she’s seen – like the Minions from Dispicable Me and she also has made many paper dolls with outfits.  She showed me some of the awesome presents she wrapped for the holiday season for her family (I won’t give away the secret hiding place!) and believe it or not, she also had purple walls in her room!   Zoe loves soccer, and she is a great big sister to 3 year old Marley – I know that she’s going to be a great camp friend too.

Back when I was a child, one of my favorite weekly rituals was sitting down on Monday nights at 7:30 pm (after all of my homework was done, of course) to watch what I thought was the absolute best show on TV…The Muppet Show.  Kermit the Frog would start the show by appearing from behind the “O” in the Muppet Show logo, introducing that week’s guest star and then there would be the classic musical opening…”It’s time to play the music.  It’s time to light the lights…”  For a trip down memory lane, click here.  For years, Kermit and Company made me laugh, sing and be completely entertained.  Well, it is great to see that some old goodies can make a comeback.  Last Friday night, Jaime and I went to see the new movie “The Muppets,” which was a true homage to the original Muppet Show.  For the entire film, I felt like I was 7 or 8 years old all over again.  This is great fun for the whole family!  If you haven’t seen this new movie, be sure to check it out over holiday break.  You will not be disappointed.

Go see the new movie "The Muppets." For parents that remember "The Muppet Show," this will bring you back to your childhood. For kids, you are sure to find out why your parents also loved them when they were kids.

So, if you have checked out our Facebook page recently, then you know that our big surprise for Summer 2012 will be a brand new pool!  We are so excited to make this great announcement right before the holiday season.  I have been up to camp a few times in the past several weeks and I can tell you that the work is coming along nicely.  The pool will be situated right next to where the old Blue pool was.  The design is also quite interesting as it will be in a “Z” shape.  On one end of the “Z” will be massive water slides.  Finally, the pool will be a saltwater saline pool, which is a new trend in pool systems.  We can’t wait for you to see it!  It is sure to be ready by our Open House on June 3, 2012!  Other projects in the works for next summer will be a new Fitness Center, located in the back of our Rec Hall, new fencing and backstops for our baseball and softball fields and newly surfaced and painted tennis courts.  In the spring, we will bring you photos and Canadensis Today Shows featuring all of these improvements.  For now, here is a pic of the new pool construction…

A NEW POOL! The old pool has been buried and right next to where it used to be is a new Blue Pool, which will also feature new water slides!

I interrupt this blog posting for a special announcement.  Play the following video…

For more video fun, here is our annual Video Holiday Card.  Enjoy!

As always, special thanks to Jason “J.Cal” Calabretta for putting all of this great stuff together!  And to our camp family, a Happy Hanukkah,  a Merry Christmas and a Healthy New Year!

Speaking of videos, we hope that all of you are enjoying the 2011 Video Yearbook that was sent out a few weeks ago.  If you haven’t watched it yet, what are you waiting for?!?!  Also, we just recently sent out a new edition of the Canadensis Courier (sent via e-mail).  If you don’t have your own e-mail address, make sure you have your parents show it to you.  If you want to get the newsletter sent directly to you in the future, provide your e-mail address to us by sending it to info@canadensis.com .  Also, if you are on holiday break and take a picture on vacation wearing a Canadensis T-Shirt, please send it to us and we will be sure to put it into a future edition of the Canadensis Courier.

As a reminder, we can’t wait to see all of the campers and staff from Summer 2011 at the Annual Reunion on Sunday, January 8 at Jeepers in Elizabeth, NJ.  All that attend will receive two posters.  That’s right, two posters!  One is the “11” photo that we took at the end of camp and the second one is a very special surprise.  Both posters just arrived at our office last week and they turned out great!  A wonderful job by Pam for putting both of these together.

In other camp news, for all of our new campers in grades Kindergarten through 4th grade, our New Camper Bowling Event is set for Sunday, March 25th.  More details to follow as different age groups meet at different times, but mark your calendars now!  The event will be held at the Brunswick Zone in North Brunswick, NJ.  This is a great event for new campers to meet other new campers.

In Norwood, NJ, I got to spend some time with Jordan Plant, who will be returning to Canadensis for her second summer as part of our Junior Girls division.  Now in the 3rd grade, Jordan has had some great opportunities for traveling since camp with visits to Florida and Washington, DC.  She even showed me a great picture of her from a recent visit to Times Square in New York City, where she appeared on a billboard!  So cool.  Jordan has spent much of her time on the musical stage and just recently finished up a production of “The Musical Adventures of Flat Stanley.”  In March, she will be appearing in “Bugsy Malone.”  When she was in Florida, Jordan met up with bunkmate Ivy Talber and has also had some get-togethers with Sydney Schair, who lives close by.  Jordan introduced me to her new puppy dog Maggie, whom she has already taught some new tricks.  Jordan wanted to give a shout out to the Girls of Bunk 2 from Summer 2011 (the winners of MTV Night) as well as her CIT Paige Gindi!  Here is a photo…

Me with Junior Girl Jordan Plant and her dog Maggie.

In Tenafly, NJ, I had dinner with the Carruba Family.  Dylan Carruba will be back at camp in 2012 for his third summer as part of our Upper Inter division.  Currently in the 5th grade, Dylan played fall baseball after camp on his team the Spartans, where he played pitcher, catcher and outfield.  Now, he is onto basketball season and playing on his team the Hawks.  Dylan is also riding an 80-Honda motorcycle these days as well as wrestling, where he is competing in the 70 lbs. weight class.  In the upcoming weeks, he is looking forward to hanging out with fellow camper Jake Berlin.  Dylan will also be spending the holiday season hanging out with his cousins.  Dylan is really looking forward to some new activities in Summer 2012 and especially Color War.  Dylan seems to be convinced that he even knows the Color War names for this upcoming summer.  However, I don’t think so.  Ha Ha!  Here is a pic…

Me with Upper Inter Boy Dylan Carruba.

Pam and I drove together to Westchester County where we got to hang out with some new girls for Summer 2012.  In Millwood, NY, we saw 3rd grader Elizabeth Knox, who will be in our Junior Girls division.  These days, Elizabeth really loves gymnastics.  She even showed us an impressive round off.  One of her favorite events is the floor.  She has also been on a diving team at a local swim club.  Elizabeth is very creative and really enjoys arts and crafts.  Pam and I were also thrilled to learn that Elizabeth has her very own You Tube channel where she makes her own videos!  In the spring, she will be performing in musical productions of “High School Musical” and “Annie.”  This summer, Elizabeth is excited about the lake activities, including the water trampoline, the ropes course, gymnastics and the tumble track and foam pit, the Art Center and especially Glass Fusion and GaGa.  Here is a photo…

Me and pam with Junior Girl Elizabeth Knox.

In Chappaqua, NY, Pam and I spent some time and had dinner with Zoe Gellert, who is currently in 2nd grade and will be in our Junior Girls division this summer.  Zoe has been involved in a number of different activities.  First, she is currently working on a bar routine in gymnastics for an upcoming performance.  She also plays forward on her soccer team, the Sharks  Finally, she is very active in the local Random Farms Theater program where she has played Dorothy in “The Wizard of Oz,” Mr. Bundles and Drake in “Annie,” Ms. Saurbee in “Secret Garden” and Tweedle Dum in “Alice in Wonderland.”  Her next show will be “Snow White.”  In Summer 2012, she can’t wait for all of the activities up at the Art Center, the rock wall and ropes course and being in one of the camp shows.  Here is a pic…

Me and Pam with Junior Girl Zoe Gellert.

On a funny final note, I wanted to share something that Jaime for me last week.  As many of you know, I attended Syracuse University.  Being a big sports fan, Syracuse Basketball is a real passion of mine.  As a result, Jaime has also become a big fan of the team.  Well, a few years ago, Jaime said that if Syracuse ever reached #1 in the basketball polls, that she would paint her toe nails orange.  Last week, Syracuse was a the top of the rankings and Jaime lived up to her promise.  In fact, she went one step further!  Check it out…

Jaime's toe nails are not only orange, but they now have Otto, the Syracuse mascot, painted on them! Now, that's what I call a fan!

Well, our winter office is closing up shop for the holidays next week.  But, maybe I’ll be able to send a quick blog sometime next week.  Pretty much staying at home for the break.  Maybe, I’ll make S’Mores one day.  Going to see some movies.  Happy Holidays everyone!

Have a great day…Brian

The Holidays are upon us! Last night my group of friends got together for a delightful Holiday dinner, which was brought to us by the brilliant Kate Mullen! She made Rosemary Chicken with potatoes, green beans, and butternut squash fries! It was delightful! I brought a red velvet cake and my friend Cayla brought amazing dessert bars, one of which was a SMORES bar – and that got me thinking about all the ways to incorporate camp into the holiday season, or what camp related gifts would be on my holiday wishlist! I’m sure most holiday shopping is already done, but I’ve included links to everything on my list just in case you read about something and love it as much as I do!

“Cara’s Top 10 Campy Holiday Favorites”

10. S’mores Desserts: While you may be overwhelmed with all sorts of baked goods this season, you can eat like a camper by choosing a dessert that reminds you of the ever so popular S’more! Last night Cayla’s s’mores bars definitely had Kate and I thinking we were back alongside lenape, but there are so many s’morey options out there! Here’s a great recipe for s’mores bars: http://www.bakedperfection.com/2008/07/smore-cookie-bars.html

9. The Spinmallow: Speaking of s’mores, a great campy gift for the holidays is a rotating mallow stick! I know, at first it may sound totally silly, but when I saw a reusable spinning roasting stick in a catalog this season I knew I had to have one at camp. This one has a built in flashlight (seriously, what will they think of next) but there are tons of options out there: http://www.markysparkytoys.com/html/toycategories/toy/spinmallow.html

8. Camp Stationery: Call me old fashioned, but I’m absolutely in love with sending and receiving hand written letters or cards. In a world full of Facebook and email the novelty of the letter has become a rarity, but I think that makes it even more special. I have a HUGE box in my closet dedicated to a stationary collection I’ve been building for quite some time – when Borders went out of business this summer, I spent a day off with my counselor friends searching through all the paperchase goodies! When I find a card that’s perfect for a friend I’ll buy it on the spot, even if their birthday is months away! So when I find stationary that I want to use at camp I get equally excited. Cute cards to send to home friends (or friends at other camps) are always on my wish list! This vintage inspired set is definitely going to be with me this season: http://phdesignshop-store.com/2147.html

7. The Crazy Creek Chair: Old school campers will tell you that the Crazy Creek is a staple in camp life. Now they carry long back options for tall campers, the power lounger for those of us who enjoy luxurious seating, and my new favorite, the roll-up option! It’s available in lime green, and we all know how I love neons…  http://www.crazycreek.com/products-page/adventure-line-chairs/hex-2-0-original-chair/#

6. Camp Themed Potlucks: I love going out to dinner with camp friends (if you read this blog, you know I do it a lot) but sometimes we want to spend more time together than the restaurant would like for us to be loitering, and sometimes you just have to get out of your seat and dance around with your camp friends. A camp themed potluck is always the answer to the “we’re-all-home-over-winter-break-and-bored” problem, and it’s a great excuse to get crazy in the kitchen. Everyone makes a camp treat, like Cheese Toasties or Black and White Cookies, and gets together at someone’s home to snack and play. Dani and I are thinking of planning a camp potluck in early January, so we’ll post photos of all our camp creations here! Here’s a great recipe for B&W Cookies, camp style: http://www.cookiemadness.net/2010/10/black-white-cookie-4/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+cookiemadness%2FGYsL+%28Cookie+Madness%29

5. Camp Movies: I love to spend time over winter break snuggling with puppies and watching movies with my family. A campy movie always makes me feel like summer is just around the corner. I love Camp Nowhere and The Parent Trap (Both the original and remake) for the whole family, and older viewers may enjoy Indian Summer, Meatballs, and Wet Hot American Summer. I recommend the ORIGINAL version of the parent trap for some classic campy fun: http://video.barnesandnoble.com/DVD/The-Parent-Trap-2-Movie-Collection/Hayley-Mills/e/786936286960?itm=2&usri=the+parent+trap

4. A Camp Shirt Quilt: There’s no better blanket for your camp bed than one made of camp tees! I started making camp tee quilts when i made Becky J’s sweet 16 gift out of some camp tees. After that Eric Forti got a huge queen sized camp tee blanket for his camp bed, and camp alum Adam Scharfberg got one too! I’m currently finishing a camp Tee Quilt for Emily Zendel, and I’ve got two waiting to be delivered to Sam G and Brigitte Toledano! I don’t have a website link for my quilts, but I’ll post a photo and link my email address where I’m available to make quilts or answer any “how-to” questions: cara@canadensis.com

Becky J welcomes me and Rebecca to snuggle under her camp quilt!

3. The Friendship Bracelet Maker: This is easily one of my favorite camp accessories. I make a LOT of friendship bracelets over the summer so when my my mom got asked to present this product on QVC she asked me to take it for a test drive and teach her how to make a bracelet. I fell in love with it pretty quickly and I’m definitely bringing it to camp this summer! Here’s where to find one: http://www.myfbm.com/

2. Peanut Butter Candy Canes from Callie’s: The famous Callie’s Candy Kitchen makes the world’s most amazing candy cane, and I’m not exaggerating! Our winter office is obsessed with the Peanut Butter Candy Canes (I actually have one on my desk at this very moment) but they’re only sold around holiday time! “But Cara, that’s all the way up in Canadensis!” I know, but lucky for you, Callie’s delivers all winter long! http://www.calliescandy.com/online-store.html

1. Embroidery Floss: Yes, something as simple as a pack of string tops my list of the best campy gifts/campy activities for winter break. Nothing tells the world you’re a camper better than a forearm full of braided bracelets, just ask Becky J! In my perfect world I would have every shade and hue of every color, and their glittery counterparts, at my disposal at all times! Here’s a great website for friendship bracelet patterns, although if you’re a really advanced bracelet maker, I might be able to teach you my signature stitch at camp this summer! http://www.how-to-make-jewelry.com/friendship-bracelet-patterns.html

Kate made a holiday party feast!

My Peanut Butter Candy Cane on my desk!

I had a wonderful time visiting some of our Canadensis families in Maryland!  It turned into a somewhat progressive meal (where you eat different courses in different places) and everyone was such a gracious host!  The day started with a Counselor-In-Training (CIT) of 2012…Dani Schapiro!  She greeted me at the door wearing a Camp Canadensis Super Seniors shirt, and I got to catch up with her and her family over some appetizers.  Dani is currently in 10th grade…but she showed me an absolutely adorable photo from her first summer at camp when she was in Bunk 2!  She also showed me a vintage Canadensis sports pinnie from her younger days at camp, which is totally back in camp style!  She stays super busy during the winter, and we met right after she got home from a pom practice.  We talked about her excitement for the 5-day Disney trip our CITs take during the summer, and she had some really good suggestions about programs at camp for the upcoming year, including bringing back the Fun Run.  They were the first family who I got to tell about our exciting NEW POOL announcement…and they kept it a secret until we made the big reveal on the Canadensis Today Show a few days later.

Dani also invited over Brenna, one of her best friends from home, and someone I know from another camp I worked at.  It was awesome to catch up with her, and hopefully we’ll get to see her again this summer because our camps started doing joint programming.  I know this next picture I’m going to post might get me in a bit of trouble…but check out this old photo from 2008…she’s wearing such a creative costume!

It was a wonderful first stop on my trip, and I wish Dani a wonderful winter break trip to NY.  I hope that I’ll get to see her soon at the Camp Reunion (Sunday, January 8th) – we say that the CIT’s of the upcoming summer “officially” take the mantel of responsibility for being CIT’s at the reunion.

My next stop in Maryland was with “Jes”, also known as Jessica – a current 3rd grader who will be coming to camp for her first summer in the Junior Division.  She stays remarkably active, and it seems like she does multiple activities each night!  I joined her after basketball practice, and we had a delicious salad & pizza dinner with her family, including little brother Liam (pineapple pizza…yum!).  Although I got to meet Jessica this summer while she toured camp, I learned a whole lot more about her during my visit.  She is a serious ballerina, and is currently performing with the Washington Ballet in the Nutcracker.  What makes this even more amazing is that it takes a lot of dedication and practice, and it’s her third year doing it!  She also goes to Hebrew School, takes Piano Lessons, and the list goes on and on.  She is super excited for the activities at camp, specifically Horseback Riding, Woodshop, Rock Climbing, Glass Fusion,  Soccer and the Lake – doesn’t that sound like a well rounded camper to you?

Jessica took me on a tour of her house, and she had an awesome disco ball hanging above her bed!  Have you ever seen something so cool?  She said that when she gets to decorate her bed at camp, she plans to hang up a poster of Taylor Swift & Eli Manning from the NY Giants.  Everyone in the family is a big Giants fan (which will make our director Brian very excited!)  Her brother even had a NY Giants blanket on his bunk bed…and they definitely have fun with those bunk beds when they have sibling sleepovers.  Jessica is a super sweet girl, who is an excellent and caring friend.  She is also very funny, and will be a great Canadensis camper!

My last stop of the night was with siblings Marshall – a current 3rd grade boy and Haley – a current 4th grade girl.  Both kids will be coming to camp for their third summer!  I got to meet their little “potuchkie” (that’s what Haley calls my dog, Annie) named Truffles.  We enjoyed some hot chocolate, and I got to hear about the many adventures they’ve been up to this year.  They are both dedicated students that tackle their homework right after they get home from school, and at their school they don’t only learn English, but they are also learning Hebrew!  On top of that, both kids are in the Cub Club, which is a cheer and spirit group at school, and I can’t wait for them to teach us some new cheers during color war.  Marshall has also been working on his moves…check out this break dancing photo below…

…and Marshall also recently started an acting career.  He auditioned and landed a role in a commercial for Haribo Candies, and when it comes out we’ll definitely have it posted for the Canadensis world to see.  Haley recently joined the Girl Scouts, and she already has the uniform!  I have no doubt she’ll be filling it with tons of patches soon…she was working on her cookies “sales pitch” while I was over!

It was wonderful to see everyone in Maryland, and share either appetizers, dinner, or dessert with them!  I hope to be back again soon!

P.S…providing food is NOT a requirement for home visits!! 🙂

Well, not just yet, but my big trip is about a month away! I will be heading over to Boulder, Colorado (home of the Canadensis Groundhog!) for a few days of my own CAMP, called CampMinder Camp. All of you guys get to spend your summers at camp, so why shouldn’t I get my fun time. It’s only for 2 days, but 2 is better than nothing! CampMinder is the web-based system we use for campers, staff, alumni, photos, videos, etc. It’s an amazing database and so much more and by attending this “camp” session, I will have a chance to collaborate with the owner, support people, programmers, and a hundred other camp directors who all use the same system. We will brainstorm ways to make the system more efficient and learn some of the new features that will be unveiled in the coming months. Of course while I am in Boulder, I will have a chance to catch up with Groundhog and see the town a bit, although I will be heading out pretty quickly to AUCKLAND, NEW ZEALAND!

I will be interviewing staff from New Zealand and Australia for about a week before returning home to PA. Looking for the best staff for Canadensis is a big job and we find it’s important to try to meet all of our staff face-to-face. Things like Skype make it easier to do remote interviews, but in person are always the best. As is with Boulder, I will have a chance to see many of our former staff members from last summer and from years ago…many years ago!

Which brings me to the reason for my blog post today. I woke up at 6AM to an email from Groundhog with just a picture attached (no message). Usually that means spam, but I opened it and found the picture below.

So, I guess this is proof that yes I was a camper/counselor back in the day at Canadensis. The kid standing behind me is none other than Joel Wiseman, who came from Australia for one summer, along with his mom who was a nurse and his older brother who worked at our lakefront for many years! A few other observations:

• Camp still uses the same brown dining hall trays. Of course since then we have replaced them, but it’s funny that they are the same style!
• That birthday cake looks amazing!
• This picture was taken on our “old back deck” of the dining hall and you can see a tree in the background. That tree was taken down just last winter after getting damaged in a storm. Pretty cool that we built the deck around that tree so many years ago and then rebuilt a new deck around it again! Too bad it’s gone.
• I am wearing a NJ Devils shirt. Anyone who knows me, knows that I really don’t follow sports, so why aren’t I wearing my favorite shirts of all- Canadensis?!
• And the funniest, most ironic thing…is that my birthday is in SEPTEMBER, not the summertime! So, I can’t remember why there is a cake in front of me. Perhaps I just like cake and Silas remembered that back then and made one special for me? Or, maybe it was one of camper’s birthday, haha.

Anyway, just thought I would share this photo with all of you.

I also want to take a moment and wish everyone a Happy and Healthy New Year! I will try to pop back on here/Facebook before the holidays, but if not, please enjoy Chanukah/Christmas and New Year Celebrations and of course the best part of this time of year, is that we enter the new year, which means we are even closer to Summer 2012!

Hi Everyone,

It’s December which means it’s the holiday season, but it’s also the time we get busy doing home visits. At Canadensis, we continue a tradition which began decades ago in which we visit all new campers who are enrolled for the upcoming summer in their homes! These home visits give us a chance to get to know our future campers in their own environment and we prepare them for the upcoming new camper events, including bowling, etc.

So myself, Pam, and Brian have been visiting with campers throughout the months of November/December and will continue to do so all winter long. We have also been traveling to colleges and universities to find the best staff for Summer 2012 and of course the International “Where in the World” trips will begin in January.

Robin and I had a chance to also see campers Ryan & Jake Garfinkle with our now annual dinner over there! I also had dinner with camper David Brucker. Everyone is doing well and really excited for the summer!

Jake and Ryan Garfinkle

David Brucker at Benihana

Here in the winter office, Jcal came to visit! Of course he brought us snacks, including our favorite Crumbs cupcakes! We are busy filming a new episode of Canadensis Today, our annual holiday card, and a few other surprises for all of you.

Hope everyone has a great week and check back soon!

Today was another one of those days when I just kept thinking about the summer over and over again.  The biggest reminder of summer sits right in front of me in my office.  From Summer 2012, the leaders of Comic Book Blue cut out a piece of their Color War Sing scenery and gave it to me as a memento.  It is the picture of me, letting everyone know that “The box is missing!”  For those that need a visual, here it is…

From Color War 2012, here is a piece of Comic Book Blue's scenery, which is me!

When I look at this artwork of me, it always has me thinking about camp and how much I love things like Color War Sing.  Not just the Sing, itself, but the moment I actually enter the Rec Hall for the Sing.  It’s one of my favorite moments every summer.  As I walk into one of camp’s most historic buildings, I see all of the hard work that the CITs, Senior campers and an assortment of Staff have invested over the prior five days and it gives me goosebumps!  The sets, decorations and plaques never cease to amaze me.  The songs always blow me away.  And, the night is always a magical one.  This year, I was so thrilled when Jason “J.Cal” Calabretta came up to me with the idea of wanting to broadcast the Sing live over the internet.  At one point, we had over 300 people, many former alumni, logging in to be part of this night from all over the world.  So cool, right?!

So, today, not only am I thinking about Sing, but just some of the things I love about camp.  Like, I love the moment when I get up to the amphitheater right before turning the corner to see everyone.  The music is usually already blaring!  I get pumped up for the day!  Then, when I see everyone getting excited, I also get excited!  As I walk down the steps, it almost gives me the feeling of a boxer entering the ring or a relief pitcher coming in from the bullpen.  I’m ready for the day!

Morning Line-Up at Camp is something that gets me so psyched up for a day at camp!

Or, I love when I get the opportunity to see a camper go down the zip line for the very first time in their life.  It usually goes the same way.  The camper is usually a bit scared (some more than others).  Usually, their bunkmates are cheering and encouraging them to go, letting them know it’s going to be great!  Sometimes, it even takes the camper a few minutes before they actually push off of the platform.  But, once they do, when the get off, they always have a big smile on their face and feeling of complete satisfaction!

I love going the lake.  Whether it is taking a funyak out on the water, riding on the triple dare, jumping on the water trampoline, going up and down the Summit or just hanging out on the water mats.  Not many camps have a lake as great as Lake Lenape, perfectly situated right in the middle of camp.  Last summer, I got to go in the lake on a number of occasions with a number of different divisions.  Each and every time is so memorable.

I love playing tennis at camp.  Whether during one of the regular periods of the day or at Free Play, the campers like to play against me in King / Queen of the Court or in singles or doubles matches.  I love watching campers improve their tennis games over the summer, especially with our amazing tennis staff in private lessons or in the Tennis Academy.  Tennis is definitely one of those sports that many continue to play well after their camper years, so its great to always see so much interest at camp.

I love MTV Night, especially the night when we have the MTV Night Finals!  Many of our bunks put so much time and energy into their skits that show great teamwork.  The acts usually have a lot of humor in them as well, so anytime I get to see campers being silly and goofy, I smile.

The acts at MTV Night are always fun!

I guess I could go on and on about all the things I love about camp.  Like Fruit on the Fly.  Or, seeing great projects being made in the Art Center.  How about our day at Dorney Park?  That’s always awesome!  I especially love the days leading up to Color War break and the anticipation of when it is actually going to happen and all the guesses I get from the campers and counselors of how they think they know when it is going to break.  I love the last night of camp and the bunks engaging in their candle lighting tradition with all of the lights illuminating Lake Lenape.

When you get the chance, tell me all that you love about camp!  Send an e-mail.  Post a comment right here on the blog.  Post something on our Facebook page.  Give me a call!

How many days until Summer 2012?  Ha Ha!  For now, I will have to just reminisce.  But, in the meantime, I can love all of the opportunities I get to see campers and staff in the winter months.  Here is who I got to see recently…

In Bala Cynwyd, PA, I met up with the Rosenau Family for a lovely dinner, which has somewhat become an annual tradition with us.  It is always great to see Julia and Emma, who have been at camp for quite some time now, as well as their younger brother AJ, who could be joining us this summer for our Tour and More Weekend at camp.  Julia, who will be an Upper Senior for her 6th summer in 2012, is really enjoying life in the 8th grade.  She just recently finished up her soccer season in which she played defense on the Bala Cynwyd Middle School Knights team.  In the spring, she will be playing for the school’s softball team.  She wanted to make sure that she gave a shout out to Girls Bunk 16 from last summer as well as counselors Lauren Berry and Lindsay Steckler!  If you remember from last year, Julia was the camper that scored a perfect score on the Harry Potter contest and received a piece of the actual red carpet from the movie premiere in New York City.  Julia is still crazy about Harry Potter!  Emma will be an Upper Inter Girl in 2012, which will be her 3rd summer at Canadensis.  She has been busy with tennis lessons and her basketball season just got underway.  She is an avid reader and told me that she can’t wait for the “Hunger Games” movie after she read all of the books.  She also wanted to give a shout out to her bunk from last summer, that being Girls Bunk 8!  Emma says, “What’s up, Bunk 8?!?!”  She also wanted to say hello to Steve, the albino chipmunk (which must be some kind of inside joke to Bunk 8).  Here is a picture…

Me with Upper Inter Emma Rosenau (left) and Upper Senior Julia Rosenau.

In Dobbs Ferry, NY, I got to hang out with Drew Spielberger, who will be joining us at Canadensis for his first summer in 2012.  Currently in the 2nd grade, Drew will be in our Junior Division.  Drew is a busy guy to say the least.  He just finished up his soccer season on his Fulhom team.  He plays defense on that team.  Now, he is starting his basketball season.  In the spring, it will be a baseball team where he plays both first base and short stop.  He is also a big New York Yankee fan!  In this mix, Drew also plays flag football.  He also loves music and is looking forward to starting drum lessons in a few months.  This summer, he can’t wait to make new friends.  He is also looking forward to all the sports, including hockey, Color War, the lake and the water slides.  Here is a photo…

Me with Junior Boy Drew Spielberger and future Canadensis Camper Ruby Spielberger.

Last week, at the Giants game, I got to see campers Harrison and Ben Keim, who were joined by parents Dan and Gail.  At our tailgate in Lot L12, we ate sirloin steak tips, chili, kobe beef bacon cheeseburgers and onion rings.  Unfortunately, we forgot to take a picture, but thanks guys for sharing the day with me.

Speaking of food, here is a random thing to share.  Today for lunch, I had Syracuse University pasta.  That’s right.  You heard me correctly.  As a graduate of Syracuse, I purchased a bag of pasta just for me.  Just look…

My lunch today was pasta in the shape of Otto the Orange and the Syracuse "S." Pretty funny.

Earlier this week, I got to do some staff recruiting at some of the colleges near my home in Montclair, NJ.  On Monday, I was at Ramapo College in Mahwah, NJ.  On Tuesday, I was at William Paterson in Wayne, NJ.  On Wednesday, I went all of five minutes from my home for a full day at Montclair State.  I got to talk with a number of terrific applicants, some who you are sure to see at camp this summer.  Of course, this is only the beginning of our new staff hiring.  But, if these three days are any indication of what’s to come, it is safe to say that we are once again going to have the best staff around!

Well, that’s all of the blogging for now.  I hope everyone has a great weekend!

More blogging to come….Have a great day!

-Brian