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Hey, Hardpan!


Subdeacon Joe

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How was your week camping with the Scouts? And how did you deal with your breathing machine?

Howdy, Joe! Just got up from a much needed nap here!

 

Well... Lessee now... how was camp...

 

It was dirty and dusty... questionable food... lots o' sick kids... late to bunk every night and up 'WAY b'fore dawn (I had coffee on by 0500 daily)... had to hobble literally multiple miles daily on my broke foot... all in all, it was GREAT~!! ^_^

 

I handled the CPAP issue simply enough: I let it be known that I had dibs on the tent nearest the adult restroom facility and ran a long heavy-doody extension cord, which I coiled and stored every mornin'. The one time someone "suggested" I should have gone the battery route, I replied with a single raised eyebrow and the three-letter phrase "A D A." No further discussion. Innerestingly, there were a few of us ol' codgers with 'em... and some did use batteries. One poor fella had his re-charging in the chow hall, and some miscreant (yup - even in Scout camp!) somehow reversed the cables and managed to wreck his battery and fry his inverter. But in his case, he was one o' them anal-retentive engineer types ( :rolleyes: ) and had a backup.

 

I was "berthed" with my old troop, but I was there as a camp commissioner, and mostly worked with adult leaders and SPL's (Senior Patrol Leaders - often as young as 13 but neat kids!).

 

I'd arranged for ice and supplies, and Tuesday evening I broke out my ancient wooden bucket ice-cream churn and the boys in our troop had a terrific time - even invited a couple staffers for ice cream (plus the couple of medics already visiting) and made some real brownie points. ^_^

 

That evening was really special. Earlier, at Vespers, I was sitting in the outdoor chapel (which was packed!) listening to a young Venture Scout delivering a sermon. The setting was spectacular, with the lake and mountains and forest... and as I sat there listening with my focus drifting from the speaker to the backdrop, a single bald eagle sailed along the shore behind him. That moment was magical... in the outdoor chapel, we truly were in God's house.

 

I'm getting a bit long in the tooth for some of the activities, but one of the bestest things about the week was meeting some truly outstanding young people. One example is a young man, probably not yet sixteen, who will be doing his Eagle project shortly. This Scout had decided that he wanted to do something for an "orphanage," or shelter. But when he interviewed the director, she told advised him that she didn't need another fence painted or new bench; rather, the kids themselves were needful, not the facility.

 

So within the next few weeks, the youngster will be conducting a week-long summer basketball camp for the kids in the "orphanage!" He's arranged for members of the local high school basketball team to serve as coaches; arranged for them to recieve training on youth protection and working with "special needs" kids who are wards of the state. He's arranged for donations of equipment and supplies, T-shirts for the kids, lunches for the week to be donated by local pizza and burger establishments...

 

Seeing the excitement in this young man's eyes and hearing the eagerness in his voice as he decribed the project did wonders toward re-establishing my faith in the youth of this country. And caused my allergies to kick in big-time, along with a lump in my throat.

 

Yeah, Joe... Camp was good!

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Howdy, Joe! Just got up from a much needed nap here!

 

Well... Lessee now... how was camp...

 

It was dirty and dusty... questionable food... lots o' sick kids... late to bunk every night and up 'WAY b'fore dawn (I had coffee on by 0500 daily)... had to hobble literally multiple miles daily on my broke foot... all in all, it was GREAT~!! ^_^

 

 

In other words, the archetype of the perfect camp! :lol:

 

I handled the CPAP issue simply enough: I let it be known that I had dibs on the tent nearest the adult restroom facility and ran a long heavy-doody extension cord, which I coiled and stored every mornin'. The one time someone "suggested" I should have gone the battery route, I replied with a single raised eyebrow and the three-letter phrase "A D A." No further discussion. Innerestingly, there were a few of us ol' codgers with 'em... and some did use batteries. One poor fella had his re-charging in the chow hall, and some miscreant (yup - even in Scout camp!) somehow reversed the cables and managed to wreck his battery and fry his inverter. But in his case, he was one o' them anal-retentive engineer types ( :rolleyes: ) and had a backup.

 

 

Ah, letters to conjure with.

 

As to the 'miscreant,' never ascribe to miscreanteism what can be more easily explained by stupidity (or poor eyesight).

 

I was "berthed" with my old troop, but I was there as a camp commissioner and was mostly worked with adult leaders and SPL's (Senior Patrol Leaders - often as young as 13 but neat kids!).

 

I'd arranged for ice and supplies, and Tuesday evening I broke out my ancient wooden bucket ice-cream churn and the boys in our troop had a terrific time - even invited a couple staffers for ice cream (plus the couple of medics already visiting) and made some real brownie points. ^_^

 

I've been tempted to get an Ice Cream Ball - not as traditional as a churn, but could be a lot of fun.

 

 

That evening was really special. Earlier, at Vespers, I was sitting in the outdoor chapel (which was packed!) listening to a young Venture Scout delivering a sermon. The setting was spectacular, with the lake and mountains and forest... and as I sat there listening with my focus drifting from the speaker to the backdrop, a single bald eagle sailed along the shore behind him. That moment was magical... in the outdoor chapel, we truly were in God's house.

 

I'm getting a bit long in the tooth for some of the activities, but one of the bestest things about the week was meeting some truly outstanding young people. One example is a young man, probably not yet sixteen, who will be doing his Eagle project shortly. This Scout had decided that he wanted to do something for an "orphanage," or shelter. But when he interviewed the director, she told advised him that she didn't need another fence painted or new bench; rather, the kids themselves were needful, not the facility.

 

So within the next few weeks, the youngster will be conducting a week-long summer basketball camp for the kids in the "orphanage!" He's arranged for members of the local high school basketball team to serve as coaches; arranged for them to recieve training on youth protection and working with "special needs" kids who are wards of the state. He's arranged for donations of equipment and supplies, T-shirts for the kids, lunches for the week to be donated by local pizza and burger establishments...

 

Seeing the excitement in this young man's eyes and hearing the eagerness in his voice as he decribed the project did wonders toward re-establishing my faith in the youth of this country. And caused my allergies to kick in big-time, along with a lump in my throat.

 

Yeah, Joe... Camp was good!

 

Sounds like it. It's a crying shame that kids like these don't make the news more often. I think if they were seen more there would be more like them.

 

You mention Vespers - may I ask what denomination? You don't often see that service (although it is more common than Matins).

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Sounds like it. It's a crying shame that kids like these don't make the news more often. I think if they were seen more there would be more like them.

 

You mention Vespers - may I ask what denomination? You don't often see that service (although it is more common than Matins).

You're right, Joe... it is a shame you don't hear more about these young people and their accomplishments. And nobody will hear anything more than I posted about this one, since no media coverage nor photos will be allowed as the kids are "wards of the state." -_-

 

But that doesn't detract from it - it's still a good thing!

 

Vespers was non-denominational, although I suspect that the young man delivering the sermon may be Catholic. (And since it's strictly voluntary, I was pleased to see that the chapel was packed!) Traditionally, a service called "Scout's Own" will be held at camp. This will be short and theme-based, often reflect the Scout Law... but is not a replacement for the individual's own worship or faith.

 

By the way, scouts can earn awards reflecting their own religion: BSA Chart of Religious Emblems

 

Oh... the ice cream ball is cool but dang, it only makes one pint! Now, my ol' hand crank churn can churn out ten times that quantity! ^_^

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Vespers was non-denominational, although I suspect that the young man delivering the sermon may be Catholic.

 

Oh... the ice cream ball is cool but dang, it only makes one pint! Now, my ol' hand crank churn can churn out ten times that quantity! ^_^

 

The only denominations that I'm aware of that have regular Vespers are Catholic, Orthodox, and Anglican/Episcopal, but given the setting I suspected that it would be non-denominational.

 

Yeah, the ice cream balls are kind of small. For a camp you would need a lot of them. But they do look like fun.

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