I expected to feel very strange driving down that road and walking around the site (once we had free time), but instead it felt very natural, like home. It felt like it was my home, but that changes had been made to it while I slept, by other people.

But the changes ranged (in my mind) from neutral to good. I suppose some were puzzling to me, but I lack enough info to judge. I'm talking about physical changes and therefore can only guess at what philosophical changes they may or may not represent. Changes needed to occur, but which of those have or haven't taken place I really don't know.

Kelly wanted to make it clear to me that the damage to Lamont (pictured above and below) had been accidental.

I had intended not to visit the camp side until the day comes when I know they are truly happy to have me there, but, when I heard about "my" cabin, I wanted to see Lamont up close, fearing it will be torn down in the Spring. I didn't think it would be right to remove a tile or something for a souvenir, since it's not my property (and never was), but I was tempted.

I didn't even go over to the Dining Hall or Chapel or past the inner gates (though they were open) down to Lookout Lodge or the spot where Old Parkdale Place stood which is where I put my faith in Jesus. Again I'll leave that for the later day, but I'm not yet ready to see my absent desk (moved, I'm told, the summer I was put on Leave). On the Conference side, many of the doors were unlocked, but, even if the Camp Dining Hall etc. were unlocked, it would have felt intrusive for me to go inside.

Being there was made easier by the fact that the one who persuaded the Board to reverse their decision to reintegrate me back to work has since moved on. Those who remain, especially the volunteers or new staff, I regard as people who were given little or inaccurate information and who (I can understand) are not particularly interested in having me clear it up for them. So our conversations didn't go in that direction.

I took some pix of some of the places meaningful to me and also of some physical changes of note.

Here are some of the latter:

Actually, the first is NOT a change. As far as I know, the use of *sacramental* wine (i.e. for communion) has never been prohibited at Eagles Nest. We did use non-alcoholic wine for one special meal in accordance with our contract with DBCCC and that's a perfectly reasonable request.

It's been my view for a long time (and some agree with me and some don't), that, because secular groups wishing to rent the facilities would be perfectly willing and able to abide by such codes of conduct (though I don't think the prohibition against social dancing is or was useful), the rental clientele should be increased beyond "Christian" groups. (Are there even realistically enough of the latter in the area to make the place cost-effective?)

This would not compromise the character of the place as a Christian conference centre, because it would be a place in which Christians extend hospitality to their neighbours and witness to Christ's love by their service. The revenue gained could be poured back into the more word-based evangelism of the summer camp.

The board should trust and authorize the CSSM staff at camp to make the decisions about non-church groups, according to standing policies. (A friend of mine who phoned there told me that her request had to be referred to a Board meeting. This was while there was still an E.D., by the way. She wanted an answer that day and so the booking was lost. Currently, as I understand it, the Board is functioning as Executive Director and so perhaps such decisions will -- until an E.D. is hired -- still be slowed down because of the need to call a meeting. Personally, if it were up to me, I'd authorize the current MoO to use his discretion re. all bookings.)

(PS re. poster in the wine bottle pic. Keith handed out this year's display and cards and they are pretty impressive. I found last year's rather dark and cluttered, but still a step in the right direction. This year's are very bright and attractive.)

I'm not saying that smoking is good, but previously smokers had to leave the property (theoretically). Prohibiting smoking inside is pretty standard now and therefore not inhospitable, but the existence of this ashtray now communicates a more hospitable and Christian attitude to our guests who struggle with one of the more "visible" sins.

Theoretically the sins of gossip, power abuse and unforgiveness are prohibited on the property of Christian camps and churches, but provision is made (or exists) for them. The visible sinners shouldn't be in a separate category.

It's good to see that recycling is now practised. While I was there I tried to get it going, but the fact that there was no local program required me to take it home in my car. In my role I didn't feel I could impose it on the maintenance person. That would require an executive decision. I don't know how it came to be, but I gather that such a decision has now been made (at least re. aluminum cans) and that's commendable.

Over at mindsay.com Josh (of Dorion Township and Camp) explained re. the damage to what was my summer home at Camp Dorion for many years (pictured above):

"Yeah, poor Lamont took a beating after the tree had fallen on it. Charlie was trying to remove the tree when he accidentally crushed it a little more.... The beach sure looks a lot emptier with all those trees down. There's a lot less shade than when I was a kid going there. I remember those days, and can even picture (very faintly) the old dining hall. Things change quickly!

I hope you'll attend the Dorion dinner (in march?). I'm helping with music again, and told them that the only way I'd help was if we did the Dorion song, and I'm still helping... "

I'm not sure what the KA on the side is all about.

The signage around the entry road of the camp seems to have improved (signs on Motel 1 & 2 for instance. I could never remember which was which.) I am surprised to see that this old sign is still up. Despite the fact that I did the drawings for it, I felt that it had outlived its time and that the inside-joke of the Joel prophecy could be confusing to "outsiders".

But I don't want to be a whiner; it's nice to see the respect for history that it shows. I didn't find it in the garbage dump on the Conference Centre, for instance.

The man in the rocking chair is Andy James. The boys chasing each other are David and Jon James. The guy on the grass with glasses is Joe Gandier.

As you can see above, there is a rink where Tiny Treylr once was. Once it became too grungy for staff quarters, I used it to store some program stuff (Primary Christmas decor) and as a place to retreat to do tedious registration work on my laptop when the office became too loud. It couldn't be my permanent workplace as it didn't have a phone line (among other reasons).

Anyway, Tiny Treylr is now where you see it in this picture, storing Paintball equipment. That's Homsted in the background. The paintball field is to the left of the photographer of this pic, down below the Mosquito Sheds.

That's the archery net, but I think archery is still down behind the Dining Hall.

The addition of the Climbing Tower (Mt. Lister) is the biggest change to DBC (on the Conference Centre actually) and (speaking speculatively here) a bold step of "you've got to spend money to make money" (not that making money is what it's about, but attracting more and more campers fulfills the mission AND keeps them solvent). I recall that the media coverage suggested that DBC was open to having secular groups (such as the OPP) train on it, which, as I've indicated above would be a good idea, in my view.

These flags are now in the basement of Eagles Nest. They came to camp c. 1995, I suppose, and I think they were from the defunct Gateway Christian Academy. I persuaded the E.Director not to set them up in the chapel, because of the school-like atmosphere they might convey to the campers. From then on they took up space in the chapel closet, though I wish I had been more direct about discussing moving them elsewhere or passing them on. I suppose that the location pictured is a good idea, since just getting rid of them would be disrespectful. I can understand, too, that they might have had nostalgic value to the one who put them there.

I should state right away that I don't know, but it's possible that it is a legal requirement that the speed limit be this low when children are involved, but I always figured that eventually, when the old sign was replaced*, the limit might be raised a bit, since I rarely ever saw this limit enforced. I suppose I didn't win any friends by waving my arms to slow down the camp van, coming into the grounds. Maybe it wasn't my place, but I felt compelled and did it anyway. However, perhaps this more official sign indicates that the era of various vehicles speeding around the grounds is (thankfully) past.
* = Actually, it's still there along with the new one.
(For what it's worth, the speed limit at the HMSC Griffon is 10k/h.)

Ah, good ol' 12 and 14. The Boys Washcart (and these attached staff quarters) are retired as storage sheds over on the Conference Centre.

The use of "That's my camp!" as a marketing slogan for DBC is interesting to me. It may indicate some research which has stressed the importance of the sense of belonging to a group/place, which in turns makes you feel it is one's own. (It may be a limitation of our language that we do not have separate possessive pronouns to distinguish between what we own and what owns us: "my boots" and "my God". The pronoun indicates relationship, not ownership.)

I remember a volunteer staff member once (gruffly) telling Elaine the Director "Don't walk on my floor!" after he'd just mopped it. Yes, he needed to learn to express himself more gently, but he was demonstrating a sense of ownership (or a desire to finish up and get to bed).

It also reminds me of what Dr. K. wrote in his final report when he declared me capable to return to work from my Leave about belonging:

All those who have been part of DBC's history still "belong" in some sense.

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Latest update: Mar. 8, 2007

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