PUPPY HAS A NAME!

Thank you for all of your help in naming the new puppy. Nancy got over 200 suggestions!! She got everything from Daisy, Bella & Luna to Goose, Petunia & Fruitcake. There were lots of fun camp names like Summit, Tajar, Calla and Rhodie (from Rhododendrons). There were suggestions like Mocha, Pumpkin, Cocoa, Taffy and Brownie. Long story short, if anyone ever needs some name ideas, let us know, we have an AWESOME list! Soo... after much debate, time and deliberation, Nancy has made a decision. We would like to introduce you to sweet little....... REESE! We cant wait for you all to get here and meet her, she is wild!

In other news, we have been getting registrations galore! We are so excited when each one comes in. We love getting to see who will be joining us this summer. If you know that you are going to be here this summer, please send us your registration so we can save your spot!

We have been getting ready for the holiday season around here. We had our annual Mondamin and Green Cove Christmas party at Sara and Andrew's house last week. Holiday parties are always so festive and fun! We have also been getting lots of Christmas cards from all of you, thank you for thinking of us, we love hearing from you all during the winter!

We generally stop traveling during the holiday season, but will be hitting the road again in January. We will be heading to Florida, New Orleans, DC and more. Check our travel schedule here to see if we are headed to your town!

We have heard from a couple of Green Cove girls. Laura Bridge, Mary Margaret Burdett, Elise Desloge, Julie Ruppert, Beth Woodthorpe-Evans and Mark Nicholson (Mondo counselor) all had a BLAST when they met up in LONDON last week. Here are some fun pics they sent. I also got the cutest picture from my god daughter, Ellen, who is sporting her Green Cove T-shirt. SO CUTE!

Happy Holidays and keep in touch!

Our Youngest Green Cove Girl!

Well we have some sad news and some happy news. Some of you may remember Nancy's dog Gus. Sadly, last month, Gus died of a heart attack while he was joyfully chasing a squirrel. We all miss him very much but are glad that he went in such a good way. (Gus is in the picture with the "Happy New Year" head band)

Happily, this past weekend Nancy brought home our youngest Green Cove Girl. This is "Puppy Needs a Name"! It looks like she is wearing a funny hat, but actually she is wearing it because she just had her ears cropped (Doberman puppies generally have that done to protect them from infection). She has been keeping us all occupied and she LOVES playing with Boomer and Rosie. The only problem is.... SHE STILL NEEDS A NAME!!! If you have any great ideas, send us an email or a message! Nancy will be taking everyones suggestion's and making a decision by Monday (so that only gives you a couple of days!!!) So, let the brain storming begin!!!

Look forward to hearing from you!

A Couple of Fall Pics

Fall is such a beautiful time in Tuxedo... thought I would share a couple of pics!! And actually these were taken almost two weeks ago, most of the leaves are down at this point, but it was a spectacular fall around here!

Nancy and I have been having a blast traveling around this past month. We have been to Macon & Albany, GA, Raleigh & Durham, NC, Louisville & Lexington, KY, Memphis, TN, Tupelo, MS, and Birmingham & Tuscalooa, AL. Our bags are all packed because we are hitting the road again today... headed to Texas! Hope to see lots of you at the different movie showings!!

A quick reminder... DECEMBER 1st is right around the corner!! If you know that you will be coming to camp this summer, please remind your parents about the Dec. 1st discount that will be applied to all regisrations received before then.

Sorry for the quick post, more to come once we are back in town... in the mean time send me pics and stories of your away from camp adventures!! I LOVE hearing from you!

Fall is back in Tuxedo

Fall is back in Tuxedo! The weather around here has turned cool and crisp (and of course still WET!), the leaves are starting to change colors and it is beautiful!

As you can imagine, Green Cove is pretty quiet once you campers and counselors leave, but we do still have SOME action around here.

The barn has been pretty busy. Some of our local schools have changed to a year round schedule where the students go to school all year but get a bunch of 3 week breaks throughout. This year we had our first ever one week "Horse Camp" for the kids who were on break. A group of girls came to the Green Cove barn each morning for riding, stable skills and barn fun. Kathy and Lee had a blast!


In the fall, we generally have a bunch of different groups who come to use camp. Patty Smith was here with her AWESOME mountain biking club, The Dirt Divas. They spent the day riding at Dupont and then came back to camp for dinner and to spend the night and of course for some ziplining fun. Adventure Treks groups have been in and out and right now we have a school group and one of the counselors is our own Shea D'anna! We have also heard from Sydney Clark who is lucky enough to actually get to LIVE near camp. She and her parents and her brother came to the B-40 to camp out at Dwarfs Inn. They had a blast riding bikes and eating smores!

Nancy, Frank, Andrew, Robert and I are all getting ready to start hitting the road! Each year, we travel around the country to talk to people who are interested in coming to camp. Our first stop was in Richmond, VA yesterday. I got to ride in Frank's plane again, it was a beautiful day to fly! The camp get together was a blast! I loved meeting girls who are thinking about coming to camp for the very first time and to also see a bunch of girls who were here last summer. We got to hang out with Lucina, Sophiestewart, Gracie, Ellie and counselor CAROLYN LARGE!

We would LOVE to see you when we are in your area! To see when we are headed to your town, please check our travel schedule. It is being updated very frequently, so check back often.

In the mean time, keep in touch!! We love to get letters and pictures from your adventures away from camp. Hope to hear from you soon and happy fall!!

Summer 2009 was Fantastic!!


Thank you to all the campers and staff who made the summer of 2009 an absolute blast!!! Stay tuned for Fall news and pics! In the mean time, we would love to hear your thoughts on how the summer went, and we would love to get pictures and updates from your fall adventures. Drop us a line!

Only one month until the first campers arrive!! Green Cove is turning the "Green" that she is so famous for! As I walked around camp the other day to snap some springtime photos, the place was really starting to feel alive again. Kathy and Gwen (Gwen spends a lot of time at the GC barn during the off season) were cantering around the Ball Diamond, Boomer (my dog!) was loving the cool lake water and Dan & Danny (part of the fantastic maintenance staff) were working on a new bench. All of this action made me so excited for you all to get here and REALLY bring this place back to life!The Canoe and Kayak Clinic, run by Gordon Grant for the benefit of our Scholarship Foundation, is a GO for this coming weekend! We have space remaining, though; call (828 693-7446) or email if you’d like to join us. Superb instruction on easy to moderate whitewater in canoes or kayaks. A general description is here: http://mondamin.com/canoeclinic.html.

We are down to about 20 remaining spots at Green Cove June Camp this summer. Those spaces may go quickly, or not... but if you'd like to be here, please call (828 692-6355) or email Green Cove , we would love to have you! (Space available in Main Camp also).

You may not know that during the off season (especially Spring and Fall), a lot of stuff goes on around here. Mondamin and Green Cove hosted a 5K and a 10 mile run this past weekend, a benefit for Mainstay in Hendersonville (http://www.mainstayhelp.org). This weekend (May 2), in addition to the Canoe and Kayak Clinic, there’s a benefit for the African Medical Mission (http://ammsa.org), and a Zen Buddhist group gathers here for a week long working retreat. The following weekend there’s a wedding, starring a former Green Cove camper. Several other groups will be at one camp or the other during May, and staff will start arriving May 17 for pre-orientation training: a nine day Wilderness First Responder course, a swim instructor course, a Red Cross Lifeguard course, etc. And of course, after that... CAMPERS ARRIVE!

We have absolutely LOVED getting updates from Green Covers this month... Sara Kate Durkee (June Camp Camper) has been spotted around town sporting her brand new Green Cove Shirt!

We recently got this note from Kendall Siewert (she has been a camper since 2004)...

Hey everyone! This is my sixth year at camp, and I literally cannot wait to go back. My camp girls and I talk every single day and they are my best friends, if not my sisters. Thank you so much for this opportunity of letting girls get to truly be themselves, I have never felt more at home anywhere else. Counting down the days until June 1st!

Adri Tamayo (camper for 4 years and on staff for 2) writes...

This past holy week I went to Peru with my family and could not stop thinking of my Green Cove days. We hiked the Inka trail from Cuzco to Machu Picchu and could not get the incredible camping experiences from my camping in the back 40 and other places. My brother got poison ivy my clothes all smelled like mold and morning pancakes were mandatory. I'm just writing to thank you for all the beautiful things I lived at camp and to let you know that I think of camp constantly (all my friends are bored with stories and know every one by name by now) hope to be back.

Sarah Norman (long time camper & counselor and this years Junior Line Head for main camp) headed west for her spring break. She got to visit with Rebecca Baskin (2008 counselor) in Boulder, CO & Pepper Raper (this year's Head of Mountaineering) in Vail. They had a blast getting caught up and getting excited for Green Cove 2009! Emily Caja (staff since 06) has been working at a barn in Virginia, she wrote to us saying that they have several new baby horses!! Emily won't be back this summer, but will be missing camp like crazy!

Liddell Shannon (Early June Camp Crazy Lady) sent this picture of a mini Green Cove reunion. Liddell writes...
pictured from left to right are: Liddell Shannon, Dixon Stapleton, Randi Williams Green, Katherine Higgason Lentz, Shea D'Anna, and Elysia Versen Clemmons

All of these ladies were counselors together in the late 1990's. All except me were campers together. Katherine Higgason Lentz took a break from her busy schedule in order to be hostess and DTL for the 9th Annual Green Cove Girl's Weekend at her home in Chattanooga, TN. On Friday night the ladies arrived - (Elysia Flying in from Colorado). Suzie Howick and Nancy Wilson McKnight stopped by for a visit and we all decided to forgo our usual Tajar Day Girl's Weekend activities (standing in a creek, asking everyone we see if they have the Tajar etc.) in order to catch up and eat appetizers.

Saturday's three major activities included shopping, walking, and dining. We did observe rest hour and the Moms in the crowd, Elysia and Randi, especially enjoyed it. The included picture was taken by someone outside of the restaurant where we had dinner. Liddell first asked someone else to take the group photo, but he declined because he was legally blind.

Sunday morning we were treated to a delicious breakfast, "Thank you Sister Schubert!" and we headed back to the real world refreshed and feeling like Green Cover Girls again. A huge thank-you goes out to Katherine Higgason Lentz and her husband Jason Lentz for letting us take over their home for the weekend.

If you have a fun Green Cove reunion, story or memory we would LOVE to hear from you! In the meantime, we will just keep counting down the days until SUMMER 2009!!

March & April

March came in like a lion but went out like a lamb... which means... Spring has Sprung at Green Cove!!

Early in the month we had the most beautiful snow fall. Sara Bell, Kathy, Mike, Matt (head of maintenance), Godiva, Boomer & I all headed up to Oties Knob for some AWESOME sledding!! Check out the pics...

But the snow has melted and daffodils & green grass have taken its place. Mike & I were just in Hendersonville and I couldnt help but acting like a dorky tourist and snapping some pics... I love downtown during the Spring!











Camp is really starting to look great! Maintenance has been busy at Green Cove; Nancy and I were just checking out the brand new, SILENT & wonderful ceiling fans that have been added to Middler Lodge. The whole main lodge has been touched up... we are getting ready for all of you to get here!

I have been spending a lot of my time on the phone with counselors and other staff members this month and we are pretty much FINISHED staff hiring! (we do have still a couple of slots open for VERY good people...if you know someone who would be great, please let me know ASAP) I must say, this is the most amazing group of staff that I have seen in all my years here! Note to all '09 staff members... we just started a Green Cove Staff 09 facebook group, you will get your official "invitation" to join once I have your signed contract. If you have already sent in your contract and have not been "invited", please let me know!
We are also SO excited about all the new and returning campers that have been registering during these past few weeks. We have been brainstorming ways to make camp even more fun for you all! This year campers can look forward to...
* A brand new CAMP WIDE fun day & "Cofee Shop Campfire"... Katy LaRue will be head of ACA during Main Camp, and she has been telling me about some awesome ideas.
* Things like the 12 Hour Event at biking (Patty Smith will be back as head of biking during main camp)
* Beautiful music at June Camp assemblies...Susan Danos will be here to lead during June.
* More Opti's at Green Cove
* The gals at the barn have been meeting regularly and have a lot of great plans for the summer, including... more riding overnights and multi-day trips... better and more exciting stable skills activities & more special programs for those who really want to focus on riding.
* Better tortillas on trips :)
* An AWESOME 4th of July Party!

Note: We do still have spots open for Early June, June Camp, Main Camp & August Camp campers. If you are interested in being here... let us know!!

Like always, we would love to hear from you! Please send us a message, email or give us a call and let us know what you have been up to! We are counting down the days until summer, but until then... HAPPY SPRING!

****SNOW IN TUXEDO***

We finally got some beautiful snow! Check it out...

Happy February! And since the ground hog didn't see her shadow... ONLY 6 MORE WEEKS UNTIL SPRING!!

I cant believe how fast this winter has been flying by! We are continuing to get more and more registrations for the summer. We have a big bulletin board in Nancy's office where campers' pictures are hung (the ones that are attached to the registration froms). It is so fun to see how returning campers have changed throughout the year and to start to be able to put names with faces for the new campers... it is definitely looking like the campers of 2009 are going to be a great group!! Just a reminder, this year, everyone who registers for camp will get a brand new Green Cove T-Shirt sent to you in the mail. The shirts should be here any day now and we will be sure to get them sent out to you ASAP! Start checking your mailboxes sometime next week. Here is a sneak peak at what the shirts will look like.

I am talking to counselors and potential counselors every day. We have gotten a couple more returning staff members sign on since the last time I posted. We are so excited to announce that Mary Gilliam will be here as Junior Line Head during June Camp, Britta Wiesner will be the Early June Camp Program Director (plus Senior LH during June Camp and paddling goddess during Main!). Suzie Howick will be back as Middler Line Head during June Camp and Charlotte Ruppert will be back as Senior Line Head during Main camp. Carolyn Large will be back this summer as will former CTs Maggie Ruch, Sarah Shachat and Lee Conrads. Plus you will love meeting all of our brand new staff members this summer!

We have been hearing from Green Covers around the country. Mary Margaret Burdett, Julie Ruppert & Elise Desloge had a blast when they all got together in New Orleans for Mardi Gras. Rumor has it that Katy Danos said that she also spotted Maya Appley. Maggie Klag Eshenour (staff '01-'03) finally had her baby. She and her husband, Henry, welcomed Oscar Eshenour on January 21st. Congrats Maggie & Henry!! Karley Walker and Summer Kiesling met up in Atlanta for a Jason Mraz concert and chatted all about GC. Keep us posted on your lives, we absolutley love hearing from everyone!! Don't forget to check back monthly for updates. You can also check out past blog entries by using the "blog archives" drop down menu on the right hand side. We look forward to hearing from you!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

2009 is off to a cold start for us here in Tuxedo. Today, it is about 10 degrees with the wind chill below 0! We had our first little bit of snow and the lake has quite a bit of ice on it. Its pretty different around here during the winter!

Our travels picked back up this month (we generally stay home during the holiday season). We have been to Raleigh, Nashville, Charlottesville,VA, Atlanta, New York and Santa Rosa and Vero Beaches in Florida. I was in Houston, TX last weekend for a camp movie showing and get together. We had a fun group of Green Cove girls including Brenda and Kristen Willson (Brenda was the hostess), Ellie Smith, Cameron Weiner, Grace Amandes and Kelsey McCollam. Head of Paddling, Jessica Grisel and her boyfriend Ernie drove all the way from Austin to come to the showing. Jessica, Ernie & I had fun at a Mexican restaurant afterwards and paddlers will be relieved to know that crazy Jessica will be back this summer. She was already gushing about how excited she is to get back on the rivers with Green Cove Paddlers.

The amazing maintenance crew has been really busy this winter. I mentioned before that the Penthouse cabin's bathrooms were getting re-done. They just got their final coat of paint and they look great! Check out the picture. This must be the year of bathrooms because they have also re-done the guest bathrooms in the main lodge and the bathroom in Pigeon Hole.

Riders especially, probably remember Kathy (our barn manager) and Godiva (her lovely standard poodle). Kathy and Godiva work hard all year practicing dog agility. Agility is a sport in which a dog and the handler run through an obstacle course. The dog is off leash and has to do a series of jumps, tunnels and weave poles. The pair with the fastest time with no mistakes, is the winner. Last weekend there was a competition (or "trial") in Asheville and a group of us went to watch. It was so exciting watching Kathy and Godiva (Plus, Nancy Jr and her dog Lottie were competing as well!) Check out the video of Kathy & Godiva, it was actually taken at a trial last fall. They are much faster now, but you can get the idea!


This is the time of year when we really start getting excited for summer and for all of you to hurry up and get here! We have been hearing from LOTS of counselors from last summer who will be back this year. Some of the returning counselors are Laura Bridge, Katy Danos, Julie Ruppert, Nell Knox, Jessica Grisel, Mary Margaret Burdett, Stephanie Jasinski, Britta Weisner, Claire Crews, Flo Page, Elise Desloge, Kate Reghenzani, Emma Lister, Katie Durkee, Kristin Sukys, Patty Smith, Gaither Smith, Lee Burdett, Amy Townsend, Karen Lucas, Beth Woodthorpe-Evans, Sarah Gibson, Sarah Norman & Anne Sharp. A bunch more are saying that they will be back but I will wait to officially announce them until I get their contract! :) I have also been spending many hours each week talking to brand new counselors who all seem fantastic & I can't wait for everyone to meet them!!

We have also been getting lots of registrations from campers new and old. This is the first year that all registered campers will get a free AWESOME Green Cove t-shirt in the mail. If you are already registered, your parents should have already gotten an e-mail asking for your shirt size. It will still be a couple of weeks before the shirts get in, but you should have them in time for warmer weather!

It is still so much fun to get updates from Green Covers all around. Counselors Chelsea Rinnig
and Elisa Elkind met for hot chocolate in Santa Monica over winter break. Natalie Price is in Wilmington, NC where she is going to school and dreaming of Green Cove. She is getting ready for an amazing trip to Valparaiso, Chile. Head of Biking, Patty Smith and camper Lilly Talley met up near Hendersonville for some great mountain biking!

Thats all of the Green Cove news for now, check back next month! In the mean time, let us know what is going on in your lives, we love to hear from you!!