IceWolf's Ramblings » summer

Changes in the Air

Alex — Thu, 14 Apr 2011 14:00:42 +0000

Ever summer since 1994 save for three I have been at summer camp. I have blogged plenty about camp in the past so it shouldn’t be hard to tell that I love camp. I was a camper at one camp (Yavneh), and a counselor at two (Micah then Indian/Forest Acres). This summer I am heading back to IA/FA as I had planned all year despite the fact that we have an extra month of work at the theatre and I won’t get to camp until a little bit late. It is a bummer, but it isn’t the end of the world.

The interesting thing is that just this past weekend Indian and Forest Acres changed owners. For the past couple years the camp was owned by friends of my family who have now sold the camp back to one of the previous owners. This of course is a very interesting set of conditions. I know the “new” owner as I worked with him the first summer I was at IA/FA. I even played guitar with him at campfire. He is a good guy and I am sure that camp will do well back under his direction. At the same time I am sad that our friend is leaving this camp. I am sure there are mixed feelings about the change in command throughout the camp community.

In some ways, it seems like an odd time to make a move like this, only a few short weeks before camp starts. It shouldn’t really affect anything like staffing or enrollment for this summer as that should mostly be finalized. It will affect the day-to-day operation of camp over the summer, hopefully in a good way. IA/FA had deep rooted traditions in their 85+ year history and as long as there is someone at the helm that understands those traditions camp will be great. The new owner certainly is someone who understand the nature of camp.

The most important thing of course is the kids. The younger kids who didn’t know the “new” owner before probably won’t really know the difference. In some ways the owner director doesn’t matter as much to the younger kids. The older kids who have been at camp for more than four years will probably see/feel more of an impact. However, as long as the staff gives them a great summer with lots of great activities, it will be great for them. While I am there for the kids, it is good to know that the good friends that I have on the staff will almost all be back for another summer so it should be great for everyone.

No matter what it will be a busy summer. Between the extra show, camp, and planning a wedding I am sure that I will not want for something to do!

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Wait… What…

Alex — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 22:06:25 +0000

Well, it has been quite a while since I posted anything. Life got really exciting and hectic at the end of the summer. The end of camp is always a bigger deal than you ever remember it to be, and this summer was no exception. I had more things on my plate in the last week of camp than I anticipated, and I still have some unfinished ones that I really need to get around to, especially now that my hard drives are back in town.

Getting home from camp, I had the worst travel day that I have ever had. It started with bad omens in that we missed being able to go to the post office to mail home one last box of stuff. Why the post office closes early on Saturdays, who knows. However, from there, things only went downhill. On the drive down to the airport I managed to get in a car accident that basically totaled my parent’s truck. Thankfully everyone was OK, but it was not a good situation (not that any car accident is). It all started because i had to slam on the brakes as there was another accident that had occurred, and everyone was stopping. It is probably good that I hit the car in front of me as opposed to going around it as the embankment was very steep and the probability of rolling the truck would have been high.

So, I call my parents, who rush down to pick us up and get us to the airport. Amazingly, we get there with a little time to spare, which is a good thing. Why? Well, when going through security, I got stopped because something showed up when they put my carry-on through the X-ray. Turns out that I had one of Ruth’s bags in my carry-on and it had her pocket knife in it. Needless to say, the knife got tossed.

After getting on the first plane, things seemed to smooth out, and for the first time that I had done any major travel with Ruth, it was good. On our connecting flight from MDW to SLC we managed to snag our own row, with no third person, so we were very happy. However, upon our arrival back in SLC, there had to be one more thing that would go wrong. One of our bags decided to take an extended trip around the country, so it didn’t make it to SLC that night. In fact, when I walked into the baggage office and showed them the claim ticket, they already knew about it. The good news is that they knew where the bag was and they managed to get it to us the next day. For that we got a $50 travel voucher which is pretty nice.

That weekend did get better though because we had tickets to see The Lion King on Sunday night. The Lion King is quite possibly one of my most favorite musicals ever. The music is great, the costumes and head-pieces are spectacular, and it is just a fun show to see. If you have never seen it, you should. I had been lucky enough to have seen it on Broadway back when it was new, and I had always wanted to see it again and see how they would get it on tour. Well, even slightly scaled back to fit in trucks and in smaller theatres, it was a great show. I still have the music stuck in my head.

Come Monday it was back to work. Possibly the first thing that my boss said after “hello” was something to the effect of: “Can you push your schedule up a week and hang the show early so we can fly our scenery?” What was my response? Well, in traditional me style I just said: “Of course.” So now I had to round up a crew and get to work to be able to start a week earlier than I had planned. That is life at the theatre, always unexpected.

So, things are finally starting to settle down and get back to a normal rhythm. I have plans to go camping on Labor Day Weekend, and then I am helping to lead services for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur and then we are doing the show. I have to figure out my ski-pass situation and all the mundane things that come with being back in the swing of things. Now that things are normalizing, life is pretty good.

The other thing that happened that is a major time suck is Words With Friends. It is a iapp for iphone, ipod touch, etc. that is kinda like scrabble, and I love scrabble. So I am totally hooked. If you play or want to play, you can get if for free, and then look me up: Icewolf08!

On a side note, I did drop the ball on organizing Bloggerstock for August due to all that stuff I just mentioned. So, we have pushed the August topic to September for anyone who is interested. You can get the full scoop at the Bloggerstock Site.

I want to linger

Alex — Fri, 06 Aug 2010 14:58:42 +0000

Mmmm I want to linger
Mmmm A little longer
Mmmm A little longer here with you
Mmmm It’s such a perfect night
Mmmm It doesn’t seem quite right
Mmmm This is goodnight and not goodbye

For all we know
We may never meet again
Before you go
Make this moment sweet again

We won’t say goodnight
Until the last minute
I’ll hold out my hand
And my heart will be in it

For all we know
This may only be a dream
We come and we go
Like the ripple on a stream

So love me, love me tonight
Tomorrow was meant for some
Tomorrow may never come
For all we know

Every camp probably has some version of this song or at least most camps. I am always intrigued by the people I find who I would never expect to know bits and pieces of it. The above is our camp’s version of the song, which I discovered is actually a conglomeration of two songs, but hey, it’s camp!

Last night was the final Friday night services at camp. Mind you we are not actually at a religious camp, it is a tradition from the past that has been kept alive and is now a time to reflect on the past week and the weeks or days to come. Over at the girls camp it is a special time that I think people really enjoy, though the final services generally tend to end in a sob-fest as the oldest girls pass the flame on to the youngest girls and reflect on their years here. it is sad that another summer is drawing to a close.

After services we went down to the field for the final campfire of the summer. Ironically, this is the time that the girls come out of the woodwork with skits and songs to do. It isn’t a bad thing, it is nice that they want to get involved, it just makes a campfire that started late on account of the slideshow at services run even longer. It was a beautiful night though, and hopefully there were plenty of kids who turned their eyes towards the skies to really appreciate how special it is to sit around the campfire together in such a wonderful place.

It was a perfectly clear night, and laying back with all the girls, listening to people perform and watching the sky was pretty magical. We saw a host of satellites fly by overhead and I caught two shooting stars. It is so fun to point them out to the girls and watch the wonder in their eyes as they look up at the sky.

After carrying a sleeping junior up the hill to her cabin I cam back down to get my guitar and the older girls were sitting around the remnants of the fire. It was the last campfire they would have together as campers. They asked me to sit and play a few songs with them so I did. Having such a connection to camp and the kids is so wonderful. That they think enough of me as part of their camp experience to have me sit with them on their last campfire night is pretty cool. It made a beautiful night even better.

The Evening After

Alex — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 01:28:13 +0000

Have you ever noticed that the sunset is usually significantly more exciting and colorful on an evening after a storm? I suppose I could just be making that up or dreaming it, but I think that it is true. When the clouds break up and the sun gets low in the sky the golden color really shows through. Summer evenings here in Maine are almost always pretty spectacular, but on a night like tonight, after two days of bad weather, it seems like there is nothing better.

Here at camp the light streams through over the mountains in the distance and the river, then through the tall pine trees that line the high bank, and across the field. I don’t think you could ask for a better backdrop and lighting when we walk out of dinner and then as it gets later in the evening and taps get played. The silence and stillness during those moments when everyone in camp stops to listen to the bugle is quite magical. If you have never had the opportunity to stop each evening, reflect on the day and listen to the floating melody of taps on the bugle (especially when played by a great camper) then you should. I suppose it is kind of an American thing, but I would imagine that anyone from anywhere would appreciate it.

The evening after a day or more of rain is also special because kinds want to be out and enjoy the remnants of the day. We take advantage of every moment of daylight that we can get, but the games and activities that get played are much more interesting than those during the course of a regular day. Little pickup games of anything as long as the equipment is out and available. It is a tim when everyone is actually in camp together and there are enough people around to get a decent game going.

Evenings are always a peaceful time. Sure, sometimes we get a little hyper, or we have a dance night, but for the most part, it is one of the best times of day. The world cools off (most of the time), people relax, and this is when the bonds of great friendships show. Everyone has a friend and everyone hangs out together. It is a beautiful time that hopefully everyone stops to appreciate sometimes. You don’t have to be in a special place like camp to stop and appreciate the summer evenings. It might have a slightly different effect if you live in a city, but I would imaging that if you stop and reflect, it is pretty similar.

Where did this week go?

Alex — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 04:10:13 +0000

All things considered, it is kind of hard to follow my last post. Needless to say, it has been quite along week. We have a saying at camp: “The days are very long but the weeks go by too fast!” It is so true. Sometimes I wonder if shows like 24 could really happen in the span of a single day, but when I look back at all the things that happened some of the days this week, it seems a little more plausible. We seem to really be able to pack a day full of things to do, especially when you wake up at 7AM and go to bed at 1AM. Which by the way, I am still not sure how I manages that most of the summer.

Last Monday seems so far away, heck, so does yesterday. I know that I went on the camping trip on Monday, but that seems like years ago. In the span of a week I have driven hundreds of miles, gone camping, scuba diving, played guitar at two campfires, wrote a tribute to a dear friend, got signed up to play camp-counselor 2-on-2 beach volley ball, and so much more. I was actually very happy that for the most part today, my services were only required for the setup of the big screen so that our Spanish “mafia” could watch the World Cup finals. It was actually a relaxing day and the heat wave has mostly broken it seems.

All these things have gone on, and while I was sitting at campfire, watching the embers drift in the thermals I was thinking that tonight would be a great night to write. Well, here I am getting back to my computer and I feel like I have just hit a block. I don’t really know why, other than the fact that I feel like I should be writing more than just the summation of the things that have happened over the past week. There is something so mesmerizing about watching the embers from the fire dance up into the sky. That is probably what made me think that it would be a good night to write. Watching that always reminds me of the scene in the movie The Right Stuff where the embers from the aboriginal fire seem to fly up into space.

Today was just one of those days, all the best intentions, none of the motivation. I have a list of things that should get done, and I probably could have checked a bunch of them off today, but I didn’t. In truth, I didn’t really do much of anything besides play guitar and eat today. It seems like all we do on Sundays is eat. Mostly because we have a late breakfast, but lunch is at a normal time. The sad thing is that we manage to have both one of the best meals and the worst meal of the week on Sunday. I am sorry, cold-cuts on rolls that are not big enough for a sandwich just does not a dinner make.

Unfortunately, while it sounds like many of the thoughts and ideas that I put down on last week’s comment card were applauded, odds are nothing will change. I missed most of the staff meeting this week because I was setting up for the World Cup. I heard through the grapevine that some of the admin liked my ideas for making the daily schedule better, but often times this is one of those organizations that won’t change because they think the way things are is tradition. Well, it could be better and I wish that we could get it there.

Life is good though. Camp is fun. Maybe if I play my cards right I will get to go on another trip. That would be a lot of fun. It is just nice to do something different as the day-to-day routine here can get old fast and when you have lots of kids out of camp on trips, hiking, at competitions and at the lake, it can be like a ghost town. In some ways, it makes the job easier, but it can also make it less fun, especially for the campers. It seems though that for the most part people are in good spirits, so that is good.

Postal for Postcards

Alex — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 04:59:31 +0000

So I had this idea last night as I was writing letters. I actually write real handwritten letters to people all summer because when I am at camp it really seems like the thing to do. That mentality probably comes from when I was a camper and the only form of communication that we had was letters. I like writing, and writing letters at the end of the day is a great way to decompress (especially after a day like today).

I suppose though, that you are wondering what the idea actually is. Along with writing letters I also like to get mail, also, the walls of my cabin are kind of bare. So, I thought that I would put out a proposal for post cards. I don’t really know how many people read my blog, but if any of you out there write me a postcard from wherever you live or are spending your summer then I will send you back a nice handwritten postcard from Maine or New Hampshire. I will even sweeten the offer and say that if you write more than one postcard this summer I will send you back more than one.

Now I suppose you are going to ask why I would do this. As I said, I like to write and I am happy to write to anyone who writes to me. I also think that writing by hand is a dying art and I would like to keep it alive for as long as possible. It is also fun to get mail from other places. This certainly is not the most expensive of summer opportunities and it is cool to get neat post cards. Maybe if I get postcards from any of you I will scan them and post them on my blog.

If you want to send me a postcard and participate in my summer postcard swap, you can find my address below. I made it a graphic just for a little sense of security. Of course, in order to write you back I will need your address, and I figure the best way to do that is to either email me or use my contact form here. If you don’t care then i suppose you could just leave your address in a comment. In any event, let’s have some fun with this!

The Meaning of Summer

Alex — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 02:37:29 +0000

Inspired by prompt number five over at Mama Kat’s Writer’s Workshop: “What summer means to your family.” I do have to say, I consider myself very lucy because I have a job where I get the summers off, so I can actually do things in the summer.

If you actually follow my blog you probably can see that I spend a lot of time (especially lately) talking about summer camp. Camp is what I do for the summer and what I have done for the summer since 1994 (overnight camp that is). I missed three summers at camp due to college and work, but other than that I have been a camper or staff regularly. I also did day-camp pre ’94, but I seem to not usually count that in my camp experience, though it was a fun time and I do remember bits and pieces of it.

When I talk about camp, I really do think of the camp community as family. In fact, there were a couple times when I almost used the words “camp family” in the first paragraph of this post. Thankfully, my real family saw the wonderful things that camp had to offer and decided to send me to camp. I suppose I should also be thankful that I also enjoyed being at camp. There are very few things that I would rather be doing during the summer than being at camp.

I have been to three different overnight camps, one as a camper from 1994-2001 and two as staff. The camp that I currently work for is actually two camps, a boys and a girls camp called Indian and Forest Acres (respectively). Since the first day that I set foot on the campus at IA and FA I have felt welcome and at home. The people here really are like my extended family or my summer family. It is so amazing how that happens, to walk in to a new place and to feel accepted and welcomed in like family is just unbelievable, and that is one of the most special things about these camps. There are people here who I know that I could call on when I need something at any time of the year. These are people who I see for only two months out of the year but they mean a great deal to me.

So, when I think about what summer means to my family, it is really a twofold question. To my biological family it is usually a time to relax, take some time off from work, watch the dogs play, and spend time together. We spend time at our home in New Hampshire and go hiking and such and we also often spend time at my uncle’s home on Martha’s Vineyard. It is a time to go to baseball games with my grandparents who have been taking us grandkids since we were old enough to walk. Going to the Red Sox games is always an experience with my grandparents and it is a lot of fun. It is something I look forward to every summer.

To my camp family, summer is life. We like to say that we spend ten months of the year looking forward to the two that we live together. As soon as you step foot back on camp you feel like you never left, and even the campers who are new get welcomed with hugs and open arms. The summer for this family is a time of learning, growing, bonding, and fun. Amazing lifetime friendships are kindled and every summer, without fail, every camper and staff member discovers something new about himself/herself and his/her friends. In some ways I feel like camp is really the time and place that you can really be who you are and who you want to be. Staff and campers here do things that they would never do in front of or with their friends at home.

Summer is a time to be free, to run around and play. It is a great time of year to explore both the world around us and ourselves, and I hope that it will always be something that I can really take advantage of!

Moosing with Mike

Alex — Sun, 20 Jun 2010 17:08:08 +0000

Summer in Maine (or anywhere in northern New England really). This is the time to look out for moose. Every summer at camp we have one intrepid staff member who comes to camp with the exclusive mission of seeing as many moose as possible in the eight weeks that we are at camp. With the number of moose around where the camp is, one would think that this is not a hard thing to do. In reality, it can be quite the challenge.

Last night was our first night off since staff week began (not that the powers that be really care what I am doing after dinner) so it was the first time that Mike could head out and go moosing. I am not really sure if “moosing” is actually a real word, my spell-check doesn’t like it, but that seems to be the term that everyone uses when looking for moose. Mike is also very particular about his moosing trips and goes out almost every night of camp, sometimes with campers and sometimes just with his family or a couple friends. If other people see moose but not him, that is about the worst. Las year I had about four or five sightings before he had his first….

One of the favorite spots for moosing is about ten minutes up the road from camp on one of the little Maine back-roads. The road runs between some marsh-y land and and a river. Right around dusk and just after dawn are the times to really get out to find some animals so we often leave on moosing excursions after dinner. Up at this location there is even a little place to sit and look out over the fields than can keep you pretty well hidden. It is usually an active spot, many people hang around there or show up there looking for moose.

So last night Mike took off with his family and left me back at camp. I of course got on the phone and managed to swing a pickup to get out on the first night of moosing. We drove around out there for over an hour without any sightings, and right around sunset I decided to make some art and shoot some barn and sunset photos. After a couple more loops around the area, his family was starting to get hungry so we gave up and headed off to town so they could eat (I had eaten at camp).

As we headed towards North Conway we passed the Asst. Director of the camp who was out moosing with some other staff people. Seconds after passing we got a phone call from him, wanted to know if we had seen any moose. Well, you already know the answer to that question. However, by the time we got to the restaurant we got another phone call and they informed us that they had seen three moose right where we were. One right in the middle of the road where I had been shooting sunsets! Twenty minutes! I guess you can’t win ‘em all.

With that, the game is now on for the most moose sightings this summer and the best moose photos!

Back in Maine

Alex — Tue, 15 Jun 2010 02:56:09 +0000

I have been talking about it for months, probably since the end of last summer, and now it is finally here. ”What?” I hear you ask. Camp. I am back for my third summer at Indian and Forest Acres Camps in Fryeburg, Maine. Indian Acres (IA) and Forest Acres (FA) are brother and sister camps separated by 2.2 miles and the Fryeburg Fairgrounds. I blogged a little bit from camp last summer, so if you dig back through my archives you should be able to find a little bit. Hopefully this summer, with my blog in a new (hopefully permanent) home I will have the time to blog more about the camp experience.

I have been a camp person all my life. I started back in 1994 at Yavneh, a Jewish summer camp in New Hampshire. I went there as a camper through 2000 and then in 2001 I went on their 6-week Israel program. After that summer in Israel I headed off to work at Micah on the recommendation of my sister. I spent three summers there and then took a 3-summer hiatus from camp. After the Les Mis year at PTC I was able to return to camp, this time to IA/FA as they are owned by a friend of the family who asked me to come. Needless to say, I love being back at camp, and I love being here.

We often talk about how the kids go home and spend nine months of the year waiting for the two that they spend here at camp. This holds true not only for the kids but also for the real camp people like myself. I love my real job, but there is nothing that compares to working at a summer camp. I think that this is one of the most rewarding jobs that there is. When you see kids get so excited about the things that they do at camp, the new activities they try or the friends they make and the fears that they master, there is no great feeling of pride than knowing that you helped get them there. The real camp people are not in this for the money, we don’t really get much, it is the other rewards that make the job worthwhile.

When I arrive at camp I always feel like I haven’t left. Almost everything seems to be exactly the way it was. Unfortunately today, that meant the rain as well, but we are hoping that this summer will be a little drier than last. The things that I left in my cabin are still there, other things that were left around camp are still around camp. Some things probably shouldn’t have been left around camp but were… Within minutes the old routines fall back into place, and life continues as if there hadn’t been a nine month break in the middle.

I think that summer camp, in some form, is something that every child should get to experience. I know that camps like IA/FA and the camps that I attended are not always the most affordable summer solutions, but the benefits of camp on children is just amazing. Seeing how much children grow and learn in eight weeks is amazing. Then when you see those same kids come back year-after-year and you continue to watch them, it means even more. There is so much that kids can take away from the experience.

So, I am here, gearing up for the summer. I have some unpacking of my own stuff left to do and lots of other things to take care of around camp. We have some time before the kids get here, but now that I am here, I know that the end will feel like it came so fast. One day at a time and make the most of every day, that is the key to a great summer.

It has begun & Foto Friday

Alex — Sat, 05 Jun 2010 03:54:23 +0000

My summer that is. Yesterday I officially said my goodbye’s at the theatre (just for the summer that is), packed up my junk and this morning I made my trek over to the east coast. Pretty normal travel day all things considered, 6AM wake-up, have Sunreon pound on my door at 6:20, load up my junk into her car and head over to The Red Moose for a cup of coffee and a breakfast burrito. I can’t remember if I ever mentioned this little coffee shop before, they haven’t been around that long (I believe since December) but they have great coffee and great food. They are also practically right across the street from my house which could be a dangerous thing.

The traveling today was pretty painless. I still think that it is a pain in the ass to get from the door of the airport to the door of the plane, but when you fly early enough in the day getting through security is pretty efficient. In general, flying on Southwest is pretty efficient. They seem to really be able to get you from one place to the next without much hoopla. They also have pretty good fares. I do love sitting in the terminal and on the plane during boarding listening to the agents and flight attendants try to explain to people about the open seating. There are some people who really just don’t get it. It isn’t that hard to understand is it?

As we loaded up the first plane (SLC to MDW) I ended up sitting next to a very interesting gentleman who works for the VA hospital right across the street from the theatre. We shall call him D for the sake of privacy. It turned out that he was also flying from SLC to MHT, though his reasons for the trip were not quite as upbeat as mine. He was a very nice man and we had a great conversation for most of the flight. In fact, by the time that we stopped chatting I only was able to make it about halfway through the new “Alice in Wonderland” movie. In the end I suppose that isn’t terrible because now I can watch it on a screen larger than my iPhone. I never did see it in theaters, and I was totally OK with that.

We arrived at MDW a couple minutes early which is a good thing because the layover was only 35 minutes. I probably should and cold have grabbed some food, but since people were already lining up to board, I figured that I would hit the head and then get in line. I ended up sitting with the D again and another interesting person who I believe was around my age. This flight, which was only around 1:30-sin in length, the tree of us chatted the entire time. I don’t think that I have ever had that much interaction with the people that I have been sitting with (who are not friends or family) on an airplane before. In the end, D and I exchanged cards, and will probably connect again when I get back to Utah. He has kids who he would love to see get involved in the arts, and he knows some people at one of the youth theatre organizations that he wanted to put me in touch with.

With an on-time arrival in Manchester I met my parents and I finally got to meet the new puppies. They are sooo cute! They are crazy hyper, like all huskies, but they are a lot of fun. However they did manage to pinch my old Red Sox cap from my bag and chew it up. It is a little sad, but I am sure that I will get over it (and get a new cap). So, since it is Friday, I think that I will leave you with one of my father’s photos of the puppies. The white one is Ava, and the black/silver one is Zoe.

Zoe and Ava on the back porch

I suppose that I should also mention that for the rest of the summer (until mid August) I will be on the east coast, primarily in Maine and New Hampshire working at Indian and Forest Acres camps. My blogging may be a little more erratic over the summer, but I will keep you all up to date!