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Ashley


Josh
















Courtney & Ashley










Layton & Aiden



Ashley & Courtney








Layton

Aiden

Juxtaposition

Joshua and Jordan

Desert Mountains

Warner Springs, CA
I am reminded of the years I spent in this wonderful place located in San Diego County, equal amounts of peace and extreme loneliness. There are times I miss the fresh air, the quiet, the heavens as the stars light up the sky at night; the coyotes as they would sing each evening, and the quail as they would chirp passing by my widow early each morning gathering food.

Logistics
*Round Trip Commute to Talbot-180 mi
*20x20 Cabin
*Well Water
*Temp. Summer-110 in shade by 10:00am
-Winter-15 in morning
*Altitude-3600ft
*No Phone
*No T.V.
*A.M. Radio
-1070 am Los Angeles
*Favorite Radio Programs
-Jack Benny Show
-Red Skelton Variety Show
-The Lone Ranger
*Chopped wood on property for heat
*No A/C
*Wild Life
-Mountain Lion
-Bobcat
-Deer
-Coyote
-Quail
-Dove
-Eagle
-Humming Bird
-Finch
-Ground Squirrel
-Rattle Snake

*Years in Desert-2001-2003

YMCA Camp Ravencliff Redway, CA

This is the cliff that campers would jump off into the Eel River. There are vertical holds that you had to climb on out of the river in order to access the cliff; it was much harder than it looks. If you could not climb, then you were not given help. The beginning height was 15ft depending on the water level and the max was 45ft., really fun for the annual Polar Bear Swim.


*Location-210 miles North of San Francisco
on the Eel River and 21 miles East of
Shelter Cove

*Attended Summers from 1965-1975
-Camper
-Junior Leader
-Leader
-Assistant Director
-Special Projects and Assignments

*Ragger
-Blue (1968)
-Brown (1969)
-Red (1972)
-White (1995)

YMCA Camp Ravencliff's History
Archaeological studies have established that the hillside Camp Ravencliff now occupies has been inhabited by human beings for at least 4,000 years. At least two major groups of Native Americans used the site as a winter village to which they returned year after year.

The most recent Native group to inhabit the land were the Sinkyone people, who occupied Ravencliff until the 1860's. The Sinkyone called their village "To-che-be" (pronounced "Toe-chay-bay"). The name "Sinkyone" (pronounced "Sin-kee-oh-nee") comes from their name for the South Fork of the Eel River, "Sin-ke-kok." They named the cliffs on the opposite river bank "Bus-ke-nes" (pronounced "Boosh-ka-nesS"), meaning "talking cliffs," because of the remarkably loud and distinct echo, which many Ravencliff campers have experienced for themselves. Traces of the Sinkyone occupation can be seen around camp, most notably the round mortar holes in the sandstone outcroppings near the lodge, where acorns were ground into meal.

Settlers in the area supported their families by farming, ranching, and logging, and established many small towns along the river, including Redway and Garberville. In or around 1930, the YMCA in Eureka, the county seat, purchased four acres on the west bank of the Eel River near Redway and established Camp Ravencliff. In 1931, the Richmond YMCA began sending boys to camp at Ravencliff as well. Some of the camp buildings date from that era. The original cabins and shower house were located close to the river, and were washed away in the 1964 flood. During that flood, the raging waters tore the deck off the lodge and water inside the lodge was a foot deep.

In the 1960's, the Richmond YMCA acquired Ravencliff from the Eureka YMCA, and also purchased an additional 60 acres of surrounding meadow and woodland from local owners. With consolidation, ownership of Ravencliff has passed to the YMCA of the East Bay. The southern camp boundary is shared with Humboldt Redwoods State Park.

For over 75 years, thousands of children, teenagers and adults have been touched by "Ravencliff magic." An unusual number of Ravencliffers have returned summer after summer, first as campers, then counselors, and then as alumni contributing time and energy to upkeep and improvement of the camp. Local schools, youth groups and adult groups in Humboldt County have also come to Ravencliff for campouts and conferences.

YMCA Camp Ravencliff

Ashlely 24th Birthday!

There is not any picture here that you haven't seen, but each of these snapshots holds a very special place in my soul. When I look back now on all these events, I hold them very close in my heart, I cherish all those times and look forward to the memories we will share together with Aiden in the future.
The first picture on the left and the next to the right is the little girl that I would wrap my arms around and love on, gentle, soft, your every move at the table intentional, slow and exact, a picture of manners। Your heart so tender and eyes wide open.





















Your High School grduation in 2001...I would not miss that, I drove 1400 miles just to see you walk across the stage and to share in that special moment.

Then there was the time in the Fall of 2002 when we were reunited and had a chance to spend some time together in that cabin out in the middle of no where. You might have hated it, but I will alway's cherish it because I had you back for awhile, all to myself.

Today is your birthday, I will not be there today, but that does not diminish how special this day is. For this is the day that you were introduced into the world and I was the first to hold your tiny, fragile body in my hands and arms. I will never stop wanting to protect you and keep you from all harm, maybe its because I am your Dad and I love you.

Happy Birthday Ash!
02/24/2007

Chaos Theory

People.
People important to you,
people unimportant to you cross your life,
touch it, and move on.

There are people who leave you,
and you breathe a sigh of relief
and wonder why you ever came into contact with them.

Then there are people who leave you,
and you breathe a sigh of remorse
and wonder why they had to go and leave such a gaping hole.

Children leave parents, friends leave friends.
Acquaintances move on.
People change homes.
People grow apart.
Enemies hate and move on.
Friends love and move on.

You think back of the many people who have moved in and out of your life with faint memory.
You look at those present and wonder.

I believe in God's master plan in our life.
He moves people in and out of each other's lives,
and each leaves his mark on the other.

You find that you are made up of these bits and pieces
of all who have ever touched your life.
You are more because of them,
and would be less if they had not touched you.

Pray that you accept these bits and pieces in humility and wonder,
and never question,
and never regret.

~Anonymous

Coyote (upper-left) and Animals (upper-right)
by Malcolm Furlow

My Girls and The Boys

Ashley, Aiden, Layton, & Courtney

Because It Is There

I am still amazed at the wonder of mountains, their majestic, rugged, and simple beauty captures my attention especially when there is a fresh dusting of snow over their peaks. What is more compelling is my desire to climb them, to walk on them and to meet them on their own terms. Mountain and weather converge on the climber, navigating its contours provides a thrilling challenge. I hear the mountain call out to me, "come and enjoy my beauty and freedom;" on my way around crevasses, up icy slopes, buttress, ridge, with the summit in sight, I am overcome with exhilaration amidst the cold thin air, wind, jagged edges, and weak muscles.

Maybe, mountains are like fairy-tales, where my imagination can run free in their heights, the opportunity to reach out of myself, to explore a world unknown. Maybe it is among these stone giants, in this place of solitude that I discover more about who I am, in reality, against the backdrop of this uncompromising monolith. I feel so small and alone standing here on the summit, holding my axe, peering out to the valley below, the cold against my face, and the sound of the snow crunching beneath my feet.

There is a quiet peace that surrounds me here.
Here above the clouds I feel heaven within my reach, if only for a moment.
Maybe that is why I keep coming back.

Top Picture provided by Alpine Ascents
Left: Sagarmatha (Nepalese), Chomolungma (Tibetan), for Mt. Everest 8,850m
Right: Ama Dablam 6,865m