I can’t believe it’s been October since I last updated this blog. There have just been so many things going on that I have had to neglect some of those things, and unfortunately, this was one of the most neglected.

The Troop has had a lot of things going on since the last post … ScoutBucks auction, snowboarding (twice!), Iron Chef campout, Court of Honor, Klondike Derby, climbing gym, OA ordeals … the list goes on. If you look at the Troop calendar, it doesn’t slow down any! We really have a full schedule with summer camp and SeaBase coming up. Fundraisers, New Guy campout, wilderness survival campout, 12-mile backpacking, and the list goes on.

Scouting, done right, is a continual series of validations for us adult leaders. Last night, I was doing Scoutmaster Conferences. Scoutmaster Don was out of town and the other ASMs were busy with the program, so the job fell to me. I did five conferences, and each and every one gave me a big warm fuzzy feeling. I asked one young man how he liked the troop. His enthusiastic reply was, “I LOVE it! We do great campouts, and learn neat things!” Another, when asked what his goals were, went into detail about the ideas he had for teaching through fun games. Sounds like that ”game with a purpose” to me.”

  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.

Loren and I spent the day at Bayport. The OA Lodge is clearing a nature trail and building benches for rest and teaching areas. The majority of the clearing work was done at the Summer Ordeal in August, and today we were building benches, drilling holes to set the bench supports, and building a gateway for the trailhead. The work has to be completed by a certain date to qualify for grant money from National OA.

My actual reason for going up today was to cook lunch for the work crew … Loren volunteered as a second for the kitchen. We raided the walk-in freezer and fridge for leftovers and finally came up with a menu of grilled ham and cheese, baked beans, chips, cookies and pie a la mode. Of couse there was bug juice and coffee as well. We must have done a good job, because there was very little left!

We didn’t spend all our time in the kitchen … we actually did some trail work! Some rough carpentry and manual labor rounded out the day. Finally, we made the hour and a half drive back to Newport News and home. It’s a great day when you can do something for the camp!

Yours in Brotherhood,

Dick

We had our “after-summer-camp Court of Honor” this past Thursday evening. Great turnout … nice to see all the families there! The food was good, the fellowship was great, and it was a grand evening to review the accomplishments of Troop 11’s young men.

There were 38 merit badges awarded and three Scouts advanced in rank. After the Nighthawk program at Bayport (1st year camper) most of the younger Scouts are on the verge of another rank or two and there were quite a few partial merit Badges from Summer Camp as well, so the Holiday Party/COH/ScoutBucks Auction in December should be pretty full. We also had two Scouts attend Camp Freedom, in Pennsylvania.

We were treated to a video of photographs from the Troop’s Philmont Trek last month (thankfully, not all 1500 of them … we’d still be there, bleary-eyed, staring at the screen!). My God, what beautiful country … wish I could pass the physical and do the 2009 Trek! Everyone made it back alive and I’m sure, for some of them, it was a life-changing experience.

Yours in Scouting, 

Dick

I almost forgot to write about Steve T’s Eagle Court of honor on July 20th. It was a joint ECOH with his brother, Michael. What was different about it was the fact that they were in different Troops! Steve is a member of Troop 11 and Michael is in Troop 94. Steve and Michael are fraternal twins and although alike in many respects, they are really different in many others. It was a great ceremony, and the reception afterwards was great as well.

Which brings me to my point. Even though they each took a different route to Eagle, they arrived at their destination together. Is Troop 11 better than Troop 94, or vice versa? Well, I have a certain built-in bias, but the answer is “Of course not!” There is no “one size fits all” Troop. Every boy has different needs and every Troop is different. Every Troop has its own “flavor” of the Scouting program, Troop “culture”, traditions, and so on. Both boys started in Troop 94, but Steve didn’t “click” with the way they did things, so he moved, and flourished. Michael stayed there and flourished. Was it a walk in the park for either of them. No … they both had rough spots over the years, but hung in there and reached their mutual goal.

Steve hit a particularly hard bump in the Road to Eagle very late in his career. He was about to age out, and his Eagle project fell through. Totally … dead in the water … no go! He planned and executed a new project in record time. That’s a real Eagle, folks. It had to be done quickly, and he got it done. He showed real leadership … more so, I think, than if he had accomplished his original project. We’re all really proud of the way he recovered from his setback.

In the same vein of Troop “fit”, we recently had two Scouts leave the Troop for another Troop. Were we sorry to see them go? You bet! Any hard feelings? None at all. We just weren’t a good fit for them. I know they’ll do well in their new Troop, because they’re great kids and their parents will be a great asset to that Troop as well. We’re looking forward to seeing them at District events and Roundtables. That’s what’s so good about this Scouting thing … there’s a place for everyone, and a “flavor” for everyone. Everyone can be a winner!

Yours in Scouting,

Dick

Well, thankfully the rest of the week was a bit less exciting than the first part. A few scrapes, bruises, and bee stings were all we saw. Tempers got a bit short after a few days of 90+ degree weather, but nothing serious.

The boys earned 21 Merit Badges, with 30 partials to be completed later. The eight Scouts in the first-year Nighthawk program completed a lot of their basic requirements through First Class. They spent all day in this program, and from the times I sat in on their activities, I was impressed with the level of instruction.

Much of the Staff was familiar to me, and many were old friends. Many of them had been on Staff at Camp Chickahominy before it closed, and many of the Counselors were older than you normally see. Adrian and Marshall did a great job of selecting the best that they could find, and the results were obvious. Was everything perfect? No, of course not. But when glitches did occur, the Staff did their best to make it right.

What did I like most about Bayport? Open breakfast and lunch … only essential announcements at mealtime … optional camp flag ceremony before breakfast (we didn’t miss a one) … GREAT food … staff can-do attitude … new first-class facilities … and so much more!

What didn’t I like? The long, hot walk to the high-adventure side of camp in 90+ weather … ran out of shampoo and trading post doesn’t carry basic toiletries … prices in trading post a bit high … you know, I’m digging to even find these, so let’s just say the minuses were trivial.

Would I go back? You bet! Even though the camp is brand new, it already feels like home. I’m sure the Scouts will want to add it into their rotation. Next year, who knows where we’ll be going. They’ll have to decide soon though … the good ones fill up fast!

Yours in Scouting,

Dick

Hello, everyone! Here we are nearly halfway through our summer camp stay. The Scouts are settling into their routines after a rocky start, and everyone is having a great time.

The first night we were here, one of our Scouts tested whether his head was harder than his buddy’s head. His buddy won … one trip to the ER until 3:30 am. The second day, we had a supposed lost Scout who wasn’t really lost. Just a misunderstanding, but still caused a bit of a ruckus. Then yesterday, we had another supposedly lost Scout, who we had the whole camp searching for … found him asleep in his tent, even though the tent had supposedly been checked more than once! Hopefully, all that is out of our system.

The food in the dining hall has been the best camp food I have eaten. Everything is well prepared, ample, and there is always fresh fruit and salad available. The Nighthawk Program Scouts (first-year) are cooking their own breakfast this morning … overheard was “Why do we have to cook it ourselves? Why can’t we go to the dining hall and get some real food that’s not going to kill us?”

Several boys are training for the mile swim on Friday morning. Every day at 6:15 am they trek down to the pool … and each day, there are fewer and fewer participants. The attrition rate is pretty high, but our guys are sticking in there.

One is off this morning for an Archeology Merit Badge field trip. They’re going  to a real archeological dig to help in the search for artifacts. Both weeks before us, the boys have actually found items of significance.

Well, that’ll do for now. I’ll fill in a few more details later this week. Stay tuned!

 From Camp,

Dick Barnes

I know it must be summer! As I sit here, after a great evening of grilling burgers and dogs, I can hear the bang and crackle of fireworks down the street from the house. Happy 4th of July!

We finished the end of last month off with a weekend on Scout Hill at Fort Story. The weather was summery, the food was great, and the beach was fantastic! Some of the guys were sporting a bit too much of a rosy glow after a day at the beach, in spite of tons of sunscreen. A fitting start to the summer season!

This weekend we’re heading off to Bayport Scout Reservation in Middlesex County, VA for a week of Summer Camp. This is the first year of operation for the new camp, and there are around 2000 Scouts (not counting Scouters) registered for the Summer. We’re there for week three, and it’s full up. I'’m digging around trying to find clothing and equipment to fill my big Rubbermaid tub. We’ve got eighteen boys going to camp this week, and then another eight heading for Philmont later this month. We were scheduled to have a Court of Honor the week after we returned from camp, but there were scheduling problems with the facility we were using and I haven’ t heard if they have been resolved.

I’ll have more to write after we return from camp, so until then …

Yours in Scouting,

Dick

May was a pretty full month. The Colonial Craftsman Faire fundraiser to benefit the Philmont Crew, the Council-Wide Camporee, and a very different and interesting series of program features at the Troop meetings.

The Colonial Craftsman Faire was a very successful fundraiser. We were the sole food vendor, parked cars, and handled the tickets. We got lots of comments about how great the boys were and how much the help was appreciated.

In conjunction with the colonial theme, the past month has seen colonial reenactors visiting the meetings and talking and demonstrating their skills for the boys. Lots of hands-on experience too! We hosted a surgeon, a militiaman, a wheelwright, and a tinsmith. All were in period costume and all worked with equipment and tools that were common to the colonial period.

At the same time that the Faire was going on, ten boys and four adults went to the Council-Wide Camporee. This was the inaugural event for the new Bayport Scout Reservation in Middlesex County. It was billed as “a taste of summer camp,” and it lived up to that billing. It was also a dress rehearsal for the facilities and staff to iron out the bugs before summer camp. Aquatics, Cope, compass and GPS, rifles and shotguns, handicrafts and scoutcraft were all offered for the day … just enough to whet the kids’ appetites. The Cub Scouts had a parallel age-appropriate program. I believe the count was 1800 Scouts, Scouters, and Cubs in all. It was a first look at the impressive new facilities for most of the attendees, and a very successful weekend. It was also the first time I can remember the Troop doing two simultaneous events!

We’ve got some more great camping coming up. Our next camping trip will be to Fort Story at Cape Henry, the site of the first landing by the Jamestown settlers. It’s pretty much a “school’s out, enjoy yourself, beach party and luau.” The Philmont crew will be doing a full-pack, 12.5 mile trip in the Shenandoah Valley from Dundo this month, as well. In July, Summer Camp at Bayport the second week, our annual pool party and Court of Honor at the Warwick Yacht Club the third Thursday, and the Philmont group is leaving the week after that. August is supposedly our “month off,” but the first week still has the guys on the Philmont trip, NYLT is being offered at Bayport, and the OA Summer Ordeal will take place.

I see Tropical Storm Barry is headed up the coast towards us on the first day of the official hurricane season! Hope this is not a taste of things to come. We’ve got too much to do without Mother Nature’s complications! The Troop continues to grow … welcome to Cody and his dad, our newest members!

Yours in Scouting,

Dick

p.s. Found a great new resource on the official BSA website … check it out!

http://www.scouting.org/boyscouts/resources/32215/index.html

John & I picked up the “redecorated” trailer this afternoon … looks great doesn’t it? Finally, after years of talking about it, we actually have a great “billboard” for the Troop. My thanks to John for finding a donor, and special thanks to SignMedia for their generosity in donating the graphics and work. They did a great job, and we couldn’t be happier.

Scout On!

Dick