Wow! Look at this photo. That really takes me back. It was summer camp 1964. That was where I met the best friend a guy could ever have Johnny Dean. I was nine and it was my first year at Camp Crooked River. I was the new guy, the youngest and the smallest one there. That meant I was the last one picked for teams and the one every always one picked on. Especially, Richard McMann, the camp bully. Man that guy was a jerk!

I suffered all kinds of humiliations such as wedgies, wet willies, purple-nurples and noogies from all the guys but Richard was the one that really put me through hell.

In this photo we were playing a game called pickle in the middle right there in the muddy waters of the river. We were in three teams of two and the object was, for your team to keep the ball away from the team stuck in the middle. If the team in the middle caught the ball, the team that didn't catch the ball would go in as the pickle. Of course Richard made my team, the two smallest guys at camp (me and Jerry Jonas) , start as the pickle. There was no way we were getting out of there but, by some stroke of luck I jumped at just the right moment and caught the ball. For a couple seconds I basked in the glory of the other guys cheers, then my eyes met Richard's and I quickly realized the mistake I had made. NO ONE beats Richard at anything and lives to tell. NO ONE!

Richard's eyes burned holes in me as our teams switched places. As the game resumed, Jerry and I were keeping the ball away from Richard. The PICKLE in the middle. I loved the way that sounded. The longer we kept the ball from him the madder he was.

Before we knew it, him and his team mate Johnny Dean, were standing right in front of our team. This was no fair because, they were both a head or more taller than us. We didn't have a chance. Before the ball was thrown we were running side to side trying to get an opening but, Richard's team stayed right on us. We dodged to the left and the ball was in the air. Richard yelled to his team mate, "Johnny, whoever catches this ball is the King of Camp Crooked River!" The ball was almost in his hands when the craziest thing in the world happened. Johnny Dean yelled out to me, "Henry, catch that ball!" as he tackled Richard to the bottom of that muddy river. It seemed like everything stopped for a few minutes and no one was sure just what had happened. The two boys were under the water for what seemed like forever and the rest of us stood in silence staring at the spot where they went down at.

Finally Johnny came up followed by Richard who was coughing and spitting out muddy water. When he caught his breath his eyes fell on me and then traveled to the ball in my hands. "NO WAY IN HELL!", he said as he started towards me but, Johnny beat him to me and lifted me up onto his shoulders saying, "All hail, King Henry the first. King of Camp Crooked River!" From then on year after year I was known as King Henry and Richard's camp nick name was "The Pickle". Johnny and I have been best friends ever since.

Ha, Ha, Ha, The Pickle!

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