What a fantastic day! My kids and I were utterly exhausted and thoroughly happy as we limped back to the van after the barbecue. I'm so proud of Brian and Valerie; they worked hard all day and earned their TARC uniforms, and no complaints (at least, none that the old man heard).
Working a job where you have contact with the TARC teams (I was on check-in) will restore your faith in American youth. These kids are smart, focused and polite. I had to tell a few teams that they had to change something to meet the rules; without exception, their response was to start to work on the problem, not to argue with me. Some of 'em looked a little strange, but this old geezer can remember hearing the same thing about himself and his friends back in the Sixties.
I remember turning to Jim Kukowski, who was working the return table next to me, and saying, "These kids are a whole lot smarter than I remember being."
Thanks, Trip, for all your work organizing this fantastic event. We're proud to be a small part of it.
Doug, Brian and Valerie Pratt