Well, we started out September with such high hopes, however our first month was... less than spectacular.
Then October came, and our first weekend was spectacular! Friday we found a potential new Scout, and Saturday we got all zombied up and headed down to the Asbury Park boardwalk to participate in the annual Asbury Park Zombie Walk!
Last year, the NJ's honor was taken away when Minneapolis took the Guinness World Record for most zombies in one place at one time. NJ, and Asbury Park in particular, were determined to get those bragging rights back, so all the zombies of NJ descended on the Asbury Park beach.
Despite being unseasonably warm, the turn out was great and we beat out Minneapolis for the record by over 1,000 zombies! That means that Troop 101 is now in the Guinness Book of World Records! (We were also pretty popular with everyone down there too - not only were we a themed group, we were an actual Scout Troop!) Everyone is already working on improvements to our costumes...
On top of that, we were approached by a National Geographic photographer who is compiling a book about zombies... or maybe the zombie phenomenon. We don't know yet. At any rate, we were photographed by a NG photographer and are going to be in a book! (and its not about Scouting!)
How cool is that?!
I'd love to post pics, but we're having a few issues at the moment. I'll update later.
Sunday, October 6, 2013
Summer Camp 2013
I'm really behind on keeping the blog up-to-date. To all 7 of our loyal readers, I apologize. For those of you who don't know, I work on a computer all week, and on some occasions well into the night and the next morning. The last thing I like to do is go on the computer on my days off and my down time - but for the most part, between actual work and Scouts, there isn't much of that either.
At any rate, I apologize, and I will hopefully be keeping this up-to-date with more and exciting news as the weeks and months continue.
That being said, summer camp.
This year we had a very strange phenomenon happen - it was actually COLD at summer camp. That's right, cold. Sure, in past years there have been times when you get up and throw on a pair of shorts, a t-shirt and a sweatshirt because its a little chilly, but for the most part by the time breakfast is over, you've taken the sweatshirt off because the sun has heated the woods to 80 and the humidity has gone through the roof.
This year, on Thursday, I wore not only long pants, boots, hat and fleece, but I had them on all day. Mr. Foray woke up one morning wearing a wool hat (thought what possessed him to even bring a wool hat to summer camp I still haven't figured out.) So, yeah, it was cold for summer camp. On the up side, none of our campers or the rest of the camp had any issues with heatstroke, sunburn or heat exhaustion - though there may have been hypothermia down during the swimming merit badge in the morning, though don't quote me on that.
Frankly, based on the weather we were having before we left, when the temps were reaching the high 90's with 100% humidity, I was concerned not only for my Scout's health, but for my own as well. For the most part, we get so used to being able to wonder into an air conditioned building or car whenever we want, that when we don't have the convenience, we forget how taxing weather can be on the healthiest of people. In conversations with staff members, they told me that their own EMT passed out during the heat wave because he didn't leave the AC cooled health lodge for a few days, and then tried to go rappelling. He was fine, but it goes to show that even the best trained are sometimes affected badly.
As for life in our little corner of Turrell, things were a bit better than in past years - we tried a few new items that helped us out in the long run. The first was a portable message board, which was coated in chalkboard paint as well as magnetic paint so that we could post papers, as well as right daily messages. The reason this was important was because we didn't have a message board to hang our important papers on, and it cost us in our campsite inspection. So, we solved the problem.
We also solved the issue of the tiny, and leaky dining fly over our eating area. Last year, it rained quite a bit, and the tarp leaked from the middle, right into our food during meals. Not to mention that it was pretty small, and we all were at the table on top of each other trying to stay dry - most of the time to no avail. So, being fed up with staff not properly storing their equipment, I headed to the hardware store and bought a 30'x20' tarp - yes, you read that right. (Yes, it is huge.)
It worked great - we had our message board, or patrol box, water jugs, juice jugs, table, and camp chairs all underneath, and everyone had room to spare. The down side - that large of a tarp holds a lot of water. When it rained (which happily wasn't much) gallons of water would build up and need to be emptied - in minutes. Alot of other Scouters who saw it thought we had some sort of MMA fight going on underneath, but they were pretty jealous when we were comfy during the rains.
We're thinking a frame to put the tarp on for next year. It gets annoying having to drain it every 5 minutes.
Speaking of the kitchen, ours was probably the best in camp, other than the one at the dining hall... actually, ours was the only one at camp. I was at the Scoutmaster's meeting, and the question was asked 'Who needs a sheephearder?' and I enthusiastically raised my hand... which I then realized was the only one in the air. I looked around, and said 'Really?' in disbelief. How can a troop go camping and not cook in their own site? Then I heard another Scoutmaster whisper 'What's a sheephearder?'
I damn near cried.
Shaking my head in dismay, I was asked how many I needed; really, I needed one, but I said give me 2, 3 - whatever you want - I'll take whatever is on the truck. By the time I returned to my site, I had three, because (and I quote) "We had three, and we knew you needed only two, but we didn't feel like driving the other one down to the yard, and we figured you'd use it anyway."
AND USE IT WE DID! As our usual M.O. we started inviting staff to our site for meals, two of which were the Nature Director and the Handicraft Director (both ladies) who were a vegan and a vegetarian. So, our one sheephearder was for veggies only, the second became our baking surface (we got really good using aluminum trays to create a oven on the top without burning anything) and the third was for pretty much everything else. We also discovered that the waterfront staff was cooking on their own sheephearder during lunch, so we invited them as well. For lunch all week, we had at least 4 staff member eating with us and horsing around on the monkey bridge.
That 30'x20' tarp doesn't look so crazy now, does it?
How did this all pay off? Well, the waterfront staff was so appreciative, on their night out they went and got fresh ingredients for stuffed peppers, chicken Parmesan, and garlic bread, and cooked dinner for us on Thursday night! (Thursday is the kitchen staff's night off, so everyone has to cook in site.)
Our guys made chili, and we all shared the bounty together. The staff then had to go and do open boating, but then came back and roasted marshmallows with us over the open fire.
The staff loved it because most of them had either done it when they were in their Scout troop, or had never done it (i.e. the ladies) and our Scout liked hanging out with the staff when they weren't on duty (I told them when they are eating with us they are friends, not staff). We also got paid a great compliment that our Scouts were well behaved and weren't bugging the staff about merit badges or anything - I think the term used was they were "chill".
I actually should have said this before, but our Scouts earned the cooking merit badge this year, which will be required for Eagle next year. So, they left after breakfast and then returned for dinner - they had to cook lunch for the merit badge with their counselor. That meant that Mr. Foray and I were all alone all day (and thus bored) which is what started the staff coming over for lunch.
...and speaking of the cooking merit badge, I was very happy and proud when our Scouts pointed out to the counselor that he was using sheephearder wrong, and got him in trouble for it.
Then there was our site guide, Kevin. We've been going to Turrell for so long that we don't need a site guide to show us around, but they do get us certain equipment that we don't carry, but still need that are provided by the camp. The first is a sheephearder - so we can cook. The second is a fire bucket - in case something gets out of hand. The third - a patrol box to store our cooking utensils, pots and pans.
Our site guide failed us. I had to ask another staff member for sheephearders, I had to beg the director for a patrol box, and he gave us a fire bucket with a hole in the bottom.
Kevin worked in Handicraft, near our site, and the location of several of our Scouts' merit badges. On a daily basis, he was reminded that he had failed us, and things got a little crazy when our fun little rivalry became the talk of not only Handicraft, but also the whole camp. (Its weird when another Scout stops you on the trail to tell you the counselor won't let your Scouts out of class.)
Kevin was talking trash, so we had to teach him a bit of a lesson- he coveted his hooded staff sweatshirt, and the more he talked trash, the more we had to have the sweatshirt as a trophy. Our latest Eagle Scout (and reigning Monkey Bridge King) visited us on Tuesday, and we told Kevin that he had to fight "the Greek" in order to redeem himself.
Despite the fact that he said we'd never get his sweatshirt, we got the sweatshirt.
We hung it in a place of honor 30' over our gateway. In the process of getting it down, he left his hat behind, and when he fought the Greek (and lost) he left behind his wallet, two pocket knives and a lighter.
At this point, it wasn't even fun anymore, it was just too easy. However, that didn't mean he wouldn't get everything back. I gave several other staff members his stuff and told them they could do whatever they wanted to make him get it back.
I wonder if the waterfront staff ever got that cake? :)
In spite of all this, Kevin wanted another shot at the title against Nick. Despite Nick's short time with us, we put some time aside for the rematch. It was a long match which ended in a draw. Why? Well...
I'm sad to say that we lost a crucial member of the troop this summer. Its with a heavy heart that I report the death of one of our come-a-longs. Donations can be made to Troop 101 care of the Come-A-Long Memorial Fund. :(
At the end of the week, Kevin got his stuff back, the boys earned merit badges, and we all had a great time.
There are more stories, some involving us all, some involving individual Scouts. I could tell you about a small war that started with a crush on the Handicraft Director, Daisy, between two Scouts who are friends and have been for several years. (It got pretty intense when it sounded like someone was getting shanked - on Monday night!)
If you want to hear more, ask the Scouts, or join and be a part of the stories!
Pictures can be found here.
At any rate, I apologize, and I will hopefully be keeping this up-to-date with more and exciting news as the weeks and months continue.
That being said, summer camp.
This year we had a very strange phenomenon happen - it was actually COLD at summer camp. That's right, cold. Sure, in past years there have been times when you get up and throw on a pair of shorts, a t-shirt and a sweatshirt because its a little chilly, but for the most part by the time breakfast is over, you've taken the sweatshirt off because the sun has heated the woods to 80 and the humidity has gone through the roof.
This year, on Thursday, I wore not only long pants, boots, hat and fleece, but I had them on all day. Mr. Foray woke up one morning wearing a wool hat (thought what possessed him to even bring a wool hat to summer camp I still haven't figured out.) So, yeah, it was cold for summer camp. On the up side, none of our campers or the rest of the camp had any issues with heatstroke, sunburn or heat exhaustion - though there may have been hypothermia down during the swimming merit badge in the morning, though don't quote me on that.
Frankly, based on the weather we were having before we left, when the temps were reaching the high 90's with 100% humidity, I was concerned not only for my Scout's health, but for my own as well. For the most part, we get so used to being able to wonder into an air conditioned building or car whenever we want, that when we don't have the convenience, we forget how taxing weather can be on the healthiest of people. In conversations with staff members, they told me that their own EMT passed out during the heat wave because he didn't leave the AC cooled health lodge for a few days, and then tried to go rappelling. He was fine, but it goes to show that even the best trained are sometimes affected badly.
As for life in our little corner of Turrell, things were a bit better than in past years - we tried a few new items that helped us out in the long run. The first was a portable message board, which was coated in chalkboard paint as well as magnetic paint so that we could post papers, as well as right daily messages. The reason this was important was because we didn't have a message board to hang our important papers on, and it cost us in our campsite inspection. So, we solved the problem.
We also solved the issue of the tiny, and leaky dining fly over our eating area. Last year, it rained quite a bit, and the tarp leaked from the middle, right into our food during meals. Not to mention that it was pretty small, and we all were at the table on top of each other trying to stay dry - most of the time to no avail. So, being fed up with staff not properly storing their equipment, I headed to the hardware store and bought a 30'x20' tarp - yes, you read that right. (Yes, it is huge.)
It worked great - we had our message board, or patrol box, water jugs, juice jugs, table, and camp chairs all underneath, and everyone had room to spare. The down side - that large of a tarp holds a lot of water. When it rained (which happily wasn't much) gallons of water would build up and need to be emptied - in minutes. Alot of other Scouters who saw it thought we had some sort of MMA fight going on underneath, but they were pretty jealous when we were comfy during the rains.
We're thinking a frame to put the tarp on for next year. It gets annoying having to drain it every 5 minutes.
Speaking of the kitchen, ours was probably the best in camp, other than the one at the dining hall... actually, ours was the only one at camp. I was at the Scoutmaster's meeting, and the question was asked 'Who needs a sheephearder?' and I enthusiastically raised my hand... which I then realized was the only one in the air. I looked around, and said 'Really?' in disbelief. How can a troop go camping and not cook in their own site? Then I heard another Scoutmaster whisper 'What's a sheephearder?'
I damn near cried.
Shaking my head in dismay, I was asked how many I needed; really, I needed one, but I said give me 2, 3 - whatever you want - I'll take whatever is on the truck. By the time I returned to my site, I had three, because (and I quote) "We had three, and we knew you needed only two, but we didn't feel like driving the other one down to the yard, and we figured you'd use it anyway."
AND USE IT WE DID! As our usual M.O. we started inviting staff to our site for meals, two of which were the Nature Director and the Handicraft Director (both ladies) who were a vegan and a vegetarian. So, our one sheephearder was for veggies only, the second became our baking surface (we got really good using aluminum trays to create a oven on the top without burning anything) and the third was for pretty much everything else. We also discovered that the waterfront staff was cooking on their own sheephearder during lunch, so we invited them as well. For lunch all week, we had at least 4 staff member eating with us and horsing around on the monkey bridge.
That 30'x20' tarp doesn't look so crazy now, does it?
How did this all pay off? Well, the waterfront staff was so appreciative, on their night out they went and got fresh ingredients for stuffed peppers, chicken Parmesan, and garlic bread, and cooked dinner for us on Thursday night! (Thursday is the kitchen staff's night off, so everyone has to cook in site.)
Our guys made chili, and we all shared the bounty together. The staff then had to go and do open boating, but then came back and roasted marshmallows with us over the open fire.
The staff loved it because most of them had either done it when they were in their Scout troop, or had never done it (i.e. the ladies) and our Scout liked hanging out with the staff when they weren't on duty (I told them when they are eating with us they are friends, not staff). We also got paid a great compliment that our Scouts were well behaved and weren't bugging the staff about merit badges or anything - I think the term used was they were "chill".
I actually should have said this before, but our Scouts earned the cooking merit badge this year, which will be required for Eagle next year. So, they left after breakfast and then returned for dinner - they had to cook lunch for the merit badge with their counselor. That meant that Mr. Foray and I were all alone all day (and thus bored) which is what started the staff coming over for lunch.
...and speaking of the cooking merit badge, I was very happy and proud when our Scouts pointed out to the counselor that he was using sheephearder wrong, and got him in trouble for it.
Then there was our site guide, Kevin. We've been going to Turrell for so long that we don't need a site guide to show us around, but they do get us certain equipment that we don't carry, but still need that are provided by the camp. The first is a sheephearder - so we can cook. The second is a fire bucket - in case something gets out of hand. The third - a patrol box to store our cooking utensils, pots and pans.
Our site guide failed us. I had to ask another staff member for sheephearders, I had to beg the director for a patrol box, and he gave us a fire bucket with a hole in the bottom.
Kevin worked in Handicraft, near our site, and the location of several of our Scouts' merit badges. On a daily basis, he was reminded that he had failed us, and things got a little crazy when our fun little rivalry became the talk of not only Handicraft, but also the whole camp. (Its weird when another Scout stops you on the trail to tell you the counselor won't let your Scouts out of class.)
Kevin was talking trash, so we had to teach him a bit of a lesson- he coveted his hooded staff sweatshirt, and the more he talked trash, the more we had to have the sweatshirt as a trophy. Our latest Eagle Scout (and reigning Monkey Bridge King) visited us on Tuesday, and we told Kevin that he had to fight "the Greek" in order to redeem himself.
Despite the fact that he said we'd never get his sweatshirt, we got the sweatshirt.
We hung it in a place of honor 30' over our gateway. In the process of getting it down, he left his hat behind, and when he fought the Greek (and lost) he left behind his wallet, two pocket knives and a lighter.
At this point, it wasn't even fun anymore, it was just too easy. However, that didn't mean he wouldn't get everything back. I gave several other staff members his stuff and told them they could do whatever they wanted to make him get it back.
I wonder if the waterfront staff ever got that cake? :)
In spite of all this, Kevin wanted another shot at the title against Nick. Despite Nick's short time with us, we put some time aside for the rematch. It was a long match which ended in a draw. Why? Well...
I'm sad to say that we lost a crucial member of the troop this summer. Its with a heavy heart that I report the death of one of our come-a-longs. Donations can be made to Troop 101 care of the Come-A-Long Memorial Fund. :(
At the end of the week, Kevin got his stuff back, the boys earned merit badges, and we all had a great time.
There are more stories, some involving us all, some involving individual Scouts. I could tell you about a small war that started with a crush on the Handicraft Director, Daisy, between two Scouts who are friends and have been for several years. (It got pretty intense when it sounded like someone was getting shanked - on Monday night!)
If you want to hear more, ask the Scouts, or join and be a part of the stories!
Pictures can be found here.
Tuesday, May 28, 2013
2013 Troop 101 Family Picnic
Darth Vader BBQ illustration by Kim Herbst
My god, is it that time of year already? It really is amazing how fast time flies when you are Scouting. May starts coming to and end, and so essentially does our Scouting year - which means it was time for the annual Troop 101 Family Picnic.It was a great time had by all (as far as I know) with a major thanks to Mr. Emmetts our committee chairman who once again was the... Prince of the Propane...? (I was looking for some sort of whitty title, but there aren't any B noble titles.)
No wait; Maharaja of the Meats!
Hmm...yeah. We'll go with that for now. *ahem* Let me try that again.
It was a great time had by all (as far as I know) with a major thanks to Mr. Emmetts our committee chairman who once again was the Maharaja of the Meats and worked the grille like a master. Mrs. Emmetts also gets a special thanks for assisting with the food prep and work. Thanks to all who helped set up.
Mass quantities were consumed and lots of volleyball was played, and all in all, a very nice evening.
Wish I had more, but since we are a family show at a dry church, there aren't very many whacky
May 2013: Camp Yawpaw
I screwed up.
There. I said it, and admitted it to everyone out there on the interwebz.
Generally, I make a tentative schedule during the time that I am up at summer camp with my 1st assistant Scoutmaster, Mr. Foray. We sit there, pondering what we are going to do with the troop during the coming "normal" Scouting season.
While up at camp, I have limited access to the internet, and therefore, I pull dates out of a hat during the month while looking at a calendar, and figuring out when events are that we can't move, things that we can, and making sure to schedule a camping trip sometime during each month.
In my effort to fill out our schedule, I had a camping trip down for Mother's Day weekend.
Yep, Mother's Day weekend.
Now, I love my mother... most of the time. I did not intend to have a camping trip that weekend, but we had so many other things going on during the month of May that it was the only weekend that was open to have a camping trip. Dances, proms, Memorial Day weekend, birthdays, Mother's Day, family trips... the list goes on. On top of all that, what better way to celebrate than having your child out of the house and the weekend to yourself? (I think you'll understand this better when he is 30 and living in your basement.) Not to mention that many people go out for dinner, or brunch or something for Mother's Day.
I figured I could have them back early and no one would be the wiser.
I was 50% right.
Half my mom's had an issue; half didn't. My mother threw in her two cents but it didn't count - I was back with plenty of time to go to a not-so-great brunch (which is a whole other rant in itself) with the rest of the clan.
In an effort to appease everyone, we chose Camp Yawpaw since we would be really close to home; the plan being to skip breakfast and pack most of the gear the night before.
So, we got there Friday night, and immediately got lost. Usually, we stay in the cabins at YawPaw in February for our build up to the Klondike Derby. This time, we were on the other side of the camp, where (apparently) no one really stays anymore. The site had a lot of dead trees laying about, and it was apparent that no one had been there in a while. The same trees that had been blown down in Sandy were also the ones that had the markers for the different sites on them - which is how we got lost. Trudging through the night with a humidity north of Equator, we found a nice campsite - though no the campsite we were looking for. Which didn't really matter as there was no one else there... since it was Mother's Day weekend.
The guys were up bright and early, and practiced there knots and lashings making quite the variety of items. First was our usual dual tripod set up for cooking, a flag pole, then a trash bag holder, and finally a practice door for their gateway at summer camp this year. Most of which was done before lunch! (Yes, guys, there is a 6am as well...)
Despite a mild downpour and the echoes of thunder around the mountain, for the most part the weekend was quite pleasing in the weather department.
Two major milestones happened this weekend: 1) this was the first weekend where we had 3, count them 3 meals on Saturday and 2) Danny ate cheese and butter! (Why he doesn't like them, I'll never know).
Speaking of Danny, I have to give him a lot of credit. He woke up Saturday looking like he went 12 rounds with Mike Tyson - his eyes were red, his sinuses swollen, and his nose a' running. (He wiped it so much he wound up with 3 mild nosebleeds during the course of Saturday). Despite his new found seasonal allergy condition, he powered through the weekend and worked with CJ getting all the lashing projects done. He's a real trooper sometimes.
As Saturday night wound down, we packed up as much as we could, so that we could get an early start on Sunday morning. As the morning came, it was pretty much packing up personal gear and tents and checking out with the Ranger.
We managed to get back to the church by 8:45am.
I think this is a new record for us.
That being all said, I'd like to give an apology to our Scouting moms - I'm sorry for scheduling a camping trip on Mother's Day weekend... though in all honesty, I'll probably wind up doing it again next year. So, sorry for that as well.
We actually contemplated taking the moms with us next year - but realized we'd be better off taking all the dads, kids, uncles and grandfathers fishing.
Think of it as our mother's day gift to you. For an extra fee, we can even leave them out there...
______
Pictures to come soon... I hope.
There. I said it, and admitted it to everyone out there on the interwebz.
Generally, I make a tentative schedule during the time that I am up at summer camp with my 1st assistant Scoutmaster, Mr. Foray. We sit there, pondering what we are going to do with the troop during the coming "normal" Scouting season.
While up at camp, I have limited access to the internet, and therefore, I pull dates out of a hat during the month while looking at a calendar, and figuring out when events are that we can't move, things that we can, and making sure to schedule a camping trip sometime during each month.
In my effort to fill out our schedule, I had a camping trip down for Mother's Day weekend.
Yep, Mother's Day weekend.
Now, I love my mother... most of the time. I did not intend to have a camping trip that weekend, but we had so many other things going on during the month of May that it was the only weekend that was open to have a camping trip. Dances, proms, Memorial Day weekend, birthdays, Mother's Day, family trips... the list goes on. On top of all that, what better way to celebrate than having your child out of the house and the weekend to yourself? (I think you'll understand this better when he is 30 and living in your basement.) Not to mention that many people go out for dinner, or brunch or something for Mother's Day.
I figured I could have them back early and no one would be the wiser.
I was 50% right.
Half my mom's had an issue; half didn't. My mother threw in her two cents but it didn't count - I was back with plenty of time to go to a not-so-great brunch (which is a whole other rant in itself) with the rest of the clan.
In an effort to appease everyone, we chose Camp Yawpaw since we would be really close to home; the plan being to skip breakfast and pack most of the gear the night before.
So, we got there Friday night, and immediately got lost. Usually, we stay in the cabins at YawPaw in February for our build up to the Klondike Derby. This time, we were on the other side of the camp, where (apparently) no one really stays anymore. The site had a lot of dead trees laying about, and it was apparent that no one had been there in a while. The same trees that had been blown down in Sandy were also the ones that had the markers for the different sites on them - which is how we got lost. Trudging through the night with a humidity north of Equator, we found a nice campsite - though no the campsite we were looking for. Which didn't really matter as there was no one else there... since it was Mother's Day weekend.
The guys were up bright and early, and practiced there knots and lashings making quite the variety of items. First was our usual dual tripod set up for cooking, a flag pole, then a trash bag holder, and finally a practice door for their gateway at summer camp this year. Most of which was done before lunch! (Yes, guys, there is a 6am as well...)
Despite a mild downpour and the echoes of thunder around the mountain, for the most part the weekend was quite pleasing in the weather department.
Two major milestones happened this weekend: 1) this was the first weekend where we had 3, count them 3 meals on Saturday and 2) Danny ate cheese and butter! (Why he doesn't like them, I'll never know).
Speaking of Danny, I have to give him a lot of credit. He woke up Saturday looking like he went 12 rounds with Mike Tyson - his eyes were red, his sinuses swollen, and his nose a' running. (He wiped it so much he wound up with 3 mild nosebleeds during the course of Saturday). Despite his new found seasonal allergy condition, he powered through the weekend and worked with CJ getting all the lashing projects done. He's a real trooper sometimes.
As Saturday night wound down, we packed up as much as we could, so that we could get an early start on Sunday morning. As the morning came, it was pretty much packing up personal gear and tents and checking out with the Ranger.
We managed to get back to the church by 8:45am.
I think this is a new record for us.
That being all said, I'd like to give an apology to our Scouting moms - I'm sorry for scheduling a camping trip on Mother's Day weekend... though in all honesty, I'll probably wind up doing it again next year. So, sorry for that as well.
We actually contemplated taking the moms with us next year - but realized we'd be better off taking all the dads, kids, uncles and grandfathers fishing.
Think of it as our mother's day gift to you. For an extra fee, we can even leave them out there...
______
Pictures to come soon... I hope.
April 2013: An Undisclosed Location
Why? Well, we got skunked again by a series of events that forced all of our Scouts to stay home. However, after polling all our adult leaders, it appeared as though everyone wanted to continue with the trip, without our Scouts.
Hmm...sounded ok to me.
So, instead of heading to our intended destination in the South New Jersey area, we opted for a more established site that required far less effort on our part in setting up shelter (a cabin). I won't tell you where the cabin is as it is a well guarded family secret, but I will tell you that it is in the state of PA, and it is much closer that the camp that we had intended to go to that was almost 2 full hours away.
So, off the adults headed with two Jack Russell Terriers in tow, and made our way Friday night to PA.
I can't go into details since this was an adults only trip and therefore it is classified, what I can tell you is that it was quite chilly for April (though no in the mountains, where is was actually about the normal temp for this time of year), and if you ever have an opportunity to hike through Bushkill Falls, I highly recommend it.
Bushkill Falls is located just over the Delaware River in PA and is about an hour's drive or so from the Wayne area. It is a series of natural water falls that cascade through a gorge which is part of the tributary system for the Delaware River Valley. Within the gorge are several walking trails and paths that combine with man-made bridges and walkways in the actual gorge that make for something out of the Lost Boys hideout in "Peter Pan". I would have liked to have seen actual lashings holding the whole thing together, but I guess the "10 Penny" type will have to do.
During the Spring right through to the Fall, the falls do get a little crowded as it is a touristy destination during the summer months, but if you head out there in the spring or fall, the crowds are lighter, but so is the temperature. In the gorge itself, since you are below ground and in the shade, combined with the watery mist, it can get quite cold. Be careful as you traverse the various stairways and walkways as the water and cool climate can create quite a slippery mess for the unprepared and careless.
When you complete one of the 5 trails throughout the gorge (or all of them) you can then wander through the Bushkill falls museum, nature center, gift shop, fudge maker... what have you. Like I said, its a bit touristy.
Pets are allowed through the trails as well, as long as they are on a leash, so the pups got to come along for the ride as well!
All in all a nice quiet weekend. Sometimes we adults need a break to not only recharge but also take the quiet time to discuss some troop matters and figure out the future of T 101.
Well, that and we eat a whole lot better. ;)
Friday, March 22, 2013
March 2013: Yards Creek
March is such an interesting month, weather wise. There are some years where its so hot, you wish you could go swimming. Other years, its so cold you sit there and think to yourself "What happened to spring?"
Since last month we cancelled our trip to snow, mostly I was thinking "Mother nature is sort of a b*tch." March - normally a time when things start getting a little warmer, the animals start to emerge from hibernation, and humans are getting ready for spring break, and Easter. In our case, we stood around wondering why it was March and there was 2" of snow on the ground and everything was freezing, including the tents.
Needless to say we survived, but I think everyone underestimated the weather just a bit - even if it was a simple as wishing they had brought their slightly heavier boots, as they were attempting to cram a 2-sock covered foot into a temperate combat boot.
At any rate, this month's journey finds us in Blairstown, NJ at Yards Creek Scout Reservation, run by Central New Jersey Council. I nice little camp that is actually a part of the Yards Creek Pumping Station grounds which is run but New Jersey Central Power & Light. While the camp is not huge (I believe it is less than 100 acres all told) it is in a quite little area on the eastern slope of the Kittatinny Mountain Range, which is home to the NJ portion of the Appalachian Trail, and within spitting distance of the Delaware River. This camp is actually one of two (the other being Kittatinny Mountain Scout Reservation) that is owned by CNJC. Sadly, we learned this weekend that in an effort to cut back on costs, CNJC is selling KMSR to the state, which plans to fold it into the Stokes State Forest property. CNJC has not run a summer camp program in many years, and this is just one more sad state of affairs not only for CNJC, but also BSA as a whole, especially in the NJ area. CNJC had a program that I had intended to make use of once I felt our Scouts were ready, and that was hiking from KMSR to Yards Creek on the trail - but it doesn't look like that will happen. (I guess this is a fine example of "use it or lose it".)
Getting past the weather (which was cold, but not overly windy) we actually had a nice quiet weekend despite the leader training and their incessant chanting and singing down in the lower site. Our new SPL, CJ, got to cut his teeth as a boy leader, and while he has a bit of a way to go, is definitely moving in the right direction. For his first time, he did pretty well. Food as usual was great, with a breakfast of French toast (buy the "Texas toast" cut - works much better) and bacon, a lunch of pie iron calzones (with pepperoni, mushrooms and onions) and dinner of (of course!) corned beef, potatoes and cabbage for St. Paddy's Day.
We also had a new desert - bananas with mini marshmallows and chocolate chips inside, baked in tin foil in the fire. I have no idea what to call it. However, it was enjoyed by all who tried it and it seems to be on our list of items to have make another appearance on our next trip. Two scouts and 1 adult went through a whole bunch of bananas that night!
The Scouts practiced their lashings (which they decided they needed work on) and we managed to make a cooking apparatus (we referred to it as a "swingset" or a "bi-tripod") as well as a tripod for the water jug and a flag pole. More practice is needed, but I have to give them credit - the lashings were correct, but cold made the fingers less than useful by the end of the day - which is why they had to do dishes with hot water.
For our first trip out in over a month, we seem to still have this whole camping thing under control.
Now to clean and stow the gear, and on to the next adventure!
Since last month we cancelled our trip to snow, mostly I was thinking "Mother nature is sort of a b*tch." March - normally a time when things start getting a little warmer, the animals start to emerge from hibernation, and humans are getting ready for spring break, and Easter. In our case, we stood around wondering why it was March and there was 2" of snow on the ground and everything was freezing, including the tents.
Needless to say we survived, but I think everyone underestimated the weather just a bit - even if it was a simple as wishing they had brought their slightly heavier boots, as they were attempting to cram a 2-sock covered foot into a temperate combat boot.
At any rate, this month's journey finds us in Blairstown, NJ at Yards Creek Scout Reservation, run by Central New Jersey Council. I nice little camp that is actually a part of the Yards Creek Pumping Station grounds which is run but New Jersey Central Power & Light. While the camp is not huge (I believe it is less than 100 acres all told) it is in a quite little area on the eastern slope of the Kittatinny Mountain Range, which is home to the NJ portion of the Appalachian Trail, and within spitting distance of the Delaware River. This camp is actually one of two (the other being Kittatinny Mountain Scout Reservation) that is owned by CNJC. Sadly, we learned this weekend that in an effort to cut back on costs, CNJC is selling KMSR to the state, which plans to fold it into the Stokes State Forest property. CNJC has not run a summer camp program in many years, and this is just one more sad state of affairs not only for CNJC, but also BSA as a whole, especially in the NJ area. CNJC had a program that I had intended to make use of once I felt our Scouts were ready, and that was hiking from KMSR to Yards Creek on the trail - but it doesn't look like that will happen. (I guess this is a fine example of "use it or lose it".)
Getting past the weather (which was cold, but not overly windy) we actually had a nice quiet weekend despite the leader training and their incessant chanting and singing down in the lower site. Our new SPL, CJ, got to cut his teeth as a boy leader, and while he has a bit of a way to go, is definitely moving in the right direction. For his first time, he did pretty well. Food as usual was great, with a breakfast of French toast (buy the "Texas toast" cut - works much better) and bacon, a lunch of pie iron calzones (with pepperoni, mushrooms and onions) and dinner of (of course!) corned beef, potatoes and cabbage for St. Paddy's Day.
We also had a new desert - bananas with mini marshmallows and chocolate chips inside, baked in tin foil in the fire. I have no idea what to call it. However, it was enjoyed by all who tried it and it seems to be on our list of items to have make another appearance on our next trip. Two scouts and 1 adult went through a whole bunch of bananas that night!
The Scouts practiced their lashings (which they decided they needed work on) and we managed to make a cooking apparatus (we referred to it as a "swingset" or a "bi-tripod") as well as a tripod for the water jug and a flag pole. More practice is needed, but I have to give them credit - the lashings were correct, but cold made the fingers less than useful by the end of the day - which is why they had to do dishes with hot water.
For our first trip out in over a month, we seem to still have this whole camping thing under control.
Now to clean and stow the gear, and on to the next adventure!
2013 Winter Court of Honor
Once again Troop 101 had its annual Winter Court of Honor & Dinner. We had our usual fare with all the parents lending a hand a cooking a dish so no one person had to do all the work, and with a buffet this year, everything went quite smoothly.
Congratulations to the three Scouts who attained the rank of Second Class, as well as the merit badges that they completed together: Emergency Preparedness. (A special thanks to Mr. Berg who made that happen).
We also had a special presentation: since all of our Scouts are roughly the same age and rank, I had been doing double duty as both scoutmaster and senior patrol leader (with occasional temporary help). Now that our Scouts are moving up in rank, the time has come to start getting back to our roots as a boy-led troop. So, I would like to congratulate CJ as our new Senior Patrol Leader! The boys will now work (through CJ) to start planning our meetings as well as our events on camping trips to make sure that they complete and understand all the skills they needs as they work towards their Eagle awards.
Does that mean that I have less of a job to do? Of course not. It means that I can shift some of my attention into recruiting more boys for CJ toboss around lead on trips and at summer camp. We are always looking for new recruits and if you know anyone interested that is between 11 and 17 come on down and see us on a Friday night! (Info is on the right side of this page).
Not an 11 year-old? or a boy? We run programs for everyone! Our Pack is one of the first to now have a Lions den - a den that is for kindergarten age boys who can work their way up through the pack and eventually join the troop. It is the first in our district, and only the third in our whole council! The Pack can now accept your son from kindergarten (age 6?) to 10 (or 6th grade) and then they can join the troop. Our High Adventure Crew will take your son or daughter and basically go and do rock-climbing, white water rafting, and we'll teach them basically everything our Scouts do. (Which makes it fun to have Scouts vs. Crew events...)
Best part of all? We all meet at the same place on the same night of the week. One stop and drop all your kids off and have a night at... Dunkin' Donuts. Yeah... that's where you'll be...
Did I get off topic?
I wish I could end this post on a happy note, but we had to give Mike "Foot" Kane the boot... (insert rim-shot here). Mike turned 18 and we now have to find a nice place for him to pasture. If you would like a former Boy Scout and sci-fi aficionado, please let me know. He's house broken and can operate small machinery and supposedly has a provincial driver's license. In all seriousness, we wish Mike the best of luck in the future, and we hope that he meets a nice girl, gets married, and... brings back sons to add to the Pack and Troop.
Congratulations to everyone who earned something!
Congratulations to the three Scouts who attained the rank of Second Class, as well as the merit badges that they completed together: Emergency Preparedness. (A special thanks to Mr. Berg who made that happen).
We also had a special presentation: since all of our Scouts are roughly the same age and rank, I had been doing double duty as both scoutmaster and senior patrol leader (with occasional temporary help). Now that our Scouts are moving up in rank, the time has come to start getting back to our roots as a boy-led troop. So, I would like to congratulate CJ as our new Senior Patrol Leader! The boys will now work (through CJ) to start planning our meetings as well as our events on camping trips to make sure that they complete and understand all the skills they needs as they work towards their Eagle awards.
Does that mean that I have less of a job to do? Of course not. It means that I can shift some of my attention into recruiting more boys for CJ to
Not an 11 year-old? or a boy? We run programs for everyone! Our Pack is one of the first to now have a Lions den - a den that is for kindergarten age boys who can work their way up through the pack and eventually join the troop. It is the first in our district, and only the third in our whole council! The Pack can now accept your son from kindergarten (age 6?) to 10 (or 6th grade) and then they can join the troop. Our High Adventure Crew will take your son or daughter and basically go and do rock-climbing, white water rafting, and we'll teach them basically everything our Scouts do. (Which makes it fun to have Scouts vs. Crew events...)
Best part of all? We all meet at the same place on the same night of the week. One stop and drop all your kids off and have a night at... Dunkin' Donuts. Yeah... that's where you'll be...
Did I get off topic?
I wish I could end this post on a happy note, but we had to give Mike "Foot" Kane the boot... (insert rim-shot here). Mike turned 18 and we now have to find a nice place for him to pasture. If you would like a former Boy Scout and sci-fi aficionado, please let me know. He's house broken and can operate small machinery and supposedly has a provincial driver's license. In all seriousness, we wish Mike the best of luck in the future, and we hope that he meets a nice girl, gets married, and... brings back sons to add to the Pack and Troop.
Congratulations to everyone who earned something!
February Campout 2013
So, I'd like to say that we had a wonderful time camping in February.
I'd also like to say that I won the lottery, but if that was the case, I'd be writing my resignation post on a beach somewhere as oppose to my drafty office in NJ.
That being said, the truth is that our trip down to the Franklin Institute in Philly, PA was canceled due to inclement weather. A massive winter storm decided to descend on us that weekend, and our parents felt that it was better to stay home and keep warm then go camping.
After further discussion the weekend after, it was determined that we could probably all get together at the church to load the trucks, but we wouldn't have gotten much farther, despite the fact we were going south to the area that was getting the least amount of snow.
In the end, my parents made the decision to keep their scouts home, and that's fine with me. I may not like cancelling, but I also know when the time has come to cancel because it is just to dangerous to be out there. I make decisions on going or not going based on the info I have at hand. I watch the weather for the week leading up to the trip, and I listen to my adults who live in the town we meet in. While I grew up there, I no longer live there - I live 45 minutes south, and sometimes that can mean a world of difference in the weather.
If you are reading this and are a current parent you already know this - and if you are thinking about joining a troop and this is your "research" then this is something you should know: I won't make a Scout do anything I am not willing to do, or have not already done myself.
I am an Eagle scout, and went through everything that your Scout has and will go through - sweating it out at summer camp in a canvas wall tent, freezing with three layers of clothes on in February with the wind howling; cooking over an open fire, cooking on a sheep herder stove, loosing feeling in your fingers trying to tie a knot to hold down the tarp during a snow storm - I, and my adults, have done all that and more.
I've also been there when the weather is perfect, the Scouts get their work done, and we spend hours around the fire talking and joking and having a nice evening.
The other leaders and I can all do these things - and so can your Scout. Its my job to make sure that they learn the skills they need to reach Eagle, but to also take them out of their comfort zone so that they know that while they might not be comfortable, they can make themselves. Cold at night? Ask Santa for a new and better sleeping bag. Fingers cold from tying knots? Either get better gloves or learn to tie the knot so fast you won't even notice the cold.
That all being said, if you as a parent don't want your Scout going out in foul weather, then it is your right to keep him home - nothing we do is mandatory, and he can always make up what he missed next time. I'm not willing to put myself in danger either - I like all my fingers where they are, and don't need to loose any to frostbite - so if I feel that the weather is too bad, then I'll cancel.
Camping isn't for the lazy - its hard work - but that doesn't mean we can't have fun doing the work either (and be safe about it as well!).
I'd also like to say that I won the lottery, but if that was the case, I'd be writing my resignation post on a beach somewhere as oppose to my drafty office in NJ.
That being said, the truth is that our trip down to the Franklin Institute in Philly, PA was canceled due to inclement weather. A massive winter storm decided to descend on us that weekend, and our parents felt that it was better to stay home and keep warm then go camping.
After further discussion the weekend after, it was determined that we could probably all get together at the church to load the trucks, but we wouldn't have gotten much farther, despite the fact we were going south to the area that was getting the least amount of snow.
In the end, my parents made the decision to keep their scouts home, and that's fine with me. I may not like cancelling, but I also know when the time has come to cancel because it is just to dangerous to be out there. I make decisions on going or not going based on the info I have at hand. I watch the weather for the week leading up to the trip, and I listen to my adults who live in the town we meet in. While I grew up there, I no longer live there - I live 45 minutes south, and sometimes that can mean a world of difference in the weather.
If you are reading this and are a current parent you already know this - and if you are thinking about joining a troop and this is your "research" then this is something you should know: I won't make a Scout do anything I am not willing to do, or have not already done myself.
I am an Eagle scout, and went through everything that your Scout has and will go through - sweating it out at summer camp in a canvas wall tent, freezing with three layers of clothes on in February with the wind howling; cooking over an open fire, cooking on a sheep herder stove, loosing feeling in your fingers trying to tie a knot to hold down the tarp during a snow storm - I, and my adults, have done all that and more.
I've also been there when the weather is perfect, the Scouts get their work done, and we spend hours around the fire talking and joking and having a nice evening.
The other leaders and I can all do these things - and so can your Scout. Its my job to make sure that they learn the skills they need to reach Eagle, but to also take them out of their comfort zone so that they know that while they might not be comfortable, they can make themselves. Cold at night? Ask Santa for a new and better sleeping bag. Fingers cold from tying knots? Either get better gloves or learn to tie the knot so fast you won't even notice the cold.
That all being said, if you as a parent don't want your Scout going out in foul weather, then it is your right to keep him home - nothing we do is mandatory, and he can always make up what he missed next time. I'm not willing to put myself in danger either - I like all my fingers where they are, and don't need to loose any to frostbite - so if I feel that the weather is too bad, then I'll cancel.
Camping isn't for the lazy - its hard work - but that doesn't mean we can't have fun doing the work either (and be safe about it as well!).
Klondike Derby 2013
Holy cow and am I behind on my blog posts! Sorry everyone, but I didn't realize that I hadn't updated in almost a month and a half.
Let's go back a little in time here and focus on the major events that I managed to not update you all on, starting with the Annual Klondike Derby for Ramapo Valley District.
As usual, we find ourselves on the frozen tundra that Sheppards Lake in Ringwood State Park turns into every year for the Derby. As always we had troops from all over our district, and judging by the amount of troops involved, we have a rather large district! The expected turnout for the event this year was somewhere around 1000 participants - that's not including the staff that is running the place, the leaders that show up to keep an eye on their troops, or the members of council who show up to...um...do... whatever it is that people from council do at these things.
Come to think of it, I'm not sure what they do in their own offices, nevermind wandering around the Klondike Derby looking cold. But, I digress...
So, the theme this year was "zombies" and of course, almost everyone showed up as "zombie slayers" as oppose to "zombies". Though, one troop did show up as Jedi Knights, which makes me wonder if they even got the memo... or were they zombie Jedi? As we saw when we went to the Asbury Park Zombie walk, I guess anyone and any profession can be a zombie - Jedi included. Irregardless, T101, having already done the zombie thing in previously, decided to go as slayers (mostly because the makeup would have taken too long) but also because we all seem to be fans of the show "The Walking Dead" and wouldn't you know it, we actually have accurate portrayals of all the main characters? One of our Scouts even made a "Merle" arm. (If you have no idea what I'm talking about, use that little text field in the upper right corner of the screen and type in "The Walking Dead" and see what comes up.)
In the overall standings we did about average - I think our Scouts just haven't had enough practice putting the book knowledge into hands on work - and that's my fault. However, I am happy to report that if one troop hadn't closed up shop early, we would have actually gotten to ALL the stations - which hasn't happened in I don't know how long. (Some people just have no tolerance for the cold.)
All in all I was pleased with the results - they did the best they could for a troop that for the most part has only been at this two years. Using this as a lesson, we will be taking measures to rectify that situation immediately.
Pictures can be found here.
Let's go back a little in time here and focus on the major events that I managed to not update you all on, starting with the Annual Klondike Derby for Ramapo Valley District.
As usual, we find ourselves on the frozen tundra that Sheppards Lake in Ringwood State Park turns into every year for the Derby. As always we had troops from all over our district, and judging by the amount of troops involved, we have a rather large district! The expected turnout for the event this year was somewhere around 1000 participants - that's not including the staff that is running the place, the leaders that show up to keep an eye on their troops, or the members of council who show up to...um...do... whatever it is that people from council do at these things.
Come to think of it, I'm not sure what they do in their own offices, nevermind wandering around the Klondike Derby looking cold. But, I digress...
So, the theme this year was "zombies" and of course, almost everyone showed up as "zombie slayers" as oppose to "zombies". Though, one troop did show up as Jedi Knights, which makes me wonder if they even got the memo... or were they zombie Jedi? As we saw when we went to the Asbury Park Zombie walk, I guess anyone and any profession can be a zombie - Jedi included. Irregardless, T101, having already done the zombie thing in previously, decided to go as slayers (mostly because the makeup would have taken too long) but also because we all seem to be fans of the show "The Walking Dead" and wouldn't you know it, we actually have accurate portrayals of all the main characters? One of our Scouts even made a "Merle" arm. (If you have no idea what I'm talking about, use that little text field in the upper right corner of the screen and type in "The Walking Dead" and see what comes up.)
In the overall standings we did about average - I think our Scouts just haven't had enough practice putting the book knowledge into hands on work - and that's my fault. However, I am happy to report that if one troop hadn't closed up shop early, we would have actually gotten to ALL the stations - which hasn't happened in I don't know how long. (Some people just have no tolerance for the cold.)
All in all I was pleased with the results - they did the best they could for a troop that for the most part has only been at this two years. Using this as a lesson, we will be taking measures to rectify that situation immediately.
Pictures can be found here.
Tuesday, January 15, 2013
January 2013: Camp Yawpaw
To refresh everyone's memory, last year found us in the larger of the two cabins on the property, during the coldest weekend of the year, with a broken wood stove, and tainted water.
Happily, this year's trip went much better. First off, Byrd is a much smaller cabin, and therefore much easier to heat and maintain warmth (no that we needed it, as the temps during the weekend were in the mid 50's) and there was an actual wood burning stove in the cabin - not a converted 55 gallon drum. Also (I found out later) the cabin had recently been refurbished with a new roof, new ceiling and new insulation only a few months ago.
While not the largest cabin there, it certainly is the nicest... as far as cabins go.
The weather this weekend, while not overly cold, was not overly clear either. The mountain top was besieged by fog the entire weekend, which is not a particularly bad thing, just incredibly annoying as everything is saturated by dampness. Our Scouts managed to get the fire going, and despite the wood's fiendish desire to not light or stay lit, we managed to stay warm and cook our meals around the fire pit. The stove in the cabin was kept at a balmy 102 all weekend, making everyone comatose almost immediately upon entering. It also helped the fire that the camp ranger is constantly stocking all the sites with split, dry firewood all year. Two of the outer walls were insulated with stacks of firewood.
So what the heck were we doing up there? Preparing for next weekend's Klondike Derby! The Scouts in attendance were grilled on all the basic Scout skills in the hopes that they will retain the information to place at the Klondike. We also performed a mock missing person / mountain first aid rescue scenario, which the Scouts completed... well, we could still use a little work in that area. I'm sure we'll do fine on Saturday.
Other than the review of Scout skills, we tested out a new recipe - pie iron pizza! A little bit of pre-made pizza dough, some tomato sauce, mozarella and a few bits of pepperoni, and boom!
Pie iron pizza.
Its something that I've wanted to try for a while, and since we were going to be in site all weekend, I figured it would be the perfect opportunity to test it out. Everyone had some, and it seemed to go over quite well - even sparking a discussion of what else could go in the pizza, as well as what else was out there to make in the pie irons.
Why did I do this?
I'm always trying to get the Scouts to think beyond what they are used to - even take them out of their comfort zone. Even though we were in site all day, and therefore had access to a fire, they boys still put down cold cut sandwiches for lunch.
No matter what we do, it seems they always choose this meal for lunch. Personally, I can only take so much cold cuts, and I felt it was time to look into other items. Hopefully, the pie iron pizza will open the flood gates to other new and exciting ideas as far as our menu goes.
The other issue is that pie irons are much lighter and easier to carry than a griddle and grate - which is what we normally use for just about everything. Also, the items used in pie iron cooking could be far less in weight and space, and therefore we need one less cooler - which take up a lot of space, and fully loaded can weigh quite a bit.
For instance, with the pie iron pizzas, I used Pillsbury pizza dough in a tube. We got 4 sandwiches out of the tube, but I also didn't cut the initial sandwich dough frugally, so in reality, we should be able to get 6 - 8. Now, the tube is... a 5th of the size of a loaf of bread, and can be placed in a backpack, as oppose to a cooler. It needs to be chilled, but not necessarily cold. The number one difference is that a tube is pretty resilient to pressure, as oppose to a loaf of bread, when you crush it, you get... bread sticks.
What is the ultimate goal? I'm personally shooting for less gear, less weight, and more efficiency. In this instance, we're eating better by taking a better and more suitable candidate for what we need. Not all of the places we camp at allow us to park at the site - including Camp Yawpaw, and therefore, the less time we spend carrying equipment back and forth to the car and site, the more time we spend camping, working on our fieldcraft, and having fun.
Change takes time however, so we'll see how the rest of the year goes.
At any rate, we had a wonderful time despite the fog and wetness, and managed to get some practice in for the Klondike Derby. Saturday will tell how well it all payed off.
Now to dry out our gear, stow it, clean it, and get ready for the next adventure... the Klondike Derby!
I'm sorry to say that there are no pictures from this weekend; our staff photographer was sick and unable to join us this weekend.
Tuesday, January 8, 2013
Happy Holidays and New Year from Troop 101
The boys chose the theme of "Disco Pajama Party".
Yeah, you read that right.
So, we had a grab bag, watched "A Muppet Christmas Carol", ate cookies and cake, and drank milk and egg nog.
Not much else to say other than I forgot to take any pictures.
So, from all of us at Troop 101 we hope you have a very happy holidays, and a safe new year!
NYC 2012: Scouts in the City
Also, no one likes getting sick a week or two before Christmas or during Chanukah.
So, we've decided to start scheduling a day trip in lieu of our weekend long camping trip - last year we walked the Cannonball Trail in Oakland, NJ, and this year (despite my better judgement of having us near "normal" people) we find ourselves wandering the urban canyons of the Big Apple.
Why the NYC? Well, first of all, in my 21 years with the troop, we have never been to the one city that is less than an hour from our homes. Second, NY is a pretty cool place in general, and even more so during the holiday season. With 3 story high Christmas trees, ornaments the size of mountains and Christmas lights the size of Fiats, why not go to the city that never sleeps?
Our day started in the parking lot of the Willowbrook Mall, waiting for a bus that wasn't packed with Santas who were heading in for the Santa Run... in the Village? (We never did bother to look into it). Between the Santas and the elves who were... let's just say that it wasn't proper cold weather clothing for female elves it took two buses before we found room, and after a brief ride into Port Authority, we headed down into the subway to catch a ride to the American Museum of Natural History.
Which was great, as the subway stop is underneath the museum at 81st.
We spent about 3 hours wandering the halls of the museum, learning about the history of both man and beast, and then had a lunch at the museum cafeteria. Hopefully, they learned something - you didn't expect me to wander into the city with the troop and not attempt to at least make them learn something, did you?
From the museum we hit the city streets, wandering through Central Park, southeast to 5th Avenue to see all the window displays and building decorated for the season. As expected, the streets were packed with tourists, but despite that, we got to see a lot, including St. Patrick's cathedral. We had intended to get close to the the tree in Rockefeller Center, but unless we knew someone in one of the office buildings, that just wasn't happening. The closest we got was two blocks away, packed in so tight that you couldn't raise your cell phone to your ear to answer it!
We worked our way down to the NYC Public Library (which was beautifully done itself) and said goodbye as one of our Scouts was picked up for dinner with his family in the city.
From there we made our way to Times Square, where we saw Spongebob, Dora, and several other characters wandering the streets. We spent time taking in all the sights and sounds of the center of the New Year's universe, then made our way back to Port Authority.
Where we spent an hour waiting to even get on a bus (I guess we deserve that for going in during the peak tourist season).
A very nice day wandering the city. (It isn't often I say that.) Pictures are here.
Rotary Fruit Sale 2012
As part of our community service to the residents of Wayne, Troop 101 every year helps the Wayne Rotary club distribute purchased cases of apples, oranges and grapefruit to folks from Wayne and surrounding towns.
While we don't know exactly how many cases were sold, what we can tell you is that one entire tractor trailer was unloaded and distributed throughout the day; normally there are extra cases on the truck available for cash sales to those who either need a case, or were not on the Rotary mailing list. This year, we sold out of available cases, we unfortunately had to turn away a lot of customers!
We had a good turn out with the troop this year, and we had a lot of fun running around and loading people's cars. Keep in mind that each case weighs 35 lbs, and our two smallest Scouts weigh about 70lbs! That's a lot of lifting for some of us!
All in all a great day, though a bit chilly - which is better than the snowstorms, ice storms, arctic temperatures and nor'easters that have hit us in previous years!
Pictures are here.
Eagle Scout Nick Eliades
Nick has been with the troop since he was 11, and has worked long and hard to earn his Eagle Rank. He successfully completed his Eagle Scout project, which was cleaning and organizing his church's basement storage area, earned a minimum of 21 merit badges, served in a leadership position within the troop at the rank of Life for 6 months, and passed a Board of Review made up of leaders from the Council.
Nick is also a second generation Eagle Scout - his father, Maios, and his Uncle John (who are twins) earned their Eagle Ranks together back in... well, we don't want to really say, other than it was prior to Nick...very, very prior to Nick. Both were present at the ceremony, and in their original BSA uniforms!
Nick is the 55th Eagle Scout to earn the rank within the 75 year history of the troop.
Pictures to follow...
2012 Halloween Party
Even though we had just been to the Asbury Park Zombie Walk earlier that month, we did not in fact have any zombies in attendance. We had one leprechaun, a U.S. soldier (despite his Russian made rifle), a... I have no idea what, and a bunch of masquerade ball attendees. We played some games, bobbed for some apples, ate a lot of candy, and watched "Sleepy Hollow" on the big screen.
Frankly if you ask me, they are pretty scary without the masks!
Happy Halloween everyone!
Pictures (not my greatest work) can be found here.
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