Maple Sugaring at Robinson Farm

It is 7:00 AM on April 9 and I have just put my daily spoonful of maple syrup on my oatmeal. I glance at the thermometer which reads 24 degrees and my mind goes to Ken and Janice and the Robinson Farm in Post Mills. You might say why in the world would you string that all together. Here’s why. I know that because it is below freezing today and it will go above freezing later today, that once again the sap will flow in the maple trees. It has been what farmers are calling a “gusher” year. The weather has been perfect for many weeks now and the sap flow has been tremendous. That means Ken and Janice and their family have been working long hours to keep the pans boiling to produce that sweet treasure of the north – Maple Syrup. It is very hard work; collecting, pumping it to the holding tanks, boiling at all hours of the day and night, and “bottling” it after it is finished. It will take anywhere from 32-40 gallons of sap to produce one gallon of syrup. At Ohana Family Camp, we will enjoy the "fruits of their labor" as we pour that delicious golden syrup on our pan cakes and French Toast. Jake, our chef, will use that syrup in all manner of cooking.

We are fortunate to have the Robinsons close by, and more fortunate that they still practice the art of “sugaring.” And it is an art. Every sugar maker has learned the hard way; by dozing off and burning their pan or undercooking their syrup or letting the sap “sour,” if you will, by not boiling it soon enough. Ken has been sugaring for more than 70 years, an art he learned from his father. Janice learned from Ken and has been sugaring for 50 years.

At one time The Robinson Farm and the Bacon Farm (where Ohana is now) were all of the same family, and probably sugared together. We still have the remnants of our old sugar house near the barn, along with many buckets and much of the old equipment. The huge maples wear the marks of ancient drill holes where the taps where placed. They slowly heal over, but if you look closely you can find them.

Sugaring is a ritual in Vermont and we are so lucky to have the benefits of the sweet success on our tables. Ken and Janice are mindful that we need much syrup to feed all the families and campers who stay at Ohana. And campers also like to take a pint home with them to remember Vermont. Ohana’s syrup for this year is already “put up” in 15 gallon containers. With our commitment to support local agriculture, we feel fortunate to be able to buy from a farm just up Quinibeck Road. It is our part in honoring a Vermont tradition and our agricultural heritage. Thank you Ken and Janice.

Elfuns return to Ohana for a work week

Twenty-two Elfuns from nine states recently put on their GE Volunteer caps for a week in mid-June at historic Ohana Camp in picturesque Vermont, accomplishing a wide range of volunteer tasks to help preserve the classic Vermont summer camp on the shores of Lake Fairlee.
Coming to Vermont from California to Connecticut, the Elfuns arrived on a Sunday evening and got the week started with a reception, dinner, and a look at three flip chart pages full of varied work assignments to be led by Ohana Camp Directors Andy and Deb Williams.
The list of accomplishments during the week was impressive! For example, Joe Gould and Randy Morrison built an enclosure for the goats, which sounds easy until calculating in the fact that posthole diggers are basically inoperative when hitting Vermont rock. But the posts are in and standing straight and tall, thanks to Joe and Randy, who also shored up the concrete foundation at the camp’s sugar house.
Andy and Gary Sieving and Gisele Hill worked on both vegetable and flower garden beds, creating areas of both beauty and value. Kathleen Betchkal and Jean Jankowski teamed up to prep a building lovingly called “Area 51” to be the site of an urgently needed maintenance storage space.
Carpentry par excellence produced a new deck for Cabin 12 thanks to Joe Maruyama, Bob McKenzie, and Gene Bratton, while nearby Otto and Moe Jankus and Al Jankowski put shingles on a staff cabin. Right behind them to paint the shingles were Joyce Maruyama and John Betchkal.
Picasso-like painting of camp furniture badly in need of fresh coats of protective and appealing color was accomplished by Linda McKenzie, Carolyn Morrison, and Sue Sheridan. And they were neat – no spilled cans or brush marks!
Dave Hill and Richard Hoffard took charge of prepping the Gardenside building for staff housing, removing rafters which supported low ceilings, pulling out old wall board, checking electrical systems, and getting it spiffy “for immediate occupancy.”
Lois Lovinger was all smiles as she completed a star quilt which is beautiful and will have a place of honor. And our traveling Ohana Camp historian-in-residence-for-a-week, Jean Bratton, came up with more historical “finds”, adding to this locations wonderfully meaningful history.
It wasn’t all work for the week. Will Lange was here to deliver pure Vermont humor, Christopher Wren talked about “Walking to Vermont” following retirement from his NY Times desk , Ben Kilham amazed the group with his stories about bears in Vermont woods, and master storyteller Simon Brooks entertained us preceding a marvelous DVD presented by Andy Williams, summarizing our week together..
Best of all was the terrific hospitality, great food and sense of accomplishment we had during our week with Andy and Deb Williams and the wonderful Ohana Camp staff. Thanks, everybody, for the memories!

Fiddlehead Season

Nothing signals spring at Ohana like the delicate and persistent unfolding of the ferns. We call this Fiddlehead Season, when each little frond unfolds like the head of a violin. Ohana seems to have all manner and variety in it's woodlands and around it's cabins. We have even named the Tent Unit's gathering cabin and wash house, Fern House, in honor of the many ferns that cascade through and surround the area. They soften and beautify the woodlands and edges of fields, the wet areas and the dry areas. And since there are only about 100 varieties of ferns, versus the thousands of plant varieties, they are relatively easy to identify. The Ohana library has a number of field guides to the ferns, but one of our favorites is one written in 1910, about the time the camp was established. It's called "Who's Who Among Ferns" by W.I. Beecroft. The illustrations are as intricate as the ferns are themselves. Ferns have caught the imagination of many. In 1922, Clarissa Buffum, a young nature counselor at Camp Aloha Hive, across the lake, created a wonderful and beautiful poster of the ferns of the area. We are lucky enough to have a copy of it still. As fate would have it, Clarissa later became the mother of David, Bob and Chippy Bassett, who have been long time supporters of the Aloha Foundation and of Ohana Camp, as have their children and grandchildren.

At this time of year some folks forage in the forest for fiddleheads to eat as a delicacy. Here is an old article written by a staff member of the Aloha Foundation's Hulbert Outdoor Center in 1983.

Fiddlehead Ferns - a woodland delicacy
Come springtime, wild food lovers search far and wide for fiddlehead ferns. To many, these are a delicacy. People often wonder what the term fiddlehead refers to. Is it a separate type of fern? Not exactly. The term fiddlehead refers to the early growth stages of any fern. When a fern first pops its head out of the ground, its foliage, or frond, is coiled up like a snail, often resembling the head of a violin, or fiddle, thus the name. The Bracken fern and Ostrich fern are the most palatable of fiddleheads. They are commonly found in open and wooded areas of New England. As you go fiddlehead harvesting, the most important rule of thumb is to leave half of the fronds behind so that the ferns will return next year.
The Ostrich fern, known in the summer for its tall plumes of fertile fronds, is identifiable in the early spring by the tightly coiled tops with brown scale coverings. The scales should be removed before cooking. Ostrich ferns like damp areas and are found growing in crowns or circles of eight to ten fronds per group. The best time to pick Ostrich fern fiddleheads is when they have reached a height of six to ten inches. The Bracken fern is the most common fern found in open, dry woods, clearings and pastures. This fern usually grows to four feet tall and has three main branches from a single stem. Bracken fern fiddleheads have a half inch thick base at harvest time and are covered with a rusty colored wool. Pick only the part that is tender enough to snap easily between your fingers, then remove the rusty colored wool by pulling the frond through your hand. Bracken ferns may be eaten raw (they’re great in salads!) or cooked. Both Ostrich fern and the Bracken fern can be stored in the freezer after they are cleaned of scales or wool, washed and then par-boiled in water for five minutes. These ferns are delicious when steamed for thirty minutes and served with melted butter. When spring settles into your area, perhaps you might like to harvest a few fiddleheads and have a treat!

artwork by Craig Richardson

Winter Work at Ohana

It has been below zero on Lake Fairlee recently, the fishing houses are on the ice, and skaters and cross country skiers can be seen out and about. The winter season is upon us, but work continues at Ohana. Camp has been "buttoned up" since October after a terrific group of volunteers help to close camp during our annual Fall Work Weekend. A rather soggy weekend drew a record 40 volunteers to Ohana. Without the help of these loyal workers we could not accomplish so much in such a short time. After Ohana was "closed up" for the winter, we took a breather to start work on the new brochure. It looks terrific. If you have not received it yet you should let us know.

Winter projects have included the renovation of "Cabin 51" - the tool cabin near the volley ball court. Our Buildings and Grounds men have worked hard to upgrade it, install bathrooms and do general carpentry. It is very exciting to see an old run down building transformed into a very comfortable four bedroom cabin for meetings and lodging.

Our other major project this winter was to start clearing some of the large trees that were growing up and blocking our view of the lake. Although we will not go back to the clearing that was part of view 50 years ago, we certainly are beginning to have a better look at the lake from the Dining Hall. Graham Webster, staff member Libby's brother, and Eamon Donovan have been doing a very professional job under the careful guidance of our forester, Paul Harwood. And we now have all our firewood cut for the next two years!

Even as work goes on in the deep of winter, our families are already making plans to return next summer. We hope you will be among them. We look forward to welcoming you all back to see all the exciting changes.

Weekly Contra Dances for the Families at Ohana Camp

The old dining hall at Ohana Family Camp is full of music and dance each Thursday night as the Family Campers, young and old, take to the floor. David Millstone, well known caller, guides the dancers through the dances and the Sugar River String Band (a family band), accompanies the calling. There is much laughter and fun for the whole group....from babies to grandparents!

It's Mid Summer at Ohana Family Camp

Ohana Family Campers continue to enjoy themselves as mid summer rolls around. The summer seems to be flying by, but the happy laughter from families will stay with us all year. Here are a few photos from this week.

The Wilcox Family feeding Ella the goat at Ohana Family Camp

Ohana Open House to Honor Sabra Field Prints

Saturday afternoon, June 27, was sunny and beautiful as 70 neighbors and friends gathered at Ohana Camp. The event was an opportunity to recognize the work of well known Vermont landscape artist, Sabra Field and to dedicate this suite of four prints of our Ohana view to the memory of Wren Floeckher Smith, an Aloha family camper for many years. Luckily, Wren's family and children were able to attend the event. Neighbors and friends had a chance to view all the renovations to cabins and the historic dining hall. After the dedication, Sabra spoke about the process of creating the original wood block prints, and passed around the actual blocks that were used. There were over 20 blocks used to create the prints. The enlarged prints hang on either side of the massive Dining Hall fireplace for all to enjoy. The original prints, which are 10" x 15", are being used as gifts to donors who contribute to Ohana Camp.

VYCC Crew Completes Ohana Trail

It's completed!!! The staff of Ohana Family Camp were treated to our first walk on the newly completed trail to the waterfront on Friday. It is a terrific trail, as it meanders through the beautiful woods, by old stone walls and by amazing rock formations. The Vermont Youth Conservation Corps worked very hard, in blistering heat and humidity, to complete their project by Friday. On behalf of the Ohana Staff, the Aloha Foundation, and all the future "walkers" on the path, we say a huge thank you to this wonderful crew and their leaders. Come walk with us on our new trail!

New Aloha Camp Parents Welcome Lunch at Ohana

About 60 parents, who were bringing their children to the Aloha Camps for the first time, were invited to a luncheon at Ohana Family Camp on Wednesday. Opening day at the camps, is always a time of mixed emotions for first time parents. Elation that their children will have such a wonderful summer, probably a few little concerns, and often a feeling of emptiness as they leave their children at camp for the first time. The luncheon organized by Ann Downey, Trustee, and the Aloha Foundation's Development Department was a real hit with parents. They enjoyed discussions, a nice luncheon and a chance to meet each other and share a common bond. It's success will surely guarantee a repeat gathering next summer.

VYCC Trail Construction Continues at Ohana Family Camp

Day 4 of trail construction by the Vermont Youth Conservation Corps finds the group making great progress. They have come together as a team, and have learned much about trail construction. In the evening, after they have cooked their dinner and cleaned up, they can be found playing spirited games of volleyball and soceer. It brings to mind the saying that they "work hard and play hard." They are terrific team of young people, with very able leaders Maggie and Emily.



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Ohana Pre Camp Training is in Full Swing

This is staff training week at Ohana Family Camp. Although we have been working with a small crew for over a month now, our full staff arrived on Monday morning. It feels great to have everyone here, and to anticipate the first families arriving on Saturday. Yesterday was a day of projects to get ready for opening. Much time was spent on cleaning out our wonderful old barn to get it ready for use as our arts and crafts area. It is terrific to work as a group and to accomplish so much.

Note how Libby and Courtney take a break to show their real skills!

Vermont Youth Conservation Corps arrives at Ohana Family Camp

A VYCC crew of 8 teenagers and 2 crew leaders arrived at Ohana Family Camp yesterday. They are part of a larger group of Vermont young adults who will be working on crews all over the state this summer. They have set up camp in the Tent Unit at Ohana, where they will cook their own meals and make plans for the trail construction which starts on Sunday. With their leaders, Maggie and Emily, they will plan and inspect the area that has been designated for the Ohana Trail. They will look at potential routes , soil depths, topography of the terrain, interesting points along the way, and a myriad of other details before they actually take any tools to the woods. This energetic group of 4 young men and 4 young women, all Vermonters, have been chosen, as have many outstanding students, to work with this statewide program this summer. The Vermont Youth Conservation Corps is a non-profit youth, leadership, service, conservation, and education organization that instills in individuals the values of personal responsibility, hard work, education, and respect for the environment. This is accomplished by using conservation projects as the vehicle for learning in an intense environment. Read more about their important work at www.vycc.org

GE Service Week - Final Day at Ohana Family Camp

It has been a grand week at Ohama, and all the GE Elfuns are unanimous in expressing heartfelt appreciation to the terrific team which makes this Camp so very special.

We’d like to salute:

Clark for always being one step ahead of the game. His eagerness to be helpful and to make us feel at home couldn’t have been more genuine.

Austin was everywhere doing everything, and anything, that needed attention. Austin, you made a lot of new friends this week.

Lynn, you may be the glue that keeps the day-to-day camp administration together, but this week you also were the thread that kept the sewing circle humming.

Jake you were better than the best in the kitchen, We enjoyed the quality, quantity and variety of your meals. Thanks especially for the cheerful handling of special requests.

Libby your smile is as big as your heart. Your help with the Area 51 crew was awesome. Thanks for being so upbeat and so smart!

Then there’s Deb and Andy. In a word, fantastic. We thank you for caring about us, for making us feel at home, and for helping in every way possible -- even when you were swamped with priority projects of your own.

The DVD will say it all when we get back home. But until then, and forever, thanks to all of you from all of us for a gratifying week together.

Charlotte and Joel Albert

Barbara and Wally Baker

Kathleen and John Betchkal

Jean and Gene Bratton

Pat and Don Dickerman

Ronda and Ron Duvelius

Helen Gaul

Richard Hoffard

Michael Holmes

Marie and Buzz Hope

Jean and Al Jankowski

Ellie Lockwood

Lois Lovinger

Madeline and John Stephenson

Day 5 - Elfun Service Week at Ohana Camp

Thursday was fantastic! It started with the usual perusing of Deb’s “to do” list, but there was an awareness that today was the Elfuns’ last full work day, so the approach was: Let’s make this Victory Day. And victory was achieved!
The Sugar House got its coat of attractive light yellow paint just before the drizzling rain began. All the other major projects were under cover, including completion of window frame painting for the barn and running wire for the fabled Area 51 building. It got a bit crowded in Area 51 when reinforcements arrived, but the progress was awesome.
Highlight of the mid-morning break was an impromptu piano session with Al Jankowski at the keyboard. He was so good that he inspired Gene Bratton to begin singing. Mighty nice duo! As chance (spelled: good planning) would have it, Andy Williams just happened to place a couple of new tables which needed polyurethaning under cover on the porch. So John Betchkal and Gene grabbed two brushes, applied the polyurethane, and finished just in time for the group photo before lunch.
Once again the Vermont weather was cooperative as the rain stopped just long enough to gather for a picture with Lake Fairlee as a backdrop. Everybody showed up, everybody smiled, and after the picture was taken the light rain began once again.
At lunch time the mood was somewhat serious. The Elfuns knew they had only another four hours to work so the camp area became a blur of moving, hardworking volunteers doing wrap-up tasks. And just for fun at lunch, Deb Williams said she’d really be pleased if some renovation work could be started in the office. She got her wish, and the new look is classy along the wall between the reception area and office.
Every fine effort deserves some kind of celebration. So in anticipation of a Friday morning tree planting Joel Albert dug holes for three lilac bushes to join the lush Ohama Camp grounds right at the entrance to the main gate. Tomorrow the Elfuns will toss ceremonial shovels of Vermont topsoil and then head down the highway with good thoughts about their achievements and happy moments together at Ohana.

Day 4 - GE Elfuns Work Week at Ohana Camp

Wednesday’s breakfast got off to a scholarly start at one table when the discussion centered on the proper use of the words further and farther. Fortunately, Will Lange was at the table and it was pretty much agreed that further refers to distance and farther is used relevant to progress, such as in “I hope my career goes farther.” Or is it the other way around?

Whatever the case, the GE Elfuns are furthering their progress as their projects go farther forward. The big news today is that the first shed is completed, and there’s enthusiasm for starting on a second one which will be located at the lower parking lot, replacing a rental storage trailer.
The library is a busy spot where Jean Bratton of Greenville, South Carolina, has catalogued more than 200 books, and today she’s getting a nice assist from Barbara Baker of Hampstead, North Carolina. Nearby Charlotte Albert of Potomac, Maryland, and Madeline Stephenson of Utica, New York, are sewing curtains for cabins. Classy!
Speaking of cabins, Don Dickerman of Leland, North Carolina, and Helen Gaul of Silver Spring, Maryland, volunteered for a very important and “tougher than it sounds” assignment. They’re attaching knobs to the cabin windows, and the challenge is that there are around 144 windows needing attention – each one presenting a unique challenge.
And in Tom Sawyer style, there’s a burgeoning group of folks hovering around the Sugar House, waiting for Andy to pronounce that the sun has dried the building enough for the outside painting to commence. That group may expand because the Fabulous Foresters (Gene Bratton of Greenville, South Carolina, Buzz Hope of Atlanta, Georgia, and Al Jankowski of Granville, Ohio,) have finished taking down selected timber to enhance the view of the lake from the porch.
All this energy comes to a halt after lunch because today’s the day for the Elfuns to spend the afternoon exploring the region, with many of them setting their GPS systems for Ben & Jerry’s. What’s a double scoop of chocolate when you’ve been working all morning!

Ohana Camp Elfun Service Volunteers Tackle Day 3

It could have been a scene from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.

But rather it was Deb Williams and the 23 GE Elfun volunteers figuratively singing “Hi-Ho, Hi-Ho, it’s off to work we go” on a beautiful Vermont morning, specifically Tuesday June 16. The group started its day with a salute to Marie and Buzz Hope of Atlanta, Georgia, who are today celebrating their 53^rd wedding anniversary. They may not have had toast for breakfast, but they’ll have several “toasts” tonight at dinner.

Progress and pride are the key words for today. The Elfun team building the new shed at the waterfront (Joel Albert of Potomac , Maryland, Ronda and Ron Duvelius of Loveland, Ohio, and John Stephenson of Utica , New York), are making huge progress and could finish the job on Wednesday if the weather stays as nice as it is today.

Jean Jankowski of Granville, Ohio, and Kathleen Betchkal of Shaker Heights, Ohio were all smiles as volunteers stopping at the fabled Area 51 tool shed complimented them on their organizational skills. As the morning progressed they got an assist from Richard Hoffard, of Detroit, Michigan, who arrived there and announced that he was going to be installing new wiring for the building. So, with thanks to Richard, Jean and Kathleen will be able to shine not a little, but a lot, of light on their success.

Across the road the barn restoration volunteers weren’t glazey-eyed doing their day’s project, but Marie Hope, Michael Holmes of Hales Corners, Wisconsin, Pat Dickerman of Leland, North Carolina, and Ellie Lockwood of Arlington, Virginia, gleefully completed glazing the old barn windows, many of which needed new glass.

Andy Williams, with boundless enthusiasm, was power washing the Sugar House, which could only mean that he’d like to have it painted before the Elfuns leave Lake Fairlee. And when he finished the power washing the next project was just next door at the Gardenside building, the interior of which is at this very writing is now being gutted as a first big step toward its eventual renovation.

This has been a productive day, but all work and no play is not the Ohama Camp way, so at mid afternoon the kayaks and canoes will be occupied by GE Elfuns further building their appetites for tonight’s pork roast with all the trimmings!