Monday, March 23, 2009

Napoleon In Moscow


"In quiet, untroubled times every administrator believes that it is only by his efforts that the whole community under his jurisdiction is kept going, and in this consciousness of being indispensable finds the chief reward of his labor and efforts. As long as the historical sea remains calm, the pilot-administrator in his frail barque, holding onto the ship of the people with a boathook and moving along with it, naturally imagines that it is by his efforts that the ship to which he is clinging is propelled. But let a storm arise, let the sea begin to heave and the great vessel to be tossed about, and such a delusion is no longer possible. The ship sails under its own prodigious, independent power, the boathook no longer reaching the moving vessel, and the pilot, instead of being the master, the mainspring of power, is suddenly reduced to a useless, insignificant, feeble man."

According to Mr. Tolstoy, we are all insignificant insects in the face of historical imperative. God, I love the Russians. Napoleon marches on Moscow tonight. Thousands of Russians died as he marched towards Moscow, thousands of French will die as he marches back, and for what?

I dunno campers. I'll let you know when we get there.

Monday, March 16, 2009

Tolstoy - A Laff Riot

“…Louis XVI was executed because they considered him a criminal, and a year later they killed those who had killed him - also for some reason. What is bad? What is good? What should one love and what hate? What does one live for, and what am I? What is life, and what is death? What power governs it all?" he asked himself.

And there was no answer to any of these questions except the one illogical reply that in no way answered them, which was: "You will die - and it will all be over. You will die and find out everything - or cease asking." Leo Tolstoy, War and Peace

We don’t read the Russians for reassurance, that’s for sure.

Sunday, March 15, 2009

Let The Wild Rumpus Start
















I believe we're clear for june, so Claire and the girls will rain terror upon the camp once again.

I for one will not miss Ezra, I intend to go deep into this year's frisbee golf tourney,

Thanks for all the planning, Steph
Much love Peter, Elaine and Claire

Friday, March 13, 2009

Some of those we leave behind

I couldn't find a picture of Carolyn, so am posting a photo of a big tall flame, coz she is my favorite lit match!





Tuesday, March 10, 2009

CAMP OUT DATES - but wait, there's more

Greetings Campers,

I love you all so much, but trying to get you people together is like herding cats, I swear afore Jesus.

Here’s where we stand:

Jeff & Ruthe can really only make it the weekend of June 19-21. They drive all the way from Utah, a family of four and all their gear in a car for two days, an awesome feat. Dutch and Katherine can make the 19-21st work. I haven’t heard from Pete, but I’d love to see Lauren, Claire and Sierra get together one more time before they head off to high school. Those girls are special to me. Ruthe was pregnant with Lauren at the very first camp out. Jim, Hope & Sky have agreed to make the 19-21st work, and they are OC (original campers.) So I think the right thing to do is to schedule the camp out for that weekend. Sunday, June 21 is both Fathers Day and the Summer Solstice; how beautiful is that?

HOWEVER – we will be Ham-Free that weekend. Ezra cannot attend on June 19-21. Joe, Jesse and the other OSF scene shop folks cannot attend on June 19-21, and I suspect Jimmy will only be around during the evenings. This is the second year in a row that I’ve shut out Joe and I’m feeling pretty crappy about it. Plus, Matt Feltz and Carolyn cannot attend that weekend. So, the camp out may be a smaller affair this year. It’s hard to say how many people will show up.

It is what it is my friends. We do what we can. I’m open to hosting a dinner in the Colestin on June 13 and hosting camping parties later in the season.

Friday, March 6, 2009

COLESTIN CAMP OUT 09 - Dates


















Greetings Campers!

As always, finding a date for the camp out is a little like launching D-Day.

Sequoia and I are willing to host two parties again, like we did last year: one in June and one in July.

We’re proposing two possibilities in June:
June 12-14
June 19-21

One possibility in July:
July 24-26

By early next week, Sequoia and I need to figure out:
On which date we’ll host a party in June
If we will host a second party in July

Of the dates listed above, please let me know any/all that do NOT work for you. Some folks need to request time off, so please send your feedback ASAP.

Thanks for all of the positive feedback on my earlier posts. Sequoia visited Tom the other day to check in on him. (Yes friends, I am married to a bodhisattva.) Tom was up and around. Not surprisingly, recent events did not come up in conversation.

Steph