54 The Queens Courier • buzz • JULY 31, 2014 for breaking news visit www.queenscourier.com VICTORIA SCHNEPS [email protected] Visiting day memories I felt déjà vu on the visit to the day camp my grandchildren are going to, because it’s the same one my daughter attended. Then, a few days later, I visited my grandson at sleepaway camp which totally reminded me of the sleepaway camps I had gone to ‘til I got married! The sun was beating down on me as I made my way through the narrow bumpy road that leads to the beautiful Camp Jacobson at Robin Hood. I barely remembered taking the road to visit my daughter Samantha decades ago, but the grounds are as lush as they were then and the camp has added new indoor and outdoor facilities. The kids love the climbing wall and I couldn’t tear Jonah away from it! Of course the mainstay of any camp is the twice-a-day swimming. I was so proud of 5-year-old Jonah and 3-yearold Addison for passing their deep water tests the first week. They swim for instruction in the morning and just for “fun” in the afternoon — and it is their favorite activity. I was thrilled because I’ve taken them endlessly in my endless pool where we swim every weekend. I had a picture of my Samantha, now a mother of two, h u g g i n g a tree at the camp so I captured one of Elizabeth with her Addison in front of one of the many towering trees on the property nestled in the woods. I felt like I was far away in the country, when in fact I was only 15 minutes from my home. I think the kids feel treasured there in the safe and nurturing environment. The true test is they leave smiling at 8 a.m. and return happy at 4 p.m. on a bus. I’m grateful for the tender, loving care they get during their days in the camp’s care. Then off I was, a few days, later on a three-hour ride to Tyler Hill Camp near Monticello, New York, to visit my 8-yearold Blake who was at sleepaway camp for seven weeks, the same place his dad Spencer had been to decades before. When I walked onto the campus, I felt like I had been there before. In fact, it looked just like the camp I had gone to when I was the same age as Blake. There are manicured ball fields and a grassy campus with bunkhouses surrounding the flagpole, a short distance from the waterfront with a pool overlooking the serene scene. The camp has speed boats for waterskiing and water slides for fun times after instructional swim. I was delighted to learn that Blake and his friends — the eight boys in the bunk — travel in a “pack” for elective activities and have developed a passion for fishing, which I love too... His mom sent him a rod and the camp bought the bait, provided in a plastic bag. When I was growing up on Lake Oscawana in Putnam County, I fished with worms and half the fun was digging for them in piles of leaves, left there for years to become mulch. I’d fill a bag with them and slide the squirmy worms onto the hook. For Blake, his bait of some smelly substance was very successful because during our visit he caught two lively fish. His grandfather was there to help remove the hook and throw the squiggly fish back into the lake. It seems the adventure of putting a line into the water and voilà, there is a fish, fascinates the boys. His counselor shares with me that they have limited the boys’ fishing since they would choose it every day! I can’t wait until he comes home for a fishing party, but who will take the fish off the hook? Part of the tradition of Visiting Day is to bring the camper his favorite food and snacks, so we all obliged. Packed in ice were his favorites: Chinese food and sushi. The camp provided hotdogs, hamburgers, salads and bagels but the trimmings came from his devoted family. Blankets and chairs marked out our little picnic area and we all got a chance to hug Blake and enjoy his beautiful smiling face. Leaving was bittersweet but seeing how happy he is made my heart swell. Off I was to visit with my friend Linda DeSabato at her lakeside home 30 minutes from the camp. Linda had invited me and friends Rhona Silver and Marge McGowan to a Kenny Rogers concert at the Bethel Woods Center of the Arts. This stunningly beautiful arts center was built only nine years ago on the hallowed grounds of the Woodstock Festival held 45 years ago. The huge outdoor “shed” pavilion seats 20,000 people and the night we were there many of the seats were taken. The arts center also offers chamber music and many programs for teens. What a wonderful way to make the community proud with a treasured cultural center! It was a perfect ending to a nostalgic week filled with many memories but also joys in the present. After all, the present is a present! victoria’s secrets tweet me @vschneps Blake and his sister Morgan with all the goodies we brought him Morgan Sohmer at Pierce Camp Dynamic $1000 off Lumineers $500 off Invisalign DENTAL WORK Free Whitening included the inViSiBle WAy to Some excluSionS Apply StrAighten teeth third generation dentist 175-15 Jamaica avenue, Jamaica 718-297-4100 • 718-297-4106 Elizabeth and Addison at Camp Jacobson at Robin Hood Jonah with his swim counselor at Camp Jacobson at Robin Hood Proud Blake gets help from his grandpa Steve taking his fish off the hook Margaret McGowan, Linda De Sabato, Rhona Silver and me Josh and Tracey with Hudson on his second birthday
QC07312014
To see the actual publication please follow the link above