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baden

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Everything posted by baden

  1. Kristi- Congratulations on finishing your ticket. It is a good feeling to wrap it up. Best wishes with your new Pack. Baden I used to be a Fox. And a Good Ol' Staffer too.
  2. Just returned from BWCA. Had a great trip, this was the best working crew I have ever gone with. The boys worked really hard and portaged like men possessed. The weather was very good for up there. A little cool in the mornings and some rain off and on, but very pleasant. It was odd to see float planes flying over. We were told they were hauling supplies to the fire crews, hence the lifting of the no-fly zone. Scouting is an educational movement and I learned at least one new thing. I may be getting a little old to do the High Adventure thing.
  3. Eamonn- I admit that you have the drop on me when discussing Scouting-UK. I have always liked the idea of the County Commissioner but have no idea if it works well or not. Like everything else in Scouting I suppose it depends on the quality of the individual. When I was speaking of Manpower in my previous post, I was referring to District level volunteers, not Unit volunteers. The D.E. is usually trying to recruit members for the District Committee. This seems to always be a CA around here. Having a fully staffed Committee. Sometimes it is a name in a slot, not much use. Some D
  4. Eamonn I am not anti council, district or professional. I have known many fine DE's. I served four years as District Tng. Chair and another four years as District Commissioner. Having said that, I have become somewhat disillusioned with BSA operations as it pertains to Units and Districts. A District is an artificial entity that is the operating arm of the Council. Districts exist in theory to serve Units. The primary duties of the D.E. are the 3Ms. Membership, manpower, and money. Service to the Units is way down on the priority list for the typical harried D.E. I don't blame the Profess
  5. Thanks to Dan and Eaglebeader for the updates. i'm looking forward to the trip. I haven't been to the BWCA for 8 years. I have some trepidation about the blowdown area. I have such great memories about the tall pines
  6. We're leaving for the Boundary Waters Canoe Area on 7-29. Does anyone have any current information on the fires in the Ely area? I have some concerned Mommas.
  7. We are leaving Saturday for the Boundary Waters. This will be a 1400 mi. round trip for us. We have been trying to budget as close as possible to make participation easier for all. Budgeting gas prices beginning last December has been a challenge. The gasbuddy web site posted by evmori is a good resource. We budgeted $3.00 p/gal in our planning last winter thinking that we would be OK. Looks like that will be close. We always budget an amount for contingency ($25.00 for this trip) and refund it after all accounts are settled. This year we may get into the contingency fund for gas. Hope not.
  8. Welcome back. I envy you. I was last at the Ranch in 1998. So long ago I've forgotten the Trek #, but we went over Mt. Philips and the Tooth. We have tried getting a slot a couple of times since, but no luck. Leaving for Boundary Waters next week. Pray for an old Scouter.
  9. Is summer really over? We just got back from Camp!!! Leaving next week for the Boundary Waters. Is summer really over???
  10. I find this forum to be, in general, a congenial place. A very few times a reply to one of my postings has been a bit sharp. I usually shrug it off, thinking the poster is having a bad day. I am sometimes amused when a couple of posters get their hackles up and go at each other. This is usually not interesting for long and I choose to not follow the thread. I would recommend that if someone is offended by a response that they let it go and move to another topic.
  11. I meet with my #1 ASM every month on the way to and from Roundtable. We ride together (35 minutes each way) and get quite a bit out every month.
  12. Recently our turn around time from National on Eagle apps. has been consistently 7-10 days. Sometimes the delay is at the Council office. We had one a few years ago that seemed to take forever. I finally inquired at the Council office and was told that the woman that did the reviews on the apps had gone on vacation and quit when she came back, so everything was sitting in a pile on her desk with several others. The delay is usually not in Texas.
  13. This sort of thing drives me crazy. I know that BSA walks a fine line between the traditions of the past and being relevant to today. I also realize that if we never changed we'd be wearing wool uniforms and working on the harness making MB, but the mindset that everything must be utilitarian with no regard for our rich history is sad.
  14. A few years ago a lady in our community came up to me at a Troop Court of Honor and said "I think it is wonderful what you do for these boys". I told her, "Well, I'm not too Saintly, if it wasn't fun I wouldn't be doing it". When it ceases to be fun, I'll cease doing it. So far, so good.
  15. I am happy to hear about some Scouts showing interest in Space Flight. When I was a "ute we watched the manned space launches in school on black and white TV. I remember being very interested in it. When Alan Shepard and John Glenn went up they were like rock stars. Now the astronauts are sort of ho-hum to the kids. John Glenn did a promo for Scouting in the early '60's. I remember seeing a poster with Col. Glenn witha Cub Scout, Boy Scout, and an Explorer. Something about Go for Roundup. There have been many postings in the past about the number of BSA alumni in the ranks of the Ast
  16. Recently our D.E. called and asked if I would participate in a District Manpower Conference. I sort of laughed to myself and said "I forgot, you just got back from Texas" Every newbie D.E. I have known has come back from PDL Tng. and immed. scheduled a Manpower Conf. I think I've been to about 10 of these cluster-flops. The 1st thing that happens is a review of the old charters, then a discussion of the NESA list, followed by a trip down memory lane about old District volunteers we might be able to blackmail into service. Prospect lists are drawn up, assignments are made to make the contacts,
  17. This will not help Jeff, but we can all learn from this. For things such as Philmont we must get the money upfront, then if circumstances require someone to drop, they find their own replacement or take the loss. This also keeps a lot of "circumstances" from ocurring. Philmont is tough. The commitment so far in advance does make for some challenges. We were fortunate a number of years ago. We had a boy decide he wasn't interested about 60 days out. We tried to fill his spot, but no luck. His Dad came to the Troop Treas. and paid the Philmont fee. We hadn't asked, but he said the Troop had laid
  18. E-man- Remember, you're only young once, but you can be immature forever!!! Baden
  19. 45 miles one way. Been averaging probably 10 RT's a year for 18 years. I'm amazed when a leader I know that lives 2 blocks from our meeting place can't make it. I think it is about commitment rather than distance.
  20. Kittle- Scouting does not end at 52. I'm 56. My son is 25, and I'm still the SM. Have fun, the boys will slow the aging process. Or maybe the maturity process. You're only young once, but you can be immature forever.
  21. #1 My son's Eagle Court of Honor #2 Serving as an advisor at Philmont for a crew made up of Scout's all from my Troop #3 Serving as Scoutmaster for 1997 National Jamboree. This also included my most terrifying moment as a Scoutmaster, but that's a story for a different day.
  22. Bob, welcome to the campfire that never ends. There is a wealth of experience and knowledge represented by the poster to this list. You may have to sift some chaff from the wheat sometimes, but I have found this to be a good resource.
  23. Yesterday was a nice rainy Sunday and I spent some time in the basement cleaning up some of my Scout debris. I have a box of old Boy's Life magazines from when I was a 'ute. '58-66. I don't have all the issues and they aren't in sequence, but I have moved this box with me several times over the years. I sat down and read through some of them. Pee-wee, Pedro, Whittlin'Jim all brought back great memories. I still subscribe as I like to know what the boy's in the Troop are reading (or not) and I wondered if 45-50 years from now any of the boys would be re-reading their old issues. Somehow I doubt
  24. I am a big believer in having the boys signed up for something for every activity session. Free time in Camp can lead to problems. Boys getting into mischief and homesickness are two bad outcomes. Idle hands are the Devil's workshop!
  25. I've held a number of positions. CM, ACM, WL, ASM, Dist. Tng. Chair, Dist. Commissioner, UC, Council Exec. Bd., Venturing Advisor, OA Adviser, Jamboree SM, and the greatest job to me was Scoutmaster. I followed a long tenured SM in our Troop and have been able to slowly make some changes such as becoming more truly boy-led and really getting the Patrol Method up and running. I was ASM under the old SM for 12 years and chafed at how we did things. Old SM was (and is) a great guy and a dedicated Scouter, but was really a one man show. He often talked about the good old days when he could just ta
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