Here’s the Summer Camp video from our week at Camp Olmsted.
Archive for category Troop Traditions
Summer Camp Video
Jul 25
Summer Camp Part 3
Jul 22
Several of the boys got up early this morning to go to religious services. I stayed in bed to catch up on missed sleep. Had a boy last night about 11PM wake me to tell me that he felt sick. He was shaking and and a little bit confused sounding, and complained of his throat feeling funny. So I took him up to the first aid post, we got the camp director out of bed and went off to the main camp medical facility to see the RN. The diagnosis was dehydration so we plied him with lots of water and after a while, he was visibly improved. We took him back to Camp Olmsted and let him sleep in the air-conditioned first aid room. He was returned to us this morning as good as new.
This points out the dangers of dehydration. We constantly have to remind everyone to drink plenty of fluids, even if you don’t think you’re thirsty. You can get dehydrated quickly in the heat, but it’s preventable with attention to staying hydrated.
The boys are all trying to finish up merit badges today. This is the last day of formal classes, although they can catch up on missed things tomorrow. This evening the Space Exploration guys get to launch their rockets. Got to see that!
Still no luck on video uploads. It would take two hours to upload a ten minute video over this link, so they’ll probably have to wait to be posted until we return Saturday. Although the boys are all having a good time, they’ll be glad to see all of you, too 
. Tomorrow evening, we’ll pack up and leave early Saturday morning. We’ll call about a hour out of Newport News.
Yours in Scouting
Dick Barnes
Final Mulch Delivery
Mar 31
Well, we delivered our final 1500 bags or so of mulch this past Saturday. The turnout as not as good as we had hoped for, but all the bags were delivered to the customers by around 3 pm or so. Our partnership with Peninsula Hardwood Mulch for a second year in a row was the way to go. Previously we had dealt directly with the manufacturer, and had to order in trailerloads. This way, we could order exactly what we wanted with no leftovers.
I supervised an OA election for Troop 242 this evening, and all went well. They only had one eligible candidate, and he was elected. One for one!
The weekend before, the Troop did a day trip to Washington DC in conjunction with the Citizenship in the Nation Merit Badge. Bruce has promised me some video of the trip, so when he comes through, I’ll post it.
We’ve got 2 Eagle projects coming up Saturday. Most of the projects has been “prebuilt”, and we’ll finish up Saturday. To top that off, Saturday is my Daughter’s 14th birthday so I’ll be busy!
Yours in Scouting,
Dick
Well, the food was great, the Scouts received their well-deserved awards, and the bidding at the Scout Bucks auction was intense. This year, we had several tables of goodies for the Scouts to bid on. The bids came quickly and furiously, with no quarter given. Everybody seems to have had a great time, and I think everybody was able to win a bid on something. Several boys, who had earned enough points to be “independently wealthy” went home with lots of loot!
Each year, the boys are able to earn points or “Scout Bucks”, for things such as advancements, summer camp attendance, merit badges … just about anything that Scouts do earns points, so an active Scout earns more than one that doesn’t participate as much. At the end of the year, the points are tallied and the boys can use them to bid on items at the auction in December.
This meeting closed out the year. The next meeting will be after the holidays. I’m finishing up the recharter now, and a snowstorm is on tap for the weekend. How much … nobody is sure . Christmas and New Year’s are around the corner and life is good! HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!
Dick
100th Anniversary Video
Oct 19
Here’s an inspirational video for the 100th Anniversary of Scouting.
Pumpkins, Redux
Oct 13
Well, when October comes around, we all know what time it is … PUMPKIN TIME! This year, the church had a Fall Festival in conjunction with the unloading of the pumpkins. There were all sorts of activities for the kids, and most of the church organizations sold home-made wares in support of the mission teams. There were home-made rolls, apple butter, baked goods, and even some store-bought Krispy Kreme donuts and scout popcorn .
This year, there seemed to be a lot more pumpkins, but there were a lot more people unloading, too. We had 21 from the Troop … adults and Scouts, and all the hands made the work lighter. It was a beautiful day, and pretty festive, too. The magician really put on a good show for the kids.
This weekend, there’s an Iron Chef weekend that we primarily use for a Fall Webelos-recruiting event, but there’s two to four inches of rain predicted by Sunday. We may have to rethink this 
. The first weekend in November, we’re off to eastern Maryland for a pretty big orienteering meet in the Scoutmaster’s old boyhood council.
Well, I have more work to do before I head to bed, so let me get this posted. I just L-O-V-E Fall weather. It’s my favorite time to camp!
Yours in Scouting,
Dick
Klondike Derby Musings …
Mar 6
If only we had the weather for a Klondike Derby like this!
Of course, the last time we had a decent snow for the Klondike Derby, they canceled the event! Go figure!
Dick
Klondike Derby
Mar 1
Well, this weekend was the Klondike Derby at Pipsico Scout Reservation in Surrey County. Our arrival was in the hours of darkness, and after checking in and being assigned a site, we quickly set up camp. The weather was almost balmy. A tee shirt was enough. Later that night, a front came through and the temperatures dropped.
The boys got on the trail after colors the next morning, and it wasn’t fifteen minutes before one came running back to me to let me know that a Scout had been injured. He had fallen and gotten entangled in the sled harness and twisted his ankle. So, I sent him back to camp with a buddy, and the patrol continued on.
I followed and observed them for an hour or so, saw that they were doing ok, and left them on their own. Later Saturday morning, it started raining, and continued throughout the day and night. They finished the course, cooked and ate dinner, attended the campfire, and it was an early night for all with everyone turning in to get out of the mud and rain.
Sunday morning, the temperature had dropped significantly, and snow was predicted. Nearly everyone had rainwater in their tents and most gear was pretty wet. We got everything packed up and departed slightly after 10 am. An hour and a half later, we were pulling into the church parking lot. We were a pretty bedraggled-looking crew, but it was another one of those memorable camp outs!
Dick
Mother Nature Strikes!
Sep 5
Tropical Storm/Hurricane Hannah has dealt our Oceanography Merit Badge trip with Old Dominion University and NOAA a blow … not a fatal blow, but definitely a windy blow. The trip was canceled due to the storm, and will have to be rescheduled sometime in the future. The waiting list for this trip is about two years, so we don’t want the opportunity to get away from us.
Summer camp was superb! It was one of the greatest groups of kids and adults I’ve been to camp with in years. Just well-behaved … both kids and adults! Camp Ottari has a great program and a wonderful staff. We were there the last week of summer camp, but you certainly wouldn’t have known it by the staff’s actions. Some staffers have a tendency to wear down during the course of the summer, and by the last week can only think of getting back home. Not these folks … they were as energetic and accommodating as they must have been the first week of camp. All of them worked hard to make our experience unforgettable!
Both Andrew and Ethan passed their Eagle Boards of Review and we’re only awaiting the official blessing from Irving, TX before adding their names to our Eagle Plaque at the church. They’re both fine young men and will be a credit to the Eagle rank, and we’re looking forward to their Courts of Honor.
The SeaBase crew returned from Florida with glowing tales of fish and boats and luaus. They all had a great time diving and snorkeling and living aboard ship. Each had a fish story or two, and I have a video posted on my YouTube account that you can watch. Just follow the link to the right under Resources. As a matter fact, there are Summer Camp videos there too. But, to continue, everyone would go back at the drop of a hat. Definitely one of BSA’s greatest high-adventure bases!
Out Troop Court of Honor last night was a great success. First, a great selection of pot-luck desserts brought by families. Then Steve, our new Scoutmaster, talked with the parents first and outlined his goals and hopes for the Troop. He then detailed the New Scouting Year’s upcoming events. Finally it was the boys’ turn … We recognized 8 rank advancements, 26 earned merit badges, and 11 special awards, in addition to several event patches being passed out to the participants. It was good to see all the parents that took the time to come and be there for their sons.
Our September theme is Fishing, and we have a fishing trip on the Chickahominy River planned. Hopefully the weather will cooperate, but I see a one tropical depression after another spinning of the African Coast. We’ll just have to wait and see.
Keep Scouting!
Dick Barnes
Service
Oct 10
Last Saturday, the Troop and Pack participated in unloading a tractor trailer-load of pumpkins. The pumpkins are trucked in from New Mexico all the way here, to the Virginia coast. The proceeds from the sale of these pumpkins by our Chartering Organization will be used to fund mission trips to Appalachia next summer. The church has been doing this as a fundraiser for the last ten years or so, and has come to rely on us to help with the unloading.
There were 41 of us Scouts, and along with church members, the trailer was unloaded in about two hours. This is a great way to spend a Saturday morning, with people of all ages working together towards a common goal — getting those pumpkins off the truck and onto the ground, ready for sale! We had people in the trailer passing the pumpkins down to the start of several lines of eager “pumpkin passers”. Big pumpkins … small pumpkins … white pumpkins … warty pumpkins … all were passed down the line and laid gently on the ground. Sales were brisk the first day after unloading, with patrons digging through the pumpkins looking for that special one. By Hallow’een, they’ll all be gone, with nothing but a few bits of straw on the ground to show they were ever there.