It was wonderful...as good as I'd hoped, and better. I even got off my songwriting butt and wrote a new one, with the assistance of some wonderful old and new friends.

My daughter Shayna had a fantastic time as well...so good that hours would go by without my seeing her. It was wonderful to know she was safe and enjoying herself. And listening to Ray Frank and Dan Engle's fantastic "Homade Hoedwon" CD on the drive from Santa Cruz to Ojai allowed me to teach her how to recognize a jig from a reel, and how to tell when a tune is in 3/4, 4/4, or 6/8.

I also met two wonderful singers/songwriters, Laura Sandage and Katie Henry, both from Davis, CA. Keep an eye out for Laura's new CD...it'll be awesome, and it will even include a song about Joe Offer!

Good to meet you too, Peter, and to see so many of my old Harmony friends and also to finally meet some Mudcat friends I've never seen in 3D. Thanks again, Joe, for the Offer of your guitar. Like Linda, I did very little guitar playing at camp. Every time I saw an old-time jam in the rec hall and felt like joining in, I was on my way to yet another singing workshop or session! Next time...

By the way, Peter, a slight correction: "For Just One Dime" isn't really "about" Tom, since I only met him a couple of times at Camp Harmony. When I originally wrote the song, I used the name Ted Savage because the word "Savage" was in the original song and my best friend's name is Ted (well, Tedd, but I won't quibble). Then one year when I sang it at Camp Harmony, someone (maybe Valentine) suggested that I change the name to Tom, as a tribute to Tom Savage who had recently passed away. I did, and I still sing it that way.

It's not going to be another 14 years until I get back to Harmony...already planning on next year!

Aloha,
Mark