Ronnie Simonsen

Hello folks

It is with a heavy heart that i must write that our dear friend Ronnie Simonsen passed away yesterday afternoon.  Here is a post from Kim Ho, his sister.

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Ronnie died peacefully at 4:30pm this afternoon.   He had a wonderful day.  He was laughing with the nurses. He walked to the solarium with Jake and Ellen.  When he returned to his room, he sat in the chair and quickly loss consciousness.  He never regained consciousness.   I will share funeral plans when they’ve been named

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Funeral arrangements are as follows:

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The viewing  will be held at Douglas and Johnson Funeral Home on 214 Main Street in Salem NH this Saturday from 2 to 6 pm.

The funeral will be at Triumphant Cross Lutheran Church (TCLC) on 171 Zion Hill Road in Salem NH at 2 pm on Sunday.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be sent to the Ronald Simonsen Memorial Fund c/o TCLC at 171 Zion Hill Road, Salem NH 03079.

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Ronnie will be sorely missed.  He was a wonderful, positive man with a zest for life.  I was fortunate enough to be able to speak with him this past Saturday.  Even then he spoke of acting, and of the skits he did, and of the wonderful people he knew.

He asked for those of you he knew from Jabberwocky (almost all of you by name, actually, as well as a few that are from years past.  What a wonderful memory he had!), and said at least one positive thing about each of you.  

Know that Ronnie held all of us in his Jabberwocky family - past and present - in very high regard.   As I'm sure we all will remember him in the exact same way.

Jabberwocky love,

faith

coffee cake sale fundraiser!

Here is some information about the coffee cake fundraiser that is GOING ON NOW to benefit camp jabberwocky.

If anyone wants to buy coffee cakes to support Camp Jabberwocky,
please e-mail me at maggieraemer@gmail.com with what flavor you want
and how many by DECEMBER 8TH. They are $12 dollars each and make great
holiday gifts!

The flavors are:
Sour Cream & Cinnamon (faith's personal note:  VERY delicious.  this is the top seller, and one of my
          favorites)
Chocolate Ecstasy (faith's personal note:  Also VERY delicious.  especially good for the chocoholics
          on your holiday gift list.
Cranberry Cream
Lotsa Lemon (faith's personal note:  my favorite)
Pumpkin Cream

Faith's notes:  i have not had cranberry or pumpkin cream coffee cakes, but have heard rave reviews.  and what good holiday flavors!

These coffee cakes freeze really well, and are also easy to slice.  Great for holiday parties coming up, or to give as gifts.

Bon Apetit!

and jabberwocky love,
faith

Show of hands, please...

As of 2 am today, Daylight Savings Time has ended.  If you have not already done so... please turn your clocks BACK an hour.  An hour more sleep!

The local newscaster where i am mistakenly told everyone to turn their clocks forward an hour.  So now there are people all over the place who are 2 HOURS EARLY for everything.

Remember, it's:

Fall BACK
       and
Spring AHEAD

when it comes to Daylight Savings...

{i changed all the clocks i could reach in my house, but there are two that i can't change by myself.  So depending on what room i'm in in my house - the time is drastically different.  It's like living in the Twilight Zone.  Who's with me?  Show of hands, please?}

Jabberwocky love,
faith

Dr. Steve's adventures via photo...

As you may or may not remember, i posted in October that Dr. Steve would be going to Haiti for a 3-month period of time as a "Durant fellow" to help the people of Haiti get adequate healthcare in the face of recent disasters....

He has shared a photo link so that we can all see where he is and what he's doing.

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Haiti photos are going to gallery.me.com/shg2. Please share with camp.



Love to you! SG

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i hope you will enjoy...

jabberwocky love,
faith

BABY BELLA IS HERE!!!

CONGRATULATIONS SULLY AND JAY!!!

Bella Katherine St. Amour was born yesterday 11/6/10.  She weighed in at 6 pounds and 14 ounces, and is 18 and a half inches long...

10 fingers and 10 toes.

Mom, dad, and Bella are all healthy and doing fine.

Hopefully there will be more info to follow soon...

Congrats again, to the St. Amours.  Here's to a brand-new generation of Jabberwocky counselors... lol... and i'm sure you'll have a bevy of baby-sitters to choose from until that time comes.

Love to one and all
Jabberwocky style,

faith

On the move...

Hi folks

Nancy Connelly has moved back to Nashua for a while while she looks for another room-mate situation.  She would like everyone to know that she is no longer in Mont Vernon.  She does not know how long she will be in Nashua - it might be a good chunk of time, or it may go by much more quickly - so, until further notice, please use her Nashua contact info.

If you need her Nashua address or phone number, please feel free to contact me.

Thanks!

Jabberwocky love,
faith

Kendra's Surgery

Hi folks!

More Kendra news...

About a week and a half ago, Kendra had some surgery.  I don't have details as to what it was about.  I do know that it was successful, she was super-brave, and after just a few days in the hospital, she is now home.

She would *love* to have cards sent to her!  Can you just imagine Kendra and an over-flowing mailbox?  Priceless...

So please email me directly for Kendra's address.  I would be happy to share with you.

We love you, Kendra!  Stay well!

Jabberwocky love,
faith

Halloween...

Did everyone have a good one?

Did anyone dress up?

What's your favorite trick-or-treat candy?

I'm curious to see how people spent their Halloween, so do share stories!

I've heard that there was a folly of sorts in Amherst on Halloween weekend.  I don't have ANY of the details, so if someone could fill me in, I would really appreciate it.  Makes it a lot easier to post about an event if there's something to write about... hahaha.

Seriously though, any info would be good...  I know there are a lot of Jabberwockians connected in the Amherst-y area nowadays.  I'd rather have repeat info than nothing at all...

Waiting...

Jabberwocky love,
faith

Movin' On Up...

Stefanie Sacks has officially moved into her own condo in Peabody.  She is adjusting slowly but surely.  I'm sure her dog, Coco, is also doing some adjusting to his new environment.

Please email either me or Stefanie directly if you would like her new mailing address.

I've heard that Stefanie is already having weekend company, and enjoying time spent with friends. 

Congratulations, Stefanie!

Jabberwocky love,
faith

Mike's Play goes public...

another update from Maggie Raemer....

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The other exciting adventure I had this month was when a bunch of July


counselors took a road trip to Williamstown, MA. Our very own, Mike

Leon wrote a play called, Ghost in the Machine which was begin

performed at Williams College. The play was amazing and it was great

to see it, visit Williams, and hang out with the cast! We were all

very impressed with Mike's play-writing talents.

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So Mike, CONGRATULATIONS on your play!  it's amazing that you wrote one, first of all... not very many people can do that ...

and then that it actually was PERFORMED?  Kudos to you, my friend!  I hope you know that those us who weren't there with you to watch the performance still support your talents, abilities, and courage.

Congrats again!

Jabberwocky love,
faith

Kendra's Columbus Day Weekend

a note from our own Maggie Raemer about a fun-filled long weekend with Kendra.  Sounds like everyone had a blast!

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Over Columbus Day weekend i had the pleasure of being with


Kendra all weekend while her mom was in California and her dad was

working. We had a BLAST! I stayed at her house the first night, of

course we took a trip to the Cape Cod Mall, visited Sal, Ron and

Jackie at Hannoush Jewelers {on a personal note, i wish i could have been there to watch these interactions - faith!)  

and had a delicious dinner at TGIFridays!


On Saturday we drove to Boston and she got to see my dorm room and

meet some of my new friends at BU. We went out for a delicious lunch,

too! On Sunday we woke up and went out to breakfast with Peter,

Kaitlin, Alex, Caroline, Samantha and Larkin! Then, we hung out at my

house before going to Sully's house for a visit. (We even got to see

the baby's very cute pink nursery!) We played some band hero, and of

course went out for some Mexican food! Monday we got up early and

went to King Richard's Fair in Carver, MA... we had a great time,

Kendra went on rides and even got her face painted like a puppy. We

went to the Tiger show and saw dancers and a magician. All in all, it

was a very fun weekend!

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Sounds a lot better than the way i spent *my* Columbus Day weekend!  You go, Kendra!  Thanks for the update, Maggie!

November...

you know that saying, "it never rains, but it pours?"

well - for a while there wasn't anything of note to post on the blog (at least not stuff that people were telling *me*) and now?  KA-BLAM!

Tons of stuff.

So one at a time.  Here we go.

Jabberwocky love,
faith

Dr. Steve's adventure...

Hello folks

As you may or may not know, Dr. Steve is leaving for Haiti in a few days.  I am not sure of the actual date, but i know that it will be soon.  He will be gone for 3 months.  Here is a bit about his trip that he wrote in an email:

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

 I am going [to Haiti]as a "Durant Fellow." Dr. Durant was a Camp Jabberwocky kind
of guy, an MGH doctor who went around the world wearing a Red Sox hat whenever
there was some kind of disaster and organizing rugby games with the local people
during his off hours...Dr. Durant passed away, but the MGH "Refugee Medicine"
department was established in his honor and there are MGH nurses and docs all
over the world at any given time.

My role will be to see patients and to work with the Haitian Health Ministry to
try to help them develop a better system of primary care (currently there is
none) and better primary care training for Haitian nurses and doctors.

Of course, I will try to channel as much of Camp as I can while I'm there.
=============================

Dr. Steve will continue to have email access while he is in Haiti, and  would love to hear from people now and then.  I don't know how quickly he would be able to respond, but, just to know he's being thought of...

Safe travel, Dr. Steve!  We love you.

Jabberwocky love,
faith

Kelsey G update

Kelsey will perhaps be keeping a blog while she is in Austrailia.  She's not sure how often she will update it, but i *do* have the blog address info if you would like it. Email me, or send me a private message on Facebook and i will give you the information that i have.

thanks, and jabberwocky love,
faith

Down Under

Today our own Kelsey G. leaves to go to Austrailia for 3 months as part of her schooling.  She didn't leave an address, but perhaps will be posting on a blog now and then to let us know of her adventures.  As i get info, i will share it with you of course.

Kelse, all of us in your Jabberwocky family wish you safe travel and amazing adventures!

Jabberwocky love,
faith

FAME DVDs

If you have ordered one, you should have received your copy of your dvd of Camp's FAME performance by now.  Most of them work fine, but some are experiencing glitches.  If yours is one of those with a glitch, please contact Kristen "Sully" St. Amour, and let her know.

Thanks and Jabberwocky love,
faith

Stefanie's exciting news

Stefanie Sacks will be moving into her own condo in Peabody sometime this mid-to-late October.  It's a work in progress, and she doesn't know a lot of specifics at this particular time.  She asks that you not bombard her with a million questions; she will let information out a little at a time as she learns more.

Congratulations, Stef!

Jabberwocky love,

Baby Shower

As most of you know, our dear Kristen "Sully" St. Amour is expecting a baby girl in approximately 2 months.  So a group of July counselors (headed by Maggie Raemer) threw her a surprise shower. 

I was not present, so i don't know a lot of the details.  I don't even know if Sully was surprised.  But as Maggie reports, "everyone had a good time."  According to Maggie, they even played a game where they had to "eat poop out of diapers."  Don't worry, by "poop" she REALLY means melted chocolate!

I'm not sure i'll be eating ANYTHING out of diapers any time soon, but i'm glad everyone had fun.

We love you, Sully and Jay!  Have a happy, healthy baby!

Jabberwocky love,
faith

Exciting News!

This Monday, September 6th, a story about Jabberwocky and the 4th of July parade will be airing on NPR! Make sure you tune in around 12:30 and 1pm, it should be great! And don't forget to spread the word to your friends and family!

The Race for Jabberwocky!

On August 21st, July counselors spent their day on beautiful Martha's Vineyard volunteering at Jabberwocky's biggest fundraiser: the 5K! We raised lots of money for camp and had a great time doing it! Can't wait for next year's race!

Patricia Neal

She was a truly great friend to all of us at Camp Jabberwocky.  It's hard to believe she's no longer with us since we just saw her at the July Camp play a few weeks ago.  When we thanked her daughter Lucy for bringing Patricia to the play she said, "Are you kidding?  I had no choice!"  Patricia was a real inspiration to the entire Jabberwocky community and we'll miss seeing her cheer us on at the parade and having her visit and call us all "My Dear".  Thank you for blessing us all Patricia - you are an icon and one-of-a-kind!

Sad News To Share

We have recently learned that our dear camp nurse, Eleanor Morad, has lost her son last week in an auto accident. Her son, Norman Peloquin, was the father of her adorable grandchildren MacKenzie & Oliver who often visited us at camp. Our thoughts and prayers are with Eleanor and her family at this time. Below is the info if you would like to send cards or flowers:

Eleanor Morad
P.O. Box 4233
117 Holly Tree Lane
Vineyard Haven, MA
02568



In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Buttonwood Park Zoological society in memory of Norman Peloquin, 425 Hawthorn Street, New Bedford, MA 02740. For service information go to:

dartmouthfuneralhome.com


Thanks-Sully

"Fame" Rocked!

Who would have guessed it?  After days of ridiculous rehearsals and no final script in place, the Jabberwocky players once again pulled off a fine play.  Here's some pictures.   Thanks for coming if you did - the place was packed both nights!

Hellcat opened the show with a flawless rendition of "The Jabberwock" poem.  Really, she made no mistakes, at 97 years old...

The show was a somewhat faithful reproduction of the classic film from the 80's:

But then someone thought it would be smart to put Darth Vadar and some storm troopers in there:

But "Fame" prevailed!

THE PLAY IS TONIGHT!

Please come see our production of "Fame" tonight at the camp (Greenwood Ave, Vineyardhaven).
Friday July 16th, and Saturday July 17th...
Showtime is 7:30pm, admission is free, and fun times are guaranteed!

Just another day

Mary Beth made a pot using her nose and chin...

Scotty and David picked some blueberries....

Paul edited a video on his laptop...

At studio night Dominic and Matt played violins...

Stephanie did an amazing act with a dog where she spilled a bowl of cereal all over the floor and he licked it up...

And Benicia and Justin did a number from "High School Musical"

The Fishing Trip

Some of us went on an excellent fishing excursion aboard the SS Skipper.  Everyone caught a fish!

We decided not to eat any of the fish we caught and instead threw them back into the sea.

The Play is coming up!  July 16th and 17th at 7:30pm...c'mon over and be amazed! 

Street Fair

Last week we marched into town en masse for the Tisbury Street Fair, intent on taking the world by storm and gorging everything the fair had to offer.  Namely pizza, ice cream, donuts, and other exotic cuisines that can only be found on the Vineyard. Rolling into a packed street fair 70-deep was an adventure in itself, so it's no small feat that the show was stolen by an awe-inspiring performance of George climbing the rock wall.  As he fearlessly climbed the Mt. Everest of rock walls, all eyes in Tisbury were on George.  The Man.  The Myth.  The Legend.

Ride a Horse

A reprise of one of our favorite original songs from Camp Jabberwocky, "Ride a Horse" - by Kevin Braxton and Jason Lopes.  

You don't need to adjust the sound on your computers - yes, you are in fact listening to the voices of angels.

Evening Kayak off Chappy

Although our good friends in the August session have partook in this adventure before, us July folk had never ventured to Chappaquiddick for a kayak trip.  It was awesome!  We paddled under the famous bridge and through pristine lands till our arms nearly fell off.

Nobody fell in the water unless they wanted too.  For some reason the water was very warm out there so most of us ended up taking a sunset dip and then sort of regretting it once we had to endure the cool breeze.

Some of us used canoes instead of kayaks.

The trip back in the dusk light was wonderous...

Horseback Riding and Water Fighting

The heat wave continues but it won't slow us down a bit!  We hydrated ourselves silly and went horseback riding like the cowboys of yore...

Sierra went on a trail ride:

That afternoon we had a water fight.  At first it was a baseball game, but then it turned into an all out soakfest.  Behold!

That evening we went kayaking and fishing, but you'll have to tune in tomorrow for those pictures.  Life is good here at Jabberwocky!