Tampa Turtle

We have bats near my house. I love to see their erratic zig zag at twilight.

Us too. No biggie.

My boys call that a 'tent ghetto'.

If he goes to summer camp with a good first year program and participates with everything with a good Troop he'll advance quick enough. I'd recommend some of those 1st merit badges be of use for adventures--i.e. start of Camping and First Aid merit badges from the start.

We do camp in Summer...just complain about it and do less. The Troop does take August 'off' but there still seems to be plenty of scouting stuff to do!

Most patrols seem to work i out once they get their hearts right. Boys learn what is kosher and not. With allergies what things cannot touch certain foods and which the offended scout can just pick out. Usually reasonable compromises and accommodations are made. The biggest problem I have seem is the boy who can't eat the patrol food and his parents raise hell about it while the solution is 3 bags of Doritos for the weekend.

Sometimes the most helpful boy in the troop gets taken for granted; kinda like Mom at home. A little more assertiveness will be needed to get elected in our Troop. One boy, who just lost the SPL election, would be excellent SPL material but needed to tone down the "In my old Troop we did things right" (even if it was true) and saying older boy who wouldn't obey him will just be run out of the Troop. I tried to warn him...

Blood and Thunder you all are making me so mad. Dang you all to Heckidies.

I have too. I have heard a lot of "J C".

Some of the camps we have been with charge you the same if you use their tents or your own. Also no difference in price if you eat in the mess hall or cook on your own.

Yeah the requirements...aside from the already existing Merit Badges...seem like a lot of class and museum work. I just had a heart to heart with a graduating Life Scout on how hard he is finding information on careers working with his hands and staying out of a classroom. Very bright just not a good student. Wants to be more of a mechanic and every one wants him to get a Masters in Engineering. The world needs both.

I once has to interrupt an argument over 'Marbury vs Madison' and thought they actually must be learning something in 8th grade US History.

Swearing in other languages is still swearing...especially Italian! I try not to around the boys but may mutter under my breath and apologize. I am less tolerant with more blasphemous swearing than scatological. If someone has cut them selves badly, crushed their hand in the trailer hitch, or is on fire I cut the boys and myself some slack. I do tell the boys that Gentlemen do not swear but there are exceptions such as being shot in the vitals or traumatic amputation of a major limb--and if they save it for such occasions it will seem more powerful and will release some stress. I do a

Recently I used to be associated with a Troop, one of the oldest in the state (one of those single digits). Had records going back to the early 1920's and the junk room of the old Scout Hut had some amazing stuff from the late 1940's to 1970's. Drums. old flags, spears, you name it.Lots and lots of taxidermy too.

I am embarrassed by the bling on some adult (boy) scouters...there seems almost a relationship by the number of patches crammed on the tan shirt and the proximity to the Council power structure. Conversely the SM with a length of rope on his belt loop often indicates a guy who really interacts with his Scouts. I'd love to see a correlation on patches and wood badgers.

I liked when the boys came up with awards. One patrol whose color was 'blue' made up the 'order of the blue feather' and occasionally a boy who 'saved the day' for the patrol (won the big patrol competition, unselfishly cooked all the meals so the others could go canoeing, or resolved a big fight peacefully) might be award a feather that he could hang on his pocket in recognition of above and beyond (in the eyes of the boys). I think one time the kid 'with the issues' got one for his 1st non-drama campout. Because it came from their peers I noticed they would wear it on campouts. When boys

We have several feeder packs and those boys tend to come in as NSP as their old Webelo patrol. Brand new scouts are assigned to the same patrol a friend. Later when they have some actual experience we let them pick a buddy or triad and assign them to the existing mixed age patrol. A few times the core of the old NSP want to stay together and start a new patrol.

Stosh I have similar protection and history. Ironically it also makes you more likely to be sued.

I favor the group if they want to stay as a group. We had such a group...little savages they were...all 8 of them. Poorly uniformed, forgot gear on campouts, etc. But they liked to camp (however chaotically), hiked hard (if profane), were great at making fires (had to be watched) and catapults (had to be watched) and lashing (had to make sure they didn't tie up the others). But they were very competitive and would work hard at games and competitions. Five years later, even though some moved else wear we got 5 Eagles out of them. At the same time we got another patrol of 9 nice boys, all

No hard and fast rule. Sometimes the pack of trouble makers can make a good patrol if re-directed--I've seen it happen if they like camping and they want to be there. I have also seen clumps of trouble makers broken up and distributed to 'good patrols' who then felt they were being punished. And all of this is the slippery slope of adult manipulated Patrol assignment a bad habit my Troop keeps falling into. One needs to look at the Trouble makers and see who is who. There often is one who quietly manipulated or eggs on the others. And before doing anything ask some trusted boys for opinion

If you insist upon a cot then you need to work the dimensions of your tent around that. Most 2 man tents are out. Cots are hard on floor so you would probably want some tarp on the floor to protect it. Personally I found the Hammock best for my back. Yeah most summer camps have wall tents or Adirondacks (open huts), I'd check 1st. Though after my experience in one last weekend next time I am packing a Mosquito net.

meyerc13, good comments!

I always told my Webe families to "shop around". All Troops have different cultures...not always which is the 'best' question but 'best fit' for family in scout. Usually the choice is based on friends or a loved adult leader crossing over but sometimes ourdoor program or how spit and polish. In my part of town there are 4-5 Troops nearby so there is a choice. They all naturally wax and wane a bit in quality.

"What justifies expelling a scout from the troop?" THAT was the topic? Ohhh....when I joined my Troop I was told of a boy a few years earlier who stabbed another boy in the leg with a K-Bar (more than a 1" deep) and later at Summer Camp swiped an ASM's keys and drove off site to an area Bar. When I asked "What happened to him?" They said "Oh he made Eagle".

Most CO churches were told by their insurers to dump them as well. Ours found a good home but I miss it...many memories.