My parents came to visit me in Philly this weekend, and it was so much fun!  We went to tour some of the historical sights…like the Constitution Center (which had an amazing Bruce Springsteen exhibit!), Independence Hall (where the Constitution was signed) and the Italian Market (a fresh air market, and my favorite place to stock up on veggies).  We also spent some time at the Philadelphia Flower Show, which was amazing!  The theme was Hawaii, and the florists created amazing displays with waterfalls, volcanoes, etc.   We were there on the last day of the 9 day show…so all the vendors were trying to get rid of their stock of flowers.  In the few hours we were there, we saw the price of a dozen roses go from $10 each, to 3 dozen for $10!!

So, of course I bought three dozen roses, and when I got home, I tried to get creative with my flower arrangements…I don’t know a ton about flowers – but plants in general has become a recent hobby for me.  I do know that you are suppose to cut the stems of your freshly bought flowers on a slant, under water.  In the photo above, I’m adding baby’s breath – a filler flower – to round out my arrangement of white roses.This is how it turned out…probably my favorite overall!  I had some clementines that weren’t tasting very good anymore, so I put them in the bottom of the glass vase, and I think it brought some fun color to the arrangement.I spread the three different bouquets around my house, and they make me smile every time I walk by.

I’ve been planting a bunch in my tiny city yard as well, when things start to bloom this Spring, I’ll post photos here.  I can’t believe it’s almost spring…that means camp is around the corner, only 103 days to go!

It’s a warm Friday afternoon in the camp winter office, and we have a special visitor today…my mom!!  My parents live in Arizona, but they are visiting me in Philadelphia for the weekend, and while my Dad is off doing consulting work, my Mom is hanging out with us here in the office!  As you can see, no one gets to just sit around when they are at work…we actually have a lot of stuff to do each day!  She’s putting together a mailing right now, and next she’ll be organizing some of our camp t-shirts.  It might not be tons of fun for her, but I’m loving having her here!

Hello Canadensis…

I just walked to the mailbox to send off a few letters.  My dress for the day?  How about jeans and T-Shirt!  It’s March 8 and I didn’t even have to wear a jacket for the brief walk!  It made me wonder…is winter over?  In fact, I was thinking…did we even have a winter this year?  Aside from a few chilly days here in the Northeast, it didn’t ever feel like winter came this year.  Of course, I am now fully willing to take all the “heat” (no pun intended) if we are now to have some random snow storm in the upcoming weeks by tempting Mother Nature.  Ha Ha!

But, today made me very excited for the summer!  That is my real point.  Nice weather is always the first true indicator that summer is on it’s way!  Another true indicator…how about…the Color War names for Summer 2012 were decided this week.  And the 2012 Color War names are… Ha Ha!  No chance!

A few weekends ago, we had our Annual Leadership Retreat Weekend where we bring together many of our summer head staff to discuss all aspects of the summer.  On the agenda were things like our TAC (Tagged At Canadensis) Program, which recognizes and rewards campers for doing random acts of kindness.  The program was awesome in its first summer last year and will continue to grow and evolved in 2012.  Last summer, we gave out 366 TACs to campers.  Just awesome!

Also discussed over this two-day get-together were topics such as Staff Orientation and the Summer Calendar of Events and Activities.  As you can imagine, the summer calendar of everything we do takes a lot of time and precision.  But, just like UPS likes to tout, we love logistics!  We have already put a lot of the traditional activities, trips and entertainers on the calendar for the summer.  Of course, we are always looking for new ideas.  If you have one, please e-mail us at info@canadensis.com .

As many of you know, over the past few summers, it has been the campers and counselors that vote on the Summer Drive-In Movies.  For those new to camp, our Drive-Ins happen three or four times over the summer and is where the entire camp watches a movie together under a sky of stars.  For the past two years, campers and counselors voted from a list of approximately 20 films to choose from.  If you have an idea for a movie that should be on the list, please e-mail it to info@canadensis.com .  Please make sure your movie is an appropriate selection for the entire camp.

Great job as always by Jason “J.Cal” Calabretta on his latest viral video for camp.  In this one, J.Cal captures all of the fun and excitement we have at camp’s amphitheater, whether it be for morning line-up, MTV Nights, all camp activities and more.  If you haven’t seen “Party Rock on the Amphitheater” yet, check it out here…

I got some very cool news about former camper and now counselor Carli “CJ” Sukonik, who is in her freshman year at Lehigh University and playing on the Girls Varsity Lacrosse team.  This week, CJ earned her first Patriot League Award as the conference’s Rookie of the Week.  According to the article, CJ had a big game versus Robert Morris and finished the week with three points while adding three groundballs, six draw controls and a caused turnover.  The highlight came Saturday when she posted six draw controls, tying for the most by any Lehigh player over the last six seasons.  CJ also scored a pair of crucial goals, making it 7-4 after Robert Morris pulled within 5-4.  For the season, CJ is fourth on the team with six points (four goals, two assists) and third in goals.  She is also second with nine draw controls.  Way to go, CJ!  Here is a photo of CJ in action…

Are you ready for March Madness?  With the annual college basketball tournament right around the corner, we will once again be having camper and staff selection pools with prizes going to the winner. We will send out e-mails next week for everyone to make their choices.  Last year’s winners were 2012 Lower Inter Boy Jake Brownstein and CIT Head Counselor Cara Corradetti.  Good luck to everyone with their picks.

As a reminder for all new camp families with campers currently in Grades Kindergarten through 4th Grade, if you haven’t RSVP’d to our New Camper Bowling Event on Sunday, March 25, please do so by e-mailing us at info@canadensis.com or calling our winter office.  This event is also open to 2011 campers that were in Girls Bunk 2 and Boys Bunks 2,3 and 4.

Also, a note to all parents!  Be sure to start the camper forms process.  There is another mailing coming soon that will ask you to complete more forms, so get what you can done now!

Some great home visits to fill you in on over the past few weeks.  For starters, I met Brett and Sammie Tomback in Wayne, NJ, both who are coming to camp for their first summers.  Brett, currently in 3rd grade, will be in our Junior Boys division while Sammie is in the first grade and will be in our Junior Girls division.  Brett loves baseball and plays on a travel team called the Wayne Warriors.  As a pitcher, short stop and catcher, his team will be defending their Little League Championship title in the upcoming 2012 season.  In the fall, Brett plays basketball for his Wayne PAL team, the Wolfpack, who also just recently were tournament champs.  Brett also plays flag football and soccer.  This summer, he is ready for activities like GaGa, Tennis, all the sports, swimming, cooking and zipline.  Sammie is very busy with hip hop, jazz and acro dance classes and will be performing a recital in the Spring.  She is also rehearsing for an upcoming play “Honk,” where she has been cast as both Froglet and Turklet.  On top of all that, she plays basketball, soccer and loves having “virtual sleepovers” with friends.  That is where through technology, she can have a sleep over with friend while each remains at their own house.  Very creative!  When Sammie comes to camp in 2012, you are sure to see her in the Art Shack, Glass Fusion and Cooking.  Here is a photo…

In Gladwyne, PA, I got to hang out with 3rd grade twins Luke and Sammy Finkelstein, both who will be at Canadensis for their first summers at Canadensis as part of our Junior Boys Division.  Luke enjoys playing the piano and keyboards.  He is currently in a band that calls themselves “The No Names” and has even played a few gigs so far.  Luke also plays tennis, goes skiing and in the spring will be playing baseball.  He likes joking and hanging out with friends.  When not doing all of these things, Luke likes to read and write.  In Summer 2012, Luke will be all about the water sports, photography, the high ropes course and zipline, the climbing wall and the overnights.  As for Sammy, he plays both forward and goalie on a travel soccer team, the Lower Merion Limitless.  He likes to ski, play tennis and will also be playing baseball in the spring.  He also enjoys playing pool, foosball and reading long books.  When he gets to camp, Sammy is excited for the banana boat, GaGa, soccer, woodworking and ceramics.  Here is a photo…

In Villanova, PA, I saw Madison Wolfgang and her brother Carter Wolfgang.  Madison is back for her second summer at Canadensis and will be a Lower Inter Girl.  Now in 4th grade, Madison is very involved in hip hop, ballet and lyrical dance classes.  She is getting ready for her first competition and will be performing at recital in June.  She recently got together with her camp sisters from Summer 2011’s Bunk 5 at a sleepover.  Madison wanted to give a shout out to all the girls, too.  When I asked her what she is looking forward to at camp this year, she quickly replied, “Everything!”  Madison is thrilled that she will be joined at camp this summer by Carter, who is currently in the 2nd grade and will be in our Junior Boys Division.  Carter plays basketball on his team the Wildcats.  In the spring, he will be playing baseball.  His favorite sport to watch is football.  He is in a Cub Scouts troop and enjoys hiking, nature and swimming.  This summer, he can’t wait for all the activities at the lake, including the banana boat, triple dare and summit, Gaga, Free Play and the foam pit.  Here is a pic…

In Livingston, NJ, I met up with 4th Grade girl Emma Zuckerman, who will be in the Lower Inter Girls division in her first summer at Canadensis.  Emma plays lacrosse on a travel team, the Livingston Junior Lancers, as well as a soccer team.  She also does gymnastics.  She loves to cook and bake.  Her personal favorites are cupcakes and cookies where she can decorate with different flavored frostings.  Emma also likes music and to dance.  In fact, she will be performing a hip routine in an upcoming school talent show.  Emma also told me that she loves animals and really loves her two cats, Razzle and Dazzle.  At camp this summer, Emma is very much ready for the Summit, the banana boat, the triple dare and water trampoline.  She is also looking forward to ceramics, tie dye and the high ropes course.  Here is a picture…

In Merrick, NY, I spent some time with Julie Pulewitz.  Julie is coming to camp for her first summer as part of our Junior Girls division.  Currently in 3rd grade, she plays forward and midfield on two different soccer teams, a local P.A.L. rec league and a travel team.  She recently just finished up her basketball season where her team completed an undefeated season.  Her other interests include going on trips and vacations with her family, a love for animals (ducks and dogs in particular), playing with her own dog Ruby and doing arts and crafts projects.  In Summer 2012, Julie can’t wait for the lake activities, the new pool, Color War, trying new things and making new friends.  Here is a photo…

Well…that’s all the blogging for now.

Have a great day!

-Brian

Now, for many of you campers out there, you may not have ever attended a wedding (I went to my first one at age 24!) but it’s a really fun celebration.  It has some similiaries to a Bar or Bat Mitzvah, but it’s for two people who are in love.  It’s a really great time to get creative and crafty, and make something either as a gift or as something that might be helpful to the celebration.

Wedding Craft #1: (pictured above) is from Robin & Eric Forti’s wedding at Camp Canadensis in 2010.  It was a really fun celebration and many people decided to stay at camp, but some guests stayed at a big hotel down the road.  The couple provided bus transportation for the guests who weren’t at camp, but they wanted to have a sign on the bus so everyone knew it was for the wedding.  Eric’s mom and I had a great time painting the banner you see above.  Eric’s mom does great bubble letters, and we had fun picking out paint colors.  We put a lace border on the banner, and we used A LOT of tape to attach it to the bus because we didn’t want it to fly off while driving down the road!

Wedding Craft #2: From time to time, guests are asked to make a scrapbook page that is presented before the wedding at a bridal shower, and when the pages of all the guests come together, the bride & groom have a great book full of pictures and memories.   I definitely do not consider myself a great scrapbooker, but I like the way this page turned out for my cousin Mandy and her husband Phil.  Mandy and I grew up at camp together, but unfortunately I couldn’t find a good photo from those days…however, I did have some great pictures from our family reunion at camp, so you can see them playing softball and working in the camp woodshop in the top right corner.

Wedding Craft #3: Whenever I’ve been asked to be in a bridal party (it’s one of my favorite things to do for my close friends!) I’ve always asked if I can help with any of the “crafty” things leading up to the wedding.  I’ve made the baskets of “necessities” that go in the bathrooms during the event, I’ve made the bags that guests get when they check into their hotel, I’ve done table numbers and place cards, and even helped with programs.  But my all time favorite craft to make is a “bridal hoodie” – something the bride can wear on the morning of their wedding as they get prepped and gorgeous for the big event.  Below is my friend Julie, who married her husband Josh…hence the “J+J” on the front with their wedding date.

On the back, I put a mixture of their two last names (because she kept her maiden name) and most importantly, I attached a “bridal veil” into the hood!  No one could mistake that she was the bride, and she got all the special pampering a bride deserves.  It was easy to cut the veil out when it was time to wash the hoodie, and I know she enjoyed wearing it throughout the honeymoon…

I hope you enjoyed seeing these crafts – I have a bunch more, so maybe I’ll do a part two in the future.  Looking at my tan in the photo above make me excited for the warm summer days we’ll all get to enjoy at Camp Canadensis soon!

The winter meeting for our camp leadership staff doesn’t officially start until tomorrow morning, and we are really excited to have our Canadensis team together so we can start moving forward on ideas for summer 2012!

One of the best parts of the winter meeting is that we get to see some of our favorite camp friends, and I have just returned from the airport where I was picking up Moira.  I get to work with Moira in the Programming Office during the summer, and she is one of my favorite people of all time!  She is the hardest working woman that I know, and she is so great at putting together the camper/staff schedules during the summer…and she’s also a lot of fun!! We are going to start working on some of our new programs today, so get ready for an amazing summer ahead!

Whenever we are together, we discover a bunch of things we have in common…we just realized on the ride here that we both took vacations in Pittsburgh this year, we both make wishes at 11:11, and we both just signed up for long runs in May!!  I’ll be doing the 10-mile Broad Street Run, and she’s going to do the Buffalo Half Marathon!  I have a feeling that her time for 13.2 miles might be better than my 10 mile race, because while we have a ton in common, Moira is definitely a sporty girl, and I usually stick to Arts & Crafts!

I’m sure there will be a lot of Twitter updates from the Winter Meeting this weekend, so consider checking it out!

I hope you had a Happy Valentines day!  Of course, I look at it the same way I look at everyday…a chance to be creative!  Do you have someone in your life who loves a certain color?  Do they wear the color all the time, buy things in that color when they have a choice, and do they want to paint their bedroom that color too??

Well, Dave loves ORANGE…and since he deserves a special meal, I packed him an orange lunch on Valentines Day!  Everything was packed in his bag, so it was a surprise when he opened it!  There was orange juice, goldfish crackers, mac & cheese, carrots, jello, cheese sticks, orange crackers, orange starbursts…and of course an orange!  I wanted to make it extra special, so I added some corny lines to each of the food items, like this…Get it??  I “carrot” about you A LOT…like “I care about you a lot”.  Like I said…really corny.  I used the great new Post-It labels that you can cut into any size to make it stick to the items.

If someone you know loves YELLOW – think about bananas, lemonade, corn, pineapple and egg salad!

If someone you know loves GREEN – think about green apples, string beans, wasabi peas and a spinach salad!

If someone you know loves RED – think about pasta with tomato sauce, cherries, twizzlers, strawberries and red velvet cupcakes!

Get creative!  Good luck if the person in your life loves HOT PINK!

Before I go, check out the amazing photo of Simone wearing the elephant hat I crocheted for her.  Isn’t she the most precious thing you’ve ever seen?

Justin Kole

Hobbies when you’re at home: Lacrosse

Years at Camp: 7

Favorite Camp Activity: Lacrosse

Favorite Camp Memory: Being a wood gatherer

Best Advice for a First Time Camper: Get along with your bunk and make friends with your counselors

What you’re most excited to do this summer: Sleeping through breakfast

One thing you’ve never done at camp that you’re going to do this summer: Be OD for a younger bunk

If you could plan your own perfect camp day, what would it look like: waking up at noon, eating bagels and cream cheese, playing lacrosse, going back to sleep, NBA game, dinner, then Canteen

I arrived in London, England just a few hours ago!  This is my final stop in February for staff hiring, and I’m excited to be participating in the Camp America Staffing Fairs in the United Kingdom!  I got to attend this fair a few years ago, and before that, I spent a summer living in London while I was in high school.  I was actually setup with an internship with a photographer, and being a photographer was the only other job I ever thought I wanted besides from being a camp director!

London is gearing up to host the 2012 Summer Olympics, and you can learn some London Fun Facts by clicking here!  I’m so excited to see some of our staff who live over there, and I’ll be uploading a photo of us soon!

I recently got to spend a lovely Saturday morning getting to know a new camper who lives on the Upper West Side of NYC.  Michele is a current 4th grader, and will be a Lower Inter Girl at camp this summer.  I first met her when she came up to take a tour of Canadensis and I was her guide – so it was only fitting that we switched roles, and she gave me a guided tour of her apartment!  I was so impressed by her awesome room – she has shinny pink carpet, oversize 3D cube art coming out of the walls, and fun stuff in every direction you look!  However, if you get dizzy, I don’t recommend looking down and out the window…she’s so high up that the people on the street below look like ants!

We both love dogs, and as you can see from the photo above, her dog Oreo is super cute!  This photo doesn’t even show how cute he is, but he loves to play soccer…just like Michele!  She loves the color blue, and all kinds of sports – she plays tennis mostly, but she also has gone to a golf camp, and played a season of softball.  She is a really good student, and she was telling me about the different class room jobs she has.  She is in charge of answering the classroom phone, but she also gets different jobs every two weeks…like being in charge of recycling, or giving out snack.  She said the best job is being the joke teller…which sounds like a great idea for our camp job wheel!  Oue bunk jobs rotates everyday so campers get to do different things that help keep the bunk clean.  Even when she’s not in school, Michele makes sure to spend 30 minutes a day reading.  Right now she’s enjoying the Percy Jackson book series.

She’s going to have no trouble finding foods she likes at camp this summer, and some of her favorites on the salad bar will be red peppers, cucumbers and carrots.  We talked about the awesome new water slides we are building in the brand new blue pool, and although she doesn’t think she’s ever been on a water slide, she is planning to try it this summer!  Although she doesn’t know anyone coming to Canadensis yet, she has a lot of friends at home…including some that live in the same building as her, so they are only an elevator ride away!  She was off to a chocolate birthday party at Max Brenners after our home visit, and hopefully one of her new camp friends will have a summer birthday so she can see what it’s like to have a Canadensis pizza birthday celebration!

Earlier this winter, “Aunt” Terri, the owner of Camp Canadensis, was taking a trip to London and Paris.  She had a great idea to pull together our international campers, and throw a “Canteen on the Fly” for our French campers!  Since we had just finished giving out t-shirts to all the US Campers that came to our Canteen’s on the Fly in New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania, we thought we could make a special shirt for those overseas…

Supplies:

-A clean, pre-washed t-shirt – and an extra cloth

-Iron-on appliques – easily found at a craft store like Joann, Michaels or AC Moore.

-An iron and ironing board.

Instructions (This is super easy!)

1.  Layout the appliques and make sure they are in a straight line.

2.  Grab your extra cloth (I used another t-shirt) and use it as a barrier between your letters and the hot iron.  Make sure your letters aren’t shifting before you place the iron down!

3.  Press hard and gently move the iron in circles for however long it says on your package.

4.  Let the shirt cool, and enjoy your personalized shirt!

Here all the final shirts for “Aunt” Terri, the Paris campers, and an outstanding staff member named Lauren Berry who is currently living in London!