A Journey From London to Appel Farm
08/24/2009
I live in London, and I’m struggling to explain to friends why I’m going back to a summer camp in New Jersey where I only spent one full summer – way back in 1990. I’ve not visited the place since 1994, so why go now? I am fortunate to have an understanding wife, Leah, and she’s coming along to the Reunion too, if only to try to understand a little of the magic and magnetism of Appel Farm. (She’s been hearing about it for years of course!). When I first heard there would be a reunion, something gnawed away at me until I picked up the phone to book a spot. It soon dawned on me that getting to camp for September 4th would not be easy. I am a freelance TV director and work has been tough to find this year; I have a new job, and the production company was trying to extend my contract past the date of the reunion. I felt so torn, but ultimately decided that the opportunity of seeing Appel Farm again – and its people – would not come along often, and I bought a plane ticket. So here’s what I’m doing. I have to direct a TV show until about 2.00 am on the morning of Friday September 4th in Yorkshire, the far north end of England. Britain is 5 hours ahead of East Coast USA, so that buys me a little time. I’ll drive through the night, meet up with my wife at London Heathrow and jump on a plane to New York, before driving down to Elmer. If you see us on camp, we might be a little tired and spacey, but at least we’ll be there. I have little idea of who will be going to the Reunion. It’s likely that I won’t know many people, but what I do know is that everybody there will understand why we all had to go back.
Malcolm Donkin
