Nature boy
Some of my friends had joined cub scouts so I signed up . This was really special as we got to go over to friends houses and listen to their Dads tell us about Army adventures as they took out . 45 Thompson submachine guns and all kinds of ammo and army paraphernalia to show us . Yes , we had to be disciplined and have our uniforms on , the kerchiefs tied neatly , belt buckle shined and so on . We marched and saluted but the rewards seemed vast .
We learned about camping , fishing , survival and shooting and then we experienced it . Wow , I always remember going into the woods and just hiking away from houses , concrete , sky scrapers and everything . Just nature . It was wonderful . It was home to me . It was where I belonged . A weekend
Autumn Leaves , Woodstock New York circa 1981 Photo by Barry Epstein
camping trip then turned into a week and then a month during the summer months where we went to the coolest camps where we were able to canoe , fish , make leather things , shoot bows and arrows or guns , learn orientation , night walks , giant campfires and much much more . It was magic and spiritual on several levels .
At some point , the family then moved to Miami , Florida as I call it the Jewish Burial Grounds because it seems just like the elephants , the Jews know when it is time to go . I think this was around 5th or 6th grade as I recall a big send off from my class as they autographed some bathers for me . We spent a
Clockwise : Marcelle , Grandpa Abe , Grandma Pauline , Beatrice , Harry , Linda , Barry short period , perhaps a year in Florida and I loved the beaches and the sand and then we wound up back in New Jersey . My sister Linda had some friends over and they showed me how to do the Lindy Hop and some other dances at her Sweet 16th party that was held in our apartment in Bergenfield . It was super . My parents then bought a house and we were now living virtually across from the New Milford High School on a very busy road ( Madison Avenue ). Although we went to the same high school , Linda didn ’ t acknowledge me at the school as I was too young . But we were back with our friends now and somehow my other sister Marcelle had disappeared . I had only seen Marcelle in short segments as I grew up . She was living with our Aunt as she needed to finish high school in New Jersey .
We had two Aunts and Uncles and cousins living nearby that we frequently visited and had dinners . They seemed friendly and cordial . We appeared to celebrate all of the Jewish holidays together but we weren ’ t very religious . My two cousins , that were just a couple of years older , lived very close together and were always hanging out with each other . Jeffrey was very much into baseball and when I was over at his house , he would teach me how to score each
BARRY STEVEN EPSTEIN - PhotoAutobiography DRAFT 7 of 156