LOCALE AND THAT SORT OF THING. It is Friday, over a week after camp stopped. We are down at camp till after Labor Day. Of all the Hyde Bay family, only Mr. Barriskill is here. Bob and Betty Pickett left on Wednesday. Rob departed the day before. The date shows when this was composed. When it will be mailed to you is a matter of doubt, There are over a hundred letters to write, This one must be mimeoed and folded, The bills for incidentals are yet to be typed. And, I have felt a sort of comfortable laziness since the people left.
AMAZING GOOD FORTUNE. The weather could not have been better for the final day and night. It kept on its good behavior till all but four of the tents were down on Tuesday. Then it went very sour. Bob and Heb could not take down the remaining tents for several days. The council had almost everything done by Tuesday night. Some left then and the rest were free by shortly after lunch on Wednesday.
APPRECIATION. You have given us the best season we have ever had. I have before me the letter of this date last year. I said the same thing. Both are true evaluations. This was bigger and better from our point of view. You did it all. I took only old Hyde Bay boys, their friends, and a few tutoring lads from our usual schools. I did take one very fine other boy who applied very early. I had to turn down many who would have been welcome if there had been room.
THE MELODY LINGERS ON. Tom Offutt and John Spilman made the Trenton trip after camp work was done. They came by to drop our camping equipment and were off to Baltimore in the jeep. I forget the day. The jeep had helped us pull in the Hacker. Sandy Jencks and a friend with Ricky Donahoe took one of the canoes for another assault on Trenton. I regret to say that they forgot the relatively essential equipment known as paddles, but returned from Mohawk to correct the omission. A few days later they returned having left Rick at Rochester.
BILLS. Here are the bills for the incidental purchases of your sons. If there are errors, please tell me. Mrs. Garver kept the many store accounts. Betty Pickett and Mrs. Director kept track of the many charges and advances in other realms such as laundry and telephone. They have been recorded, figured up, transcirbed and typed. Even in that model office of yours mistakes do occur. He have made some I am sure, One hundred and twenty—seven accounts came to $4140.40, making an average of $32.60 per boy. This means nothing as about fifty were either first or second half campers only. There are five accounts above fifty dollars. These may have included carfare. The second half was a bit heavier as it included both the Ballgame and Howe Caverns. All this data is to let you see how frugal (or prodigal) your son was. We tried hard to hold him down
I WOULD SUGGEST —— You have made Hyde Bay so much your camp that I hope you will feel free to tell me any change that should be made and any abuse, injury, slight, neglect, or other criticism, (I ran out of comas. I meant to make it very broad.) We can not know all.
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FAME. One of the exhibits at the final doings was the cover of the Saturday Evening Post for July 3 and the original painting from which artist Hughes and the Post derived the cover, On our original, the name has been changed to Hyde Bay. This is all by courtesy of Mr. Kenneth Stuart whose name is in the SATEVPOST masthead. His three boys were with us this summer and two of them last year. Mr. Hughes was in many months ago to look over Hyde Bay.
DEBRIS. In spite of all our precautions, there are many articles left with us. Mrs. Pickett has sent off a flock of packages. We have had Two or three inquiries, one for a pair of kahki pants. We had six of these all unmarked! We sent on one which should fit one of their boys. Some of you are probably wearing By Johnson’s shorts this very minute, Four pairs are in circulation marked in an umsual place. Jeff Hester has a keyless trunk; to be preferred to a trunkless key which is the sad state, the last I knew in the Snell family. That was the only bit of baggage gone wrong so far reported. No boys failed to reach home if some parents have not neglected to call the roll.
GENEROSITY. How very pleased Henry, and Grover, and LeRoy were with your very fine gift. Nothing that we could have done in a material way could have given as much joy. They were our best kitchen crew ever with efficiency, amiability, and genuine interest in every boy. That is a vital area of camp life.
ON THE SPOT reporters have covered the last week for most of you much better than I can do. For the firstmonthers I can say that the last week was full. A Trenton Falls trip went and came. We did Howe Caverns. We saw the Mudlark, our best movie of the year maybe. Bud Spraker mystified us once more with his magic. There were three Gravelly trips. Baseball and basketball leagues were settled. All the other tournaments were played. The so called “Wind Up” events were run off as planned with ribbons for almost all. The horse show was a success on Saturday. The bonfire on Monday night was glorious and brief. The chicken barbeque was enjoyed by much over two hundred of us. There were many halves of chicken left over. The council devoured them the next noon. Parents galore net each other. Some took their boys home that night. Others came in on Tuesday amid the wreckage the councilors were making of the tents and dragged away those who had not taken the train at 6 A.M.
REGISTRATION. I am already being asked to take new boys. To all “unconnected” new applicants I say that I am holding all 1955 places for old Hyde Bay boys and their friends.
TIES. On Wednesday there came in to camp from far off Shrevepnort in La., Whitfield Jack and his lovely wife and three sons, He was a great councilor here over twenty—five years ago. We have always kept in touch I wonder if friendships are not the finest product of our eight weeks together on Otsego Lake.
