Seiad Valley holds a special place in my heart.

As a child my mother would bring my brother and I here. It’s here that I came to love the woods and the out-of-doors. I suppose two months of camping every summer can either do one of two things to a child; make you love wildness or abhor it. I came to love it. This is what I wanted to share with my sons growing up, that love for the out-of-doors. As a parent anything that you do, you’re walking a very fine line. Too much or too little of anything and your goal is not met. And I think that myself as a parent I had an underlying purpose in what I did. I hoped to mold my sons into an unconscious vision that I had for them. I wonder though, was the vision what I thought best for them or a mark of parenthood for me? Whatever the reason, I think that I really decided to take growing up seriously as soon as Randy was born. At that point, I decided to do whatever I had to so I could make a good life for him. When Andrew came along we were fully committed to giving them the best possible options that we could provide. Sandi and I only wanted the best for our boys. I think that she came to this conclusion even before I did, maybe when Randy was still in her womb.