SSScout

MM-mm... And how did you feel about that?

Canoe trip planning... The boy and I can have the Grumman tied down on the roof of the Villager and paddles, bailers, PFDs, knee pads, waterproofs, first aid kit and snacks and water in the back seat within 30 minutes of our realization that I''m off work and the laundry was done yesterday. 45 minutes if the mom comes too and the two boat rack is installed. The lake is 20 minutes away. Call the Grandmom and tell her we''ll be back dinner time. The SM wants to go to Boundary Waters next summer. This means the Troop needs to learn and practice on river water. PLC is all in favor. Once a month (or more often)::: Need to reserve or borrow enough boats and equipment (write the list, check it many times), get 16 or 20 boys and adults together on the same day, instruct and discuss about needs, techniques, shuttles, put ins, take outs, mileage, daylight, budget rentals, gas money to share, who has roof racks, who has trailers, ummmmm. Nearest good river for beginners is 45 minute drive to first put in, but still within 50 mile radius. Not quite the same. The more you do it, the quicker it can be done. Troop Scout Trip permits? of course. Council Tour Permits? Not yet, but when needed. Need for thinking ahead and doing the "what if" game? Nachurly. See Canoeing MB book and G2SS. Planning is done::: to assure the safety and well being of the participants, :::that ones expectations are met, :::and is dependant on the need to accomodate and ones knowledge of the experience of the participants. KoSing

Not done yet... Almost forgot the best bargain in travel next to the used Kelty backpack. Hosteling! Washington has a fine Hostel and so does Baltimore. Right down town. Try Hosteling International USA: www.hiusa.org and the local council, the Potomac Are Council, Hosteling International usa: www.potomachostels.org You need to join HI-USA. As an individual, a family, or a group (think Scout Troop). Hostels are all over the country and the world, in ski resorts, big cities, Cape Cod, you name it.A Hostel is an inexpensive accomodation, it might be a converted jail, a light house, an old resort hotel, or some ones converted barn. You get, as a minmum, a clean bunk to lay your sleeping bag or sheet sack, a kitchen to cook in (shared with other travelers) and a commons room to hang out and visit in. Indoor plumbing in town. Out in the Banf, you might be more primitive. Chores are assigned and shared the next morning. It is usually only an overnight accomodation, and you are expected to be packed up and gone after breakfast, but arrangements can often be made with the Hostel management (often a family). Read all about it at the above websites. Maybe another thread...

Our Pack (unfortunately) fell apart just like that... One September, 14 Tiger Cub families expressed interest... 12 came to first organization meeting... Gave them the program, had a Den Leader for them... "Go Sees" already lined up and scheduled..1 Tiger, 1 Adult... Two Den meetings a month: one in someones rec room, one "Go See", One Pack meeting a month... "too much, I don''t have the time for that, Johnny wants to do Karate"(! Johnny is having a ball in the sample Den meeting)..." I don''t know how to do Scouting" ( the Den Leader was in place) NOT ONE family signed the papers. Our Pack folded up two years later, no one would step up and replace the "graduating" parents, no Tigers had come up thru the ranks. CC and CM (me) and DE did all the usual things, called, assigned , made sure peple went to training. One of the failure reasons was, I think, we had a HANDS OFF Charter org. "Sure, we''ll sponsor you, have fun, bye". Not much "Corparate Identity" there. But, bottom line, we had no one who wanted the responsibilty, thought they had the "talent" (yeah, some are better CM, DL, etc than others, but heck...) to take over when the ''senior''staff moved on. Couldn''t even find a ''shadow'' staff to keep the paper charter in force. Our last Pack meeting was our June picnic and "Bridging". The would be Webelos Leader had 2 W2s and 1 W1. By September, he and his family dissapeared and left no forwarding address (his was the W1). The other 5 Cub families disbursed to other Packs. I see them occassionally, they all went on in Scouting. But none of the parents could bring themselves to take on the mantel. And so our Pack (history of about 20 years total by my information) dissappeared. The District kept the Pack number on the books for two more years, but it finally dissappeared from the roster. The Charter Org had no interest in reviving it themselves. Spun off thread... Darwinian Scouting????

I hear three points to discuss: 1) Was the Troop out of line to ad lib a canoe trip after another scheduled activity? MHO: Certainly not. Cut brush on the trail, "hey, let''s go get pizza and hang out at Joe''s house". Finish Jeff''s Eagle project , "You boys did a heckava job. You call your folks, and if it''s OK, come on over for the evening in our pool". Them that are there, are invited. If the Troop does the invite, it is a Troop activity. If Mr. Washakovsky does the invite, PERHAPS it is a private party, but I doubt it, in Mr. W''s position of SM. 2) Should the Boy Who Wasn''t There be invited because it is a Troop activity? Weeeellll, maybe. Good manners would say (on the BWWTs part) that the family realizes he wasn''t there, (slept in, church choir practice, watched favorite saturday TV show, whatever reason), therefore he doesn''t go to the apre'' clean-up party, spur of moment or preplanned. Good manners (on the Troops part) might take the BWWI family aside and without rangor explain that Bill wasn''t there, along with Bob and Berty so they couldn''t very well be invited. There''s always next time. Ya makes yer cherce. 3) Does the spur of the moment NEED a tour permit? In OUR council, trips/activities within 50 miles of CO home do not require a Council Tour permit. (National TPs are another thing). Verbal permission after the fact of the initial activity (E project, road cleanup, etc.)would say that, yes, it is still a Troop activity, that proper safety and leadership needs were fulfilled so PERHAPS a TROOP permission slip MIGHT be needed, but since verbal permission was there, a moot point. As the Beav sez, they are mainly for planning agenda assurance. KoSing

Volunteer Fire Companies... Hospitals (Charitable Foundations, Public serice departments)... Service Clubs (Lions, Rotary, Elks, The Grange, Kiwanis, etc.)... School PTAs... Private schools... Outing Companies.. Animal Rescue Organizations... Yachting Clubs... Police Fraternal Clubs... Union Locals... Audubon Society... Isaac Walton League... Friends of Troop XYZ (so called self charter)... Community center/club of Ourtown... Friends of Correctional Center... Church... Synagogue... Shrine... Temple... Mosque... Consider first the REASON behind having a charter org... leadership, liability, meeting place, support. Youth ministry, helping hand, good stuff versus bad, alternative to gangs, ... Have fun with your Cubs.

Been alittle there, done some of that... When the boy crossed over, I followed along. Offered my time as a ASM, and was accepted. Started making suggestions at Committee meetings, and sat in on PLC with SM. Listened and mused. Turned out I was the first ASM to try and be active. I soon realized the SM saw me as a possible threat, so I took him aside one night and assured him I thought he was an OK guy and I had no desire to be SM. I was beginning to be active on District level. So I go to R/T and bring things back to Troop... (SM sings in Choir on same night) Then an interesting thing happened. The Committee made the connection between my name and the name on the Eagle Award Plaque! Was I the same boy way back when? Yeah, I was. WoW! How'd you like to be our UC? We haven't had one in a while... I told'em my training said the UC really couldn't be connected so close to the unit he commished. And the Unit usually doesn't name it's own UC. Oh. News to them. The last UC had been the CC. (!) So the SM is urging the PLC to take an active role in planning and leading. Then the fellow in charge of planning the family camp over the LAbor Day Weekend (park permits, etc.) announces that , due to a lack of interest, (true) anyone going will be family camping (boys camp/eat/ with family, not boys). Presto! lot's of interest, but no boy planning. Big fun weekend had by all, but no boy olanning. SM realizes it, we talk about next time... Is it the Patrol Leader's Council or the Patrol Leader's Parents' Council? Aside::: Anyone heard the Bob and Rays' "Slow Talkers of America"?

""A bad day camping is better than a REALLY bad day camping"" Worse piece of gear? The one I forgot to bring... "...no. YOU were supposed to go in the pantry and get the OFF".

1) ?Life Ring Throw?? 2) Recruit more SScouts? From other local Troops? VCrews? Ships? 3) ?Bucket Brigade relay?? 4) More than one station (see #2) Oww...

Our sponsoring church has a nice plaque on the wall, three actually, that list each Eagle, and date of award. There is room for more, it can easily be added to as the corps grows. I think it's very impressive and tasteful, in the hall from the entrance door to the Scout meeting room. The stave idea is good, but I wonder about it's 'portability' and (?)lack of obviousness? Could it be 'borrowed' or (shudder) lost? Reminds me of a Roman Legion's 'Signe", perhaps. Perhaps make it from a rough log, even larger than 3", just strip the bark off, leave it 'branched, polyurathane it, and add a Bronze Eagle perched on it's top. OOO OOO... I bet somebody knows somebody who knows a wood carver that might be inspired to help out with the project...There was a chain saw carver at our County Fair that did outstanding work. Proceed as the Spirit leads! YiS

##Have a seperate, appropriately solemn ceremony for the Scouts, let the Scouts and family have their day, but make the rest of the world aware... This is an occasion, after all, doesn't happen every day... What an opportunity.... RUN WITH IT!! ##Make sure your DE and Council Scout Executive are aware. ##Media attention. Call/write/email every tv station, newspaper in the county and state.Dun them. Appoint a "Media Chair". Don't forget the Scout Media... Boy's Life... Scouter Mag... Local Council screed... ##Contact every Eagle from years gone by you can. Group picture. Elicit congratulatory letters from them. Any famous or nearly so among them? Heck, Make it a reunion... Put ads in the papers, articles in advance, to scare up 'old Scouts'. ## The White House loves to hear about these things... Who knows who might show up if you invite him/her??? ##The local Town Politicos, State Legislature/ Federal Senator, Congressman...Their attendance will guarantee media attention... Scouts do good, yes? ##Scout around for a local "Scales and Tales" program from the local State Park service. Can you get a REAL Eagle (or Hawks, at least?)to be present?. A Falconer? Hoo boy. Congrats to the nascent Eagle(s). YiS

All good ideas above...Sounds like you want to camp and travel by car to the DC area... I work for the transit system, so some of my stuff may be biased, but any way (all this is personal exp.)... +Greenbelt Park is nice (NPS), reserve a long way ahead. Lots of out of towners. Walk (hike) to the Metro station. Nearby: Goddard Space Flight Center (drive), College Park Aviation Museum (oldest airport in America. Wright brothers trained the Army there. Sikorsky did NOT invent the helicopter)(Metro= College Park), University of Maryland. +On the NW side of the area: Little Bennett State Park (Clarksburg, Maryland) Good group camping, well kept. 20 minute drive down to Shady Grove Metro Station. Rural, locals. Historic hiking trails.500+ acres. +SW side: In Virginia: Camp William B. Snyder, O&O by National Capital Area Council (Hay Market, VA). Almost new. Large swim pool. Cub Scout venue camp (play areas), but large wooded camping area WITH TENTS (!) if you ask soon enough. Dining hall possible. 400+ acres. Off I66, must drive to Metro 25 minutes. Udvar-Hazy on the way. + S side: I have heard that if you know someone who knows someone, arrangements can be made to camp in Quantico or Fort Myers. Just a rumor, you understand... Suggestions::: Avoid August, most humid, hot time of year here. But OTOH, traffic is down 15% as lotsa folks MOVE OUT...Get Metro passes ("PASSES"...good all day from 9:30am m-f & Sa-Su for unlimited on & off. not "farecards") in advance, by mail. Not a bad idea to order extra. They get lost. Good on day started, like cash, keep'em until you use'em)... Avoid driving into DC at all costs. Parking is expensive when you can find it. Use Metro and shoe rubber. Bring water jugs and pack lunch, if you can, but lots of good little eateries in area. ("Keep Washington Green... Spend Money") +The National Aquarium is in Baltimore (as are lots of other neat things to see and do, another thread), but in DC there is a small Aquarium in the basement of the Commerce Dept. It's free (or was) and worth an hour of air conditioning on a hot summer day. +"Smithsonian" includes many, many museums and exhibits including the A&S, the Nat. Zoo, most of the Art (Hirschorn, Portrait,etc.).All free. +Air & Space Museum on the Mall , Udvar-Hazy A&S addendum is out in Chantilly, VA. Free adm. Special Metrobus from the Mall, or drive. Lots of REAL aircraft in each, ya pays yer money and takes yer cherce. ***Now Metro::: As I said, buy the passes in advance, parking is available at most of the outer Metro stations (check your map), but the space gets eaten up early by commuters. Legality and Irony: the All Day Pass doesn't start until 9:30am, but by then the lots are often 110% full. There is a section marked "Reserved". In this section, folks pay extra for a special permit. The spaces are 'permitted' until 10am, then anyone can park there. And if you want some adventure, get a Metrobus and Ride-On and Fairfax Connector Bus maps to get around. All Day Bus Transfer is $3.00 cash, buy'em on the bus. Parking is $4.00 per day. Credit cards accepted at the Stations. ++++White House? Capitol? Congressmans Office? DO NOT take your pocket knives. They will be confiscated. You CANNOT leave them with the guard.He/she WON'T keep them except permanently. +++Use the Buddy System, carry watches, make firm plans to meet HERE at THIS TIME. Gas is presently $2.78 per gallon in my Maryland Cheap Station. Wear the uni everywhere you go, and accept graciously when some old man pays for the whole Troops ice cream. Happened to me. Good luck and Good Scouting. See you on the Metro, mebbe.

""Webelos lll"" I like that. Think I'll use it for descriptive purposes...

Find/beg/borrow: "Flanders and Swann: At the Drop of a Hat" and give a listen to "The Cannibal Song" for the proper perspective on carnivores...

Herr Jambo: Wo finden sie die "umlaut"?

Guten Tag, wie gehts? Welcomen zu der Campfuervirtual. And that's about all I can remember at 5am . Ich muss meine Deutsch uben.

We always had a few parents who wanted a strict accounting of where the money came from and where it went. I made sure the treasurer and committee obliged. Things to remember: *Popcorn sales support the District and council activities (camp, newsletter, etc.) too. *When a unit only sells/washes cars/does service for pay and keeps the $$ to itself, the District and Council are short changed * A portion of the dues paid go to Insurance, National, Council and District, but a small portion each. *Boys Life is only Boys Life. * most other activities are self supporting, "Pay as you Go" (Camporee, Webelos weekend, Cub Activity Day, CSDC,etc.). * As the Cub progressed,The Pack provided the Cub with the awards, beltloops, rank patches,neckerchief, new rank book, and some stickers for fun and PR. This was for convenience and accountability and wow, look at all the neat new stuff at the awards ceremnoy, small as it might be, and we had awards at every Pack meeting. The family provided the uniform. Going to the Council Store was seen as a hassle for the parent, so the Pack Committee kept up a reasomable store of stuff in the Pack closet. So our income came from PopCorn sales (yeah, it's expensive and doesn't seem to have the panache of GS Cookies, but the boys learn alittle about sales and responsibilty along the way if it's pursued right. "It supports the Cub Scouts"), dues, and the occassional car wash and bake ssale. We always seemed to have enough in the treasury but never too much.

And we will eventually find out about this thru "official" channels, I suppose...

Search "courageous cookery". Super light weight camping. Tarzan Cooking: place roast right on coals, same for potatoes, etc. Fish out when you think they are done and cut off really burnt parts. Never tried it... Layer Cake Dinner: In a suitably big pan (preferably big, deep cast iron skillet or dutch oven) place the following in this order: One layer of bacon (Half pound or so) One layer ground beef( 2 pounds or so, crumbled) One layer potatoes (three or so big Idahoes, scubbed clean but not peeled. Cut out bad spots, slice 1/4 inch thick or so) One layer onions (peeled, sliced in rings, 1/4 inch thick) One layer carrots (three or more big ones, scrubbed clean, top and point off, sliced 1/4 inch thick. Do it at an angle if you feel gourmet...) Put skillet on bed of coals or medium fire, cover on. Wait 30 minutes. do not peek. Dutch oven, do not top coals, heat from below. Salt & pepper to taste. Catsup will only improve it. Barbecue sauce at your peril. Do not tell your cardiac surgeon. Sit back and regale your Scouts with tales of the past...

Once upon a time, I worked for a master carpenter. He was an older fellow. Although he used powertools and was a "production" carpenter, he could cut roof rafters by hand on the ground from the measurements his partner called down to him from the second floor and the angles would be true, they would fit close and neat; every one. Me, I was a 'helper' , a gofer. I knew which end of a hammer to hold. But I listened. And watched... One day, we had put up a stud wall and after looking at it critically the old fellow said, "nah, that ain't right." He took out his tape and we measured and compared and measured. Finally we discovered that the wall was about an inch out of line from the bluprint. No problem, we just adjust the ceiling and floor a little. After the plaster and paint are up, who'll know? Said the old fellow as we tore the wall down to the joists: "I'd know". What do YOU know?

When I visited in Florida a while back, I had to smile and shake my head when I saw signs touting ""Maryland Fried Chicken"". Tasted just like the ""Southern Fried "" we had back home... in Maryland! Eyah... Blue Crabs wid a touch of Old Bay Spice... or Jo Jo's ... Don't over fish'em.

Easland makes excellent hand axes and rock hammers and other special hand tools. Head and handle are forged in one piece n their line. I still have and use the hatchet I was given as a Scout and now my First Classer is using it. Doesn't Totin'Chip require knowledge and safe use of knife, axe and saw? We teach all three and see that the boys are knowledgeable with bow, pruning and crosscut saws. After instruction and practice, Scout must produce a really finely made tent peg, at least 12" long with his hatchet or hand axe to pass his T/C. Good point, wings on the notch, chamfered striking top edges, etc. (lots of etc.!)

" I know you think you know what I meant when I said what I thought I meant, but I'm not sure I think you know that what I meant is not what you think you heard" Or something like that. It is the sexual connotation that upsets people. I always try to point out that (more often than not) what the boy is saying has nothing to do with what he MEANT to say. I encourage precision in language. Knives can't suck. They have no capability to produce vaccuum. If the knife is less than satisfactory in achieving its purpose (?cutting? turning screws? hinge loose?), then say that. Wanna really upset folks when they insult you? Don't return epithet with similar, instead correct their usage. The literal, accepted meaning of the words is often IMPOSSIBLE, if not undesirable. Adult leaders do what? Set examples to follow... "Get your curly, greasy haired head over here and bring the rest of you with it!" "Man, this knife is really poor. Dull enough to pound nails". "Jeff, if Mr. K asked me to point out the best fire builder in the Troop, I'd ask you to come over and then say 'look for someone who doesn't look like this'". ((overheard))

" Wash the rash with soap and water often, dry it gently with a paper towel and it'll clear up in a week or ten days. Treat it aggressively with Ivy Dry and Calamine and you'll be clear in about seven days to a week and a half" + My Doctor +

Thankee, John. Is that Shakespeare? Hoot Hoot.