I know, I know. You detected a slight bitterness in my postings of late. My humblest apologies. We've kinda had our hands full recently and a good deal of it we keep within the family. Oh sure, our secrets are safe on the Internet and all, but I was looking over some recent posts and noticed the stress was seeping through. I assure you the dam shall not burst! Just hold with me, friends, and we'll get through this together! (Meanwhile, inflate those rafts a little faster, son.)

The flowers are nice. I think I'll keep posting notes and pics about the garden. I imagine that will offend far less people. I received a lot of welcome compliments from some friendly folks yesterday who were over at the place. We hosted a meeting of the fine people who plan the annual summer camp out on Catalina, and actually got a few things done, without letting the basic enjoyment of one another altogether get in the way.

The camp is where Mrs. Ditchman and I first met some twenty-odd years or so ago. I was the director out there in the late nineties, took a few years off to get married, settle down, and in the past few have been invited back as the techie video guy -which was my dream position all along! It's all volunteer work, and I only do High School camp nowadays (though in years past I led several camps all over SoCal in one capacity or another with just about every other age group.) Our group of leaders is a pretty laid back one, thoroughly professional *smirk*, and can find a good time in just about any setting. These are really the best people you want to find yourself surrounded by if stuck at an isolated cove on an island in the Pacific with a hundred and fifty teenagers staring you down. Good senses of humor, the lot of them!

It's a hoot. We filmed our director meeting and posted it on YouTube to stoke the honest flames of excitement in the kiddies:



You can just tell it's going to be a life-changing week.

Camp is so much easier today with all this modern technology. Why, back in my day it was all ring binders, clothespins, and laminated pouches! Now it's all on the iPod! It's also easier because I'm an adult, and not one of them, vying for the attentions of this cute counselor or that one. Wise in the ways of the world, I am now, with no agenda but to make it back home alive to the counselor of my dreams.


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