Let's Camp it Up!

Hello Friends,

     Did you ever get one of  those little signs from the universe that instruct you to do what they want to you to do.  Ok now your thinking...hmmmm... Maybe Richard needs to adjust his meds, but hear me out. I think I'll make some sense.

     Ever since I started this blog, I have wanted to write about my experiences going to Summer Camp.  Now, it could be coincidence or the fact that it is summer, but this week I heard from 2 fellow camp friend through Facebook for the first time since the early 70's...now, if that is not a sign to blog about it, I don't know what is.  So here we go...

   To give you a bit of history, My family and Camp Powhatan went way back.  My Father was a Counselor there in 1954 and loved the experience.  So after a few years of disliking day camp...my Parents thought that my brother and I would love sleep away camp....428 miles away from home in Oxford, Maine...  Now, my Brother was lucky enough to go first in 1970, I couldn't attend yet because I was too young.  Sadly I had the unfortunate duty that summer of accompanying my parents on a Transatlantic Cruise to London for a month going over on the RMS Queen Elizabeth II and returning on the SS France.  Fortunately my brother got to miss all of that miserable  European trip...snicker snicker...:) Hey, I did bring him a souvenir beret.

     Now that summer we did go up to Maine to visit my brother and I loved what I saw.  Lots of boys running all over the place...It looked like a nonstop school recess.  Now I hated recess in reality, but loved it in concept.  I wanted to swim, but didn't know how. I wanted to place baseball, but couldn't really run.  BTW, did I mention this was an all boys SPORTS CAMP!!!!  Here I was, 3 years after my heal cord surgery and having learned how to walk again...So we got to tour the camp.  The ball fields, tennis courts and beautiful lake didn't interest me...but then I saw it...A wonderful big building...The Arts and Crafts Hut...I could do that.  I loved the perceived freedom I saw at camp and the unlimited FOOD!  By the time we were ready to go home from visiting my brother, I was all gung ho on returning as a camper the next summer.

     During the winter, my family met with the Camp Owner, an extremely knowledgeable and nice  gentleman named Joel.  He assured my parents that I would be well taken care of and would not be forced to do anything I couldn't.  He would make adjustments for my disability.  As the time arrived for camp, I was excited..  Now, I had never "Roughed" it in my life...When my Counselor told me to unpack my trunk and make my bed, my answer was "HUH...Where's my MOMMY!!!! The first time I had to use the restroom, they directed me to a building 3 blocks away, I opened the door and there were 5 toilets, no stalls and one trough...and it all stunk really bad.  I had lots to read on the walls, but didn't understand any of it.  I thought hmmm..they even do arts and crafts on the walls in the bathroom because there was some really interesting artwork.

     Our bunks were pretty sturdy, but they all had no windows, only screens and tarps to lower in the rain.  There was one bathroom in each bunk but that was only for doing #1...the pipes couldn't handle more then that.  The first nights I think I cried all night.  I was homesick, didn't like the night Forrest noises and I was freezing cold.  June in Maine makes for beautiful days, but real cold nights.  You try going to the shower room outside of the bunks when it's 30 degrees and your on concrete floors.  I think I showered twice the whole summer...except for the times each week when we all had to run into the lake nude and take a bath in the cold lake. A true nightmare for a shy, chubby 8 year old who hated being nude, the lake and couldn't swim.

    Now every day we were told which activities were available that morning..Of course, there were really only 3 that I could do...A&C, nature hut and fishing.  Now most of the kids went fishing on the docks or from a boat, but since I couldn't swim, I couldn't fish with them,  so I decided I would fish off the small "safe" bridge that was between my bunk and the mess hall.  Now I knew nothing about bait.  So I thought...hmmm...What would I eat if I were a fish?  I decided I would go to the mess hall and get some bait...well, Sugar Pops looked real good and would stay on the hook. So off I went, with my new fishing pole and my Sugar Pops to the small bridge. Now there was about a foot of water under this bridge.  I baited my hook, lowered my line and waited....for a whole minute until a 10 lb catfish was on the end of my line...WOOOHOOO1!!....Ok....NOW WHAT!..I wasn' t about to touch that ugly damn fish yet take it off a sharp hook.  where's my brother, where's the damn Counselor.  Finally I got someone to take it off the hook and we put it in our fire pail.  I wanted to keep it as a pet  (my parents wouldn't let us have a dog yet)  That night at dinner, they announced the Camp had a new great fisherman..ME.  I finally felt proud  I had caught the first fish of the camp season.  I did let it the fish go the next day because the Counselor said it looked pregnant.  To this day, it remains my best day at Camp Powhatan.

More coming soon!
Be Superb!
R
PS...Ok, Maybe it wasn't ten pounds, but it looked huge to me!

MDA and Me

Hello my Friends,

I hope you are all having a great summer.  I still feel like I'm in Florida with all the rain and humidity we are getting here, but at least its not snowing...that should start sometime next week...lol.

As Labor Day too quickly approaches,  I become obsessed with one thing.... The Jerry Lewis MDA Telethon.  The Telethon and I go back many years.  As a child I loved the Telethon...I would sit for hours watching.  I loved Jerry, I loved the cheesy entertainment,  I empathized with the disabled Kids and above all, I loved seeing Broadway Casts perform  Yes even then I was a Broadway Queenette.  I was always very proud when my Dad would let me call in our $5.00 pledge.  I was always jealous of my cousin Debbie after finding out she was answering phones for the Telethon...I wanted to be there too.  The one thing that I didn'tknow was that I too was one of Jerry's Kids.

It was not until I was re diagnosed with CMT (My form of Muscular Dystrophy) at Duke University Medical Center at about 24 y/o that I realized that I had one of the forms of MD.  Once I resettled in Florida, I registered with the South Florida MDA.  The only problem in Florida was that the clinics were in Miami and I lived in Ft. Lauderdale.  I hated driving in Miami.  I started volunteering at the Telethons in the early 90's.
The first year I decided if Jerry could do 21 hours straight, so could I.  That was a huge mistake.  By the 12th hour, I was mumbling and my hand had cramped.  It was then that I realized that it's the thought and not a marathon.

In the 90's as my hands and legs started failing me, MDA became a godsend.  When my insurance paid for a scooter for me to get around in, I never knew that they didn't provide you any way to get the scooter around by car. I called the MDA and they provided me with a scooter lift for my car.   When I moved to Green Bay,  The MDA representative was the first person I met.  She came over with essential equipment that I truly needed.  She remains a dear friend today.  I go for a yearly clinic where they access my disease and see if I need anything.  They provide me with any equipment and repairs on equipment.  They are an integral part of my life.

While my time answering phones has Become only 2 to 4 hours (my hand problems keep me from doing more), I have started raising moneys before the telethon.  I have been truly blessed in that since I have been in Green Bay, I have raised close to $30,000.00 for this great charity. When my Dear Mother passed, they paid tribute to her at the local Telethon..it was beautiful.  Every year I am interviewed and at the end of the interview, I present the generous monies that my wonderful friends and family have donated.

I truly wish that I knew that I could have utilized MDA's program as a child.  Instead of going to the MDA camp, I ended up at an all sports camp.  That did not go all that well, but that's for the next blog.

I know times are rough, but if you can spare a few dollars, you can click on this link https://www.joinmda.org/wlukbeastar2010/rick3rex

If you wish to send a check, please email me at rick3rex@aol.com and I will give you an address
Every dollar is truly appreciated.
Thank you in advance!  Everybody stay cool.
Be Superb!
R

Pride Alive July 10, 2010

Hello Friends,

Well, I did it..I went to Pridefest and I had a great time.  Thank you for all the great encouragement you all gave me  I went with my nurse friend Lori , her daughter and her daughter's girlfriend.  What great people they are.  I attempted to document much of it on video, but ended up screwing it up..  I still had enough stuff to put together a nice little movie for you all.

In other news, Lori got me an appointment with a Dentist on Monday morning...She is amazing...So off I go tommorow to get some teeth pulled, not sure how many...I'm a bit nervous but i've been thru worse. Please thing good thoughts for me though.

I hope you enjoy this little peek into "Pride Alive"
Be Superb!
R

My First Video Mini Blog