We Rocked The Prom

The Prom is an annual event here at Camp Jabberwocky and we all love to get dressed up and ask eachother out andeat dinner in a civilized way with candles and food on plates with napkins and silverware. Here's some pictures of us lookin' fine (Thanks Michelle!):
















Once the dinner is over we all go down to the studio and dance extra hard until somebody falls down and injures themselves. Or until we get tired and puke. Just kidding! We never stop dancing!







THE PLAY IS TONIGHT AND TOMORROW (FRI AND SAT) AT THE CAMP. "A CHORUS LINE"! COME SEE IT!!!

KAYAKING!!!

Finally, drumming on the beach

A miracle occurred when Mother Nature brought us beautiful weather so we could finally go for drumming on the beach – an activity we waited for two weeks. Before the first beat of drumming began, some brave campers with their fun loving counselors went swimming on the chilly ocean while the rest of us relaxed of the sand soaking up the sun’s rays. A delicious barbeque (consisting of hot dogs, hamburgers, potato salad, and other goodies) was served. The meal raised our energy level we needed for hard core dancing with Rick’s drumming. The drumming ended with a beautiful sunset and a gorgeous pink full moon appeared.

After the Parade

Well, it took us a few days, but here's the promised video from the 4th of July Parade. It was a raucous affair and we were all exhausted afterwards, in a good way. When we got back to camp our excellent chefs had made us a turkey dinner, with gravy! America Rocks!



And here's some pictures for those of you who have no patience for internet videos (thanks Jackie!)

Before the Parade

We're a little behind schedule over here but that's because the weather got good and we had a big parade to prepare for. The good weather meant we had to go to the beach. And the parade meant we had to get all our costumes and floats ready for the big Fourth of July celebration in Edgartown. Here's some picture of the the preparations. The parade itself was epic - we won "Grand Prize" for our "Under The Sea" themed extravaganza. But you'll have to wait till later for pictures and video of all that....


The entire camp was covered in cardboard, paint, hot glue and duct tape.








Matt L. walked into lunch and was greeted by a cheering crowd...


Everyone in the van fell asleep on the way back from horseback riding...But we're all caught up now. Sort of. Who has time for sleep anyway?

"Dear Mother Nature"

We've had a lot of rain here at Camp Jabberwocky so Paul Remy wrote the following letter to Mother Nature. Here's a picture of Paul typing:



Dear Mother Nature,

My friends and I at Camp Jabberwocky are fed up with the nasty weather you have been giving us. Our attire are mostly raincoats and other foul weather gear. We would love to put on our bathing suits so we can enjoy the beach. Please blow away the clouds with the drenching down pours and bring back the sun, which we miss so very, very much.

I sincerely hope you grant our wishes for sunny weather.

Take care,
Paul Remy

PS No more hail.

Rainy Day Lunch Bell

It was a rainy morning here at Jabberwocky and Jason and Kevin wrote a song about riding horses and we made this video while waiting for the lunch bell to ring:

Beach Day, At Last!

The Sun has finally decided to shine all day here at Camp Jabberwocky. And we went for in full on, leaving camp after lunch, packing a cookout dinner and staying until sundown. It was the kind of day we all live for here at Camp Jabberwocky, even though being away from camp for so long meant some of us had to poop in buckets.








These pictures were all taken by Mary Prince, mother of one of our fine counselors, and a visitor for the day. In the moring she checked out the scene at various classes.



Eating a meal with Camp Jabberwocky is a fun, mind altering experience. We welcome visitors for meals, just come prepared to tell a story, and maybe get wet too.

A Wedding at Camp Jabberwocky

Yesterday was a very wonderful day for all of us here at Camp Jabberwocky. Jonathan Wolf and Mandy Adams got married right here at camp in a beautiful ceremony in front of 300 people, including the entire camp. We always say that Jabberwocky is like a big family and events like this prove that it is so. Jon and Mandy met at camp and fell in love, like many Jabberwockians before and after. It's quite a romantic spot, truth be told.





Campers and counselors made signs with helpful advice for the couple to be:


















Thanks Jon and Mandy, for sharing with us your big day. Have fun in Jamaica! Jah!

The Beach Cometh

So we woke up yesterday and said, "We're going to beach, no matter what!" And then we looked at the weather report and it said "hail storms in the afternoon". Well, that would have made for an exciting beach trip for sure, but instead we decided to get really crazy and skip morning classes so we could get to the beach before the weather. Behold the pictures from our trip:



It was actually very nice at the beach, despite the gray skies. Quite a few of us ventured in for a brisk Atlantic swim.





Some of us just opted for a nice stroll on the shoreline...


We sang loud songs the whole way home...


And the next day we would welcome a historic event: An official Jabberwocky wedding! Stay tuned...

Kickball and Christmas...

Although beach weather had eluded us, we did manage to have a rousing game of all-camp kickball in the afternoon...


Some old friends stopped by with babies...


...and the game ended with a bench-clearing brawl!


The gray skies inspired a "Christmas in June" theme and Manny received a huge gift:


We all went to Edgartown for lunch on the docks and Dr. steve took this giant picture of us. He had to stand on top of a van to get the proper vantage point and right after he clicked the shutter he stepped back and fell off onto the pavement below. Luckily he's a doctor so everything was alright.

The Dr. Steve Files

Who knew that Doctors could take pictures? check out some of the killer pics our fine doctor has taken during our first two days...

Rain Won't Stop Us Now!

Our first full day here at Jabberwocky was a wet one, but we don't care about that. Actually we do. We wish the sun would come out so we could go to the beach and get hot, but until then we've got horses and rain ponchos too. Before we ventured out into the wild, we got a lesson on how not to scare horses:


And then we hit the trail!







Back at camp Elsie says she doesn't let a little wet weather get her down...


Matt L. showed us his work of art...


And after dinner we gathered around and had our first official "Challenge Night". This means people challenge each other to things such as this "chubby bunny" contest...it involves stuffing marshmellows in your mouth and saying "chubby bunny".



Paul challenged Peter and Miles to a reverse push-up contest, which turned into a floor dance-off.


And we all went to bed, full nearly to the point of barfing with tasty sweets and the goodwill of another fine summer begun anew.

We're Back and Bloggin!

Yes! Jabberwocky in July has officially begun! Tune in here for updates. We're going to go blog crazy this summer, posting videos and more pictures than you'd ever want to see of our motley crue. We're very excited to report that everyone made it off the ferry and is safe at camp, we think. We're still counting to make sure...Anyway, here's our first day report:

It was a cold and blustery day, and as the counselors rode over to Woods Hole to meet the campers, we all felt certain doom was around the corner.

But it wasn't! There were happy, wet faces waiting for us there. We assured the parents we'd take good care of their sons and daughters and grabbed them before they could protest and then we hustled them back on the ferry where a bumpy ride would take us all back to the land known as Jabberwocky. On board the ship, old friends were reunited...



...And waiting for us on the island shores were many strange people:








Rain would not deter us on this day. We marched up the streets of Vineyardhaven and arrived at our home for the summer...Camp Jabberwocky!


After we unpacked we ate a hearty lunch...


And met the new people, including Sam here, who informed us it was his birthday, so we sang for him.


And then after lunch Bubba rang the bell, which signaled it was time for the serious business of having fun to truly begin...

skye ward

hi folks

i know it's been a while since i've updated on here. truth is, i get a far bigger response from posts on FaceBook. still, that shouldn't mean that i neglect the main blog. i'm sorry.

anyway, thought i'd let you in on a conversation i had over the phone with Jojo last night:

apparently, skye was running around the house and "the dog tripped him." silly dog. skye broke his leg. he has had his surgery, and will be coming home sometime next week. once he is sufficiently healed, he will have another surgery to remove the plates from his leg.

unfortunately - all of this means that he will not be able to come to camp this summer. :(

he would LOVE to get cards/phone calls/emails from us though. please contact me at matahina@gmail.com to get his contact info.

let's try to keep his spirits up, like he does for us at camp.

thanks everyone,
faith

sorry

i missed yesterday. anyone notice?

i was exhausted and frazzled and out-of-sorts yesterday.

i am still exhausted today, but at least it tickles me to know that in 137 days i will still be exhausted, but at least i will be exhausted with family and friends surrounding me.

how bout y'all? what's going on? send me some news that i can share. i love that stuff.

g'night,
me

a single thought...

i sit here in the midst of another "south of boston" snow/ice storm. and though it is absolutely breath-takingly beautiful outside my window, i cannot wait for Camp to start. 139 days, folks!

much love,
faith

More Jabberwocky 2009 info

Hi All

So last night i got a message on my answering machine. and it was Jojo. she gave me more Camp 2009 info:

* we are leaving out of Wood's Hole on Monday, June 22nd, on the 10:45 am ferry.

* please arrive NO LATER than 10 am, so that we all may gather our luggage together on one cart and board the boat as a group.

* camp forms may be found at www.campjabberwocky.org

* needed: medical forms
liability release forms
photo release forms, and (if applicable)
therapeutic horseback riding forms

* forms and tuition must be mailed as soon as possible to Johanna Romero de Slavy at her home (address available upon request - please feel free to email me privately).

* tuition checks should be made out to "Martha's Vineyard Cerebral Palsy Camp, Inc" (alternative: "MVCP Camp, Inc.")


===========

We headed for a wonderful time folks. And oh, by the way, did i tell you? Only 140 more days!

have a great night, and thanks for sharing this time with me.
faith

Lest i forget.... another celebration...

Today is Groundhog's Day.

Puxatawnee Phil - the weather-predicting groundhog (made even more famous by the movie celebrating this holiday) - did see his shadow today. According to legend, this means 6 more weeks of winter.

HOWEVER... Massachusetts is trying to get it's own "official" groundhog to do the forecasting on Groundhog's day (really, they're trying to pass a bill and everything! it's been on the news all day!). And "Miss G." did not see her shadow this morning. This means Spring is right around the bend.

By the way, trendsetters that we are, if Miss G. gets approved to become our state groundhog here in Massachusetts, she will be the first female state groundhog in history! :) Go figure!

Looks like it's a Groundhog's "battle of the sexes" folks! Who will win?!

Only time will tell... :)
faith

And the countdown continues

AS OF TODAY (FEB. 2nd, 2009)

There are 141 more days until campers arrive for summer 2009.

faith

ps. thanks to scott scherer for the countdown suggestion. i would have waited until things were a little closer myself, but with all this blah winter weather going on... it's great to have something to look forward to this way. And honestly? the time will go by in a heartbeat...

Countdown

AS OF TODAY (FEB. 1st, 2009) there are:

142 DAYS

until the day the campers arrive at the beginning of the 2009 session.

142 days! :)

Ah, February....

Hi folks!

This is February. The month when Hallmark rejoices, songs get dedicated on the radio, and - in general - love (in all it's forms) runs amuck. So what better time for me to tell you:

We all remember Jonathan and Mandy, yes? Two wonderful counselors who met through jabberwocky. I'm sure you will remember that last summer Jabberwocky threw them their bachelor and bachelorette parties (fun times!)

Well, last summer was their parties, and this summer is their wedding. That's right, folks. This summer, Jonathan and Mandy are having their actual, honest-to-God wedding at Jabberwocky. On June 27th, they will be exchanging vows in the field.

Now - as i said - this is their actual wedding. Not a "Jabberwocky-style do-over," as some of us have experienced in the past. Their family and friends will be coming to our camp - sharing this experience -to witness this beginning to their new life together.

As such, there are certain rules that Jojo insists be followed (remember how much energy Jojo has. you don't want it to be channeled in the wrong way, believe me!):

1. If you are going to be present at camp on June 27th, you must bring with you a dressy outfit that you would actually wear to any other wedding you might be invited to attend.

2. On June 27th, NO costume cabin outfits will be allowed.

3. There will be NO cross-dressing for this event. We all know how wonderful Manny looks in slinky lingerie, but ... he can't upstage the bride! :)

Please, please... respect their wedding. And save yourself from the wrath of Jojo!

Thanks, everyone.
faith

Jordan's First Snow

Hey folks

i told you that some Jabberwockians were writing about things that happened over their winter breaks and such. Here is the first of those entries.

Thanks, Jordan!

==========================

I took a trip to Massachussetts in December to visit as many campers and counselors as I could in four days. But instead Mother Nature blasted my face with the coldest weather I've ever encountered (don't laugh, I know all you New Englanders can handle much worse). But I've lived in Florida all my life. Born and raised in the sweltering heat of Jacksonville. The weather can be almost unbearable, but just when I think I'm about to reach melting point, a storm comes and soaks me to the bone. This is obviously the kind of weather I'm used to, so when I looked at the weather report for Massachussetts last December, I was more than frightened to enter that environment.

But I just couldn't wait and entire year to see my Jabberwocky friends! So I packed my warmest clothes (mind you, Florida doesn't make warm clothes) and boarded my plane headed for the northeast. I guess it didn't get THAT cold, it was only 18 degrees or so. But for a person who lives in shorts and flip flops for most of the winter, this was pretty bad.

I stayed in Sudbury, and had the lovely choice of sleeping either at Peter's house or Amy and Kyle's house. I chose to sleep at both. My hopes were to tour the northeast making pit stops at as many friends' houses as possible, but alas, we got snowed in. Had I shown up a week earlier, I would've seen everyone at MB's Christmas party, but school wouldn't allow me to do that.

So before the storm, Peter, Kyle, Mara and I decided to get a move on and visit some people.

We drove up to Nancy Connelly's house and hung around there for a while. She was staying with her parents at the time because her place was out of power from earlier storms. It was so nice to see Nancy, I'm really glad we got to hang out and talk for a while. Her parent's house was decked out in Christmas decorations, and we looked at tons of photos of Nancy with family and friends. And we also go to stuff our faces with Chex mix!

From there, we drove up to Jason's house, where he greeted us at the door. We soon left to go to a pizza place for dinner, which was quite delicious! Then we went back to his house and danced to country music for a while before heading home.

The next day we were snowed in. Stefanie was staying with Sully for the weekend, and I was hoping to make it up there to see them, but the weather wouldn't allow.

Even though I didn't get to see everyone I wanted to, it was a much needed break from my life in Jacksonville. Its hard being so far away from the Jabberwockians! And I quickly got over my fear of snow and enjoyed every minute of the cold cold weather. It almost seemed like I wasn't supposed to leave, because I missed my flight home because of weather, and then I missed it again the next day! That caused a little bit of stress and after spending 24 hours in an airport, I was certainly glad to be back home.

All in all, I had a wonderful trip and I'm really glad I got to see the people I did. Waiting a whole year would be just too much, and now I'm more excited than ever for this summer!

-Jordan

CAMP DATES!!!

*drumroll please...*

The camp dates for Summer Session 1 2009 are:

Monday, June 22nd ---> Monday, July 20th.

The changeover day for those that only go for a two-week block is July 6th.

Ferry times are yet to be determined.

Folks, this is incredible news... Camp starts 23 weeks from this upcoming Monday! But who's counting, right?

Pull out your suitcases and your summer clothes. Look out Martha's Vineyard; here we come again!!!

faith

First Post 2009 from your long-lost blogger friend.

Hello and Happy New Year to my fellow Jabberwocky family and friends!

To say that i have had a difficult Autumn through New Year's would be an understatement bigger than a Jabberwock itself. Hence my absence here, for which i apologize greatly.

But this is a new year, and one of my '09 resolutions is to now faithfully update the happenings in and around our family.

So here we go. Another year of adventure is on tap.

I know that several people have had holiday parties or gone on wonderful trips. These people are even now writing up their adventures, to be posted here as they are received. Please keep yourself on the lookout. They shall be up in the near future.

Depending on where you are, winter has HIT and hit hard. As i sit here and write this tonight, in my little apartment south of boston, i am in the midst of yet another snowstorm that promises to deliver 7-9 additional inches of snow before turning into the dangerous stuff that keeps me holed up inside with my puppy. It's a good night for cocoa. :)

so cuddle up with someone or something you love, and get ready to enjoy the ride.

until next time...
faith

update

it is with great regret that i write to inform you that Nancy Connelly's uncle George passed away yesterday afternoon.

Should you wish to send your condolances to Nancy and her family, please email me at: matahina@gmail.com and i will give you the appropriate contact information.

thanks,
faith

more post-camp shenanagins...

Hi again folks!

I'm happy to say that here is part of an email that i got from kaitlin burkle this morning about a "frabjous" outing that she went on with fellow jabberwockians.

enjoy!
faith

================

Michelle and I saw Cathy last week. Cath took Michelle to her yoga class while I was at student leader training. Then they came to Assumption and checked out my apartment. After that we hopped in the car and went to Cathy's fave food establishment, Bertucci's. After that we went to the DiSchuillo house for the infamous meatballs that Cathy's mom makes. They were FANTASTIC. Then we got back in the car and went to trader joes to see jake at work, and to buy some food... because we apparently hadn't eaten enough at this point. Kevin Braxton stopped by and we all went to a bridge so test out our sweet echo-ing skills. All in all it was a frabjous day!!

AND OH! I AM SO EXCITED TO EMAIL NANCY'S UNCLE... BECAUSE MOOSE ARE MY FAVORITE ANIMALS IN THE ENTIRE WORLD....

(so Nancy, it does look like Uncle George will be getting some new "hello's". Hope they will lift his spirits some. I know he doesn't ever stay down for long!)


keep sharing these updates and info. i love to hear how we're all staying connected.

enjoy your day!
faith

as promised

Hi folks

Here is the email that i got from nancy connelly with all of her uncle's contact information in it. i thought you might like to see it exactly as she sent it to me, so that you could "feel" the message more.

thanks,
faith


==========================
hi hun

heres uncle george info=blog

george pelletier
3 gallant dr.
saco, maine 04072
PGC@netzero.net

even if folks dunno uncle george= just say hi uncle george i'm......

he love 2 hear camp adventues

he loves good clean jokes

loves m&m stuff

loves moose[animal]

a goofball/a giant kid

nan

It's been a while...

Hello folks.

For those of you that are new to reading the Jabberwocky blog, please let me introduce myself. I am Faith Carter, a die-hard Jabberwockian who just finished my 34th consecutive summer at my home away from home. I consider Jabberwocky to be a real family, and as such, I very much enjoy keeping people posted on what we're all doing throughout the year. Arthur Bradford set up this blog several years ago - and asked me last year if i would be willing to maintain it throughout the months that we are not together.

I love maintaining this blog. I believe it is one thing i am truly "fired up" about in my life. And I must apologize for my long absence in posting. There are several reasons for this. A few are highly personal, which i will not go into here. Another more common reason involves computer issues, my computer seems to be getting old and tired. it has not been behaving well lately. and also i wrote Arthur immediately upon returning from Camp this summer to ask for his permission/approval to continue my efforts to blog - and have yet to get a response from him in any way.

So - if you'll have me - i'll continue. I truly do enjoy being connected to everyone throughout our "off" months, and until someone tells me differently I want to include you in the mix.

One other thing you should know before we continue: every now and then i slip into an "e.e. cummings" phase and completely ignore capitalization. it's just me. i realize that it may make some things more difficult to read (according to internet etiquette articles), so if it gets obnoxious please let me know. otherwise, i will continue to type as it comes to me (it is a practice in my family not to capitalize the word "i" except in very formal writing - so that might be a very difficult habit to change and you might just have to "deal with it." sorry).

now - as for happenings around and about: there have indeed been lots of activities going on.

Merry has done some traveling on the road between here and Colorado. Apparently, she saw both a 5- and a 6- legged cow amongst her travels. I can't even imagine...

Jake (and maybe Michelle? - honestly i'm not sure who all was involved) took Dick S. for dinner, a movie, and apparently some spontaneous swimming one night. The lateness of Dick's return caused the home he lives in some concern, but Dick was safe and happy... and all's well that ends well. :)

Jake and Michelle also met up with Nancy Jesseau shortly after camp ended and took her (and Michelle's uncle) out for a nice dinner. I know that Nancy enjoyed the time out very much, and seeing friends is always a good pick-me-up.

Sully and Jay have settled into their new home now. They have a very hectic schedule: Jay with multiple jobs, and Sully working and back in school - but they definitely like living in their own place, and have already been entertaining a few Jabberwockians at a time. I think JoJo was the first to christen guest room, if i'm not mistaken. But don't quote me.

And the get-together that i know the most about is the one where Brynn, Maggie, Sully, Stefanie and i all went out and had lunch, and then went for some "body art" (read: piercings).

The day was not without adventure. First, the train that Maggie and Brynn were on ran late. Then Sully, Stef, Maggie, and Brynn got stuck in some heavy traffic. And THEN - when they were about 5 minutes away from my house on the way to pick me up... the car got a flat tire.

But - once a donut was put on, we were all off... and only two hours behind schedule!

Stefanie rewarded herself for all her hard work on her abs over the past year+ and got her navel pierced. And i got my nose re-pierced. (no, i haven't gotten my "island" tattoo yet. that will have to wait until kelsey g. can come along with me...) I had my nose pierced once in grad school... and loved it... but it closed, so decided to go for it again. And you know what? i still love it! :)


Originally some of the other girls were thinking of getting something done, but where we were so far behind schedule... there will be other outings and opportunities, i am sure.

There is one more bit of info. that Nancy Connelly would like to share. Her uncle, "Father George," who is a long-time friend and staunch supporter of Jabberwocky has recently been diagnosed with cancer.

Nancy and her family would really appreciate it if we could send "Father George" some mail: either snail-mail or email. Nancy has sent me an email with all of the appropriate contact info. but - as i've stated - my computer is misbehaving and i cannot bring it up into a separate window to copy and paste it here. I will have to close this post, and create a new one in order to pass that info along. Which I will do immediately after this post ends.

If YOU have any news, photos, tidbits, or anything you want to share - please feel free to email me: matahina@gmail.com - and i will get it up on the blog in a far more timely manner than this first post has been.

it will be my pleasure to be with you again,
thanks for reading,
faith