Girls Sleepaway Camp in the Adirondack Mountains in Brant Lake, New York
Today we started our waterfront training with our Red Cross life-guarding classes. Many of the counselors have just arrived, but some have been here for quite a few weeks already helping out. Every day now more and more of our staff are arriving. We are all so excited for camp just over two weeks away! How excited are you?
Jim, Sue, Brandon and Caressa joined many members of the food service industry last night in honoring Chef Noble Masi for his long career in baking and food.
Point O’Pines is excited to be one of a terrific group of sponsors of an endowed scholarship at the Culinary Institute of America in his honor. Noble served as the Point’s Chef for 26 years, starting almost at the beginning by establishing a very high standard of cuisine that we are so proud of, and that was recognized just last summer by both Town & Country and the New York Times. While continuing to look after the food for our campers, Nobile was also a founder of the Baking program at the Culinary Institute, where he is now a CIA Heritage Professor and remains very busy in his “retirement.”
Present at the dinner were 18 former members of the Point O’Pines staff. Many of these staff alumni have continued in the food industry, and now lead important food organizations, or teach culinary students like Noble taught them when he was at Point O’Pines or the Culinary Institute of America. Attendees shared were many stories of Noble and his wife Robin, and the role that they played in the careers of so many. There were even great stories of the years Point O’Pines.
Every camper from the 1950s through today has so much to thank Noble for, and we are proud our relationship with the Culinary Institute continues though today with our Executive Chef, Denver Grover, who was also a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America.
Thank you to the hosts, Michael Muzyk, President of Baldor Specialty Foods and Robert Rizzuto, Professor and Executive Chef at the NY Institute of Technology, who are both alumnae of the CIA and the Point O’Pines Kitchen.
Unfortunately, according to an article in the New York Times, the postal service will not be delivering regular mail on Saturdays starting in August. This is something we have been dreading, but expecting, for the past few years. While package delivery and some other services may continue, the regular mail may not. We will keep you up to date on these developments, but presumably Priority Mail or FedEx would still deliver on Saturday.
If you have strong feelings on this, as we expect you may, we would also encourage you to be in communication with your representatives in Washington. We know how much the girls love to write and hear from you on Saturday. Camp is such a unique place where kids can develop without the restraints of instant messaging culture and learn real person to person communication. Communication skills are necessary for adulthood and kids are often not learning these skills well enough at school. It is unfortunate that the Postal Service is moving away from their vital legacy delivering the real physical handwritten letter.
UPDATE (4/11/2013): It looks like the postal service bowed to pressure and will not be ending Saturday mail. This is great news for the girls!
This weekend we were delighted to have some visitors. Almost all of last year’s Seniors were able to come up for a little winter camp fun. We got in some tubing at Gore Mountain, a walk (no swimming necessary) across to Schultz’s Island, a campfire, and fun times together. We also heard some amazing planning for this year. It is going to be a great summer at the Point. Check out the pictures in the photo albums.
We hope you all had a wonderful holiday season. At camp, we are busy with preparing for the summer while enjoying the beauty of the winter. This morning the sunrise over the lake was so breathtaking that we had to share it with you. The bravest of ice fisherman are just starting to get out on the new ice, and soon winter sports will be in full swing on Brant Lake. Your Point misses you all.
