“So it’s been 12 days since the end of camp; hundreds, if not thousands, of pictures are up already, and people are talking about it online everywhere.  And now it’s that time of the year where we reflect upon the “moments we lived in” while grumbling about the imminent summer reading we procrastinated on doing all summer.

I really made the right choice last fall when I decided I wanted to double-session again this year - July as a camper and August as a LIT.  The reason why I double-session is probably the same/similar reason as Joe’s or Tyann’s or Patrick’s reasons for doing the same.  You get to know everybody.  You get to stay twice as long.  You get to enjoy your summer fully, open to close.  I couldn’t imagine not doing it.  In July I had a really good time as a good ol’ fashioned camper – I spent a lot of time getting to know people and spending time with my good friends (some of whom I now call my brothers, sisters, even one father).  We had an amazing LIT group of fifteen in July: Seamus, Joelle, Shua, Isaiah, Judah, Josh, Lee, Zoe, Laurie, Stephanie B., Stephanie M., Divine, Sirah, Shimon, and Anna.  Having spent a lot of time around them, they being my good friends, I could tell they were such a family, not of bloot but of bond.  This year an overwhelming majority of the LIT applications were requesting to LIT during August; administration had to put a huge chunk of the August applicants as LITs in July, which many of them weren’t happy about at first.  Some came into the session nervous, not knowing what to expect, not knowing some of their fellow LITs.  EVEN DESPITE THAT, they bonded really hard with their fellow LITs, some of whom they had never met.  That made me look forward to my August experience as a LIT.

August was much of the same atmosphere, yet a TOTALLY different experience.  Prospective LITs that are thinking about doing LIT next year, I wouldn’t jump the gun on doing it early (say, when you’re going into 9th grade), because I suggest living your time out fully as a camper before becoming a LIT.  I think you’d enjoy it more when going into 10th grade.  But, nonetheless, DO IT. DO IT.  It’ll be the best camp experience you’ll ever have.  The seventeen of us have gotten so close, it’s scary.  Abby, Leah C., Silvana, JC, Zach, Niall, Skippy, Katie, Sophie, Leah J., Stella, Ariel, Hannah, Andre, Sam, and Jon: they are my family – even best friends among that group that I had before this session became 10,000 times closer because of the LIT program.  Some of them I never knew beforehand, but I love them to pieces.  The program makes you work, but it’s so worth it.

After being there eight weeks it was really sad to go, and yet I felt like I was ready to go back into the real world with the energy, knowledge, experience, and love I took from camp.  Why is camp so extraordinary?  Because one is exposed to all these new people, cultures, activities, and such.  And furthermore the opportunities there allow people to figure out who they are as a person.  But why so special?  It’s not like Windsor invented all these things to do (with the exception of gatorball, hot roddicus, and the like ) – these things were already in existence.  Evan didn’t invent stenciling.  Matty and Bugra didn’t invent soccer.  Ryan and Ben did invent Epic Quest but they didn’t invent acting.  Something about the atmosphere, something about how everything’s right there for the taking, offered to me like a gourmet platter for me to enjoy; something about how passionate the counselors are for what they do; something about the quiet, spiritual pensiveness of Sunday Morning Meeting in the Red Pine Forest; something about the love you feel around the campfire; something about the electricity in the air when campers are first arriving, excited about what’s to come; something about the peachord around our wrists; something about the amazing feeling it is to be welcomed and accepted and loved and looked up to; something about the tears that stream down when the New York bus and the Boston van drive away; THAT is what makes camp so special.  That is what I’ve learned.

When we went back to Camp Hawthorne on the LIT trip, we toured around the place where some of us used to come in the summer before we found Windsor Mountain.  We were walking around, looking, talking about memories, and talking about things that had changed or stayed the same from 2009.  It occurred to me that although the area had it’s own magic, it was a shell of what it once was.  Primarily, it was the people, and thus, the atmosphere from those people at Camp Hawthorne, that made it what it really was – a magical place.  Magical in the way that Windsor is, in fact.  Going there to Hawthorne told me once and for all: the reason why people are so in-love with Windsor was the love and the energy that the people they met showed back.

So please, take that into the world with you and show people you care.  Because by doing that, you can do for someone what Windsor has done for me.

Thanks for the best summer yet, everybody.”

– Cesco

Reunion festivities are underway!  The long awaited NYC bus has arrived and the campers are safely tucked into the bungalows (although I have no doubt they are still chatting away out there).   While I know it was a long day for most campers and parents, by the screams and hugs upon arrival, I can tell you that they all appreciate the effort to get together with one another.

We had a great pasta dinner tonight, followed by games, apple pie and granola making, and catching up by the fire.  It remains unseasonably warm out there so I am sure the campers will be cozy in their beds tonight.

We hope you all enjoy the weekend.  If you have any questions or concerns over the weekend, please call Jake’s cell phone at (617) 429-1369 as we will be out of the office with the campers.

Here are some reminders about transportation and packing. We look forward to a fun-filled weekend with you all!

TRANSPORTATION DETAILS:

NYC BUS:
Pick-up: Friday, October 14 at 3:30 p.m.
Drop-off: Sunday, October 16 at 7:30 p.m.
Location: West End Avenue between 59th and 60th

MT. KISCO:
Pick-up: Friday, October 14 at 5:00 p.m.
Drop-off: Sunday, October 16 at 6:00 p.m.
Location: Bedford rest area on the southbound lane of route 684 near the Katonah exit

BOSTON:
Pick-up: Friday, October 14 at 3:30 p.m.
Drop-off: Sunday, October 16 at 3:30 p.m.
Location: Riverside MBTA stop on the Green line.

DRIVING:
Drop-off: Please drop your campers off after 5:00 p.m. (we know that most will arrive later with school and traffic) and pick them up by 1:00 on Sunday.

*PLEASE NOTE that times are approximate and may be impacted by traffic. If the bus is more than 30 minutes late, please call the camp at (603) 478-3166.

*IMPORTANT – Please send your camper with food for the bus ride or money for food as they will be traveling during dinner. We will provide snacks for the late arriving NYC bus.

PACKING DETAILS: Please pack lightly!

COMFORTABLE CLOTHES INCLUDING: shorts, long pants, sneakers, underwear, rain gear, t-shirts, sweater or sweatshirt, socks, warm pajamas, bathing suit, jacket, warm hat, towel, water bottle

OTHER IMPORTANT ITEMS: WARM sleeping bag, pillow, toothbrush, toothpaste, shampoo, conditioner, soap, deodorant, medications (self-administered only), flashlight, shower shoes, brush

OPTIONAL: camera, book, magazine, photos to share, Halloween costumes for a dance, sunglasses

PLEASE LEAVE BEHIND: Please leave all cell phones at home and understand that gum and candy on campus are not welcome.

We cannot wait to see everyone!

Thank you for your years of service. You have provided countless memories to hundreds, if not thousands of people over your long and wonderful career as Cabin 1. Unfortunately for you, Bob has condemned you, and there is nothing that we can do to save you. You have only a few days left in this world, so use them to do good. Goodbye, and may you go to a place where cabins play eternally in the sunshine and rainbows. Peace.