Campy Art

We spent a lot of time outside when we were kids and there were a lot of easily accessible trees, fields and a stream around here then for our woodsy activities. A huge playground was right across the street from 3810. Until the Spencers built their concrete block house the entire area between Park and Lk. Wash. Boulevard was grass, trees, shrubs and.....blackberry brambles.

This fit in very well with one of our very funnest things to do: build a camp in the woods. The biggest challenge to that activity was keeping them secure from "the big kids" who couldn't be trusted not to wreck them for wreck of it. Oan, Jim Chapman and I rose to the challenge with a very nifty place within a huge dome of evergreen blackberry vines at the corner of 38th and Park. Herb and Diana's corner.

We pruned a crawl tunnel six or so feet long into the center of the blackberry jungle, then cut it wider and higher until we had a considerable room. Sort of like an evergreen camouflage igloo (as igloos are depicted in the comics). We either hauled out all the cut canes or stuck them back into the mound from the inside then peeled and wove maple bark for mats to cover the dirt of tunnel and floor (but, of course, we were careful to not completely girdle the young maples; of COURSE we were).

After equipping the place with the usual assortment of "stuff" we moved in and sat around a lot. We thought we were pretty clever and it turns out we really were. Only nature trashed that baby!