grampye

Ah yes. Winter Campout. 10 degrees. 2 AM. Tent starts shaking. Words I don't want to hear again, for sure. "Mr. E, Brian knocked over a gallon of Orange Juice in our tent!" It was about that time I began considering that opening on the district committee more seriously.

pmickle1027 - you mentioned Tuscarora, but let me add Camp Barton. It's out of the same council (Baden-Powell) and located on the shores of Cayuga Lake north of Ithaca. It's a small camp with everything an easy walk and a totally beautiful waterfront.

Obviously, he was glancing over his shoulder at the time, an unsafe practice at best ;

Question: Does anyone remember the exact wording of the two side banners on the screen at the end of the final show? They were displayed at the sides of the poster Brandon had made. The upper part was "Love One Another". What was the lower part?

And have you ever watched ducks on the water? Everything looks OK, but who knows what's going on beneath that seemingly unruffled surface? And then it happens... mooning! Exclusion is too good for them. They should be burned at the stake! (or is that burned with the steak?)

Didn't I see something in YPT about cooking and eating one of your Scouts? I think it might be prohibited (or is that just one of the Grey Areas?)

I have no problem with it. After all, I suspect a lot of ducks would rather be eagles, but wouldn't we have to dumb down the requirements a bit? Eagle BOR: So, Donald, which of the points of the Scout Law did you find the hardest to live up to? Donald: Quack! Eagle BOR: Quack? Donald: Quack, quack, quack, quack, quack! (tries to eat the Eagle pin on the committee chairperson's lapel)

If it is important to us not to be rude, we need to realize that rudeness is in the eye of the beholder. The fact that what would be seen as rudeness by the majority is not considered rude in the internet elite crowd is only meaningful while one is hanging out in a forum with others of a like ilk. Is this possibly natural selection at work? Let's see. 1. Someone responds rudely to a post. 2. Person taking the hit can either hang in there or drop out of the forum. 3. Forum evolves into a community in which rudeness is now acceptable. 4. Rudeness becomes the standar

Our leadership guys were really good friends with the SPL of another troop in town. One year he was not able to attend summer camp with his troop and we offered to have him spend the week with us. Towards the end of the week while he was out of the campsite his "friends" removed the troop numbers from his uniform and replaced them with ours. I wish they had been able to pull it off, but unfortunately they messed up the sewing job and the sleeve was tight when he put it on. I can only imagine the ribbing he would have gotten when someone from his troop noticed his "defection".

Yes, I'm going, and I am so psyched! The OA is a great organization and I can't remember ever meeting anyone who was haughty or arrogant at a NOAC. OGE, it's too bad you didn't get involved so that the next guy would have at least one good guy to hang out with. It's not too late, you know. I just recently got back into Scouting after a 20 year break to raise some adopted children, and when I heard that NOAC was going to be at Michigan State I got my application and money in (MSEE MSU 1964). Sadly, my money was returned to me six months later with no explanation - just a che

As far as changing an existing unit, good luck with that. I came is as Scoutmaster of a unit that was struggling about 9 months ago. It's not just the leaders you have to change. Any boys who are currently in the troop are the ones who like it the way it is - anyone who didn't left. Likewise, their parents will happy with things the way they are and be very resistant to change as well (especially if it suddenly becomes more difficult to earn that Eagle), so from experience I can tell you that simply becoming the Scoutmaster will not solve your problems. To change a unit culture take

Wingnut, your kind of seriousness is encouraged here. Sorry for your loss. OK, maybe one more to test the waters.... This was back in the early '80s. For a while my Scouts had this skit they would do called "Swami". A line of them would enter and sit cross legged in a row. An "interpreter" would announce that the great and all knowing Swami was going to tell fortunes. A Scout with his head wrapped in a towel and wearing a bathrobe would then enter and sit at the end of the row next to the interpreter. The "Swami" would converse briefly in gibberish and in a sing-song voice with

I started this thread to perhaps hear about some of the great pranks that others had witnessed or been a part of, but it's getting way too serious for me. I had a couple more I was going to share, but I suspect they would just draw more fire. Too bad.

A couple of weeks ago I was witness to one of the greatest camp pranks ever. Two of my Scouts - let's call them Joe and Sam - tentmates -had begun exchanging pranks. Two others - Ben and Tim - had come to Joe's aid. Sam was out of the camp and the three conspiritors were trying to come up with an idea. Suddenly Ben exclaimed "We got to get a ladder!" "Why a ladder?" Joe questioned. "We'll put his bunk up on the roof over our dining area!" Joe wasn't so sure, but Ben was and he and Tim headed down to Sam's tent. Soon the two of them were coming up the trail with the bun

I'm really sort of trying to feel my way to a position on this face painting here and I thank you all for your help. Obviously, hazing is out, whatever that is, but are all pranks played by older boys on the younger ones hazing? Apparently the OA has reached some conclusions here as face painting of one person by another is specifically forbidden as a part of any of their ceremonies. As far as my own experience goes, I can only remember the look on one young man's face when he discovered what had been done to him, and imho, anything that has the potential of causing that kind of

I haven't been involved in any of the "hot" discussions, so I'm not aware of the history of this topic. I would guess that because it did cause animated discussion, the BSA has not been very clear on how to interpret this rule. I recently had an incident in my troop. I am the relatively new Scoutmaster ( 15 years) of a troop with over 50 years of charter. At a campout a few months ago the older boys snuck into the younger boys tents while they were asleep and "painted" their faces using magic markers. None of the older boys were painted, and not all of the younger ones. In addition, one b

I think the problem here is viewing those other than the candidates and ceremonies team members as "audience". Everyone attending the ceremony is a member of the "ceremonies team". It was many, many years ago, but I can certainly remember that I did not consider that half circle of silent brothers that we passed through as an "audience". The purpose of the ceremony is to impart a message to the candidate. Everyone at the ceremony should be there to add to the ceremony, and not for their own pleasure. You need to decide what message you impart by having an "audience" rather than silent "m

rpushies Advisor vs Adviser - the way it was explained to me was that it had been done to distinguish between the position of post advisor for an explorer post and lodge adviser for an OA lodge. Any other theories?

If you're going to dream, you might as well dream big - you'll probably blow it anyway, but the trip will be way more fun!

A book is a mind speaking to your mind. Music is much more dangerous - music is a heart speaking to your heart. When we know someones heart, their actions stop shouting at us. You can act without love, but you cannot love without acting. Neither the person inside nor the person outside a fence needs to move from where they are to tear it down. Love doesnt stop the hurt, it just allows us to endure it. Todays advances are the building blocks for tomorrows barricades Commit to advancing, not to an advance. Sometimes backing up is the only way we can move forwar

I just recently got re-involved in Scouting and ran into an all too familiar scenario. We are located in one of the corners of our council, and I noticed on our lodge's website that there was supposed to be a chapter here. The other day I met the lodge adviser and asked him about it. He told me that the boys had tried putting together the chapters, but it just didn't work. I suspect that it didn't work because adults weren't doing their job. I wonder if the adults had been out talking up chapters to the Scoutmasters so they could encourage their youth Arrowmen to be involved? It is a

Gee, I wonder. When did this start? When I was lodge adviser (Gajuka 477 - 1981-1983), I remember someone putting someone else down for having a dirty sash, and someone (might even have been me) pointed out that a dirty sash could be considered a badge of honor. I guess I would say that we just need to keep our purpose in mind in wearing the sash. I can see two - representing the order to outsiders and representing it to brothers and especially ordeal members. I believe perhaps different messages need to be sent? And I don't think it needs to be dirty, but it probably needs stains.