In a cabin called Dogwood, I set up my PowerBook. Portland Mac User Group (PMUG) member Tim Doty strolls in with a big grin and a brand-new blueberry iBook. The eight or so people hanging around greet the newcomer with oohs and ahhs. MacCamp Venue Queen Marge Dunay zooms in for a closer look.

“I am soooo jealous,” Dunay declares, examining the lucid, blue screen. “Don’t you hate him?” She winks. Product envy hangs in the air.

At orientation, the jokes and jabs fly among longtime friends. Ground rules: Don’t touch anyone else’s computer without asking, observe network etiquette, use virus protection. Instructors teaching this weekend describe their courses and duel for students. From beginner to advanced, they sound so good I want to attend them all.

Back at the cabin, it’s goof-off time. Meg Grace shows her gal pals how to win the Handsome Executive. Lively rounds of You Don’t Know Jack erupt from the corner. A couple of folks assemble MP3 playlists. Another tinkers with a custom jigsaw puzzle she created starring her children. Adam Christianson, a web programmer who flew in from San Diego to teach a class on web graphics, configures an iMac for a friend.

MacCampers come from all walks of life. I meet a cytologist who studies cancer cells and uses a Mac to track her business and farm finances (she grows hazelnuts and Christmas trees). I encounter several Mac consultants. A few retired folks. A doctor. A teacher. A bookkeeper. A salesman. A flautist from the Portland Symphony.

At midnight the Marathon gaming session gets going. And not just among the disheveled 20-somethings hiding out in the gaming den next door. People of all ages get into the act across several network zones.