Scout Camp

Rocket and his troop headed to Boy Scout Camp this past week.  Camp is about 30 minutes from our house, so I was able to go up 2 times this week to see him and volunteer as a parent helper (his request).  They left on Sunday and my first day up there was Tuesday.  This is them at breakfast.

The boys were working on merit badges all week, so lots of hiking.  I am walking past the lake to go find them after breakfast.  My feet were killing me after this day of walking everywhere.

I finally found them, they were working on the Geocaching  merit badge and had been back in the woods.

By the way, this week is the hottest week so far this summer  Tuesday it was about 95 F (36C)

Heading back to the second merit badge- Natural World

Waiting for the counselor for this badge.  I ended up leaving this area right after this- too many bugs biting me even though I put on bug spray.

Me in the woods on Tuesday.

After lunch is siesta time (basically an hour to let the boys rest).  Our boys had a troop talk.  There were a few boys who were struggling with homesickness.  I wa surprised Rocket was not one of them.  All week long he said he was fine. (other parents volunteered too and I would check with them on his status- clearly I was not fine).

In the afternoon, the youngest boys (or first year scouts) had a program to help them work through their requirements for rank.  This was very disorganized and very much needs an overhaul.  The boys spent a lot of time sitting based on the 2 days I saw of this class.

Rocket's section of the class.

Friday, I went back out.  The boys have to be class A uniforms for dinner each night.  this was taken by another mom as I left before dinner on Friday.

Friday was a very humid day- about 93 F, but with heat a humidity, it felt like 100+ F (40C).  By the time I was out there from 7:30- 5 pm, I was exhausted.  At lunch, the sky opened  up and it poured rain.  I will talk more about that later.

Friday evening was a presentation for parents at the lake.  It looks beautiful.

Rocket in his tent on Tuesday. 

Playing games Friday afternoon at camp

Rocket volunteered to be a skit (a play) at the Friday night closing ceremonies. 

Rocket and Mom on Tuesday.

The Trailblazers on Friday- making silly faces

The camp after lunch when the rain was still coming down.  So lunch is around 12 noon.  The boys head to the parade field after their morning merit badges, they line up by troop and there are some announcements, then they are dismissed by categories (changes each day) to lunch in the dinning hall.  On Friday, I went to the lifesaving merit badge to get some pictures of a few of the boys in the troop.  The pool is right next to the parade field, so I sat under a tree (in the shade) to wait for the troop to get to the field for lunch.  As I was sitting there, the thunder started.  The staff must have seen lightening because they told everyone at the field to go ahead inside the dinning hall.  As I got into the building, the heavens opened up and sheets of rain came pouring down.  There are assigned tables for each troop, so I headed to the one for our troop and waited for the rest of the troop.  Some of the boys were clear across the lake at Archery, so I was hoping they had their rain ponchos.  As they came in to lunch, it was clear they did not.  Some boys had to shelter in place in the shower house until the lightening stopped (about 15 minutes) and then run  up to the dinning hall in the rain.  There were some very wet boys and leaders.

The rain poured all through lunch and then slowed to a drizzle as we left to head back to camp for siesta.  Thankfully some of the leaders had been at camp when the rain started and they closed up all the boys tents or they would have been sleeping on beds/sleeping bags.

Siesta time is game time.  The boys are playing RISK.  Rocket has asked for this game for his birthday.

 

Rocket got home at 9:30 am on Saturday morning.  I had him unpack his bag while I sorted it into piles for the laundry, he took a shower and then headed to bed for a nap.  I let him sleep for 3 hours before I got him up.  He is covered in bug bites and has some skin issues because his shoes and socks got wet (even though he had 2 pairs of shoes and about 9 pairs of socks, he only wore 1 pair of shoes all week).  Good thing he gets to stay home this week- it will give his skin time to heal.

 

Well, it is time for me to get him up for church.  Love and hugs,

Deb