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The Former Camp Comak on Lake St. Nora near Dorset
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Hand Tinted Photograph of Dave Brown with his Hamilton Students taken from an original image published in The Hamilton Spectator
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1959 12th season summary for Camp Comak
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OUTDOOR EDUCATION AND THE COLLECTOR - IT'S AMAZING WHAT YOU CAN FIND OUT THERE, IF YOU LOOK CLOSE ENOUGH
DAVE BROWN AND CAMP COMAK ON LAKE ST. NORA
YOU DON'T HAVE TO REMIND ME! I DROP DAVE BROWN'S NAME INTO A LOT OF CONVERSATIONS, AND INTO A GREATER NUMBER OF STORIES. I DO SO, BECAUSE A LOT OF FOLKS ASK SUZANNE AND I, ALMOST WEEKLY, HOW WE GOT STARTED IN THE ANTIQUE PROFESSION. WHILE WE CAN'T GIVE DAVE CREDIT, FOR GETTING US STARTED IN THE TRADE, HE DID OFFER US AN APPRENTICESHIP THAT DID IMPROVE OUR ACQUISITION SKILLS. HE GAVE US SOME STEALTH MOVES, AND THE INSIDE SCOOP ON WILEY, CUNNING ENTERPRISE, TO GIVE US AN EDGE ON OUR ANTIQUE DEALER COMPETITION. IF YOU'RE A DEALER, OR COLLECTOR, YOU PROBABLY CAN LIST A HALF DOZEN OR MORE MENTORS, FROM THE PAST, WHO HELPED HONE YOUR SKILLS. EVEN THOUGH DAVE PASSED AWAY BEFORE THE TURN OF THIS CENTURY, HIS INFLUENCES ARE STILL DEEPLY INGRAINED IN OUR COLLECTING PHILOSOPHY. BUT WHAT DAVE IMBEDDED MOST OF ALL, WAS HIS PASSION FOR THE OUTDOORS. HE COLLECTED ITEMS OF NATURAL HERITAGE, AND PUT THEM ON DISPLAY FOR HIS THOUSANDS OF EAGER STUDENTS, WHO CONSIDERED HIM A SORT OF MORTAL WIZARD; WITH MUCH MORE DYNAMIC THAN A CLASSROOM TEACHER. WHEN WE TRAVEL ALONG, DOWN THE LONG DUSTY, HILLY TRAILS AND COUNTRY LANES, ON OUR ANTIQUE JAUNTS, WE RESPECTFULLY STUDY NATURE AT THE SAME TIME, RECALLING HOW DAVE NEVER ONCE DISCUSSED HIS BUYING TRIPS, WITHOUT HIGHLIGHTING THE ROAD WELL TRAVELLED; DETAILING THE SIGHTS HE HAD SEEN ON HIS TRAVELS, AND THE PLACES HE HAD STOPPED TO LAUNCH HIS CANOE, AND PITCH HIS TENT. WHEN HE TALKED ABOUT HIS NIGHTS AT CAMPSITES, I COULD IMAGINE HIM SITTING ON THE GROUND, WITH HIS SHOELESS FEET, IN TRADEMARK OLD WORK SOCKS, CROSSED NEAR THE CRACKLING FIRE PIT, WHILE HE LEANED BACK ON HIS HANDS, DREAMILY PONDERING THE DISCOVERIES LEFT FOR ANOTHER DAY. HE PLOTTED HIS ROUTES THE EVENING BEFORE, AND HE STUCK TO HIS SCHEDULE. AN EXCEPTION WAS WHEN SUZANNE MADE HIM BACON AND EGGS FOR BREAKFAST. HE ALWAYS FOUND THE TIME TO DELAY HIS TRAVEL PLANS, IF FOOD WAS INVOLVED. I DON'T THINK IT WAS UNTIL DAVE CAME ALONG, THAT I REALLY THOUGHT ABOUT HOW NATURE AND ANTIQUE HUNTING RAN TOGETHER, BEYOND WHAT WAS OBVIOUS, ATTENDING FARM AUCTIONS, AND STANDING OUT IN RETIRED PASTURES, WITH GRASSES UP TO OUR WAISTS; AWAITING OUR CHANCE TO BID ON OLD PINE CUPBOARDS AND BOXES OF BOOKS. FOR DAVE, THERE WAS NO SEPARATION BETWEEN HIS PENCHANT FOR COLLECTING, AND BEING OUT IN THE COUNTRYSIDE. I THINK ONE PEAK OF INTEREST FED THE OTHER, AND HE ALWAYS REMINDED ME OF THE STORY BOOK CHARACTER OF "JOHNNY APPLESEED."
THIS WEEK, WITH MY HEAD STUCK DEEP IN AN OLD CEDAR TRUNK, WITH ALL KINDS OF COLLAPSING KEEPSAKES, AND THE BOYS' PLETHORA OF SCHOOL CRAFTS (PLASTER BOWLS AND PLASTIC SCULPTURES), I FOUND A FAMILIAR LOOKING FILE FOLDER, STUFFED WITH PAPER RELICS. I HAVE HUNDREDS OF FILE FOLDERS STACKED IN VARIOUS NOOKS AND CRANNIES, AT BIRCH HOLLOW, BUT THIS ONE HAD A COLORFUL PIECE OF PAPER PROTRUDING FROM ITS FRONT COVER. I KNEW IT WAS A FILE I KEPT, AFTER WORKING ON THE BIOGRAPHY OF MY OLD FRIEND, DAVE BROWN, OF HAMILTON, ONE OF THE GREAT INNOVATORS OF OUTDOOR EDUCATION IN THIS PROVINCE. I KNEW HIM BEST AS AN HISTORIAN AND OLD BOOK COLLECTOR. THE PAGE I WAS REFERRING TO, WAS ACTUALLY THE ORIGINAL HAND-TINTED PHOTOGRAPH, A WELL KNOWN MUSKOKA ARTIST HAD CREATED FOR ME, AS A BACK COVER FOR THE BIOGRAPHY. IT WAS ACTUALLY A PHOTOGRAPH, TAKEN BY A STAFF MEMBER OF THE HAMILTON SPECTATOR, TO ACCOMPANY A FEATURE ARTICLE THE PAPER WAS RUNNING IN THE 1990'S, ABOUT DAVE BROWN'S OUTDOOR EDUCATION PROGRAM. DAVE KNEW HOW TO GET PUBLICITY, AND WHO WOULD DENY THE ABOVE PHOTOGRAPH DOESN'T SPEAK A THOUSAND WORDS ON ITS OWN. DAVE LIKED TO HAVE PUBLIC FOCUS ON HIS OUTDOOR EDUCATION PROGRAM, SO IT WOULD REMIND EDUCATION ADMINISTRATORS, HOW WELL HIS FUNDING WAS BEING UTILIZED FOR THE BENEFIT OF STUDENTS. HE WORKED ME PRETTY HARD THIS WAY AS WELL, BECAUSE I COULD GIVE HIM LOTS OF PUBLICITY, HERE IN THE MUSKOKA MEDIA.
MUSKOKA ARTIST JIM THOMPSON, WHO HAD WORKED WITH DAVE BROWN, IN HAMILTON, AGREED TO HAND-TINT THE BLACK AND WHITE PHOTOGRAPH, FROM THE SPECTATOR. I HAD, OF COURSE, THE PERMISSION OF BOTH THE HAMILTON SPECTATOR AND THE PHOTOGRAPHER WHO HAD CAPTURED THE SCENE. JIM AND HIS WIFE HAD RETIRED TO BRACEBRIDGE, AND A PROPERTY ON THE MUSKOKA RIVER. I FIRST MET JIM, DURING AN ARTS PROGRAM FOR HAMILTON STUDENTS, AT CAMP KWASIND ON SKELETON LAKE. JIM WAS AN ART INSTRUCTOR, AND PARTICIPATED IN THE WEEK LONG IMMERSION PROGRAM, WHERE STUDENTS WERE ENCOURAGED TO USE NATURE AS A SOURCE OF INSPIRATION. ART, CULTURE, HISTORY AND NATURE, PLAYED A ROLE IN BOTH JIM AND DAVE'S LIVES, SO IT WAS HIGHLY APPROPRIATE JIM PARTICIPATED IN THIS TRIBUTE PUBLICATION. DAVE, OF COURSE, RAN ALL THE NATURE PROGRAMS AND THE HIKES THROUGH THE MUSKOKA WOODLANDS. I DIDN'T THINK I STILL HAD HIS ORIGINAL WORK. JIM DIED SEVERAL YEARS AGO, AFTER HAVING SUFFERED A STROKE A FEW YEARS EARLIER. JIM WAS A GIFTED ART TEACHER AND ARTIST, WHO PAINTED SOME MEMORABLE MUSKOKA SCENES, SUCH AS A DEPICTION OF THE STEAMSHIP R.M.S. SEGWUN, WHEN IT STEAMED ITS WAY TO BRACEBRIDGE BAY PARK. THIS WAS BEFORE THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE WELLINGTON STREET BRIDGE, IN THE 1980'S, WHICH STOPPED THE RESTORED VESSEL FROM GETTING INTO THE BAY FROM THAT POINT ON. SO HAVING THIS JIM THOMPSON ORIGINAL IS PRETTY NEAT. IT NEEDS A FRAME AND A PLACE OF HONOR TO HANG AT BIRCH HOLLOW.
I REMEMBER JIM TAKING OUR FAMILY OUT FOR A BOAT CRUISE OF LAKE MUSKOKA, ONE SUMMER AFTERNOON, AND TALKING AT LENGTH ABOUT ART AND ALL THE SOURCES OF INSPIRATION YOU COULD FIND AROUND OUR LAKES. THEN, TO MAKE THE OUTING MORE INTERESTING, I WAS STUNG BY A HORNET, OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT, IN THE MIDDLE OF THE LAKE OF ALL PLACES. WE THINK NOW, THE CRITTER HAD BEEN IN THE BOAT THE WHOLE TIME, AND BECAUSE I GOT IN HIS WAY, HE SENT ME A LITTLE POINTED MESSAGE. AND THEN I HAD THE SCIENCE OPPORTUNITY, OF WATCHING AS THE SIDE OF MY LEG BEGAN TO SWELL, AS IF IT WAS BEING INFLATED WITH A PUMP. I'VE NEVER HAD SUCH A WILD REACTION TO AN INSECT STING. THE PAIN WAS UNBELIEVABLE. EVEN HOURS AFTER THE STING, IT WAS STILL HOT WITH PAIN, AND SWOLLEN. SUZANNE FINALLY ASKED IF SHE COULD HAVE A CLOSER LOOK AT IT, AND WITH A MAGNIFYING GLASS, SPOTTED THE STINGER STILL IMBEDDED IN THE PUNCTURE. IT WAS THE WHOLE STINGER WITH A SACK ON THE END OF IT, AND APPARENTLY, I WAS GETTING STUNG REPEATEDLY, BY THE FACT IT WAS STILL LODGED IN MY LEG. I MISSED A LARGE PART OF OUR TALK, OUT ON THE LAKE, BECAUSE OF THE DISCOMFORT FROM THE STING; AND THE FACT, THE ONTARIO PROVINCIAL POLICE MARINE PATROL, STOPPED US, MID-LAKE, FOR AN EQUIPMENT CHECK. THE BOYS THOUGHT WE WERE BEING ARRESTED, SO THAT KIND OF UPSET THE AFTERNOON AS WELL. I DID HAVE A CHANCE TO VISIT WITH JIM A FEW MORE TIMES, BEFORE HE FELL ILL, AND WE TALKED A LOT ABOUT EDUCATION AND ART INSTRUCTION, AND HIS LOVE FOR NATURE. DAVE NEVER CONFESSED A LOVE FOR NATURE, BECAUSE HE PREFERRED THE WORD "RESPECT" INSTEAD. HE TAUGHT THOUSANDS OF STUDENTS THIS "RESPECT FOR NATURE," MUCH AS JIM INSTRUCTED HIS CLASSES, ABOUT THE POSITIVE INFLUENCES ON ART, FROM THE NATURAL WORLD. MY VISIT TO THE ART CAMP, AT KWASIND, AS I'VE WRITTEN ABOUT, MANY TIMES IN THE PAST, WAS A REAL EYE-OPENING EXPERIENCE, AND IT HAS BEEN THE SOURCE OF PROBABLY TEN PUBLISHED FEATURE ARTICLES, IN REGIONAL MAGAZINES, DATING BACK TO THE FIRST STORY, PRINTED BY "MUSKOKA TODAY," OF GRAVENHURST, BACK IN THE MID-1990'S. THERE WAS EVEN A MUSICAL COMPONENT TO THE PROGRAM, WHICH INTERESTED ANDREW, YEARS BEFORE HE WOULD COME TO PLAY HIS OWN GUITAR. I USED TO TAKE ANDREW AND ROBERT ON REPORTING GIGS ALL THE TIME, AND IT ENTITLED THEM TO SOME EXCEPTIONAL ADVENTURES, THEY WOULDN'T HAVE RECEIVED IN CLASSROOM INSTRUCTION. LIKE GOING ON NATURE WALKS WITH DAVE BROWN; ALWAYS LIVELY AFFAIRS. DAVE WAS A LITTLE LIKE DR. DOOLITTLE, AND THE CRITTERS SEEMED TO LIKE HIM.
THE HAND TINTED PHOTOGRAPH IS ONE OF MY FAVORITE OF DAVE BROWN, TAKEN PRESUMABLY ON THE PROPERTY ADJACENT TO THE ROYAL BOTANICAL GARDENS IN HAMILTON. THE KIDS LOVED TO FOLLOW THE BURLY MR. BROWN, AND HE HAD A WAY OF PRESENTING NATURE, ON THEIR LEVEL, THAT IMMEDIATELY SOLD THEM ON THE IDEA THAT OUTDOORS WAS A GREAT PLACE TO BE; INSTEAD OF BEING HOLED-UP IN THEIR RECREATION ROOMS, OR APARTMENTS, ON WEEKENDS. AS PART OF HIS BIOGRAPHY, I ALSO HAD USE OF A VIDEO TAPE, TAKEN OF A TALK SHOW ON TV 11, IN HAMILTON, WHERE DAVE, A REGULAR GUEST, WAS ON THIS DAY, PRESENTING THE SKELETAL REMAINS OF A RACCOON; REFERRING TO THE BARE BONES, AS ALL THE POOR RACCOON'S WORLDY POSSESSIONS. HE WAS SHOWING HOW NATURE WOULD ACT TO DECAY THE FLESH OFF THE RACCOON, OVER TIME, LEAVING ONLY THESE TRACE BONES, WHICH WOULD ALSO DIMINISH AS TINY PARTICLES BACK TO THE SOIL. HE USED TO BRING ANDREW AND ROBERT SIMILAR ITEMS OF NATURAL HERITAGE, TO SEE IF THEY COULD FIGURE WHAT ANIMAL THEY BELONGED TO, OR SPECIES OF REPTILE A JAW OR SPINE HAD COME FROM. AS YOU CAN SEE BY THE TINTED PHOTOGRAPH ABOVE, THE KIDS WERE EAGER TO HEAR HIS STORIES, AND FOLLOW IN HIS FOOTSTEPS. MOST OF THE BIOGRAPHIES I SOLD, WERE TO FORMER STUDENTS AND STAFF COLLEAGUES.
THE OTHER GRAPHICS TODAY, ARE FROM DAVE'S FAVORITE SUMMER CAMP, COMAK, ON LAKE ST. NORA, NEAR THE VILLAGE OF DORSET. WHEN SCHOOL WAS LET OUT FOR THE SUMMER SEASON, DAVE AND HIS WIFE BARBARA, WOULD HEAD UP TO CAMP COMAK FOR THE SUMMER MONTHS, WHERE THEY WORKED AS INSTRUCTORS. WHAT WAS IMPORTANT ABOUT CAMP COMACK, TO THE WORK OF THIS BIOGRAPHER, WAS THAT DAVE WANTED TO BUY IT; AN OBSESSION THAT PEAKED WHEN THE OWNER DECIDED TO SELL IT FOR COTTAGE DEVELOPMENT. DAVE KNEW IT WAS INEVITABLE THE PROPERTY WOULD BE SOLD OFF, FOR RE-DEVELOPMENT, AND HAD BEGUN EARLIER, TRYING TO HATCH A PLAN TO FUND THE PURCHASE OF THE CAMP. WHEN HE DID GET HIS OPPORTUNITY, HIS MOTHER REFUSED TO OFFER HIM ANY FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE, OR ANY PERSONAL APPROVAL FOR SUCH A GAMBLE. SHE KNEW HER SON WAS A FINE TEACHER, BUT NOT A BUSINESSMAN. I BELIEVE THERE WAS A STIPEND OF INHERITANCE FROM DAVE'S FATHER, WHO HAD DIED MANY YEARS EARLIER, THAT HAD BEEN TUCKED AWAY FOR HIM. HIS MOTHER TRIED EVERYTHING TO CONVINCE DAVE TO HOLD ONTO THE MONEY, AND INVEST IN A HOME INSTEAD, BEFORE SQUANDERING IT ON A SUMMER CAMP, THAT WAS SHOWING ITS AGE AND A DECLINING ENROLLMENT. DAVE WAS SO ANGRY ABOUT HIS MOTHER'S NEGATIVE INTERVENTION, HE REFUSED TO HAVE ANYTHING TO DO WITH HER AGAIN. IT WAS MANY YEARS AFTER HER DEATH, THAT HE FINALLY AGREED TO HAVE HER NAME INSCRIBED ON A FAMILY TOMBSTONE. HIS FATHER, A DOCTOR, HAD ONCE BEEN THE SENIOR ADMINISTRATOR OF THE HAMILTON GENERAL HOSPITAL, AND THE FAMILY ENJOYED THE BENEFITS OF HIGH PROFILE, AND ECONOMIC ADVANTAGE. HE DIED OF HEART DISEASE AND A YOUNG AGE, LIKELY CAUSED BY JOB STRESS, AND HAD LEFT HIS FAMILY WITHOUT MEANS TO LIVE COMFORTABLY FOR MORE THAN A FEW YEARS. HIS MOTHER ACCEPTED A JOB AS A SECRETARY AT MCMASTER UNIVERSITY, WHERE SHE STAYED EVEN BEYOND HER RETIREMENT YEARS. SHE DID PROVIDE HIM WITH A SMALL INHERITANCE, BUT NOT ENOUGH TO OPEN A SUMMER CAMP. HE FELT BETRAYED BY HIS MOTHER, AND NOT BUYING THE CAMP, BOTHERED HIM UNTIL THE END OF HIS LIFE.
ILLUSTRATED ABOVE, ARE SOME OF THE CAMP COMAK KEEPSAKES HE HUNG ONTO, FROM THOSE HALCYON DAYS, WORKING AS A CAMP INSTRUCTOR. BUT WITHOUT QUESTION, IT WAS THE PLACE THAT SEEDED HIS INTEREST IN OUTDOOR EDUCATION.
IF DAVE HAD PURCHASED CAMP COMAK, AT LEAST FROM THIS BIOGRAPHER'S POINT OF VIEW, HE WOULD HAVE EVENTUALLY BEEN FORCED TO SELL THE LAKE ST. NORA PROPERTY, BECAUSE ENROLLMENT COULDN'T COVER OPERATIONAL EXPENSES. I THINK IT WOULD HAVE BEEN MUCH HARDER ON DAVE'S PSYCHE, IF HE HAD OWNED THE CAMP, AND LOST IT IN THIS FASHION; THAN AS IT TURNED OUT, AND IT REMAINED ONLY WISHFUL THINKING. I DO BELIEVE HIS MOTHER WAS CORRECT, AND IT MAY HAVE SAVED HER SON A GREAT DEAL OF EMOTIONAL TURMOIL. DAVE WAS STUBBORN TO A FAULT, AND BY TIME HE WOULD HAVE GIVEN UP ON THE CAMP, AS ITS OWNER, HE WOULD HAVE UNDOUBTEDLY RUN UP QUITE A DEBT LOAD. AS MANY TIMES AS WE TALKED ABOUT THE POSSIBILITIES, OF HAVING RUN THE CAMP THE WAY HE HAD ALWAYS WANTED, HE HAD LITTLE REGARD FOR THE RIGORS OF ACCOUNTING, AND KEEPING A BUSINESS IN THE BLACK. OVER THE YEARS HE HAD BEEN A CAMP INSTRUCTOR, THERE WAS LOTS OF CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN THE OWNER AND HIMSELF, ADDRESSING THE ISSUE OF "WHO WAS THE BOSS." DAVE BELIEVED HE WAS, AND I'VE TALKED TO OTHERS WHO WORKED WITH HIM, AND IT WAS PRETTY CLEAR, DAVE DIDN'T LET ACTUAL ON-PAPER OWNERSHIP, INTERFERE WITH HIS SENSE OF ENTITLEMENT, FOR DOING A GOOD JOB AND WORKING OVERTIME. DAVE DID WORK HARD, AND LONG, BECAUSE IT WAS HIS MISSION TO EVENTUALLY OWN THE CAMP. WHEN HE HAD TO ADMIT THE RELATIONSHIP WAS OVER, IT HURT HIM RIGHT THROUGH THE HEART, LIKE THE HORNET STING ON MY LEG. HE TOOK THAT NEGATIVE ENERGY, AND PUT IT INTO DEVELOPING A SUBSTANTIAL OUTDOOR EDUCATION CENTRE INSTEAD, AND THEN IT WAS THE HAMILTON BOARD, THAT HAD TO DEAL WITH HIS OBSESSIVE QUALITIES. THEN IN THE LATE 1990'S, WHEN THE PROVINCIAL GOVERNMENT MADE SERIOUS CUTS TO EDUCATION, THE BOARD SHUT DOWN DAVE'S OUTDOOR EDUCATION PROGRAM, AND EVENTUALLY, HIS AMAZING CLASSROOM, STUFFED TO OVER-FLOWING WITH RELICS OF NATURE, ALIVE AND PRESERVED. LIKE LOSING COMAK, DAVE WAS GRIEF STRICKEN, THAT ALL HIS WORK AND CONTRIBUTIONS OF ARTIFACTS, AND NATURAL HERITAGE, HAD BEEN A WASTE OF EFFORT. EVEN THOUGH MANY THOUSANDS OF STUDENTS, WHO HAD PASSED THROUGH HIS PROGRAMS, WOULD NEVER FORGET THE INSTRUCTION OFFERED BY THIS MAN OF THE WOODS, ALL HE COULD SEE WAS ANOTHER COLOSSAL FAILURE IN HIS LIFE AMBITIONS. I SUPPOSE, WHEN HE COMMISSIONED ME TO WRITE HIS BIOGRAPHY, HE ASSUMED FINALLY, HE WOULD HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY, TO PRESENT HIS SIDE OF THE STORY. DAVE DIED SHORTLY AFTER I AGREED TO WRITE THE BIOGRAPHY, WITHOUT LEAVING ANY PLAN FOR THE TEXT. I SUPPOSE, FROM WHAT I HAD WRITTEN ABOUT HIS PROGRAM, YEARS EARLIER, (FOR VARIOUS PUBLICATIONS), HE WOULD HAVE EXPECTED ME TO BE PARTICULARLY CRITICAL OF THOSE WHO HAD DENIED HIM OPPORTUNITY, AND CLOSURE, SUCH AS THE CASE WITH HIS OUTDOOR EDUCATION CLASSROOM.
DURING THE SPRING ARTS PROGRAM, AT CAMP KWASIND, (WHICH HAD BEEN RUN IN YEARS PREVIOUS), DAVE HAD A REGULAR ROLE TO PLAY, DURING THE LUNCH HOUR BREAKS. DAVE, AS HE HAD ALWAYS DONE AT CAMP COMAK, WAS A MASTER OF THEATRICS, WHEN IT CAME TO HERITAGE AND NATURE STUDIES. IN THIS CASE, HE HAD BEEN WANDERING THE LAKESHORE PROPERTY, AROUND SKELETON LAKE, (AT LEAST WHERE HE COULD GAIN ACCESS), AND FOUND IRON OBJECTS COVERED OVER IN THE TALL FIELD GRASSES. I REMEMBER HIM SHOWING STUDENTS HUGE, RUSTED IRON PIECES OF ANTIQUATED FARM MACHINERY, HE HAD RESCUED AND CLEANED UP; ONE OF THE MOST MEMORABLE, WAS A LARGE IRON DOOR HE HELD UP, WITH AN INTERESTING RAISED DESIGN ON THE FRONT. ONE STUDENT WAS ABLE TO IDENTIFY IT PROPERLY, AS THE IRON DOOR OFF AN OLD COOKSTOVE. DAVE SEEMED DISAPPOINTED. HE LIKED TO STUMP THEM. HE WOULD HAVE HAD FIVE OR SIX ITEMS HE WANTED STUDENTS TO IDENTIFY, ALL OF WHICH HE HAD FOUND EARLIER IN THE DAY, AND HAULED, AT GREAT PHYSICAL EXPENSE, TO THE CAMP'S DINING HALL. INSTEAD OF HAVING LUNCH, HE WOULD RUN THIS LITTLE IDENTIFICATION PROGRAM INSTEAD. HE WASN'T EMPLOYED TO DO IT; HE DID THESE THINGS BECAUSE IT WAS SOMETHING HE ENJOYED.
IT HAD ALWAYS BEEN THIS WAY, GOING ALL THE WAY BACK TO HIS YEARS AT CAMP COMAK, WHERE HE BEGAN HIS LONG RELATIONSHIP, AS AN ARTIFACT HUNTER-GATHERER. HIS SPECIALTY THEN, OUTSIDE OF NATURAL HERITAGE, WAS HIS DESIRE TO ACCUMULATE RELICS OF THE LOGGING INDUSTRY IN ONTARIO. AS I WROTE ABOUT SOME WEEKS BACK, HE ACTUALLY ENLISTED THE HELP OF HIS STUDENT CAMPERS, VIA CANOE TRIPS, TO WATCH THE WATER IN THE SHALLOWS OF LOCAL LAKES, AND RIVERS BEING TRAVERSED, FOR OLD LOGGING CHAINS, PIKE POLES, LOGGING STAMPS ETC., RUSTING AWAY IN THE WATER. AT THE END OF DAVE'S LIFE, HE HAD A VERY SUBSTANTIAL COLLECTION OF LOGGING ARTIFACTS, INCLUDING RARE LOGGING STAMPS, WHICH, IN THE INDUSTRY, WERE POUNDED INTO THE ENDS OF LOGS, TO SHOW COMPANY OWNERSHIP. HE WOULD NEVER SELL ME ANY, EVEN THOUGH HE COULD HAVE MADE A SMALL FORTUNE DOING SO. DAVE, THE BIBLIOPHILE, REFUSED TO SELL ME THE BOOKS I WANTED BUT WOULD TRADE ME OTHER BOOKS, I DIDN'T REALLY WANT, FOR ANY LOGGING PIECES, I MIGHT HAVE JUST GOT IN, SINCE HIS LAST VISIT. I NEVER GOT THE BETTER DEAL. HE WAS THE MODERN AGE WILL ROGERS, WHEN IT CAME TO TRADING THINGS. I EVEN TRADED HIM A PORTABLE EMBALMING MACHINE ONCE, FOR TWO BOXES OF BOOKS THAT I FOUND OUT LATER, WERE WORTH HALF WHAT THE FUNERARY COLLECTABLE HAD BEEN PRICED AT, IN THE SHOP. HOW I GOT EVEN WITH DAVE, WAS TO GET HIM, WITHOUT KNOWING IT, TO TUTOR SUZANNE AND I ABOUT COLLECTING NON-FICTION BOOKS OF VALUE, AND WHAT METHODS TO EMPLOY, TO GET THE EDGE ON OUR COMPETITION. DAVE WAS ALWAYS CAREFUL NEVER TO GIVE UP TOO MANY TRADE SECRETS, THAT WOULD PUT HIM AT ANY KIND OF DISADVANTAGE, IF WE HAPPENED TO BE OUT TOGETHER, HUNTING BOOKS. SEEING AS DAVE LIKED A GOOD ROAST BEEF OR CHICKEN DINNER, AND ESPECIALLY A GLASS OF WINE IN THE EVENING, WE PLAYED TO HIS WEAKNESSES, AND I'M TELLING YOU, WE GOT A LOT MORE INSIGHTS THAN HE EVER INTENDED. FIRST OF ALL, HE DIDN'T SEE US AS COMPETITION. SUZANNE WITH A KITCHEN APRON ON, WOULDN'T SEEM TO MOST GUESTS, AS SOMEONE WHO WOULD BE RUTHLESS ON THE TRAIL OF ANTIQUES AND COLLECTABLES. I SEEMED TOO RELAXED AND NAIVE TO BE WORTHY OF PROVIDING COMPETITION TO HIM, BUT LOW AND BEHOLD, WE BETTERED HIM ON MANY OCCASI0NS, TO THE POINT HE WOULD STORM OFF IN A HUFF, AND HEAD BACK TO THE CITY WITHOUT SAYING GOODBYE. DAVE WOULD ALWAYS PHONE SUZANNE BACK, LATER IN THE DAY, AND THANK HER FOR FOOD AND LODGING OVER THE WEEKEND STAY. HE WOULDN'T TALK TO ME AGAIN FOR A WEEK OR SO. LONGER IF HE KNEW THAT I HAD GOT BETTER BOOKS THAN HIM FROM A SALE. HE FELT IT WAS CHEATING, FOR US TO HAVE A PARTNERSHIP OF ANTIQUE HUNTERS, WHILE HE WORKED SOLO.
IF DAVE WAS PASSING AN OLD FARMSTEAD, AND TOOK A FANCY TO A PIECE OF FARM MACHINERY, HE'D DRIVE UP TO THE HOUSE, AND ATTEMPT TO MAKE A DEAL TO HARVEST THE IRON WORK. DAVE GOT MOST OF THESE RELICS FREE OF CHARGE. YOU'D BE SURPRISED TO FIND OUT HOW MANY LUNCHES HE GOT THE SAME WAY. HE'D ASK FOR AN OLD PLOW, GET IT FOR THE PRICE OF SWEAT EQUITY TO REMOVE IT, AND THEN BE INVITED IN FOR A FARM LUNCH OR BREAKFAST. MAYBE EVEN AN OVERNIGHT STAY. ALTHOUGH HE WAS MORE INTERESTED IN LOGGING ARTIFACTS, HE ALWAYS KEPT AN OPEN MIND ABOUT WHAT HE COULD USE ABANDONED MACHINERY TO HIGHLIGHT; PARTICULARLY SO, FOR HIS ONGOING HERITAGE DISPLAYS, IN A EXHIBIT SPACE HE WAS IN CHARGE OF, AT THE HAMILTON BOARD OF EDUCATION ADMINISTRATION OFFICE. TOMORROW, I'D LIKE TO SHOW YOU SOME OF WHAT I CALL "DAVE'S FOLK ART." THESE WERE CONCEPTUAL SKETCHES, OF DISPLAYS HE PLANNED FOR THE FUTURE. MOST OF WHAT HE HAD IN HIS FOLIO, HAD BEEN UNDERTAKEN, AND EXHIBITED. HE WOULD HAVE DONE MUCH THE SAME, WHILE AT CAMP COMAK. WHAT HE DID FOR THE BOARD, HE DID ON HIS OWN DIME, INCLUDING OWNERSHIP AND ACQUISITIION OF THE ARTIFACTS USED IN THE DISPLY.
HERE'S ONE EXAMPLE, OF HOW I BEAT THE MASTER AT HIS OWN GAME. DAVE CAME UP TO OUR HOUSE, FOR A WEEKEND RETREAT, IN PART, TO VISIT SOME LOCAL BOOK SALES THAT WERE HAPPENING IN SOUTH MUSKOKA. I HAD TIPPED DAVE OFF, EARLIER IN THE WEEK, THAT THERE WAS A SIGNIFICANT ESTATE SALE HAPPENING THAT COMING SATURDAY, IN THE VILLAGE OF BALA. THEY WERE ADVERTISING A LARGE COLLECTION OF OLD BOOKS. THERE WAS ALSO A LIBRARY BOOK SALE GOING ON, OUTSIDE THE GRAVENHURST OPERA HOUSE, ON SATURDAY MORNING, WHICH HAS ALWAYS TURNED UP SOME DECENT INVESTMENT BOOKS IN THE PAST. DAVE TOOK THE INFORMATION FROM THE CLASSIFIED AD, AND WITHOUT LETTING ME KNOW IN ADVANCE, HAD ACTUALLY BEGGED HIS WAY INTO THE SALE ON THE FRIDAY NIGHT. WE HELD DINNER FOR HIM, AND WHEN HE FINALLY SHOWED UP, (SUZANNE FUMING ABOUT HER DRIED-OUT CHICKEN) HE OFFERED US A PACKAGE OF FRESHLY BAKED BUTTER TARTS. BEFORE WE COULD THANK HIM FOR STOPPING AT THE LOCAL BAKE SHOP, FOR THESE FINE LOOKING TARTS, HE LET US KNOW, THEY HAD ACTUALLY BEEN A GIFT FROM THE BALA FAMILY, HE HAD VISITED AN HOUR EARLIER. DAVE WAS LIKE THIS, AND HE COULD WORM HIS WAY IN, WITH AN AMAZING EXHIBITION OF GENTLEMANLY CHARM. SO BEFORE THE SALE DAY, DAVE GOT THE PICK OF THE BOOKS, AND PURCHASED THREE BOXES FULL. THIS WAS A KICK IN THE ARSE, BECAUSE I WAS SUPPOSED TO HAVE GONE WITH HIM, EARLY THE NEXT MORNING, WHEN THE SALE WAS TO HAVE OFFICIALLY BEGUN. SO IN OTHER WORDS, THE MONEY BOOKS WERE GONE. HE DID TELL ME THERE WAS A LOT OF OTHER NEAT STUFF BEING SOLD, THAT WOULD FIT OUR ANTIQUE INTERESTS. DAVE ALWAYS MINIMIZED ME AS A BOOK COLLECTOR, AND WAS HIGHLY CRITICAL OF MY PENCHANT FOR PURCHASING VINTAGE RELIGIOUS BOOKS. "THEY WON'T SELL TED, AND YOU'RE JUST WASTING MONEY BUYING THEM." FUNNY THING! I HAVE SOLD THOUSANDS OF THEM SINCE SUZANNE AND I STARTED SELLING ANTIQUARIAN BOOKS. IN FACT, WE HAVE VERY FEW LEFT. DAVE WOULD OFTEN SAY THINGS TO THROW US OFF THE SCENT. HE DIDN'T WANT HIS UNDERSTUDIES GETTING IN HIS WAY.
SO I AGREED TO GO TO THE SALE WITH HIM, KNOWING AHEAD OF TIME, I WASN'T GOING TO GET THE BIG BUY ON BOOKS. BUT BEING HIS TOP STUDENT, I TRUSTED THAT I COULD STILL PULL ONE OUT OF THE HAT. DAVE WOULD OBSESS AT SALES, AND ON THIS DAY, HIS MISSION WAS TO CONVINCE THE SON OF THE SALE HOSTS, WHO WAS SELLING-OFF THE COTTAGE CONTENTS, THAT HAD BELONGED TO HER DOCTOR FATHER, THAT HE SHOULD SELL THE TEXTS OF WESTERN AMERICANA, HE WOULDN'T AGREE TO, THE NIGHT BEFORE. IT'S ALL DAVE TALKED ABOUT AFTER DINNER. GETTING THOSE BOOKS. SO I KNEW HE WOULD BUSY HIMSELF NEGOTIATING FOR THE BOOKS, ONCE AT THE COTTAGE, AND LEAVE ME TO BROWSE UNINTERRUPTED THROUGH THE YARD SALE INVENTORY. I'VE TOLD THIS STORY MANY TIMES IN THE PAST, BUT IT STILL CHEERS ME UP, AT TIMES WHEN I DOUBT MY CAPABILITIES THESE DAYS, IN THE MIDST OF TOUGH COMPETITION FOR SEEMINGLY FEWER PIECES. THE ABRIDGED VERSION IS, I PICKED UP A FANTASTIC MOUNTED DEER HEAD, WITH MAGNIFICENT ANTLERS, THAT HAD BEEN IN THE SMALL BALA COTTAGE FOR ABOUT SIXTY YEARS. I PAID THIRTY BUCKS. THEN I FOUND A DINOSAUR BONE FROM DRUMHELLER, ALBERTA. NOW TALK ABOUT PISSING DAVE OFF. I STILL HAVE THAT BONE, AND IT'S ON DISPLAY IN A SPECIAL SHOWCASE AT THE FRONT OF OUR SHOP; I LIKE TO SHOW OFF NATURAL HERITAGE LIKE THIS, BUT TRUTH BE KNOWN, IT'S STILL MY LITTLE TROPHY, TO REMIND ME, OF THE DAY I BEAT THE GREAT DAVE BROWN, WHO BY THE WAY, NEVER DID GET THE BOOKS HE WANTED. HE WOULDN'T TALK TO ME ALL THE WAY BACK TO GRAVENHURST, AFTER I SHOWED HIM THE DINOSAUR BONE, AND THE DEER HEAD. I PROBABLY SHOULD HAVE GIVEN DAVE THE BONE FOR HIS OUTDOOR EDUCATION CLASSROOM, BUT IT WAS JUST TOO MUCH OF A COUP FOR ME, THE UNDERLING, TO HAND OVER; THE MENTOR HAD BEEN OUT-PLAYED. LATER THAT MORNING, HIS OTHER STUDENT, SUZANNE, BEAT HIM A THE LIBRARY BOOK SALE, FOR A FIRST EDITON OF THE LATE 1800'S BOOK, "TORONTO RE-VISITED," AND HE STORMED OFF IN ANGER, WHEN SHE DIDN'T VOLUNTARILY SURRENDER IT TO HIM; AS HE SUPPOSED A HOST FOR THE WEEKEND SHOULD. HE ACTUALLY WENT HOME WITHOUT SAYING GOODBYE, BECAUSE HE WAS MAD HIS APPRENTICES HAD OUT MUSTERED THE TEACHER. HE EVENTUALLY CAME AROUND AND OFFERED YET ANOTHER APOLOGY FOR BEING RUDE. DAVE BROWN WAS TRULY ECCENTRIC. HE WAS ONE OF THOSE WILDLY INTELLIGENT PEOPLE, WHO HAD SOME COMPANION QUIRKS THAT WERE HARD TO GET USED TO; BUT WHO WAS GENEROUS TO A FAULT, IN SO MANY OTHER WAYS. HE GAVE SUZANNE AND I AN EDUCATION IN BOOK COLLECTING AND ANTIQUE HUNTING, THAT, IF WE HAD BEEN FORCED TO PAY FOR, WOULD HAVE COST US MANY, MANY THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS. HE DID, OVER TIME, GIVE US INSIDE TIPS, THAT HAVE ALLOWED US TO CHERRY PICK TO OUR HEARTS CONTENT, KNOWING INVESTMENT BOOKS FROM THE MOMENT WE SEE THEIR SPINES LINED-UP ON A SHELF.
HOW ECCENTRIC WAS DAVE BROWN? HE WAS GIVEN THE TASK OF TAKING APART, LOG BY LOG, A FORMER NORTHERN ALGONQUIN PARK CAMP, KNOWN AS THE TURTLE CLUB, IN PARTNERSHIP WITH WELL KNOWN CANOE EXPERT, KIRK WIPPER (CAMP KANDALORE, NEAR DORSET); WITH THE LONG RANGE PLAN, OF FINDING ANOTHER LOCATION TO RE-CONSTRUCT THE BUILDING FOR ANOTHER USE. DAVE DISASSEMBLED THE BUILDING, NUMBERED THE LOGS AND CODED THEM IN A BOOK HE KEPT ON THE PROJECT, AND HAD THEM READY TO BE REMOVED TO ANOTHER SITE. THERE WAS A DISPUTE ABOUT PAYMENT AND IT WAS SO SEVERE, THAT DAVE REFUSED TO HAND OVER THE LOG NUMBERING PROFILE, WHICH WAS ESSENTIAL TO RE-BUILDING THE STRUCTURE. IT BECAME A LONG STANDING BATTLE BETWEEN THE TWO WELL KNOWN HISTORIANS, AND IT WAS NEVER RESOLVED FOR THE REST OF DAVE'S LIFE, AS HE PASSED AWAY FIRST. SEVERAL YEARS AGO, MR. WIPPER PASSED AWAY, AND TO MY KNOWLEDGE, THE MATTER WAS NEVER RESOLVED. IT ISN'T KNOWN WHETHER THE EXECUTOR OF DAVE'S ESTATE, EVER FOUND THE BOOKLET, IN WHICH THE PLAN HAD BEEN SKETCHED OUT, WITH LOG NUMBERS AND KEY MEASUREMENTS. I HAVE HEARD A STORY SINCE, THAT THE LOGS HAVE ROTTED AWAY, STILL IN THE ORIGINAL PILE IN WHICH THEY WERE LEFT. THE PROJECT WAS NEVER FULFILLED.
THE SAME THING HAPPENED WITH HISTORIAN ED PHELPS, WHO ALSO PASSED AWAY SOME YEARS AGO. DAVE HAD A MAP THAT WAS OWNED BY PHELPS, THAT ALSO BECAME A FINANCIAL DEBACLE; ONE CLAIMING THAT COMPENSATION WAS OWED, WHILE THE OTHER VEHEMENTLY DISAGREED. I BELIEVE THAT PHELPS WAS ABLE TO RECOVER THE MAP AFTER DAVE'S DEATH, BUT HE MAY HAVE HAD TO PAY FOR IT TO SETTLE THE MATTER. I REMEMBER ED TELLING ME ALL ABOUT THIS, WHEN HE SHOWED UP AT BIRCH HOLLOW, FOR A VISIT, IN COMPANY OF HIS HISTORIAN BUDDY, HUGH MACMILLAN, ANOTHER OF MY CANADIAN HERITAGE MENTORS. IT WAS HUGH WHO, IN HIS BOOK, "ADVENTURES OF A PAPER SLEUTH," REFERENCED DAVE BROWN'S PORNOGRAPHIC COLLECTION, THAT WAS FOUND BY EXECUTORS, WHEN CLEARING OUT HIS HAMILTON BUNGALOW. I KNEW ABOUT THE SMALL COLLECTION, THAT DAVE HAD ACQUIRED AS PART OF A LARGE BOOK PURCHASE, HE HAD MADE OFF A REGIONAL ESTATE. HE JUST DIDN'T KNOW WHAT TO DO WITH THEM. I ASKED HUGH NOT TO PUT THIS IN HIS BOOK, BUT HUGH DIDN'T TAKE INSTRUCTIONS FROM ME.
AS MUCH AS I CARED FOR DAVE, THERE WERE THINGS ABOUT HIS BUSINESS DEALERS, THAT MADE ME WINCE, BUT DID ALLOW ME TO SEE JUST HOW WILD IT COULD GET BETWEEN STALWART COLLECTORS IN THIS COUNTRY. AT TIMES, I WILL COMMENT TO SUZANNE, ABOUT THE ANTICS OF SOME COLLECTOR FRIEND WE KNOW, FEELING THEY MAY HAVE ACTED AGGRESSIVELY OR SHOWN SOME UNHEALTHY OBSESSIVE TRAITS DURING SOME BUSINESS DEALING. THEN SHE WILL REMIND ME OF ALL THE BITS AND PIECES OF THE DAVE BROWN BIOGRAPHY, THAT NEVER MADE THE BOOK, WE HAVE KNOWN INTIMATELY FOR DECADES, AND WE AGREE AT ONCE, THAT WHATEVER HAPPENED IN THE CONTEMPORARY BUSINESS FORUM, NOTHING HAS BEEN COMPARABLE, TO ONE OF THE MOST VICIOUS COLLECTORS WE HAVE EVER KNOWN. AND IF YOU TAKE ANOTHER GLANCE, AT THE ILLUSTRATION OF DAVE BROWN, HOLDING THE HANDS OF THESE YOUNGSTERS, ON ONE OF HIS NATURE WALKS, IT'S HARD TO BELIEVE THIS KINDLY CHAP, HAD SUCH A VISCOUS STREAK, TO HAVE MADE HIM SUCH A FEARED ADVERSARY IN THE COLLECTING FIELD. HE COULD TURN IT OFF WHEN HE OPENED THE DOOR OF HIS OUTDOOR EDUCATION CENTRE, OR WHEN TAKING HIS STUDENTS ON NATURE WALKS THROUGH THE HAMILTON AREA WOODLANDS. WE KNEW ALL SIDES OF DAVE BROWN, AND HE WAS AS DIVERSE AS THE CANADIAN SEASONS.
