Well, we picked a great weekend 
. Snowed on us … not as bad as the previous weekend … just flurries this time! Before going out to deliver fliers for our annual Mulch Fundraiser, we did the Adopt-a-Spot (the road in front of our Charter Partner). Then we spent about four hours blanketing neighborhoods with our fundraiser fliers … over 3500 delivered!
Oct 19
Here’s an inspirational video for the 100th Anniversary of Scouting.
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
Apr 20
Take the time to listen to this speech by a 19-year old Eagle Scout. This is what the Scout program has the potential to produce.
Apr 1
Last weekend, the Troop made its way to Shipman, VA, which is between Charlottesville and Lynchburg on US 29. It was sort of an introduction to basic backpacking and primitive camping for the newest members of the Troop. They backpacked in about a mile and then set up camp around a small lake.
For most of them, it was their first experience with dehydrated or freeze-dried foods, but the general consensus was that it was edible and really wasn’t too bad. I think they sampled chicken & rice, beef stew, spaghetti, and a few other entrees in addition to GORP, energy bars and the usual backpacking fare.
As you can see in the video, we had a perfect camping spot … a small pond with grassy banks in the middle of a wooded area. Saturday all day was gray with occasional drizzles, and then late Saturday night into early Sunday morning, we had some heavier showers. Of course, as we were breaking camp, the sun came out and the clouds dissipated … typical Spring camping .
The area we camped in is private property and we are indebted to the owners for allowing us to camp there. Nelson County is bordered by the Blue Ridge mountains, and is the location of Walton’s Mountain, for those of you that remember the TV show or the book. Nearby is the Wintergreen Ski Resort.
It was a great weekend, but the Scouts were glad to get home Sunday afternoon. This month, we have a planned trip to backpack a section of the C & O Canal, and of course, the Section SR-7A Conclave is being hosted by our OA Lodge at the end of the month.
Yours in Scouting,
Dick Barnes
Jul 22
Well, we’re off to summer camp at Camp Ottari in about a week and a half. We have a dozen Scouts and four adults going, myself included. Should be a great week in the mountains and hopefully a respite from the 100+ degree heat we’ve been blessed with this week. Several of the newer Scouts are participating in the Brownsea Island program for first-year Scouts. Some of the older Scouts are doing the Merit Badge thing. There aren’t too many of our really senior Scouts attending this year, since they’re leaving for SeaBase in Florida the week after we return.
We had a good Committee Meeting last night, where our new Scoutmaster presented the PLC’s wish list for the next program year. The list was approved with no modifications. Some of the great activites planned are shooting (rifle, shotgun, & black powder), C&O Canal biking, caving, Northern Tier, whitewater, and of course several of the old standbys such as Iron Chef, Rock Gym, and the Klondike Derby. There’s too much to list, but it’ll eventually be on the Toop Calendar.
Andrew’s Eagle project was completed last Saturday. It was an information kiosk at Sandy Bottom Nature Park. There were between 15 and 20 people working at one time or another until about 2 pm when it was pronounced “finished!” Andrew and others had pretty much precut all the materials and then assembled them on site, as well as having set the uprights in concrete beforehand. It really turned out to be a nice-looking structure. It’s located near the restrooms, picnic areas, and playground area, so if you’re around there, stop by and see it. All Andrew has left now is his Board of Review, which is scheduled for the near future.
Ethan also finished up his project, and is ready for his EBOR. His project was not quite as visible as Andrew’s project. He built squirrel boxes for the Virginia Beach SPCA Squirrel Rehabilitation Facility. Yeah, yeah … I’d never heard of a rehab for squirrels either … but Virginia Beach has one. It, like Andrew’s, was something needed and I know the squirrels (as well as the SPCA folks) appreciate it.
September the 6th, the Troop is doing the Oceanography Merit Badge under the auspices of Old Dominion University and NOAA. There are a few hours of classroom instruction, and then some practical work on the Research Vessel Fay Slover, out of Norfolk for the rest of the day. We have thirty slots, and have been on the waiting list for over a year. The next openings are in 2010.
Well, that should do it for now. There are pictures of Andrew’s project if you follow the link to the right for my photos. I’ll be back with more when I return form Summer Camp.
YIS,
Dick Barnes
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.