Camp - My Story

                Camp is the only place to get away. Adults acting like children. Children trying to act like adults, but still holding on that youth that most of have lost along the way. Camp is the one and the only place that I know of where people come together and change. The memories stay for a life time just like the lessons we all learn.

                We might get caught up in the activities, the camp gossip, the evening activities, but you will never forget the feelings that we have. I ask myself at the beginning of another summer, why did I come back this summer? I remind myself of the color wars, the tears shed when we leave, the laughter (coming from the most unemotional Scuba out there), and the memories that stay with me forever.

                I remember starting camp at the same time as Logan and Paige Adams. How over six summers we come to claim that we I am part of the Adams family. How I remember sitting on my porch playing Pokémon with Merek. How I can tell you all of my camper’s names by heart, but I can barely remember half of my co-counselor’s names. These are the memories I have. I remember the tears I shed when Teddy New left camp my first summer, because he looked at me and we both started to cry.

                Summers are the memories and feelings that we have. Camp is the place that we can have those feelings and memories. And I am glad that I have been fortunate enough to spend six summers with the blessed individuals that come in and out of Timber Ridge. I wouldn’t change a moment of it.

                I <3 Camp,

Scuba Steve

So many new amazing people are coming to camp this summer.  I would like to introduce Maria Garcia. She will be heading our dance program this summer at camp.  Maria holds degrees in Modern Dance, and her style is very unique.  Her international credits include both a dancer and choreographer in Spain, Germany, Argentina and the Dominican Republic.  For the last 25 years she has lived and worked in South Florida.   Currently,  Maria is a dance teacher at Okeeeheelee Middle school in West Palm Beach.  Heading our Art Department is Sarah Granger.  Sarah is a mother of 4 ( who will all be attending camp) and lives in Charlottesville, Va.  She comes from an art background and is familiar with education as her husband is a teacher advocate in the Charlottesville community.  Mary Helen Crowder is our third full time registered nurse who will be working with Kathy and Kieran.  She has two sons who will be coming to camp this summer with her.  Welcome back Allison Busky.  We are so excited to have her join the Timber Ridge team.  She and her son Aiden will be working with Scuba in the office.  Allison is an amazing person who is not only smart  but knows and loves Timber Ridge.  We are fortunate to have her!   While we are welcoming back people of the past, welcome back Matt Demko.  He will be running the canteen, working with Murray and JM this summer.  Also, welcome back Mauricio as senior boys division leader.  He is an amazing young man who knows camp, the camper, and Timber Ridge.  
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In one month Alex , JM , Jordan Cooper and myself are moving to camp!  Can you believe it?   It is true we have to get the place ready for a group Memorial day weekend.  Also, I need to check on my chickens and peacocks that are now grazing at Timber Ridge.  Millie, Vinnie,Oreo, and Nick are ready to run before the children get there and now that the winter is over. Logan Adams and  Ellen contacted us yesterday, They want to come early too, so it will be really be a wonderful precamp.

The roof on the dining hall is being replaced this week, and next week the tennis courts are getting painted.  So we are busy on our way towards summer 2015.  Stay tuned for more information coming to you!

91 Days

91 Day---- Just rang through  my brain--- Still over 90---- But so few with so much to do!  People always ask what we do in the off season.... Its very hard to explain--- because you do so much and so many totally different unrelated things--- Like writing a blog---Order buses---- Book Flights--- Visiting new families---Meeting and interviewing 100's of people for jobs, advertising for open positions, business administration, taxes and that's just before noon.  When People say Camp is close its almost a nervous feeling, an excited nervous feeling.  Yes Camp is close and thats amazing.. Buttttttt.... What have we forgot, what do we still need to do?  Is the water working in Cabin 8?   Is the window fixed in Cabin 28?  Did we replace the screens on cabin 3?   Did we order the bus to pick the children up in Rockville?  But we always get everything done and we are prepared and ready for you to arrive.

Murray has already put the initial calender together---We haven't filled it yet but we have a great start.

Bill and Bill have cleaned up the leaves so they can see the many projects that need completed.

Jill finally had the chickens and peacocks moved out of Baltimore and back to West Virginia where they belong!

The New ATV's Jill and I bought are up and running and will be taken to camp very soon.

We hear from our returning staff all the time with thoughts and ideas, and we are always on the lookout for new and exciting staff---We just hired an amazing Dance instructor-- I am sure she will help you spruce up MTV night, and teach all of us some moves!  Might even have to get Murray to do some Zumba!  Wouldn't that be a sight!

Scuba has put all the communications packets together so they will be mailed out next week to everyone---Keep a watch for them!

We are always here in the office if you have things you want on the calendar just let us know!

Take Care and See you soon!

Alex

Always Good To Hear from our Alumni!

Fred –

Happy Birthday.

I cannot believe you are “just” 85.  I attended Tall Timbers, White Mountain, and Green Briar (counselor at all three – maybe the only one) from ’62 to ’67 (camper, CIT, Jr. Counselor and Counselor).  I taught riflery and, at Tall Timbers, skeet shooting.

You imparted such wisdom and counsel then, to think that you were only 35 then is amazing.  I learned a lot from you.

If you remember, my wife Jeannie and I with our young son Matthew visited Timber Ridge for a day back in the ‘90’s.  You gave us the tour, and I saw my old cabin plaque (Rolling Stones) on the Green Briar rafters (see GreenBriar picture attached).

One other story – one day in 1965 when I was a White Mountain counselor, you and Herb came strolling along in the cabin area across from the pool carrying a sledge hammer.  There had always been this cement block in the field, and it turns out this was a time capsule from 1955, the first year.  You and Herb broke it open and included in the stuff was a list of first year attendees, which included my cousin Douglas Pollack.  That was pretty cool.

I also started playing Frisbee summer of 1965, so this June marks 50 years of Frisbee playing.  I have been playing and competing since 1965, and perhaps that never would have happened without that summer experience.

Regards,

Phil Pollack

Friendship

Shabbat, Shalom, HEY!
Shabbat, Shalom, HEY!
Shabbat,Shabbat, Shabbat, Shabbat, Shalom, HEY!....

It isn't Saturday and we aren't at services, DARN! I guess I am ahead of myself. I want to listen to the CITs as they talk about the theme, lead us in songs, activities head to award the amazing campers of the week, Uncle Fred leading us in Five Constipated Men, and who could forget about finishing it of with Friends!

Camp builds friendships between campers, campers and counselors, campers and adults, counselors and adult staff, counselor and parents, and adult staff and parents. There is so much friendship going on that it hard to keep track of the new sparks of friendship that start almost every other minute at camp or the fire of friendship keeps on burning summer after summer.

We love hearing from old campers, old counselors, or old staff. We love catching up or if your a camper we love hearing just how your day went. I have seen countless emails of questions from current campers about the upcoming year. It shows that they want the best summer as possible!

The thing is, why not bring a friend from home with you? Keep that friendship burning throughout the summer and they get to meet even more amazing people and spark friendships that they wouldn't be able to do so if they didn't come to camp.

Camp is one of the safest, if not the safest way to meet kids from France, Spain, England, Italy, Switzerland, and so many other countries that you won't be able to experience if you didn't come to camp.

So bring a friend. If they are important to you then why not expose them to the amazing magic that can only be found at Timber Ridge.

I'll be here singing my heart out till that first Saturday Service.

"Friendship we make here will last through the years,
TIMBER RIDGE
We will adore you
Our camp will sing for you
TIMBER RIDGE"

Still to early, but,
"1 2 3 4
WE WANT COLOR WAR
5 6 7 8
WE DON'T WANT TO WAIT!!!"

Thanksgiving

Hello my Timber Ridge friends and family,


What does Thanksgiving have to do with Timber Ridge?  This is a holiday that is not religous, it does not divide us it includes all of us.  It is a day about friendship and family.  That is what Timber Ridge has meant to Uncle Fred for 60 years.  Each day is more challenging then the past and yet on Thanksgiving families and friends get together and are just thankful that we have each other.   My house is always open for anyone who needs a place to be on this day.  But please call first!  People travel the most on this day because it is a day to be thankful.  It is warm and fuzzy and a fun day.  A day to realize it is all o.k. because we have family and friends that are there for us each and every day.  I remember being a little girl and waking up early to watch the Thanksgiving parades in excitement to see the new floats.  On this day,  I like to think of all the wonderful people I have met at Timber Ridge and how they have impact my life.  My best friend in the world Fran Blauer and how amazing she is.  Her life is one of dedication and love.  I am thankful I met her from camp and that she is my friend.  JM and how he has become my sidekick and hope his day is amazing.  I wonder what he is cooking for Thanksgiving.  Murray is coming from Pennsylvania and staying over so we can  see Fran.  Scuba has joined the table this year and is helping cook our feast.   The years fly by so quickly that it seems like yesterday when Jason Klein had my son's Zack's cabin cleaned the shower house at 6 a.m. because they refused to clean, or when Jason decided to build a bridge for the rope swing and sent my nephew Jeremy Kaufman to get tools.  He got tools and with Andrew Schwartzman  and drilled a hole in the canoe so it would sink.  I remember raiding the canteen when I was 16 and Uncle Fred yelling, Brett Panter get out of there, and out I came with my boyfriend of the summer.  He was shocked.  I remember walking to Green Briar to raid their canteen and toilet paper their cabins at 2 a.m.  I remember midnight trailrides with Jill Severn through the woods, and her yelling don't worry the horses know where they are going.  This summer sitting in front of Cabin 14 and 15 and helping from afar for them to get ready for bed.  Watching them swing from the rafters and counselors so frustrated.  But when I asked them to come outside and I said, "boys time to shower and get ready for bed",  Jacob Sobel and Stevie Ray got their stuff headed to the shower house laughing all the way, and the rest of the cabin turned off the lights and went to sleep.  The counselors thought I was the miracle worker, but I was only a mother.  I think often of Zack Kandel and love to watch how well he is doing, and he is still holding hands with Alexis Hyman.  A true camp romance.  Talking about true camp romances,  I remember staying up all night with Erica Herzog watching T.V. in the main house because she had 102 fever and we just watched, "I love Lucy" , "The Brady Bunch" and other reruns.  Now she is married with two children to her camp sweetheart, "Jordan Lubart".  Neil Herzog met his wife from a friend from camp and he has a child now too.  Then there is Adam Herzog and seeing him visit every summer is like he never left.  Adele their mother, once the ceramics instructor at camp, dressed for Thanksgiving in her grandchildren's school pageant as an Indian with her Timber Ridge gear on.  Thanksgiving a time to remember, a time to be together, a time to talk about the fun, the memories and a time to be thankful we can all be together to share this day.   Eat alot of turkey, sit long after the meal sharing,  and if your ears are buzzing,  we are talking about you with love.  Have a great day!

Remember when?

I was having supper with friends last  night and we were talking about the importance of camp.  It is now more important then ever.  This technological society has built brilliant minds that can not figure out how to fry an egg, or explain what is going on in their lives.  Talking, reasoning, living is not found on a computer or a text message.  Every year at camp we do not allow cell phones and every year most children bring them to camp.  We try our best to collect the phones so that friendships are made that last forever and not until the end of a poorly interpreted text message.  Last summer I thought it would be great to give back the cell phones the day before camp ended only to walk down girls row to children zoning out texting friends from home.  Immediately I collected the cell phones and suddenly the wonderful magic of friendship began again.  It was like a light switch and was so eery.  Anyway, I came home to this email from an old alumni.


Greetings,

I was looking at the Fall 2014 edition of The Rattler which included this year's Color War songs.  It made me think back to my summer as a counselor at White Mountain.  Paul and I introduced the concept and ran the first Color War that summer.  That was 1967 (OMG...is that really possible?).  I don't know how Color War has morphed over the years or if you adopted the concept of surprising the camp with the start of Color War and making that introduction bigger and more grandiose every year as we proposed.  With that in mind, I realized that this summer will be 2015 and therefore 50 years of Color War isn't that far away.  I would love to think that you would celebrate such a significant anniversary by somehow making it extra special.  My summer at White Mountain was just yesterday so 50 years of Color War must be coming up tomorrow.  That would mean it's almost time to start thinking about what special might look like.

BTW, I still remember my summer at Timber Ridge with great fondness.  I can only hope that my campers enjoyed their stay as much as I enjoyed mine.

Best wishes.

Bonnie Schlenker

50 years later I still know who Bonnie and Paul are and embrace their friendship and memories.

Camp is no longer a luxury it is a necessity for raising healthy, happy children and  young adults with memories , good memories that last a lifetime.