Hello Canadensis…
Happy New Year! I don’t know when the latest date you should stop saying “Happy New Year,” so I’m still wishing everyone a Happy New Year! Ha Ha! By the way, when is an appropriate time to stop wishing others a Happy New Year?
I’m sure everyone is happy to welcome in 2014. For those coming to camp in 2014, the best part of entering a new year is that we can now say that camp is THIS year and not NEXT year. Our office is back and busy at work. We have now “hit the road,” starting a lot of our new staff hiring. Eric is in Australia. Matt is in Eastern Europe. And, Pam is in England. We know that they will bring back great stories of all the new wonderful staff they’ve hired. Be sure to check out our Facebook page for instant updates.
Before we got back into the swing of things, we all had some nice time over the holidays to spend with our friends and families. Jaime and I got some rest and relaxation in, but also kept up with some annual traditions. Each year, Jaime and I build a gingerbread structure in honor of the holidays. This year it was a carousel. Here is a picture of our handy work…
Me and Jaime built this gingerbread carousel over the holiday break. In front of the fireplace, it looks very festive!
We also spent our Christmas Day going to the movies as another annual tradition. This year, we saw two really good ones (American Hustle and Saving Mr. Banks). I really thought “Saving Mr. Banks” was terrific! In fact, I thought it was the best movie I had seen this year. If you haven’t seen it yet, I highly recommend it as a must see.
One final tradition for me and Jaime was going to Madison Square Garden to see the annual Phish concerts. Most years, they play four nights there. This year, we hit up three of the shows. New Year’s Eve marked the final show for their 30th Anniversary Year as a band. Pretty cool. Over the course of a few nights, we ran into Aaron Stutz, who helped run Evening Activities in Summer 2013 and former camper and counselor Adam Scharfberg. Here is a picture of the New Year’s Eve show from the stage with more than 100,000 balloons coming down from the rafters…
Phish on New Year’s Eve
While on his break from college, I met up with 2012-2013 Freshman Boys Group Leader Max Hecht for breakfast at a diner in Long Island. Here is a snapshot…
Me and Max Hecht.
We also had a fun time last weekend babysitting our nephews Harry (2 years old) and Dylan (6 years old). The weekend included an amazing trip to the Liberty Science Center, which had some cool new exhibits. Here are some photos…
Me, Harry and Dylan learning how to use machines that dredge sediment on the Hudson River.
Dylan and Harry pull me out of a “Bob the Builder” exhibit. I guess they wanted a try, too!
At the Gridiron Glory exhibit from the Pro Football Hall of Fame, I tried on a pair of shoulder pads. Do I look tough?
Here are some great pictures we’ve received over the past few weeks that we wanted to share with you…
Eric Forti ran into the Miller Family while he was in Aruba. Eric and sister Ilana were playing cards with their Canadensis deck! How cool is that?!
Ilana Miller with her Canadensis cards.
Brooke and Aidan Bednoff rock out their new Canadensis sunglasses while on vacation.
Max and Alyssa Kruman suprisingly ran into Paige Kahn while both were on family trips to Israel.
Upper Inter Girls Joey Dallow and Jillian Wexler coincidentally ran into each other at an ice rink in New Jersey.
Joe “Smasher” Lea set me this photo of him and Amanda Miller, who came to London to visit Joe over the holiday break. Here they are in front of the London Bridge.
Some great home visits to report in this blog…
In Syosset, NY, I saw Alexa and Jack Lagnado. Jack is back for his 4th summer at Canadensis and will be in the Freshman Boys division. He is excited that his sister will be joining us at camp for her first summer as part of our Lower Junior Girls division. Currently in the 6th grade, Jack has been playing on a travel basketball team. In the Spring, he will be playing intramural baseball. This past fall, he also played flag football on his team the Seahawks. Jack is also a big fantasy sports fan and he was excited to tell me that his fantasy football team made it to the championship game this year. When he gets to camp this summer, he is looking forward to being on Freshman Hill and his trip to Cooperstown, Color War and basketball. As for Alexa, who is in 2nd grade, she participates on a gymnastics team for the Hot Shots gym. She also plays indoor and outdoor travel soccer. Alex likes to perform on stage, draw, craft on her rainbow loom and is even currently writing a blog of her own with some of her friends. In her first year at camp, she can’t wait to try gymnastics, cooking, climbing wall, soccer, being in the camp show and making new friends. Here is a pic…
Me with Lower Junior Girl Alexa Lagnado and Freshman Boy Jack Lagnado.
In Montclair, NJ, I got to hang out with Dayton Friedberg, who is currently in the 4th grade and will be a Lower Inter Girl in her first summer at Canadensis. Dayton likes music and even plays the guitar. Right now, she is playing basketball. In the Spring, she will be playing softball. Dayton likes to bake and has even taken a cake decorating class at the Sugar Flower Cake Shop. Dayton is really excited to go to camp this summer. When she arrives in June, she is really looking forward to trying things like waterskiing, mountain biking and all of the evening activities. Here is a photo…
Me with Lower Inter Girl Dayton Friedberg.
In Bellmore, NY, I spent some time with Alyssa and Jenna Feig. Alyssa, now in 3rd grade, is back for Summer #2 as part of the Upper Junior Girls division while Jenna, currently in 1st grade, joins us for her first summer in the Lower Junior Girls division. Upon arriving at their house, the girls filled me in on an amazing family trip they took over the holiday break to California and Mexico, where they both had the opportunity to swim with the dolphins! As even seen in my last blog, Alyssa coincidentally was on the same flight to California with one of her bunkmates from last summer, Samara Green. Alyssa told me all about how she is still involved in dance and doing both jazz and tap this year. In the Spring, she will be performing in a show. She is also looking forward to the Reunion in a few weeks. At camp, she is excited for cooking and fabric arts. Jenna let me know that she also takes dance classes, but in hip hop and jazz. Jenna is part of a Daisy troupe (which is the Girls Scouts name for that age group), which does activities like zumba and yoga. Jenns also enjoys doing arts and crafts and reading Junie B. Jones books. At camp, she is ready to try the banana boat, the water slides at the pool and making s’mores. Here is a picture…
Me with Upper Junior Girl Alyssa Feig (left) and Jenna Feig (center). I am holding up a picture made by Jenna.
Also in Bellmore, NY, I got to meet Morgan Galdamez, who is in the 3rd grade and will be joining us at camp for her first summer as part of our Upper Junior Girls division. Morgan is definitely a girl that likes to do a little bit of everything and is certainly busy all year long. She enjoys gymnastics, where her favorite thing to do is back bends on the bar. She plays piano and will be performing at a recital in the Spring. She also plays the violin and recorder. She takes ballet and tap classes. She plays soccer. She likes to sing. And, her favorite color is hot pink. This summer at camp, she is really looking forward to all of the evening activities, gymnastics, cooking and making new friends. Here is a photo…
Me with Upper Junior Girl Morgan Galdamez.
In Melville, NY, I saw the Krasin sisters, Marlee and Ava. Marlee will now be a Lower Senior Girl in 2014 as she returns for her 5th Honor Jacket Summer. She also can’t wait to have her sister Ava at camp for her first summer, who will be in our Lower Junior Girls division. Now in 7th grade, Marlee takes hip hop and tap classes. She is also competing in match play tennis matches. She can’t wait for the camp reunion next week. At camp this year, she is really excited for Senior Choice, canteen every night and her trip to Lake Placid. As for Ava, currently in the 2nd grade, she takes gymnastics and tennis lessons. She was also on a basketball team that went undefeated this season. In the Fall, she plays soccer. In the Spring, she plays softball. When she comes to Canadensis, she is ready to try the climbing wall, Color War and the trip to Dorney Park. Here is a pic…
Me with Lower Senior Girl Marlee Krasin (left) and Lower Junior Girl Ava Krasin (right).
In Villanova, PA, I really enjoyed seeing Brooke and Aidan Bednoff. Brooke is back for her second summer while Aidan joins us for his first summer. Brooke, who is currently in 5th grade and will be an Upper Inter Girl in 2014, has been very involved with many dance classes including hip hop, jazz, lyrical and ballet. In the Spring, she will have several dance competitions. Her team also includes other Canadensis campers. Brooke has seen many of her Bunk 8 camp friends from last summer since camp ended and wanted to say “taco” to them (apparently, that is an inside joke). Brooke is super ready for the camp reunion. When she returns to camp, she is looking forward to cooking, dance, waterskiing and the banana boat. Aidan is currently in the 3rd grade and will be an Upper Junior Boy this summer. He is currently in the PVJSA Basketball League, playing on the Rutgers team. In the Spring, he will be playing baseball, although he also trains for baseball in the Winter months. He also plays soccer and golf. Aidan is a big fan of WWE wrestling and his favorite wrestler is CM Punk. Just last week, he even got to attend a WWE live event. When Aidan gets to camp, he is really ready to try the quads, zipline and waterskiing. He is also excited for Color War and the fact that he doesn’t have to match his clothes. Here is a snapshot…
Me with Upper Inter Girl Brooke Bednoff and Upper Junior Boy Aidan Bednoff.
Some final notes for this blog. I got a really cool e-mail from a camp dad, Dan Beyda, whose daughters Ali and Katie go to camp. Apparently, Dan is going to be a contestant on the upcoming season of “Worst Cooks in America” on the Food Network. Click here to see a preview of the season. As the contestants are walking, Dan is the one in the back row wearing a light blue collared show. The series begins Monday, February 17. We will all be watching! Good luck, Dan!
Father of two of our Canadensis campers, Dan Beyda, will be a contestant on the “Worst Cooks in America.” He is pictured here with the entire cast along with chefs Anne Burrell and Bobby Flay. He is in the back row all the way to the left.
Finally, I thought this was cool. Here is 128,000 dominoes on a trip around the world! Enjoy by clicking here.
All the blogging for now…
Camp Reunion on Sunday, January 26 at The Funplex in East Hanover, NJ. Can’t wait to see all of our campers and staff from Summer 2013!
Have a great day!
-Brian
