Inspirations

I love light and color. 
It is 1964 and I am on bus along with about 75 other boys heading for Camp Mohican. From age 10-15, I spent 8 weeks each summer at this YMCA boys camp on Lake George, a crystal clear 32 mile long lake in upstate New York. It's rich in history, with several forts remaining from the French and Indian War.

Our camp is situated on acres of waterfront property and backs up to wilderness and a mountain. No bathrooms or showers, but lots of sports, fishing, arts and crafts, canoes, archery, a rifle range, and laughter from sunup to sundown. The cook has one leg, is mean, and looks like a pirate and scares the crap out of me, but other than that it's a boys dream come true (before I cared about girls).

Every Monday we are assigned to a "hike", which canbe anything from a simple overnight for the younger campers to more strenuous 3 to 5-day hikes through the isolated and rustic High Peaks region of the Adirondack Mountains. Or perhaps a 4-day canoe hike camping on the many tiny islands that populated the lake or along the rivers heading into Vermont.

My earliest memories of feeling a sense of awe and peace were the times when I hiked. I loved sitting by a stream, watching the water ripple  over the moss-covered rocks. I was captivated watching the sunlight sparkle through the birch tree forests as we hiked for days and days. Back at camp on Lake George, one of the most majestic lakes in all of America, the water was a constant presence in my life. (read more)