The Nostalgia is Overwhelming.

Way back when, back when I was 11 years old, I got to go to summer camp.  It was a wonderful experience, so cool that I went back for two more summers.  There was tripping, the strange cult of King Kababa, riflery, woodshop, sailboats, rowboats, and canoes, campfire, general swim, the war game, good friends,  living in a tent, no electricity in the entire camp, really great counselors and trip leaders.  Absolutely awesome. 
   So yesterday, I fired up the Buick and drove over to the old camp, just to see if it was still there.  Well, Pine Island Camp is still there.  It's still way out in the Maine countryside, it hasn't been swallowed up by urban sprawl the way my old prep school was.  It's near Belgrade Maine, on an island (Pine Island) out in Great Pond.  And it still looks pretty much the same, even after a serious fire in the 1990's burned down the messhall and Honk Hall.  They rebuilt, and took some pains to keep it looking the same.  The camp director was Ben Swan, son of Eugene Swan who was director way back when.   It being mid week, half the kids were out of camp, tripping.  So I had lunch in the dining hall, swapped some war stories from the old days, didn't take many pictures, looked around, and wallowed in nostalgia.  If by some magic I could be 11 years old again, I'd go right back for the summer.