"Believe."

Dana Hopkins

Greetings from the ¾ Moon

Amazed and delighted to finally find Dry-Kye on the web. Can’t tell you how many times I’ve searched and was rewarded with only a nice topo map (below) of the esteemed location. 1956 through 1961 were the summers of my life and coming of age passage that reverberates to this day. Much in same way as the “initiation” music for entering the order of the Moon plays in the background as I write this. Extra points for ‘name that tune’. Ben had such a penchant for the dramatic. Getting through that event blindfolded and then being thrown into Graham was worthy of a Verdi storyline.

I currently reside in Bethesda, MD with my wife and three of my five sons who are 12, 16, 18, 26 and 28. Avid musician (bass guitar), sports junkie and high seas adventurer. Look forward to sharing a treasure trove of photos and assorted tall tales. My most recent pilgrimage to the hallowed grounds was just a few years ago and I can bear witness to the otherworldly thrill of being back in the lodge which remains in really good shape. Ironically, Lew Hall’s grandson – a former camper - still works there in the school that acquired the property. The prospect of walking through the blueberry fields alone at night was still more than I could muster courage for. Ben instilled the fear of god or much worse with his unparalleled storytelling skills. To this day I hesitate to mention the W word lest the beast be enticed to swoop down and carry me off, feet ablaze!

Miriam Ward (Mimi – my grandmother and honorary camp nurse) was finally laid to rest on that trip with an urn of her ashes being placed on the “Twin” islands; one of her favorite fishing spots. I journeyed out there with my sons in a boat almost identical to “Old Tin”, complete with Evinrude power.

I welcome any and all communication and will respond forthwith. 238: The Few, The Proud, The Unbelievably Fortunate to have been there.

Go Celtics!

D W Hopkins

FYI – Grand Theatre, Ellsworth, ME

Good as new – perhaps better. Went inside a few years back and interior was close to original but has since been renovated. Zen Master Kimball was instrumental in having Kurosawa’s Seven Samurai shown for about a week and letting us see as many performances as we wanted. Honorable lessons were learned. http://www.grandonline.org/

Back in the day …Old Tin circa 1967

I was home on leave from the USN after returning from my first tour in Vietnam and went to Dry-Kye to visit Mimi while Ben was there to close things down. The whole fleet including the 4 sailboats were stacked on the shore near Ben & Betty’s cabin. Old Tin was last man standing. Bittersweet.

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