I got a little choked up looking through this site.  By the way, I am _____ in the picture Helen has of Riddick and _____.  I suppose I am forgettable.  In fact, I was an intensly shy person before I came to camp.  Starting with David Belote, I can recount so many relationships with people from Chanco that helped to nurture my self-confidence.  Perhaps my self-confidence became a little over developped after a while.

I can remember going to the ropes course for the first time as a camper.  I was 8 or 9.  I cannot really remember if it was my first or second year at camp, a little too much Obi Wan Kenobe in my time.  But, I CAN recall a series of logs suspended on chains like a ladder with really thick rungs.  Because of the size of the logs it was impossible to climb alone.  Everyone paired off into teams except me, so David Balote stepped in to be my partner.  After watching the others go up the ladder I was really worried because David was so much bigger than me.  You see one person got on a log and helped to pull the other guy up.  Somewhere during our turn, I remember laying across a log and pulling Dave up so he could get to the next one.  He was so heavy.  Not really, he was a pole if I remember correctly.  But to me, he was heavy and I pulled with everything I  had.  This may seem a little anti-climactic, but it made me feel strong.  That is a potent thing for a 8 year old to feel.  That is one of my earliest memories of Camp and something that I still think about.

Another day I was sailing.  My counselor was a guy named Charlie, I think.  He was a very tall guy that played the sax.  He announced we would be going on a pirate mission.  He was quickly in the water and swimming towards another boat.  He took their rudder and swam back.  The sailing instructor was in the boat and knew what to do to stear with the sail.  One of theirs came over and stole our dagger board, which made the trip into the beach more difficult.

I can recall another day when I was working in the kitchen, Boomer and I hopped the fence near the bluff at the old Camp.  There was a tree that was growing mostly in mid air, holding fast to the side of the bluff by three large and twisted roots.  We went there to watch a storm blow across the river.  It started on the other side and drew a clean line on the water on its leading edge.  I think we smoked a cigarette, and we may have talked a little.  I don't recall what was said.  But, I do remember feeling as if it was an awefully beautiful thing that was unfolding and spreading its arms up and down the river.  In a few minutes it had embraced us in its rain, and we ran back to the non-con hut.