September 10
I don’t think I would encourage executives that work for me to blog. ~ Mark Cuban
Sometimes, reading a blog, which I do infrequently, I see that generations of Americans have been wilfully crippled, and can no longer spell or write a sentence. ~ Alice Walker
The photo displayed from the blog on Facebook is always the first photo in the post. I know of no way of changing that arrangement. So, why not go with Nicola Walker? ~ Me
A daily blog would just about finish me off completely. ~ Robert Plant
August 2
We shall not be happy unless we live like good animals, unless we enjoy the exercise of the ordinary functions of life: eating, sleeping, loving, walking, running, swimming, riding, sailing. ~ William Morris
[Well, doesn’t everybody take their dog and their bird kayaking?]
And to me, sailing the open ocean is a real challenge, because it’s life or death. ~ Morgan Freeman
[I’m always amazed at how kids become world-class sailors after one week at camp . . . ]
I keep sailing on in this middle passage. I am sailing into the wind and the dark. But I am doing my best to keep my boat steady and my sails full. ~ Arthur Ashe
[OK, now they’re just showing off . . . ]
The hands are the feet of the arms. ~ Seth Meyers
Sailing became one of the mainstreams of my life. I suppose my father was an influence. I remember seeing a photo of him at home sailing a big boat to Bermuda in his 20s. I still have it. ~ David Crosby
Sailing is such a variable sport. There could be no wind, or there could be 25 knots. You never know what you’re going to get. ~ Hannah Mills
Only when the tide goes out do you discover who’s been swimming naked. ~ Warren Buffett
[The aforementioned, Ye Olde Swimming Hole . . . ]
Swimming is a confusing sport, because sometimes you do it for fun, and other times you do it to not die. And when I’m swimming, sometimes I’m not sure which one it is. ~ Demetri Martin
If a man watches three football games in a row, he should be declared legally dead. ~ Erma Bombeck
[Let the games begin! I must have slept through horseshoes this year – already on to cornhole on the hottest day at camp . . . ]
Video games are bad for you? That’s what they said about rock-n-roll. ~ Shigeru Miyamoto
[Kent, on the left, is on “our team,” and son to the Fort Wayners sitting on the bench . . . ]
Baseball, it is said, is only a game. True. And the Grand Canyon is only a hole in Arizona. Not all holes, or games, are created equal. ~ George Will
[And Jenny, tossing here, is Kent’s partner in life and cornhole . . . ]
As long as there are games to play it is not over. ~ Alex Ferguson
[Ed, on the right, is also on “our team” . . . ]
Playing games can contribute to making you happy, perhaps even without therapy. ~ Gyles Brandreth
[Weather conditions permitted me to, on occasion, go out and pour water on his head . . . ]
Expanded outdoor dining has created a vibrancy in many of our neighborhoods in ways that we haven’t seen before, all while supporting locally owned, small businesses. ~ Ned Lamont
[Dining outside is routine as through the years we seem to enjoy weather like this . . . ]
‘Fine dining.’ I’d love to know who coined the term and whether they meant it to be as offputting as it is. The words evoke an idea of phoney refinement, of needless flummery, snooty waiters, and an atmosphere designed to intimidate the customer. ~ John Lanchester
[And when we’re finished the chipmunks come around to clean up the detritus . . . ]
August 3
The idea of elegance and aristocratic indulgence of an ocean cruise was born out of the image of the rich men and women who ruled the British Empire slowly sailing to India and the Far East while sipping gin and tonic on deck – served by men in white jackets. ~ Adam Curtis
[Sailing lessons appear to be absorbed immediately as kids then go out on their own . . . ]
Whether or not you discover your talents and passions is partly a matter of opportunity. If you’ve never been sailing, or picked up an instrument, or tried to teach or to write fiction, how would you know if you had a talent for these things? ~ Ken Robinson
From the moment I climbed into that 8-foot dinghy in 1952, I knew instinctively what to do and sensed I had done it before. ~ David Crosby
Geography was the lesson I always looked forward to most. It was a form of escapism. It could be bleak midwinter outside but inside you’re learning about African farming methods or the Great Lakes. No other lesson had that excitement. ~ Ben Fogle
[Daily 9:00 am flag raising, to sing the birdie song, the Camp Brosius song, and the IU school song . . . ]
We’re definitely honest with each other… if your sisters can’t tell you that you look ridiculous, who can? ~ Kourtney Kardashian
[The Biddies with their respective white Subaru Outbacks. (I should submit this as an advertising photo for the Outback?) . . . ]
The family is one of nature’s masterpieces. ~ George Santayana
[The Northern California wing of the Hatch family had to leave camp early . . . ]
The love of family and the admiration of friends is much more important than wealth and privilege. ~ Charles Kuralt
[We hope they’re hooked now for future visits . . . ]
Sometimes I can’t believe I’m going to be 60. I always say there’s no point moaning about getting older, when there’s nothing you can do about it. But still, I do find it quite funny. I look at that number, 60, and I think, ‘Really? Me?’ ~ Twiggy
[Photobombed by Reetz! With The Biddies as my chauffeurs all week, I was much more comfortable seeing where we had been rather than where we were going . . . ]
There are some things you learn best in calm, and some in storm. ~ Willa Cather
[People poo-pooed the dark sky . . . ]
Anyone who has spent a few nights in a tent during a storm can tell you: The world doesn’t care all that much if you live or die. ~ Anthony Doerr
[But it was the real thing . . . ]
The more violent the storm, the quicker it passes. ~ Paulo Coelho
[It rained hard with winds that blew out the window fans . . . ]
The fishermen know that the sea is dangerous and the storm terrible, but they have never found these dangers sufficient reason for remaining ashore. ~ Vincent Van Gogh
[But as strong campers we rode it out with only minor whimpering . . . ]
If you want to see the sunshine, you have to weather the storm. ~ Frank Lane
Old age is like a plane flying through a storm. Once you’re aboard, there’s nothing you can do. ~ Golda Meir
[We cleared out of the porch . . . ]
I once dated a weather girl, we talked up a storm. ~ Jay London
[The euchre game was moved indoors. Even then, the storm blew open the French doors on the right . . . ]
The preparations are what they are. We’re here. The storm is coming. We are as best prepared as we can be as the eye of the storm approaches. ~ Russel Honore
[Looking out the front door . . . ]
A few minutes ago every tree was excited, bowing to the roaring storm, waving, swirling, tossing their branches in glorious enthusiasm like worship. But though to the outer ear these trees are now silent, their songs never cease. ~ John Muir
August 4
I loved being in the film called ‘Carnal Knowledge’ – the one with Jack Nicholson, which was very dark but a really brilliant movie. I loved being in ‘The Ritz.’ ‘The Ritz’ I think is just hilarious. I just saw it again recently and by God, it’s still funny! ~ Rita Moreno
[Rappaport, out home away from home . . . ]
Remember to play after every storm. ~ Mattie Stepanek
[Happy to be an early riser the morning after a storm . . . ]
So the storm passed and every one was happy. ~ Kate Chopin
[There is usually great light and everything is fresh and clean . . . ]
Here’s to the pilot that weathered the storm. ~ George Canning
[The Hobie Cats appear to be OK . . . ]
The whole climate is changing: the winds, the ocean currents, the storm patterns, snow packs, snowmelt, flooding, droughts. Temperature is just a bit of it. ~ John Holdren
[The water tower and our sail boats survived the storm . . . ]
Give me odorous at sunrise a garden of beautiful flowers where I can walk undisturbed. ~ Walt Whitman
[As did the canoes and kayaks . . . ]
Forests, lakes, and rivers, clouds and winds, stars and flowers, stupendous glaciers and crystal snowflakes – every form of animate or inanimate existence, leaves its impress upon the soul of man. ~ Orison Swett Marden
[The Sputh Round House, the place where early risers meet at 7:00 am for coffee and muffins and discussions on thermodynamics . . . ]
Rivers, ponds, lakes and streams – they all have different names, but they all contain water. Just as religions do – they all contain truths. ~ Muhammad Ali
[The dining hall . . . ]
It’s one thing to get a letter from your kid at camp telling you he wants to come home. It’s another to get a letter from a grown child saying they’re coming back to live with you! ~ Walt Handelsman
[Fine dining, three squares a day . . . ]
Chaos in the midst of chaos isn’t funny, but chaos in the midst of order is. ~ Steve Martin
For most of the history of our species we were helpless to understand how nature works. We took every storm, drought, illness and comet personally. We created myths and spirits in an attempt to explain the patterns of nature. ~ Ann Druyan
[I hiked to the end of the camp entrance road to the public access to the lake . . . ]
All good writing is swimming under water and holding your breath. ~ F. Scott Fitzgerald
[Yup, hit the right time of day for photos . . . ]
The sky takes on shades of orange during sunrise and sunset, the colour that gives you hope that the sun will set only to rise again. ~ Ram Charan
[And there’s the Sputh Round House from the other side. Liked the photo well enough to make it my computer background . . . ]
In camp when I was eight – a bunch of kids threw me outside naked. I got ’em back! ~ Kelsey Grammer
[And now walking back into camp . . . ]
If your life ever begins to bore you, risk it. ~ Henry de Montherlant [Editor’s note: I’ve never been THAT bored. Really.]
[The lake swim, about a mile across beginning in the vicinity of the Barefoot Tiki Bar on the far side. As to whether or not I’ve ever attempted this, see the above quote . . . ]
Somebody said to me, ‘But the Beatles were anti-materialistic.’ That’s a huge myth. John and I literally used to sit down and say, ‘Now, let’s write a swimming pool.’ ~ Paul McCartney
A few minutes ago every tree was excited, bowing to the roaring storm, waving, swirling, tossing their branches in glorious enthusiasm like worship. But though to the outer ear these trees are now silent, their songs never cease. ~ John Muir
[That’s our screen porch. We did not know until morning that this rather sizable tree branch came down during the storm and just missed us. Now, I suspect, it will provide the fuel for future campfires . . . ]
Many people don’t give a rip about politics and know as much about public affairs as they know about the topography of Pluto. ~ Tony Snow
[There are some terrific vistas driving east from Lake Winnebago to Elkhart Lake . . . ]
Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we’ve been waiting for. We are the change that we seek. ~ Barack Obama
[The theme at camp this year was “Out of This World” . . . ]
A man who carries a cat by the tail learns something he can learn in no other way. ~ Mark Twain
[And Mabel was the camp princess this year . . . ]
Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma – which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. ~ Steve Jobs
There are only two tragedies in life: one is not getting what one wants, and the other is getting it. ~ Oscar Wilde
Love does not consist in gazing at each other, but in looking outward together in the same direction. ~ Antoine de Saint-Exupery
[Sisters . . . ]
There are only two lasting bequests we can hope to give our children. One of these is roots, the other, wings. ~ Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
[Daughter and mother . . . ]
Sister is probably the most competitive relationship within the family, but once the sisters are grown, it becomes the strongest relationship. ~ Margaret Mead
[The Biddies in all their glory . . . ]
As women, we have super powers. We are sisters. We are healers. We are mothers. We are goddess warriors. ~ Merle Dandridge
It is not so much our friends’ help that helps us, as the confidence of their help. ~ Epicurus
[The Hoosiers from Fort Wayne . . . ]
A life is not important except in the impact it has on other lives. ~ Jackie Robinson
[The last campfire . . . ]
August 5
What other people call dark and despairing, I call funny. ~ David Sedaris
[Last day at camp, we come down for a last doughnut on the patio and then head for home . . . ]
I know a lot about cars, man. I can look at any car’s headlights and tell you exactly which way it’s coming. ~ Mitch Hedberg
[Heading west from Elkhart Lake, the long down hill ride into Fond du Lac . . . ]
I spent a lot of money on booze, birds and fast cars. The rest I just squandered. ~ George Best
[Then north past Oshkosh . . . ]
Everything in life is somewhere else, and you get there in a car. ~ E. B. White
[See, I told you . . . ]
If all the cars in the United States were placed end to end, it would probably be Labor Day Weekend. ~ Doug Larson
[Then west across the St. Croix River on I94 into Minnesota . . . ]
If GM had kept up with technology like the computer industry has, we would all be driving $25 cars that got 1,000 MPG. ~ Bill Gates
[Minnesota on the left; the St. Croix in the middle; Wisconsin on the right . . . ]
And ending with –
Photography is a way of feeling, of touching, of loving. What you have caught on film is captured forever… it remembers little things, long after you have forgotten everything. ~ Aaron Siskind
[In 1965, Brad Anderson and I, friends from Alexandria, lived in Territorial Hall on the U of M campus for our freshman year. Pat Myers (below), from Seymour, Indiana, lived right across the hall from us. We lost total contact with him since then until I met someone at Camp Brosius this year who knew Pat – we were reconnected . . . ]
[Pat, on the left, with Alexandria classmates Greg (Mayo) and Bradley in a photo taken some time after the invention of the electric light bulb . . . ]
What the Internet’s value is that you have access to information but you also have access to every lunatic that’s out there that wants to throw up a blog. ~ George A. Romero
Humanity is a failed experiment, but I think I’m God and I’d like to start over. I don’t want to die, I just want everyone else to. I certainly would not be lonely. It would be exciting never having to listen to another person again but just my own self droning on and on. That’s why I write a blog. And I read it, too. ~ Roseanne Barr
Up Next: Getting back to stuff that has been rusting in archives . . .
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