A 3rd Generation Camp Sewataro Family

A long, long time ago my oldest son Patrick made a new friend. He was his classmate at Rose Hawthorne, a Catholic school in Concord. His friend’s name was Mark Taylor, who lived in Sudbury, MA. Patrick loved to be invited to Mark’s home to play. He would tell me all about the woods, the hills, the trees, and the pure beauty of the pond and the sky above it all.

One day, at a camp event, an Indian program was held at the pond area. By now, I had met Alba, who was Mark’s mother. She shocked me by asking me if I would consider becoming the camp nurse that summer. I was an R.N., a graduate of Mass General Hospital School of Nursing, and I always loved children, and I still do. To make a long story shorter, for the next fifteen years I was a camp nurse and loved every minute of my summers at Camp Sewataro.

To make it even more special, my five children were fortunate to attend camp with me. Patrick, Kevin, Monica, Julia, and Kasey were all campers. For me to be able to work at a day camp was so special because I truly believe that God led me to such a special place. It was so perfect for all of us.

My children realized how blessed they were to attend camp and looked forward to camp each summer. I hated to give up the camp position, but my full-time position as an occupational health nurse required I leave camp. By now, my children had grown and were fortunate to become camp counselors.

It wasn’t Kevin’s desire to become a counselor, as he loved working with Papa Secatore. He learned many skills from him. The rest of my children continued to work at camp throughout their college years. Monica came back to camp after many years in the working world. In turn, her three sons have gone through camp as campers. My grandsons now are all in college and continue at camp as counselors.

I deeply admired Alba. She had all the decisions on camp programs made with the intention of creating a happy environment for children. Children’s happiness was always at the forefront of her goals for the camp. Her own children, Mark, Chris, and Rob, all were leaders in camp. They assisted in the development of Camp Sewataro as it became a beloved summer day camp.

I miss Alba for many reasons. Look how she took care of my family by hiring all of us for so many years. Even as it was sad to see her aging. she did it in great style. I will never forget her and my love for her will never diminish. Her husband Bill was there for her and all of us. He took great care of her in her long illness. My children and grandchildren have been blessed by having known Alba. None of us can ever forget her.

Sincerely written with great love for Alba and Camp Sewataro

Bio: Kathleen Dee Horgan was born and raised in Concord, MA. Her father, Major Michael J. Dee, was the superintendent of the Concord Reformatory. She and her husband Bill had six children. Kathleen was a pioneer in the field of Occupational Health Nursing, managing a health clinic for many years at NMI in Concord. For fifteen summers, Kathleen was the camp nurse at Sewataro. Alba Taylor was her best friend and those Sewataro summers hold a special place in her life.

Ever wonder who made the Harmony peacepipe sign?

I worked 8 years at Sewataro, but it still seems like half my life. My first year I was to teach archery, but somehow I was reassigned one day to teach Indian Lore. With a Navajo chant or two under my belt, I had the kids all beating a community drum (cardboard box) and belting out the chants like pros as Alba happened upon the scene in her silent golf cart. I saw her beam with pleasure. The next day I came to camp and found the yellow sticky note reading: Melinda, See me. Alba. Oh no, had there been a complaint?! Alba asked if I would do “fishing” that day. Then Campcraft, Arts & Crafts, Nature, Canoeing, and on. For me, it was a summer of confidence–building. In the following years I taught Campcraft with Roger (Rogue) - back when he was too young to be the Senior Counselor.

Alba hired me to illustrate the newsletters, to paint the tribe signs, swimming tree numbers, and a sign for every activity at camp. I felt important. The Taylor family treated me like I was (and still am) family. When I took a sign carving class, I designed and carved my first sign for Camp Sewataro. Thirty years later, it is still prominently displayed.

About 30 years ago, I got married, moved to Maryland. I spent two years preparing signs and exhibits for a park system, then 15 years as a naturalist and administrator of a large environmental education facility, and now I am simply working as an artist in every media I choose. I know Sewataro and Alba’s undying confidence in me has made me the person I am today.

Posted By: Melinda

Bio: Melinda Byrd is currently self-employed in her art business, Byrdcall Studio, located just behind her home in Woodbine, Maryland. She is a print-maker, painter, fiber artist, and creative visual problem solver. She lives with her husband and black lab, enjoys hiking, biking, fishing, cross-country skiing, and home brewing.

Say it Loud, Say it Proud

I am a card-carrying member of Sewataro Nation. This camp has had a very profound impact on my family, and for that I am eternally grateful. In September of 2004, my dear friend Robin Jones called me to say, "Today is the day! You HAVE to get your application up to Sewataro right now -- it's first come, first served, and I heard people are already lined up..." Although I didn't want my then-kindergartner to miss out on a what I (being relatively new to Sudbury) had heard was THE camp to end all camps, I had a bit of a dilemma in that my then-infant son was taking his morning nap. (Don't know about you, but when my kids were babies, nap time meant ME TIME, and nothing short of a natural disaster came between me and Me Time. But I digress...) I told Robin I couldn't make it to camp until later in the day, and that I would just have to take my chances that 8-week spots would still be available. Bless her tenacious heart, she told me to get my application ready, and before I knew it, she had picked it up and dropped it off, (along with her own son's application), on my behalf. To this day, I still thank Robin every June for getting us into Camp Sewataro. It's now almost seven years later, and with the exception of my husband and the two frogs we somehow acquired, the whole family goes to camp...and we love it!

Nowadays there are many terrific programs out there, and families have more options than in previous years. My kids have both had experiences in other programs, some they liked all right, some they didn't. For us, nothing compares to Camp Sewataro. It is in a league of its own. So what is it that makes this place so special? Hmmm...since I have only been allotted 3 paragraphs, I'm not sure I can fully answer that question. I'll do my best...

I only have to pull into the driveway to know that I'm in a special place. (Cue John Fitz singing "Inch by Inch": "...Mother Earth will make you strong if you give her love and care...") The grounds are impeccable, and it is quite obvious that every blade of grass, every rock and every shrub is tended to with love and care, compliments of Mark Taylor himself. Equally as beautiful are the smiles that abound from both campers and counselors as they laugh, sing, cheer and chant their way from activity to activity. Warms my heart every time. These counselors really care, and it shows. Many years have passed since that first summer, and my then-kindergartner has somehow become a soon-to-be 7th grader, right before my eyes. Camp Sewataro has been a mainstay in his life all these years, a place he calls home. I believe it is a combination of the counselors, (who in addition to being downright hilarious and fun, have also been excellent role models), the lifelong friendships he has made, (about which I could write an entire blog entry...which gives me an idea...:)), the exciting, diverse activities this camp has to offer, (year after year I think, "How can they top this summer?", and then year after year, they do...), and of course, the daily shenanigans, (like, "Who's Got the Green Gizmo?!"), that ensue each day. There is no doubt much more I could add to the list, but I would say these are the key ingredients that when combined, have created what is in my humble opinion...Magic.

Posted by: Amy

Amy Podolsky lives in Sudbury with her husband Scott and their two boys, Josh and Danny, both of whom are seasoned Sewataro campers. A self-proclaimed "People Person", Amy's professional background is in Television, where she has worked both as a news producer, and as a Researcher for WGBH's Emmy Award winning children's series, "ZOOM". These days she can most often be found cheering and chatting on the sidelines at her kids' baseball and basketball games, joyfully teaching movement (The Nia Technique) to both kids and adults in West Concord, or during the summer, (her favorite time of year), at Camp Sewataro, where she co-directs the "Sewataro Sprouts" preschool program, and is a Young Tribe Head Counselor during the regular camp season.

Alba Day

The Sounds of Sewataro blog has been silent for all too long! Sorry about that. Justification abounds, the main part of which was my wife Alba’s decline and then passing on November 10, 2010. I used to think the word “passing” was a euphemism, but I changed my mind after seeing her last days. The word aptly describes the peaceful transition she made to that which lies beyond. I was grateful that she was home, aware, surrounded by family, and that she was Alba to the end.

Even though Alba had not been active in running the camp for some time, she loved the greetings tribes would give her as she toured the camp from her power wheelchair. Prompted usually by their counselors, except for the Chinook who took the initiative themselves, they would chant, “Helloooo Alllbaaa!” And her smile would widen as she waved back a greeting. With her now gone, naturally there’s a big hole in all our hearts here at Sewataro, but we are committed to continuing her work and her high standards on behalf of children. Her spirit remains. Alba taught us to treat every request with sympathy, to always put our campers first, and to leave no detail to chance. That is our mantra. Please keep the afternoon of May 1^st open and plan to attend our gala “Alba Day” from 2-4 pm. More details to follow, but it will be fun!

In the future, we plan to keep this blog fresh with weekly additions. Besides myself, we have a number of guest bloggers who will bring all sorts of interesting tidbits to you. Stay tuned for a new blog every Wednesday.

Posted by: Rockashaw Bill

Bio: I was born and raised in New Orleans, went to Jesuit High School and Spring Hill College, then got a Ph.D. in English at Brandeis. I taught English for 25 years at Southeastern La. Un. in Hammond, La., until I retired in 2004 to take care of my wife, Alba Taylor, and assist with Camp Sewataro. I've written books about contemporary authors Peter Matthiessen and James Salter, and published articles about modern and contemporary fiction.

Climbing Tower

Sorry I haven’t written lately.  Alba, my love and camp’s founder, had to be hospitalized again.  After two weeks, however, the good news is that she’s on the improve and should be home before long, perhaps even before our first training day for staff on May 22^nd.

I did start to discuss some of our innovations this year, and in this blog I want to tell you about an exciting new addition to Sewataro for 2010, a climbing tower.  It all started with our campers and the surveys they fill out at the end of the session about things they would like at camp.  The most repeated request was for a climbing wall.

So we started investigating the possibilities in the fall.  By the new year we were committed to making it happen, but wanted to check out as many varieties as possible first hand before deciding.  Christine told us about a climbing tower on the beach at her favorite vacation getaway, Aruba.  In January Mark, Rob, and I went to visit local climbing walls such as those at Lincoln-Sudbury High School and Bosse Sports.  We also trekked to Marblehead to inspect a tower built by the same company as the one Chris saw in Aruba.  And we ventured out to western Massachusetts to see samples at one company’s manufacturing site.  After all this investigation and multiple phone calls to various manufacturers, we decided on a permanent tower instead of a portable wall for both aesthetic reasons and because it more closely resembles the real thing.  Our criteria for our final choice were functionality, beauty, and authenticity. 

Mark scouted the property for just the right spot to locate it and found the perfect place on the hill above volleyball.  It needed some pruning and clearing, so, during their school vacation, our two youngest male Taylors, Cameron and Graham, with one of Graham’s camper friends, Josh, helped in the clearing of the site. 

Because the company that we settled on using is located in Colorado, there were logistic problems, such as getting it here and assembling it.  It arrived in sections about two weeks ago.  After making a concrete platform, Mark tackled the daunting enterprise of putting it together in less than a week with Rob’s skilled and my unskilled assistance.  Believe me, a project of this dimension does not go without challenges, but Mark is a genius of the practical, so all challenges were met and conquered.  Rob, calling on his vast experience in teaching climbing, has guided us in every step of the way, acquired all of the necessary ancillary equipment, and put together a training manual for the camp climbing staff.

We have an inspection of the tower this Friday, and on Saturday experts from Project Adventure are giving an intensive training course for all those involved with the activity. We are all excited as can be by this new adventure, and we are sure you all can’t wait to check it out.  So here are some photos of the process and the result.

New stuff at Sewataro--Two-week campers

Why Two-Week Camp?

In my last blog, I alluded to all the innovations Sewataro has committed to in 2010, and I promised to reveal some of our behind-the-scenes thinking about each change. Let’s begin with our initiating two-week sessions for the first time in Sewataro’s fifty year history.

For a number of years, we saw other camps go in this direction, but we were reluctant to follow their example because we felt that ideally the fullness of the camp experience required time for each of the groups to bond into a cohesive unit of friendship and cooperation, as well as time for children to discover a side of themselves that might be different from their school/home selves. Another reason we hesitated is that we believed that one of the goals of camp is growth in ability, i.e., a process of developing skills whether they be at tennis, swimming, archery, or any of the activities; and ideally such growth is more likely to occur in four weeks or eight weeks than in two weeks.

Although we still believe that the four and eight week camp experiences are ideal for children, everyone does not live in the ideal world. Increasing demands on our children’s time and competing attractions for our children’s attention during the summer do not always leave time for a longer camp experience. After talking with a number of parents, we came to realize that families’ schedules and commitments call for more flexibility on our part, and we need to support our camper families. Another aspect of less-than-ideal contemporary reality, of course, is economic. For some, the cost of camp has become a strain, and we wanted to find a way to share the benefits of Sewataro with as many as possible. Two-week sessions are a step in that direction.

So our offering of two-week sessions this year is a recognition of the reality of changing times. And yet, while we must be realists, we continue to be idealists, maintaining the same goals in our two-week program as we have always had in our four and eight week programs. It is only the degree of accomplishment that may be diminished. Two-week campers will experience the same degree of fun and be exposed to the same variety of activities as our four and eight week campers. And we are committed to instilling in the them our characteristic spirit of teamwork, cooperation, and unity, just in a more concentrated way. During counselor training this year, we will be addressing this very thing, exploring ways to accomplish our goals within the shorter time span.

Can we do more in eight weeks than in four? Sure. Can we do more in four weeks than in two? Of course. Regardless of how long the session, however, Sewataro will continue to be that special place it always has been: a spectacular place of natural beauty with a unique blend of spirit, variety, care, commardarie, and enthusiasm.

New stuff at Sewataro--Elk saga continues

I’ve been remiss in blogging lately because we’ve all been busy planning all the changes for next summer that you may have read about in our latest Sewataro Newsletter: the introduction of two-week sessions, the pre-camp two week “Sewataro Sprouts” half-day program for pre-schoolers, the half-day option for our youngest campers during the regular camp sessions, our extended-day option to accommodate working parents, and the box lunches offered to busy parents by Concord Teacakes. All of these are NEW! You have to wonder if we are crazy, don’t you, taking on all this innovation at the same time.

And this doesn’t even include the additions to our regular camp programming that we are planning as well: Rock Climbing, the resurrected Sewataro Garden, the Frog Pond, Fire-Building Instruction, Overnights for older campers, and the Sewataro Music-in-the-Woods Studio. All of this is hard to explain in one gulp, much less accomplish, but we are ambitious and, in the spirit of our dear Alba Taylor’s passion for making Sewataro the best summer camp in the world for kids, we are excited about forging ahead. In my next few blogs, I thought I would tackle these innovations one by one, explaining our behind-the-scenes thinking on each.

Meanwhile, of course, let us continue our saga of the Elves of the Land of Three Ponds.

The Challenge of the Sorcerers

     At the conclusion Shallimar’s speech, a stunned silence was broken almost immediately by the pops of scattered clapping, which spread like a growing groundswell into a wave of applause and cheering with even some high pitched whistling. The crowd of elves had clearly spoken their mind, allowing their enthusiasm for the perfomance to spill over into their acceptance of Shallimar’s request. When the “Daily Elf” carried the story the next morning, and Dragoric and Tifallel read in the cold light of day what Shallimar had said and how positive the Elvish reaction was, they almost at once headed in each other’s direction, in their haste and consternation almost bumping into one another on the road. “What should be done?” asked Tifallel. “We must immediately call a meeting of the Council,” answered Dragoric, “This is more serious than I imagined. I thought they would be gone by Monday.”

     The Council elected a new President every three years, almost always choosing a leader from a different clan than previously in order to avoid any bias from developing. Currently it was Samiton of the Makers who presided over this emergency meeting. He got quickly to the issue at hand, allowing Dragoric to outline what he considered the serious and immediate threat to their community that this band of Sorcerers presented. “The trick Shallimar performed at the pond,” warned Dragoric, “was more than sleight of hand or an illusion. It certainly derived from the dark arts. Now the ordinary elves think his powers are so great that he should be welcome among us, but I fear this kind of power will corrupt us. It will lead us down paths we have long ago rightfully forsaken.”

     Some of the Council were less alarmed, asking what harm indeed had the Sorcerers done. The most vocal in support of the Sorcerers’ request was Familor, the Players’ representative who had arranged the week-long performances and who was secretly conspiring with Shallimar. Most of the representatives, however, were persuaded by Dragoric’s logic and Tifallel’s questions. A vote was taken. Seven voted to refuse Shallimar’s request; four voted in favor.

     Shallimar had anticipated this outcome, and frankly he was pleased that the vote was as close as it was, a fact he had learned from Familor in violation of the Council’s policy of secrecy regarding vote count. This closeness boded well, Shallimar thought, for his follow-up plan to call for a public referendum to overrule the Council of Elders.

     Only twice in Elf history had this procedure been enacted, for to bring it about required that a written petition be signed by one quarter of the elves of the Land of Three Ponds. The Sorcerers asked each Elf to sign the petition as he or she entered their final performance on Sunday evening. At intermission the petition was passed from row to row. The drive was enormously successful as the crowds were awed by all the Sorcerers could do. Many secretly wondered if, in fact, they would be an even more effective safeguard against internal and external discord than the clan of Protectors.

     Frequently families were divided according to age in their reaction to the petition that was being circulated. The younger members seemed to favor welcoming the Sorcerers as more modern and hip than the stodgy leadership of the village. The older family members were more cautious and suspicious, remembering past disruptions in Elf history and concerned about the nature of the Sorcerers’ magic powers.

     Despite the disagreement that the petition occasioned in the village, the Sorcerers had little trouble collecting the requisite number of signatures given the popularity of their performances and their support among the young. Some even signed the document simply with the hope of regular Sorcerer performances after they settled in the Land of Three Ponds. Dragoric, Tifallel and the other concerned members of the Council were alarmed, for this nearly unpresidented petition to overthrow their decision meant that the outcome would be determined by a popular vote of the entire village.

     What methods would each side use in trying to influence the outcome of this election? And who will win? Find out in the next installment.