January 2008 Newsletter
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Newsletter
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To All Campers, Parents and Friends,
Happy New Year! We hope you are filled with health and happiness as this
new year begins.
Jameson Ranch has the distinct look of winter. The oak trees have lost
their leaves and the bare branches and trunks often have a trace of frost in
the early morning. The warm, sunny days of January's "Indian Summer" have
us working outside in short sleeves and enjoying brilliant sunsets. We
look down on an ocean of gray in the Central Valley and feel blessed to be
living above the fog. The creek by the sleeping areas is still dry, so the
recent rains all soaked into the soil. We could use some more moisture.
We keep our oldest and youngest horses close by this time of year so that
they can get some extra feed in addition to what the pasture can provide.
We store some hay in our cave at the lake and and each day, on our way to
feeding the cows in the lower pasture, we throw a bale of alfalfa to this
excited group. Our old horse, Red, seems especially excited as he starts
talking to us from the time we arrive till the hay is completely
distributed. Because we don¹t speak horse, we are not sure whether he is
being appreciative of the hay, or grumbling like an old man about the speed
of the feeding.
Family Report and Ranch Happenings:
A new puppy, Daisy, keeps us smiling and picking up things that have been
chewed and scattered over the ranch. She is a golden retriver and we hope
she will become a great camp dog. Debby is working with getting her
trained. Arianna stays busy as a first year high school student She is
conditioning for the softball team and is looking forward to the winter
formal dance. Mia, David, Emili, and Natashya are enjoyng a vacation in
Utah. Emili is starting to read and keeps us all entertained with nonstop
conversation. Natashya is walking most places, and is going through the
stage where the body takes a bit of a beating until balance can overcome
inexperience. Mia continues with her massage business in the mountains
David works on ranch projects and is attending Bakersfield College two days
a week. He is on schedule to earn his AA degree in June. Erica and Palie
spent some time in upstate New York over the holidays, visiting with Bridget
Heilsberg's family and taking in the sights of the "Big Apple". Michael,
Marie, Jada and Issac have moved into a new apartment in Bakersfield.
Michael is managing an office for H & R Block. Jeremy, Gina, Bryana and
Daniel were all here over the holidays. They are also moving into a new
place near Willits. Trent Jameson is working as a outdoor education teacher
in Michigan this spring. Ian and Lindsey Jameson recently took some time
off from their jobs in Idaho to rock climb and explore Thailand. Peter,
Jill, Erik and Hayley Iversen went to Hawaii over the holidays. They
enjoyed snorkeling with large turtles, horseback riding and exploring. It
was great having the Vlach family and Jamie Madden here to party in the New
Year.
Alumni Report:
Thank you for the many beautiful holiday cards and emails. It was great to
see or hear from many of you. We had a wonderful visit with Sam, Nick, KK
and Phil Mendoza as they hosted us in Tucson in November. It was great to
see Chrissy Tolley as well. On Mia and David¹s trip to Utah, they got to
visit with Julie Nielson who is attending BYU and Annette Azbil. They
went to the Sundance Film Festival together. Tevan Harding, David's nephew,
is working on his Eagle Scout requirements and doing well in Jr. high. We
had a visit this fall with Mariana (Maz) Guaraldo and Kazza Appleton. Maz
is a ski instructor at Whistler, Canada, and Kazza just finished a long run
with "Up With People" and is starting a new business as an event planner and
promoter. Caitlin McKimmy reports on a marvelous adventure in Egypt,
crawling into ancient tombs, hot air ballooning and exploring Cairo, Luxor
and Alexandria. Trent Jameson and Danny Hundert had a wonderful adventure
in Costa Rica this fall. Rosie Stutsman is enjoying her classes at Yale and
Grete Soorumaa bought a car, is working as a PE teacher and is attending
Talinn University. She plans student events and competitions.
Bridget Heilsberg is working as a vet tech in Phoenix, Arizona. Mark Ellis
has become an excellent tennis player and is on his school's decathlon team.
Alsia Frumkin got married this fall to Gilad. They spent a couple of days
on the ranch as part of their honeymoon. Dara Erlich is engaged.
Congratulations to you all. Jenny Phelan is hanging out with friends and
working at a café in Australia. She spent some time over the holidays with
family in Thailand. Sara Herschkowitz is with an opera company in Bremen,
Germany, singing many roles and enjoying the challenging work. Katie Fox is
working for the Logan School for the creative and gifted in Denver. Holly
Mays, with her husband Ryan, purchased a townhouse in Pacific Beach. They
completed the Vineman Half Ironman in Sonoma this last summer. Natalie Mays
is living in an apartment in San Francisco. She teaches dance and is
working on her Bachelors degree with the goal of becoming a teacher.
How about the new babies? Kirsty Woofindin Koboski had a baby boy, Kason.
His two older sisters are very pleased. Skeet Frazee had a baby girl in
April. Very cute pictures! Ulrich Trog was blessed with a third child
(girl) this summer. His family is doing well in Austria. Scott Iler, and his
new wife Erin, are pregnant and are planning career choices for their new
offspring. They are very excited.
Gene Ablin has graduated from college with a degree in computer technology.
He, and his wife Jane and 4 year old son Dylan, have recently moved to
Sonora from Alaska. Alexis Dean is getting married, wow. Her fiancée,
Joe, directs outdoor programs at UCLA. Danielle Ralston is married, has
a 1 year old son and has completed her masters in Vocational Rehabilitation
Counseling. Ali Ralston is teaching Spanish in Walnut Creek. She spent 6
weeks in Mexico and 6 weeks in Peru last summer becoming fluent. She is
working on a masters degree in Spanish. Sarah Heilbron has purchased our
old vaulting horse, Slim, and is starting a new adventure in horsemanship.
We are looking ahead to a great summer of camp! Find enclosed our
information for summer 2008. We hope you can join us! Our family camp was
fantastic last year and we are pleased to offer it again, August 18 to
August 24th. A flier is enclosed to give you details. Email us at
thejamesons@jamesonranchcamp.com or call 661-536-8888 if you have friends
who would like to receive our material. We are planning to be at camp fairs
and give some information meetings in Southern California in February and
March.
The CIT (Counselor in Leadership Training) program has been a great success
for many summers and we are excited to offer it again. It is designed for
16 and 17 year old teens to learn team building and leadership skills that
will make them terrific people and camp staff in the future. If you know
teens that are interested, let us know and we will forward them information.
Trent is again our CIT director and loves working with the teens.
If any of you have funds to sponsor a child to come to camp, it would be a
gift of a lifetime to a young person who cannot afford this kind of
experience. JRC donates a certain amount of camperships each year and with
the help of our campership fund, we try to include as many children as
possible into our camp family. This year, we are specifically targeting
children of active, overseas military families. There is a way to channel
funds through the American Camping Association so that your sponsorship of a
child at JRC is tax deductible. Any amount will help. Let us know if you
are interested.
That's the news from our mountains. Have a wonderful winter and spring and
we hope to see you this summer!
The Jameson Group
Ross, Debby, Mia, David, Erica, Trent, and Peter
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