prairie

A queen size flat bed sheet I sewed into a sleeping bag/sack, sleep in it most nights and slip it over the air mattress on real hot nights. Easy and cheap enough to make youth sized, helps to check that area of big box stores often for sheets that are clearance priced.

Made a spork out of a Lexan serving/soup spoon.

Shirts were made all four ways, with and with out collars short and long sleeve, and I have a long sleeve collarless in my collection to prove it, odd looking thing.

As a youth I was stuck with shirt collars I had to tuck under as a Cub and my first Boy Scout shirt too, was so happy that for my 2nd year of summer camp I had a short sleeve collarless, cooler and much more comfortable.

I need to get a photo of these shirts for peoples reference.

nolerules wrote: "I guess when you live in Florida, you get spoiled."

Understandable, we have that here with yellow sweetcorn, home grown tomatoes local grown Muscatine melons and apples. As to OJ that was for home, I don't worry bout that when camping just a few days, or I take canned tomato juice.

I buy Anderson Erickson by the half gallon because my local store doesn't carry any thing in Grove Style.

It might explain why my teeth aren't as white as they usta be?

Heck I make my coffee "cowboy style" most every day. Boil water in whistling tea kettle, one rounded tablespoon of grounds in one of those stainless steel cups that fits a Nalgean bottle, pour boiling water into cup, in larger cup (actually a titanium cup 1.3 times larger pour in that .3 in 2% milk, pour the coffee on top, train grounds with teeth as you drink though the milk settles most, fling grounds onto the yard as I walk out to do farm chores.

Sadly today I'm outa milk.

You can also buy a fine mesh strainer at K-Mart, sold as a permanent filter for drip coffee makers.

I can understand National not having a patch guide book, why not each council have a poster at their gateway showing what patches are ligit?

Wish they would make some more neckers!

Thats why I like my troops fundraisers. First off they finish building wreaths, wire on the bow and pinecones and then sell them concurrent with our sponsors hot/fresh pancake breakfast. They spend both sweat equity and salesmanship with the instant feed back of face to face sales. Cept this last year when they surprised the leaders by whipping out cellphones and selling to family as well!

The other one is installing and removing holiday lights on the local bank, this one involves more leader work than I like but what can you do when the boys arn't allowed on ladders?

Involvement in either means the troop subsidizes summer camp or Scout Shop expenses, the more times involved the greater the subsidy.

Keep in mind they may be an Arrowman and just don't have a flap on that uniform, I was a youth member and until I had a chance to rejoin as an adult I wore the arrow on a ribbon pocket device, my Webelo leader shirt is still set this way, I have plenty of flaps it's just a choice I made.

BTW I have seen a SeaScout with a lodge flap, not surprising as he is heavily involved in OA.

As a visitor from Iowa, I'd ballpark my cost at round $800 for just one day, round trip tickets, food for 6 days as trains take a while and $60 on site spending for food, drink and two shirts and 8 patchs. Only place I saved was housing as I stayed with family.

That was my first thought too.

I see this as a greyscale problem but then leaders should lead by example. If a person can't do a repel maybe they should find another way to make their grand entrance. BTW at over 300lbs and 5' 10" I can and enjoy it.(This message has been edited by prairie)

Thank you for your report, I head out tomorrow morning to attend Monday.

I hang my head in shame, yes, Gerald Rudolph Ford did care a great deal about Scouting and if I had Eagled it would have been his signature on mine.

TR had the advantage of being a world figure when Scouting blossomed and supporting a movement that dovetailed so well with his own ideals would be 2nd nature for him.

Somehow when I made that post all I could remember was the type of politician who displays "dog and pony show" kind of support.

Forgot to add, most collectors try for one or two of each version, finding someone who collected all of one style but all the different sizes might drive you crazy.

Just get the word out and they surface in ones and twos. I might even part with some small ones.

Finding that many of the same style is gonna be tough.

I bought a collection or two of ebay a few years ago, the one with a tenderfoot style patch is the most common followed by the last which just has a gold FDL patch. Some of the early ones have a lineing like any other good hat but don't lend themselves to being worn over the belt or stuffed in a pocket.

The Jamboree has enough challenges with out a presidential visit, I was incountry Korea when a president came to visit, he came nowhere near Camp Casey and we were still restricted to base and on alert, no fun was had by any.

For every President there will be a faction who would wish his name not appear on there Eagle certificates.

Why not have them signed by Theodore Roosevelt, the only President who actually cared about the movement itself?

I have only seen these sold as a fighting knife, about as appropriate as if I took a Gerber MkII to summer camp. Instead I carry a Spyderco Jester, a well made sub 2 inch thin lockback.

I have no problem with staff getting first shot, but hoarding would be unscout like.

Another idea, some of those CSPs get sent to other national operated shops, ours has CSPs from all over, I'd rather see them from abutting councils. Maybe when they make ten times as many as a council can use it drives the cost low enough? Also guarantees that patch will have zilch collector interest.

Same people who decided to jack the price on the new neckerchiefs? I'm not talking about special issue, the regular styles, these should be able to be produced at the same price or cheaper than a CSP.

National has gotten the word, seems ALL neckers will be old/big again, understandable when you think how inexpensively they can be produced and then they sell for 6 to 8 bucks.

For the last month I have been wearing a red one with black chevrons and the adult size cub leader one and just picked up a dark olive green embroidered with lighter olive thread for a nice stealth look.

Only drawback is the cloth does not want to roll up, almost impossible when new and not easy after washing once, but easy if done when still damp. This may have to do with them being poly/cotton.

Trading Post is sparse? And I'm not even getting there fore another week!

One can hope there is rationing going on. Or maybe it's time to part with some ebay sourced Jambo stuff from other years so I can trade for a Jamboree visitor patch. BTW, is there a Jambo necker? I've looked on the net but no joy.

Cell phone reception was mentioned, but not my carrier, how are UsCellular phones doing?

This idea or variants of it have been kicked around here before, and I'm thankful it still has life. Seemed for every Scouter who would like to lead or take this sort of training there is a White Stag trained WoodBadger speaking against it and I can't believe very many in the professional ranks will approve either. Still there is hope, my local camp is underutilized once summer camp is over so I don't think they would have a problem with renting a campsite for a long weekend of informal Scouter training.

I have been doing a lot of reading on Amtrak centered forums for a while now, you get everybody from the person who is just thankful they can take a train to where they need to go instead of stuck in a bus, to someone who expects to be waited on hand and foot like some euro royal. If the latter had to share a breakfast table with some average boys it's almost guaranteed they won't be happy. I have read where a whole coach was dedicated to Philmont boys, and a Superliner Coach holds like 70 people.