So here you have me, standing in the classroom where I was privately lectured on why I shouldn’t kick other boys in the balls, even if they're being mean to me. Thank you, Mrs. Kloiber. I've learned that one pretty well, and haven't resorted to it since.

But today, though the room was the same, it was the classroom of another teacher. it was also peopled by some thirty sets of curious eyeballs. i wasn't about to pass on the same wisdom. that i received from Mrs. Kloiber. but I hope whatever i have brought them it is something they can carry with them into their life's adventures.

I came there expecting to be laughed at, as the resident expert in Champy, our local lake-monster in the Champlain Valley. But in each of the three rooms in two different schools the reaction exceeded my expectations. Most of the children, of ages 8, 9, or 10, were not only ready to entertain the notion of a lake-monster, but wanted to go to questions beyond. "what would Champy eat? why is Champy stuck here? why haven't people taken better photographs" And in the midst of all of this, I realized I was encouraging children to carry on their own questions and theories, along the lines of a collegiate discussion. Their standard day at school was rarely of this format, and they really seemed to enjoy it. As Mrs. Bistor-Cross told me afterwards, she felt the kids would certainly remember today as a highlight of the year. This brought a smile even to stoic old me.

What is the value then of lake monster to the imagination of a child? Such a thing could hardly be measured, but I do intend to reflect on it in during my Watson endeavors. In the meantime, there is a very real product of these imaginations. I now have several dozen drawings of Champy and ways to find him. I'm not ashamed to admit that many of them have more artistic abilities than I do!

I'm hoping that when I repeat this experiment abroad, the results will be as forthcoming. For then, I will have several splendid drawings with which to share with the classes I go to.

Next on the agenda, I hope to make a visit to Champy tourism's home in Port Henry. Technically, my Watson hasn't even started yet, but this practice run boosts my optimism that many a mental light-bulb will brighten in the year ahead.