It’s time for another round of everyone’s favorite game!  (Well, that might be an overstatement…it could just be my favorite game…)  Please submit your rhyming quotes for this “Annie the Dog” photo!

“Annie the Dog, at her desk working hard…Annie the Dog, do you have a business card?”

Let me set the scene: I had been overseas for almost 6 weeks in 2 months time. That’s alot of time sleeping in random hotel rooms, eating international “cuisine”, and tons and tons of airline flights/miles. So, it’s my last day in Paris before flying home. It’s the last international trip until after camp and I say to Robin (who I so graciously took along to Paris and Milan with me) how much I have enjoyed being overseas and seeing the world, but that I was looking forward to returning home to the good ol’ USA.

The camper fair went great at a private American school in Paris and ended around 8PM. By the time we cleaned up and got back to the hotel, it was around 9PM, so we decided to grab some Chinese food quickly for dinner and call it a night before flying home the next morning. That’s when it all started…

The front desk recommended a Chinese restaurant right next door. The food was sitting in large plates in a trophy looking display case and yes, everyone says “that should have been your first sign”. We ordered our food, which they put into plastic tubs and microwaved (2nd sign) and ate dinner. Because Robin is a vegetarian, we don’t share very many things (I had beef and she had shrimp).

Fast forward to 3AM—I wake up, went to the bathroom, and the rest is history. I will spare you all of the details, but let’s just say it wasn’t pretty, the hotel was sold out so they couldn’t switch our room, and we were both up until 7AM, when we were to leave for the airport. I skyped with Continental Airlines and without any argument (I was shocked!) they rebooked me on the next day’s flight to Philly, while Robin continued on the original flight to Newark. I officially had food poisoning and couldn’t fly home, literally hours before my final trip came to an end! Talk about jinxing it…

All ended OK as I took a day to recuperate at the airport hotel in Paris and flew home the next day. I think my body was just telling me to slow down, stop flying so much, and just RELAX! Of course when I arrived home I went right back to fast paced environment, but it was good to rest for a day.

Highlights in Paris and Milan include:

Amazing pizza, pasta, and gelato. It was nice in Milan to be able to walk into ANY restaurant and order pizza and a calzone and share it with Robin. Yummy!

We did a pastry/baking class while in Paris and that was so much fun. We went to a working Pattiserie and had a tour of the back of the house operations. Afterwards, we had a chance to bake our own croissant (think TONS OF BUTTER, OY) as well as our own baguette (a long French bread essentially).

We had a chance to meet some of our new International campers for this summer! We will be having a few campers from France throughout the summer, and it will provide a unique opportunity to learn about different cultures and what it’s like to grow up in a different country. Last summer we had 3 international campers and they loved the Canadensis experience. Their bunkmates also enjoyed getting to know them, so we are looking forward to yet another positive experience for Summer 2011!

Back here in the US, it’s camp, camp, oh and Passover. Robin decided that we should host 23 people this Passover at our house…that’s TWENTY THREE PEOPLE! Wow. Our first time doing a holiday, did I mention 23 people??

Anyway, like I said, camp, camp, camp. Matt Unger and I are taking weekly trips to camp at this point to check-in with things there. The weather a few weeks ago was great, nice and warm, and outdoor projects were going on. Unfortunately, 8 inches of snow dumped on camp and now we can’t work outside. So, it’s back to the inside projects…which by the way are coming along nicely. I will have more info on that shortly.

New Camper Bowling is coming up this Sunday! Our year round winter staff will be there, along with Robin,  Peter Tarnoff, and Jcal!! Looking forward to a fun day with all of our NEW campers for Summer 2011!

That’s all for now, but check back soon.

I’m SO excited to see all of our adorable new campers next weekend!  New Camper Bowling is on Sunday, April 3rd, and we’ll be bowling the entire day with the different age groups.  Hope to see you there!

Guest Blog by Rafael Rodrigues

So I have been reading Eric’s tweets from across the globe and I am pretty envious. I am excited for the collaboration to begin between Eric,  JCal and I. I will be assisting in the production of the today show.

In my spare time I love to rock climb, play soccer, and challenge opponents in table tennis/ ping pong. I have a younger brother who is 17 years old. As far as my skills I have been interning at an video production studio in Providence, RI. This semester I am taking two fine art classes ceramics and old fashion photography. Yeah I am mastering the development and processing of film in the dark room. Film makes digital photography seem like a breeze. Ceramics is a fun course to as I have been making some pinch bowls, coffee cups, and vases.

Outside of school I ran a half marathon last May. I love crepes and sweets. I can make some delicious smoothies, shakes, and banana splits as I have made thousands of them at Ben & Jerry’s.

I am excited to meet all these new faces at camp from the campers to the staff. I can’t wait to engage in games, stories, and sports with your son or daughter this summer.

See you in June,

Rafael Rodrigues

Last week I told you about some of my favorite incoming Jersey Girl campers, and today I thought I’d introduce you to some awesome incoming campers from my home state of New York!

Jaynie is a current 4th grader at Birch Elementary in Merrick, NY, and she will be a Lower Inter Girl this summer.  She is a super fun, goofy and silly girl, who would be an awesome bunkmate this summer.  As you can see from the picture above, she was actually practicing decorating her camp bunk by decorating her bedroom door!  It’s full of pictures of Justin Bieber, she had just seen his movie and is a big fan!

Jaynie is an even bigger fan of basketball, dancing and gymnastics.   Her favorite gymnastics event is the bars, her favorite subject in school is reading, her favorite color is blue, and she loves to eat mac & cheese, which we serve about every week at camp!  She’s not a big fan of vegetables (which we need in order to get energized for all the camp activities!!) and she really likes to sleep late, so I’m going to prepare her counselors during orientation to drag her out of bed in the morning so she can enjoy all the camp fun we pack into a Camp Canadensis day!  When I was over her house, we watched the new camp DVD, and she’s excited for the first day on June 25th!  Jaynie can’t wait to make new friends, try the activities on the lake, learn how to water-ski, and go on hikes.  I told her all about the overnight program where we hike to the waterfall, pitch tents, and cook dinner and breakfast, and she’s totally pumped for it! When she’s not on overnights or swinging from the gymnastic bar, she promised to write really long letters home, and I’m sure that her younger sister and brother are going to be very excited to hear about her camp adventures!

Jamie is current 3rd grader from Port Washington, who will be a Junior Girl at camp this summer.  When asked to describe herself in three words, she said “Funny, Goofy and Loud”!  I know Jamie from the Tour and More Weekend at camp last summer, and I have to agree…she says the funniest things, and she promised that she is so super loud and will never lose her voice.  That never-ending voice will really come in handy while cheering during Color War this summer!  Her big sister Lauren is going to be a Freshman Girl, and luckily that means they are both on Lower Girls Side, so it will be a bit easier for their parents to find them in our online photo system this summer!

Jamie’s favorite color is hot pink, she loves to play tennis and basketball, and she’s a total thrill-seeker.  She has gone on all the crazy rides at the amusement parks in Disney World, so she is already sure she wants to be in one of our fast groups when we take the whole camp to Dorney Park this summer!  When she grows up, she wants to become a teacher – and she really enjoys reading.  Her favorite book is “Theodore Boone: Kid Lawyer“, which I had never heard of, but might be worth checking out.  Jamie gets super hyper when she eat sugar, so watch out after you go to canteen at night with her!  She also loves to eat steak which gets served at camp a few times during the summer, and she’s looking forward to Chinese Food Night at camp, which is when we serve lo-mein noodles out of Chinese takeout containers.  She is super excited for the summer, she can’t wait for Glass Fusion and hanging out with her big sister and friends!

The entire Ambos family has major Camp Canadensis spirit!  Before I left their home, Jamie and Lauren showed me their computer desktop…the wallpaper is the Canadensis Logo!  That means that every time the girls use the computer to check the camp blogs or do homework, they start thinking about the summer fun ahead in 2011!

Abby is a current 3rd grader from Briancliff Manor, NY and she’s going to be a Junior Girl at camp this summer.  I was lucky enough to meet her when she came up to take a tour of camp this summer, so I know that she’s going to be a fun, energetic and crazy (in an awesome way) camper!  She will be easily recognizable at camp because instead of wearing Yankees, Mets or Phillies gear, she’ll actually be showing her Chicago Cubs Spirit!  She loves the Cubs, Bears and Notre Dame, which is the area of the country where her parents used to live.

She is an all-around camper, the ideal Canadensis kid, who loves a little bit of everything we do at camp.  She loves sports, and plays basketball, soccer and lacrosse as extra curricular activities during the year.  She actually even played in the basketball championship, so she knows how to stay cool under pressure, which will come in handy during Color War!  She also loves Arts & Crafts, she goes to an art studio during the year, and she is very excited for Glass Fusion at camp, and she plans to make one of the pizza plates, which was a popular camp project last year. She really enjoys gymnastics too, and the balance beam is her favorite.  She is also a great swimmer, last year at Elmwood  Day Camp, she was a Blue Stingray.  And, it doesn’t stop there…you can also find Abby on stage, she loves to sing and has been in a lot of shows.  Right now she is preparing for a part in Annie, and she’s been in a long list of shows including Hairspray, Sound of Music, Wizard of OZ, Peter Pan, Pinocchio, Bye Bye Birdie and Alice in Wonderland.   Even though she is super comfortable up on stage, she hasn’t been in a lake before, but she’s pumped to try banana boating and sailing on Lake Lenape!

Annie is a current 2nd grader at Village Elementary in Woodbury, NY, and she will be a Lower Junior Girl this summer!  She is going to be joining her two big siblings at Canadensis this summer – her older sister Rachel is going to be a Super Senior, and her big brother Matt will be a Lower Senior, which means that Annie is going to have Lower Camp all to herself this summer!  She is nice, funny and athletic, and her big sister says she’s aslo “crazy, artistic and lovable”.  She won’t be the only “Annie” at camp this summer…if you are a regular reader of the my blog, you’ll know that I also have a dog named Annie who comes to camp during the summer.  I brought a picture of my pup along on the home visit, and I’m excited to introduce the two of them in June!

Annie had just gotten back from a cruise when I came over, which is why she has super cute braids in her hair in the photo above.  She loved being on the beach and winning prizes in the arcades.  When she’s not on vacation, she loves to read, her favorite books are Amazing Days of Abby Hayes and Diary of a Wimpy Kid.  Not only does she like to read, but she actually writes books too!  She actually writes a book almost everyday, so I’m sure that is preparing her to write some awesome letters home!  She loves to play sports too, her favorite sport is soccer because she enjoys running and scoring goals!  She likes to draw pictures, loves to dance, and sing songs.  Because she has older siblings at camp, she has already learned some of the old Color War songs that we sing, so if Annie is in your bunk, she’ll be excited to teach you how to sing along!

The final New Yorker that I want to introduce you to today is Carly!  She is a current 4th grader who goes to Hewlett Elementary, and lives in Hewlett NY.  She is going to be a Lower Inter Girl this summer, and her big sister Lindsey also started camp as a Lower Inter Girl three summers ago, so she is following in really great footsteps!  Carly was a Tour and More Camper last summer, so she’s already spent a few days up at camp trying out the activities, lake and pool.  She’s very excited to go to camp this summer and make tons of friends…Lindsey has told her how close you get with your bunkmates, and it’s like making 10 new sisters!

Lindsey is going to be a Lower Senior Girl this summer, which means she’ll be going on a bunch more trips this summer and that she’ll be living on Senior Girls side.  That means that Carly will have a great place to go visit during the summer when she has free time during rest hour and shower time, and that she can visit right before the dances to have help getting her hair ready!  It also means that hopefully she’ll be getting some souvenirs when Lindsey returns home from her trips.  Carly is going to get so much out of camp this summer, she loves playing sports – especially soccer, which is what she chose for her elective last year!  She loves to swim, and is excited to have her chance to go on the Summit (huge inflatable slide) at camp this summer.  She will miss some things about home (including her cats) but she is pumped for an amazing first summer at camp!

Hi Canadensis! It’s been a long time since I updated my blog – things have been so crazy in the winter office this year! Between a road trip to Michigan and a Tri-State Camp Conference so much preparation for summer 2011 has happened!

Pam and I went on a fabulous road trip to Michigan to hire some amazing staff for you all!  Here are some pictures of the friends we saw along the way:

Bridget and Mike meet us at BGSU!

Hanging out with Sarah, Kayla, and Ricky!

Ricky and I take a break during interviews...

So Sushi at University of Michigan!

More to come!

I’m about to head down to Atlantic City, NJ to meet the rest of our amazing year-round Camp Canadensis staff team (Eric, Brian, Matt and Cara) at the annual American Camp Association Tri-State Conference. It’s my favorite time of the year, besides actual camp! Since I’m heading to Jersey, I thought I’d introduce you to two awesome Jersey Girls who are going to be coming to camp this summer, and who I recently got to spend some time with on home visits…

Jordan is a spunky 2nd grader that I got to meet during her tour at camp this summer.  She actually came during Color War, and got to see our super spirited end-of-summer tradition in action!  Jordan lives in Norwood, NJ and will be coming to camp for the first time this summer.  She will be a lower Junior girl, and she’d like to go by the nickname “DJ JJ Rock”, so I’m sure we won’t be getting her confused with anyone else!

Jordan loves to sing and act, and she can even do a few different accents.  I really enjoy her British accent, which she had to learn in order to play Verruca Salt in “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory”.  She is also loves playing sports, doing arts, and she is very excited to test our our zipline at camp this summer.  I think she’ll be great on the high ropes course because I saw how good she was at climbing our small boulder when she was up at camp this summer!  Jordan has been helping her Mom make a bunch of adorable Canadensis clothing items for the summer, and in the photo above she is modeling a cute tye-dyed and studded example!  Lisa (Jordan’s mom) is very talented, and you can see some additional examples of her items here: http://handmadewithheart.phanfare.com/

Another awesome Jersey girl is Julia, who is a current 3rd grader from Tenafly, NJ.  She is going to be a Junior Girl, and she remembered so much about her tour of camp this summer!  Brian and I came over a bit early while Julia was still eating dinner, but once she finished, she had tons of energy and questions about camp, and I hope we gave her all the answers she was looking for!

She loves just about everything camp offers as an activity, including gymnastics, arts and crafts, soccer, and swimming.  Julia loves to sing and dance, so hopefully she will be on the Camp Canadensis stage this summer!  I had such a fun time with her and her little sister Casey (pictured above) and I can’t wait to have some camp fun with Julia in a few months!

I’m so embarrassed by how long it’s been since my last blog!! I will definitely be posting a lot in the next few days because I’ve met so many incredible new female campers in February and early March…Girls-Side 2011 is going to be the best yet!

I wanted to quickly post this picture I took when Camp Canadensis was at the Philadelphia 76ers last week, it’s a snapshot of Camp Canadensis Girls-Side of the Future! All of these adorable faces belong to siblings of current campers…all of the girls are in 1st or 2nd grade, and I had a really fun night hanging out with them during the game.

Hello Canadensis!

I hope everyone out there in Canadensis Cyberspace is doing well.  It’s been a few weeks since my last blog, so I figured I’d put together one of my Mega-Blogs as there is a lot to fill you in on.  And, I’m sure you’ve been chomping at the bit for your daily scoop on all things Canadensis.  Well, here is a double scoop.  Scratch that.  A triple scoop!

Last week, we had a great time at the Camp Canadensis – Philadelphia 76ers Night at the Wells Fargo Center in Philly.  The 76ers organization rolled out its welcome mat in full force and gave our campers and camp families an amazing event!  First of all, our campers were able to get courtside for the team’s shoot around before the game.  After that, the got onto the court for the game’s fan tunnel where they gave high fives to all of the 76ers players as they came onto the court.  During the game, which was a close battle all night long, Upper Inter Boy Adam Aronson even got onto the court to compete in a basketball game during one of the game’s time outs.  In the end, the 76ers came up a bit short to the Dallas Mavericks, but all in attendance had a great time!  Here are some pictures from the evening…

Mindy Rosenthal, Mel Sukonik and Alix Steerman courtside before the game.

Lower Inter Boys (from left to right) Noah Stern, Matthew Center, David Brucker, Michael Poulshock and Jacob Batt were courtside at the 76ers shoot around.

Canadensis on the Court at the Wells Fargo Arena.

Canadensis Campers form the Fan Tunnel.

Ready to give High Fives! Or, in this case, Low Fives!

Pam with Junior Girl Paige Miller (center) with Future Canadensis Campers Marissa Brucker (left) and Ilana Miller (top).

Upper Inter Boy Adam Aronson with his dad Eric.

Junior Boy Jason Green and his dad Stu.

Freshman Boy Josh Brownstein (right) and Junior Boy Josh Brownstein (left) with mom Iris.

Group Leader Pete Tarnoff with Upper Inter Boys Sammy Miller (left), Eric Miller (center) and Adam Aronson (right).

Some real big news hit the airwaves last week when it was announced on a Winter Special Edition of the Canadensis Today Show that our new Lower Boys Head Counselor will be Roy Kaplan.  After a few months of a nationwide search, we are so thrilled to have Roy as part of our leadership team.  Currently, Roy is an elementary school teacher in Utah teaching first grade.  He is originally from Ohio and received his degree in Early Childhood Education from Ohio Northern University where he also played college baseball.  He then went onto receive his Master’s Degree in the same area at UNC-Charlotte.  Roy brings with him some wonderful camp experience as well as he has worked at several private residential camps in both Pennsylvania and Maine.  In his free time, Roy is an avid skier and runner and is even currently training for a marathon before camp.  Roy is excited to get to camp and work alongside Mike Lindquist, Robin Forti, Karen Sharir and Alyssa Thibodeau as part of our Head Counselor Team!  Roy will be at our Annual Open House on June 5 to meet campers and parents.  Here is a photo…

New Lower Boys Head Counselor Roy Kaplan (center) met up at camp with me, Eric, Pam and Robin.

Last Thursday after work, me, Pam and Matt had the privilege to witness the theater directorial debut of our very own Cara Corradetti.  Back in the fall, Cara got a call from her former middle school and they asked her if she would be interested in directing their annual school musical; an opportunity she immediately jumped at.  So, for the past several months, Cara has been in the camp office for half the day and directing for the other half.  Well, last Thursday was Opening Night!  And, I must say that we had a really fun time watching her show “Disco Inferno.”  The basic story is of a struggling singer that wants to become famous.  He eventually makes a deal with the devil to do so.  In the  end, the moral of the story is “be careful what you wish for.”  Seated right in front of us were some of Cara’s sorority sisters, who even had custom-made T-shirts for the event.  Here are some pics…

The Disco Inferno Program.

Flipping through the program, we were so proud to see the words "Direction by Cara Corradetti."

Here was the front of the T-Shirt made by some of Cara's biggest fans...her sorority sisters. Love it!

The backs of the T-Shirts, when put together, spelled out CORRADETTI.

Now, what would a blog be without updating you on some of our campers?  Of course, I am still getting a chance to see our campers in their homes and they have been telling me about all of the good stuff they have been up to.  In Wayne, NJ, I got to hang out with the Schwed Boys, Freshman Boys Matthew and Alex, who are back for their fourth summer, and younger brother and Junior Boy Ben, who is coming to camp for his first summer.  After some X-Box football (I got my butt kicked), the boys told me all they have been up to this year.  Alex, in the 6th grade, has been playing soccer all year long.  He plays left midfield on his travel team, the Wayne Timberwolves.  In one season, they even went undefeated with a record of 8-0-2.  Matthew, also in 6th grade, played tackle football in fall where he played on both the offensive and defensive lines.  His team posted a record of 6-2.  Currently, he is playing flag football.  When asked about the upcoming summer and what they were looking forward to, both said, “Being away from my parents!”  Ha Ha!  They also can’t wait for Color War and more electives now that they are in the Freshman division.  Ben, who is currently in the 3rd grade, is playing in a basketball league and taking karate lessons.  This summer, he is excited for basketball, photography and all of the activities at the lake.  Here is a pic…

Me with the Schwed Boys. From left to right, Freshman Boys Matthew and Alex and Junior Boy Ben.

In Syosset, NY, I caught up with Upper Inter Boy Ryan Lefkowitz who will be joined by his brother this year at camp as a Junior Boy Devin Lefkowitz.  In the 5th grade and joining us for his second summer, Ryan continues to be busy playing guitar in his band that goes by the name of c4.  His next gig is scheduled for the spring.  He is also been playing tennis and basketball (his team even made the playoffs) as well as getting together with camp friends.  He wanted to say hello to all of his bunkmates from last summer’s Boys Bunk 6 and wants to let them know that “we are going to have an excellent summer in 2011!”  He is also looking forward to Color War and Rock Band.  Ryan has also started his own blog, too.  You can check it out at:  http://dopolomo.wordpress.com/ .  As for Devin, currently in 2nd grade, he has been playing a number of different sports including flag football, basketball, lacrosse, baseball and soccer.  He also started playing the drums and is involved in a chess club.  He has also started his own blog which can be found here:  http://chessesblog.wordpress.com/ .  This summer, Devin will be active in many different areas of camp and is looking forward to waterskiing, hockey, soccer, cooking, gaga, all the activities at the lake, Color War and hondas / go-karts.  Here is a photo…

Me with Junior Boy Devin Lefkowitz (left) and Upper Inter Boy Ryan Lefkowitz.

I recently got an e-mail from Upper Inter Boy Andy Grossman, who reminded me that no matter where you go, there is always a good chance you might run into camp friends.  While on a family vacation at the Deer Valley Ski Resort in Park City, Utah, Andy was in ski school with a few other kids his age.  When the instructor took attendance, a boy in the group said he was Daniel Goldstein from Westchester, NY.  This immediately got Andy’s attention as it was a fellow Canadensis camper from his division!  In Andy’s words…”What a small world.  Canadensis was well represented.”  Thanks Andy for sharing the story.

As I always like to say to former campers and staff that come back to visit camp in the summer, you can always come home again.  Well, last weekend, I got a chance to go back to an old home of mine.  Me, Jaime and a few of my roommates from back in my college days made a trek back up to our ‘ol stomping grounds of Syracuse University.  We realized that it has been close to 20 years since we first started SU.  The whole weekend long, we reminisced about all of the great times we had, including all of the bad weather (a common joke for those that have been there).  We checked out the new Carmelo Anthony Basketball Center on campus, took in a Syracuse-DePaul basketball game (we won big) and had a dinner at the famous Dinousaur BBQ.  On Saturday and Sunday, I got a chance to meet up with a number of former campers and staff who were on campus.  That list included Rachel Dender, Brittany Kahane, Rebecca Waxman, Jaime Jacobson, Brooke Appelbaum and Josh Gilbert.  Here are some pictures from the weekend…

Me and two of my college roommates, Kevin and Jon, stand next to the 2003 Men's College Basketsball Trophy Syracuse won in 2003. All of Syracuse's trophies are now on display at the new Carmelo Anthony Basketball Center on campus.

Me with some of our wonderful camp staff (all who were former campers at Canadensis). From left to right: Rebecca Waxman, Jamie Jacobson, Brittany Kahane, Brooke Appelbaum (who drove up from Ithaca College) and Josh Gilbert. I had also gotten together with Rachel Dender the day before.

As you know, now that we are in March, we are closing in on the 100 days to camp mark!  As a sports fan, it also means that we are in March Madness time, one of my favorite sporting events of the year.  Next week, our camp families will be receiving an e-mail for our campers and staff to complete an online bracket, with prizes going to the best camper and best staff brackets.  Hopefully, many of you will play!

Next week, our winter team will be heading down to Atlantic City for the Annual Tri-State Camping Conference, which allows us to attend many camp-related sessions and discussions as well as purchasing a number of different items for the summer.  You can learn more about it here:  http://www.aca-nynj.org/index.php?tri-state-conference .  This is always a great time and a wonderful learning experience for us each year.  Maybe we’ll even put together a video to see what we do down there.

That’s all of the blogging for now.  More to come soon.

Have a great day!  Brian