[at-l] 4H foreverrrr Re: Helloooo Donna Re: fay

[rcli4 at comcast.net]

I learned to knit in 4H.  All the good lookin girls went to knitting.  I like good lookin girls:>))
Clyde

-------------- Original message -------------- 
From: Tom McGinnis <sloetoe at yahoo.com> 

> ### I was 4H by proxy -- my sister did the "horse camp" thing way up on a hill, 
> and then I went to the "people camp" at the bottom of the hill. Loved it all, 
> sure, went back, became a Junior Counselor, then (Oh God) an employee, then went 
> away for thirty years -- returned last summer with the boys to find the place 
> EXACTLY as I'd left it -- WHAT a thrill, to tour every nook and cranny with my 
> sons in tow. It really, too, drove home the point that (perhaps) what you and I 
> valued there (as you so nicely put it below) *was* in fact of value. They still 
> teach (can you BELIEVE) how to build a fire. Knife/hatchett craft? (I walked on 
> trails I helped build 30 years ago.) ARCHERY. (Ohmigod.) And those New England 
> gyrls. Hoo boy. 
> 
> ### To make this (very) hiking related, I remind the boys regularly that my 
> first actual hike was at 14 out of the 4H camp. (The first *planned* hike was to 
> be when I was 13, was canceled by virtue of my carving a chunk out of my leg 
> while jumping sand piles in the dark on a 10-speed.) That first hiking day (the 
> first the Camp had done), I thought it was all torture, thought "What IDIOT ever 
> called this RECREATION???" as the pack carved grooves in my shoulders and back. 
> No hip belt. 8 pair of worn cotton socks. Two pair of blue jeans. (ETC!) We were 
> out for 3 days. The first death-march day was 3 miles, and it took us ALL of the 
> day to (barely) make it. I decided to do things a bit easier for myself, and got 
> myself and my 4H camp buddies (including Mike Elms -- remember Mike Elms?) 
> together each school vacation after that -- fall, XMas/NewYears, Spring, Summer 
> -- for trips that went further and grarlier (we thought). And four years later, 
> on April 8th, 
> 1979, started my throughhike. 
> 
> So I salute 4H, yee and HAW. A life-changing sort of place. 
> 
> sloetoe 
> far away from Connecticut nowwww. 
> 
> 
> --- On Thu, 8/21/08, bluetrail at aol.com wrote: 
> 
> > Sloey, you were in 4-H too? Six years in Illinois for 
> > me. LOVED 4-H camp. They didn't make you do stuff 
> > lockstep. I did a lot of nature hikes, made tooled 
> > leather stuff in the craft shop, swam and canoed, and I 
> > sure do remember those summer camp romances. Holding hands 
> > at the night time campfires, singing: 
> > 
> > "Each campfire lights anew 
> > Our friendship tried and true. 
> > The joy I've had in knowing you 
> > Will last a lifetime through." 
> > 
> > Sigh..... Those Ilinois farm boys were mighty 
> > sweet. 
> > 
> > Joan 
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