(REF:) Is a Scout Uniform Formal Attire?
MAJ (")
Sat, 11 Dec 1999 15:29:06 -0600
Hi Everyone!!
Jessi and I returned from our honeymoon/anniversary/vacation cruise
yesterday at noontime here, and almost immediately went to our computers and
started the long download of email. Once again, my apologies to those
waiting on an answer from me; I expected to find at least one port of call
with Internet access and a couple of terminals....it didn't turn out that way.
And for those whom have pets, you would appreciate the fact that Jessi's cat
Kelly really missed his "owner" and won't let her out of his sight.
To summarize: since our marriage five years ago this month, we have been
unable to do a honeymoon trip somewhere; it was a matter of me being
available to take the trip with Jessiann. In agreeing not to complain too
much about my most recent trip to Central America, I promised Jessi that
this would be the year that we would do some sort of honeymoon. Originally,
it was planned for Hawaii; later, she found out about the Carnival cruise
and after several emails back and forth, we signed up.
Then, came the "possibility" of me being deployed once again, and we
cancelled out.
At the last momment almost, the deployment was cancelled and the cruise was
back on. So we rolled up our anniversary, a good vacation, and our
honeymoon into this ten-day trip. Because Jessi wanted to see Key West, we
also rented a car the day before the cruise started and drove down the Keys
to Key West and then drove back that evening.
We have a dinner to go to this evening and then things will be back to "some
sort" of normalacy come Sunday; that's when I expect to get caught up on
many of the discussions here as well as elsewhere....so please excuse me if
I post a lot of answers together instead of separately in some of the
discussions; also please don't think I'm not paying attention to some other
topics by not responding tp them , but others have answered many of those
topics in more detail than I can offer.
During the cruise, which was arranged by a magazine devoted to those
families, couples and individuals whom are "racially mixed" or
bi/multi-racial, Jessi and I were in a small argument over what consituted
"formal attire." As many of the participants here on Scouts-L know, I
ALWAYS bring with me a complete Scout field uniform wherever I go because I
never know when an opportunitiy will come up which lends itself to wearing
such an outfit. To appease my wife, I didn't bring my "Christmas Tree"
uniform (the one I wear on my website front page and on several other pages)
but rather a woolen version of a older version, with less "lights" and
"bulbs." I wanted to wear it to the final dinner while she would wear a
beautiful shimmer green dress.
(See, we were seated at a table with two other older couples whom have been
on several of these cruises before....and they were DECKED OUT each evening,
not just on the formal dinner evenings...)
I was talked out of it. But I bring it up to all of you: Would YOU consider
a Scout uniform as "formal attire" and would you wear it as such given the
opportunity to do so?
Otherwise, the cruise was fine....Jessi will probably post a followup and
explain her love of the trip and her desire to go again. I sure wished that
I would have read Jonah's posting to me BEFORE I went. You're absolutely
right: it's like a 24-hour "food-a-thon" on board....every time I turned
around, it was "time to eat" something or another! *hehehehee* I must of
have gained at least TEN pounds (which I'm going to have to shed off before
Feburary...weigh-in time at the Reserve headquarters!!) on this week alone!!
I also had a second chance to go to Hell (this one was in the Cayman
Islands, and featured an area of land which looked like what many would
envision such a place to "look like". The other Hell, in Kentucky, featured
a deep coal mine in which a United Way promoted program encouraged those
attending to participate...you know "Come with us to Hell...") and to see a
little bit of Jamaica.
One of the reasons, besides the personal ones, for going on this trip was to
talk with other families to see if they allowed their children opportunities
to become members of youth programs like Scouting, or because of community
"stigmas" they chose to rather to place their children into sports
activities. I never did get a good response from our dinner partners, all
of whom had children now college-aged or older; nor did I get an opportunity
to raise the issue during our sole "open session" on Wednesday.
The other question, if there's someone on our list from South Florida, is
how big is the Scout camp between Key West and Key Largo?? We drove by it
on the way to Key West last Saturday...it was a great drive and gave me the
opportunity to pose in front of yet *another* large "item", this time a
conch shell outside a store....*smiling*. I didn't think that it was really
that large of a Scout camp...also, what facilities are located there? Please
post to the list, because I'm sure that other Scouters interested in a
different kind of (summer) camp experience would welcome the information!
Finally, during the cruise I had plenty of time to write several short items
in my "Kailey Book" and to take some additional notes. I'll post some of
those things during the day on Sunday, as it's been my personal policy to do
such postings during the weekends when the number of postings are down somewhat.
It's great to be back home, although I'm going to be hearing from Jessi for
the next two or three weeks or so...."Why did we have to come back?? It was
80 there and we're back to cold and 20s!" I'll let her do the travelogue
for those interested.
Settummanque!
-----
(MAJ) Mike L. Walton (settummanque, the blackeagle)
http://www.mninter.net/~blkeagle
personal inquiries via kyblkeagle@aol.com,
blackeagle@SCOUTER.net or blkeagles@hotmail.com
professional inquiries via waltonmi@usarc-emh2.army.mil
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