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!!