Well here goes......I guess we're moving into the future here as I lay aside the old NWTC website. Let's hope I can manage this blog.
It is my hope that it will be a natural continuation on from A Time for Sharing (http://www.tomhunterblog.blogspot.com/) as we move on to a life without our dear Tom Hunter, at least in physical form. My tears started to flow as I typed that last sentence. I guess it still hits me unexpectedly and the sadness wells to the surface. I miss him terribly still and imagine I always will. Yet I know we all have to take the steps forward into the future as we all do our best to Keep it Going. I know Tom would be pleased that Camp is still alive without him; I can sometimes just hear him chuckle and feel his hands on my shoulders. Lets see what happens with this site. It is my hope that it will be a place to connect, check in , and share our stories. Our lives are busy and full yet we also need to find nourishment and ways to fill ourselves up. It is healing to know we are not alone and that there are others who are there to listen and care. I hope you are able to make a posting and bring this blog to life. My love goes out to you all as we move into the last part of summer.With a smile, Dale
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29 comments:
Dale~ Thank you so much for setting up this blog-it means so much to us to stay connected! With gratitude, Billie
Dear Camp friends, I will attempt a blog message. I have never tried this before, so ...Camp has been over for two weeks and it seems so very long ago. Hannah and I were in Bellingham for a short time last Tuesday. It was a beautiful day. After picking up some documents Hannah needed we decided to walk from Boulevard park along the south bay trail into town. We walked past the Boundary Bay Brewery. I showed Hannah where the concert had been held. It felt so very strange for me to look down on the courtyard and tables, stage,... and not see my camp friends there. For that is where Dale and I left so many of you as we wandered off back to Poppa and Dottie's. (Forgive us for not saying good-bye to each and every one of you. We had said good-bye so many times before, we couldn't bear to do it once again.) Our time amongst you was a balm to the soul. What a gift camp is. Love to each of you. Linda (P.S. We stopped in at Mallards for ice cream before walking back. Coconut with chocolate and almonds for me. My favorite and the best coconut ice cream to be found anywhere!!!!)
Linda and Dale~ We will be there in spirit whenever you get to Bellingham-at Mallard's, Boundary Bay, etc. It does seem like forever ago that we were together and I am still having re-entry blues-not quite ready to be apart from camp folk and that closeness that seems to be unique to that event. I am hopeful though that we will all stay connected thru this blog,phone calls, notes, etc so camp won't seem so far away this year! Enjoy the rest of your summer~ Love, Billie
Hello all-
What fun for us to have a space to stay connected, hear stories, share memories, create vitality together. I've been hearing snippets and more about many of the campcrew and look forward to hearing more from each of you.
My time since camp has ended has been filled with new families starting my program - which has been odd, since they don't know Tom or at least of Tom like so many of my current families do . . . but each family as they enroll now get a CD of Tom's as a welcome gift, so they can sing along with us here, there, everywhere.
I'll write more later for sure, and check in often.
It feel so good to have this as an option -- thank you Dale, thank you, thank you.
WIth love,
Kelly (you know where!)
This is such a great idea! Thank you for doing this, Dale. I think a lot of people feel that this year, the grieving, laughing, sharing, singing and panty throwing took our relationships with each other to a new level. It seems right that we have a medium to keep that going as well.
I'm sure some of the many brilliant minds in this group will come up with some creative ideas for this blog. For example: How about if we post people's birthdays? If you know somebody's birthday is coming up in say, the next month you can let the rest of us know: I'll start:
Billie's 50th is Aug. 16th. Woohoo! Go Billie!!!
Flip's is Aug. 27th. She is having her annual birthday concert at the Fairhaven Library at 7:00 with Mallard Ice Cream at intermission. Everyone is invited.
Guess that's all for now. Love to you all!!
Heidi
Great idea Heidi~ Cori's is THIS Thursday, July 31st, Anne Louise' is Aug 9th, Julie A (from AZ) is August 22nd and Xander and Richard are both August 26th! Did I miss anybody?? I've just been telling people about this blog as I talk to them so it may trickle in at first but have a feeling once the word gets out it will be well used-thanks again Dale! Love, Billie
I liked the birthday reminders too.
Linda RO October 7th
Hannah RO May 30th
Mariah RO May 21st
Dale RO June 19th
Heyla everyone!
Dearest, darling Dale, thank you so very much for taking this on - again! It is very appreciated! And thanks to everyone who has posted - I know this will keep going as we continue to grow in our friendship together!
My transition home went fairly smoothly, though I was sad to be leaving my camp world behind. It was lovely to be able to give Xander a hug, and to share out the 6 pints of Mallard's I brought back with me! I'mtaking care of a 5 year old girl, as the Montessori closes over the summer. Xander is currently working on his list "Top Ten Reasons Not to Have a Little Sister", except that I think he was on reason 27...they get along fine most of the time, but he's used to his solitude and routines (so am I, for that matter - it's been an adjustment for us both!). We managed to fit a (somewhat rainy) camping trip in right before a campfire ban was imposed, so we were able to enjoy our peeps and s'mores. And my choir has started its summer drop-ins, so I was able to get out and sing to my heart's content on Tuesday. Summer is quickly passing by, and I'm wondering if and how I'll manage a trip over to Bellingham before it's done. My arms ache for want of more hugs.
Love to you all, and huge cyber hugs as well!
Cori
Hi All~ Just wanted to share some good news-I just came from the hospital where I got to hold my first grandchild!! Anna Noelle was born tonight -7 lbs 14 oz, 19 inches long and lots of dark curly hair! Having this new little girl to love should help with the sadness I'm feeling at all 3 of my big girls going off into the world...at least in theory! Cori reminded me that this is also the day that J.K.Rowling and Harry Potter were born (as well as Cori herself)so it was a great day to be born and many of you know what song I sang to her..."On the day that Anna was born...the angels sang and they blew on their horns...(-thanks Anne Louise for the perfect introduction to our world.) Life is good~Love, Billie
Billie, dearest,
Congratulations to you and your family! What a lucky little girl to have you for a grandmother!
love to all,
Cori
This is sooo cool. Thank you Dale!!!
Mat and I spent a couple weeks after camp driving around WA and visiting family. We returned home on the 25th. Since my return, I have been spending time in my yard, making it beautiful again. I have been inspired by Heidi's marvelous garden!
I wish you all well, and like Cori, I too am aching for hugs!
Hi Everyone,
I want to extend a big thank you to Billi, flip, Heidi, and everyone else who worked so hard to make this camp happen. It was wonderful! (and of course Dale for setting up this blog)
Congratulations Bille! A new Granddaughter...I'm so envious. Will she be at your birthday party?
I hope the summer is going well for all of you.
Kathy
Kathy
In my attempts to get pictures online I managed to find out that if you click on the little yellow(I think its yellow anyway) figure at the bottom of the slideshow unit, then it takes you to the public albums I have on Picasa. At least it does on mine anyhow. Let me know if it works.
ok gang . . . this is my third attempt at sending you a comment. let's hope the third time is the charm! i think i'll leave it at that until i see it works and then write again. cheers! pam
Hooray Pam! It worked.Its nice to check in here and feel like there is a place for me here that is shared by so many wonderful people. My love to you all,
Dale
hi all! i am now going to leave a REAL message. this is so exciting. i feel so 21st century!
i so enjoyed having friends stay at my house after camp and the gift of a lingering departure, more music and laughter.
camp inspired me in so many ways and i have enjoyed practicing my renewed inspirations - being more aware, making more music, living with intention, keeping up with friends and family, remembering the details. i have been puttering around school all the while listening to and singin tom songs. i am SOOOO excited to have school begin and share new songs (especially the jellyfish song!)
happy (belated) birthday to you, cori!!! did xander get my letter?
congratulations to billie and family with the birth of anna. grandparenting is such a lovely gift. billie, you will absolutely LOVE being a grandparent - and your grandchildren will adore you!
i am finishing a book called "Spirit Whisperers" - teachers who teach to the spirit of children. it's a tom book for sure and i just can't believe that these two men didn't meet somewhere along the way. the author's name is chick moorman. any of you familiar with him or attended one of his workshops? i would love to get some feedback from anyone who has read or heard him. i decided that if anyone asks me my philosophy of education, besides saying my philosophy is "YES" that they should read this book. it pretty much sums up what i feel.
so . . . i hope this finds you all well and enjoying your summers.
oh, kim - if you're there - how's the tooth doing? i didn't hear about it until about a week ago from billie. so sorry - hope it is fixed soon.
peace, joy and love to you all, pam
Yeah, Kim. How's the tooth fixing coming?
Heidi
I just read a posting on Tom's Blog that included some pretty amazing lyrics from a song by Ysaye M. Barnwell.I followed up and found her My Space page and thought you might enjoy it.
http://www.myspace.com/ysayembarnwell
I'd love to hear the song sung now.
Wishing you all the same sunset I'm seeing out the window of my Dad's house in Anacortes....Dale
Hi everyone! I'm so excited to come back from a week in Yosemite and find this new blog! Dale, what a great way to help keep us all connected. While camping I took my digital voice recorder (another amazing piece of technology way beyond my understanding but I enjoy it nonetheless) and listened to camp while gazing and the sunset over Half Dome. Silver moon was a favorite. On one of our mega hikes when talking wasn't really an option I thought about camp and how wonderful it was and I thought about Tom and how I was taking him with me wherever I roam...
I'd love to linger here longer but I have mail, laundry, etc. to catch up on a bit. It was wonderful to "hear" your voices again!
Dale, Thank you for creating a place for all of us to stay connected. I like the birthday reminders also. I would like to add my birthday to the list. I have kept my birthday hidden for most of my life. Last year a co-worker gave me the gift of having the children and parents sing happy birthday to me but that was not the end. My current class found out also and they too sang happy birthday to me. The powerful energy generated when singing Happy Birthday to others at teachers camp was the key to make it ok for others to know when my birthday is and sing to me. My birthday is Dec 25th.
I am longing for camp hugs too. I was involved with the free hugs and hot dogs during the Tour de Terrace parade on July 25th. I held the free hug sign and walked along the side of the road offering free hugs to all that would accept them. For the children and some adults that were not comfortable with the hugs I offered high 5's and they took me up on my offer. Most everyone accepted a hug. The children stood along the side of the road waiting for their turn with their arms open wide. Soon I will see the pictures that were taken from the camera that followed me. I was only able to travel about a block before the parade began and the free hot dog coupons in my hand were all passed out. My daughter and I will be ready for next year. I'm planning on entering the crowd sooner and traveling even farther down the road.
penny
I also posted some of my camp photos on the site that Dale used. I'm not sure but I think this link will take you there!
Debbie Handy
http://picasaweb.google.com/nipomodeb/Camp08?authkey=qAFEtYrrR_8
Way to go Debby! Your pictures link worked perfectly. Thank you! It's always fun to see new photos.
Hi All~ Just wanted to touch base before life gets too crazy with everyone starting back to school! I know the Phoenix teachers are already back this week and working hard to make things ready for their new classes. What about the rest of you-when do you go back or have you, like me, been working right thru the summer?
The biggest life change for me (besides becoming a grandma and turning 50 next week!) is the imminent departure of all 3 of my "big girls"-We are moving Jenna to Phoenix on the 21st for college at ASU (Thank you Kim for promising to be her Arizona mom!), Cate moves to Nashville on the 29th to try her hand in the radio/ music management business ( big thanks to John Knowles who is taking her out for coffee and introducing her to some of his buddies in the field!),and Betsy got engaged and is moving on Labor Day to go back to school for her special ed degree. I am NOT looking forward to having such a quiet house and will miss them all but know there are silver linings in all this-so if you've been thru this life change-I'd love to hear from you about coping strategies, etc! (I remember Tom used to talk about finding people who have experience in what we are facing (sadness, loss, etc) so I'm taking his advice!)
Speaking of life changes,for those of you who don't know, Robin's father died Wed night-she had just got home from visiting him in St.Louis a few days before so she was glad she had that time with him.It seems so many of us have lost others close to us, besides Tom, this year...and yet it doesn't seem to get any easier...a hard year for lots of people. Missing you all and keeping you close in my thoughts and heart-Love, Billie
PS_It's Anne Louise' birthday today!!!
Some of you might know that Deb Curtis and Margie carter are putting together a tribute for Tom to be held at the big NAEYC conference in Dallas in November. They are looking for photos of Tom and others (kids and adults both) from past years to be used in a slide show/dvd that Jeanne Herrick is working on. The soundtrack will be several of Tom's songs plus Judy's song she wrote and Mat reading some quotes from Tom's book. If you have any photos you can share, we can scan them , make copies, whatever but time is of the essence so please contact Jeanne or me as soon as possible! Thanks for your help-Billie (414-353-5422)
Just wanted to thank all of you who took time out of your Sunday to sing birthday songs(or other songs) to Tom yesterday...his family joined us and I'm pretty sure Tom heard them all and responded with an enthusiastic "WOW" as he was prone to doing!
Does anyone have stories or brief anecdotes you'd like to send to me to be shared at a tribute that is being planned by Margie and Deb at the NAEYC conference in Dallas on Nov 7th? If so, please send them my way or call me! Hope the start of your school year has been relatively smooth~ Love, Billie
At the risk of monopolizing the "conversation" (but it's been at 27 comments for a REALLY long time!), I just want to make sure everyone got the email we sent out yesterday about camp. There IS going to be a NWTC 2009 and Judy B., Karee W and I are going to be the coordinators. The dates are July 5-10th and more details will follow soon but we wanted to get the news out now so you can start planning!Hope fall is going well for everyone? Miss hearing from people on this blog so write when you can! Love, Billie
Hi Billie (and all),
Rats! I've just written a post and lost it! I'm going to try again. Recreating never goes as well as the original!
Yes, I got the post about camp! How can I ever thank you (and Keree and Judy and Ellen) enough?!?
I certainly enjoyed singing along on Tom's birthday!
I wonder how the tribute to Tom is going? I would so love to go to the NAEYC conference for the first time, but hard choices must be made. (There is only so much time and money.) Teacher's camp wins out.
Billie, how are your girls doing?
and the grandbaby?
My kindergarten class is quite wonderful this year. It's a big class (24). Over half are not native English speakers. I have the most diverse group in a long time. And I have a fabulous assistant! She has a master's in dance and has worked with children for many years in a prestigious dance school--but their grant money was cut this year! Yea for us! The only big problem I'm having is that my schedule is not my own. There are three kindergarten classes and we have to coordinate schedules so that we can divide the kids into groups for English Language Development classes and Early Reading Intervention classes. I miss having the flexibility to "go with the flow". I'm hoping I'll get used to it because I really don't have a choice!
I'd love to hear how others are doing, too!
Love to all,
Sherry Baugh
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