Troop 888

Here are some pictures of the new Troop 888 trailer, undecorated, on the day it joined us - July 3, 2009.....

"Scoutmaster, Move That Trailer!"













Barn doors and LED lights, sweet.....













Makes the Sequoia look like a dwarf maple....













It's about half a Dayton block long.

Well, summer camp has come and gone for 2008, although for some, the aftereffects linger.... We had 16 of the 31 Scouts and Leaders who attended get sick, several of them after arriving home. FYI, we have addressed this issue with the Northeast Region of the Boy Scouts of America, and they are working with the Westchester-Putnam Council (the owner of Camp Read) to review the causes and treatments for the virus.

At any rate, it was a successful week for those working on Merit Badges and Advancements. Mr G advises that there were 79 Merit Badges earned along with several partials that can be finished up. In addition, we had 5 Scouts participating in the 'New Scout program' where they earned several requirements towards Tenderfoot, Second Class and First Class, as well as earning their Tote 'n Chip (which teaches correct usage of knife, ax and handsaw). Several of those Scouts proudly purchased their first knives at the Trading Post!

We also held one Board of Review for Rank Advancement, and Paul Gramieri advanced to Life Scout.

Our older Scouts also had a great time, with activities like zip-lining, COPE, horseback riding and caving (I hope to have pictures from the caves later this week).

Overall, sickness aside, I would have to say that the boys had a good time at camp, based on feedback I received from several of them. The new Scouts especially handled the rustic conditions well, and they always seemed to have a smile on their face!

Thanks to Marianne Baetz who as usual did a GREAT job in all of the pre-camp activities - getting all of the boys registered and signed up for their activities, hounding us for our medical forms and payments and generally making sure that everything is organized for camp! Marianne and Al also spent Wednesday at the camp, giving Mr G some needed time in a hotel room....

Special thanks go out to the leaders who took the time out of their busy schedules to spend part or all of the week at camp, dealing with all of the usual (and unusual) issues that arise. Chris Killmurray, Jim Kuchinski and Mike Moriarty all spent part of the week at camp. Marty Leichtman was there the entire week. And of course, a big THANK YOU to Mr G for hanging in there, in sickness (mostly) and health and keeping everything running (ahem) smoothly during the week. Without his leadership, I don't know how we'd have made it through! And he mostly stuck to his diet, too.....

One last picture, of the closing camp fire (and no, that's not one of our Scouts sitting too close) -















Check back later this week for the caving pictures.

Mr D

Troop 888 finishes 4th in the cardboard boat competition at the waterfront!

Cody K wins the 'Love Letter' competition - he won a dinner date with his favorite counselor!

As we wind down camp, I hear from Mr G that most of the boys have finished their Merit Badges and basically just have a short class today to finalize.

Last night was Pirate Night! Some of the boys had come prepared with pirate paraphernalia, and of course, Mr Moriarty had some items - I hear a he had a dreadlock wig (what, no 'Beaver Pirate'?). Many Scouts wore their scarves as pirate do-rags.

5 Scouts were out overnight for the Wilderness Survival Merit Badge. They had to go out into the woods and build a shelter and spend the night in it. It's always fun when they come back into camp. They are usual pretty tired and fairly dirty! But they all survived!

Mr Moriarty reports that one Scout stopped him this morning and said, 'Mr M, is it true that time goes by faster if you are having fun? Because I am having so much fun that the week is flying by!' That's always great to hear and has pretty much been the word from the Scouts for the week.

I hope to have some new pictures to post later today, so check back this afternoon...

Mr D

Sorry for the late post, I am home and keep having work interrupt my personal activities....!

Jim Kuchinski sent me some of his pictures from earlier in the week, so I thought I'd post a couple of them now.

Camp Arrival -





































Some clean-up was necessary at the campsite, and Mr Killmurray and Mr Kuchinski spent some time at it -














And no, that last photo was NOT staged!

Mr D

Just to give you a feel for the camp routine -

6:00 - 6:15 am - Wake-up!
6:00 - 7:00 am - Showers
7:20 am - Flag raising in our campsite
7:30 am - Waiters leave for the dining hall
7:35 am - Troop leaves for Campwide Reveille
7:45 am - Breakfast!
9:00 am - Noon - Morning Merit Badge sessions
12:00 pm - Waiters leave for the dining hall
12:15 pm - Lunch
1:00 - 2:00 pm - Siesta back in campsite, showers for those that didn't in the morning
2:00 - 5:00 pm - Afternoon Merit Badge sessions
5:20 pm - Campsite Flag retirement
5:30 pm - Waiters leave for the dining hall
5:35 pm - Troop leaves for Campwide Flag retirement
5:45 pm - Dinner!
7:00 pm - Evening campwide activities (if available)
7:00 pm - 10:00 pm - hanging out in the campsite
10:00 pm - Lights out (mostly)

Today is change-over day for the leaders. Mt Kuchinski and Mr Killmurray left after dinner last night (thanks to them for coming up!), I am leaving momentarily and Mr and Mrs Baetz are coming in for the day. Mr Moriarty will be arriving later this evening for his shift.

Mr G and Mr Leichtman get extra kudos for staying the week!

Everyone slept through the night last night, which was nice. Weather continues to be excellent, with warm days and cool nights, good for sleeping. The boys are all progressing well on their Merit Badges and activities and all are having a good time.

Monday was a good day for all of the boys. The first full day of camp is always an adventure, as we get into a routine and the Scouts figure out where they are supposed to be and when. No hitches with the Merit badges so far.

We did have some excitement last night in camp. Around 2:30 am, Mr G was awakened by shouts from a couple of the Scouts as they scrambled out of their tent. Apparently, there was a 'furry, four-legged creature passing gas under our tent!"... Mr G, flashlight in hand, showed that there was nothing under their tent except bugs and spiders (which really calmed them down) and send them back to bed!

The food is pretty good. Dinner Sunday night was chicken parmagiana, and last night we had shepard's pie (which excited Mr Killmurray no end!). The vegetarian meals have been good as well (or, that's what's been reported to me). Breakfast and lunch are similarly good, and the boys are getting enough to eat.

After dinner, we took an 'official' Troop picture outside the dining hall. Last night, with nothing required on the schedule, the boys hung out around their campfires.

A couple of pictures follow -



























Troop Photo













Morning Flag ceremony in our campsite -














Gathering for Reville -














Mr G workin' it at breakfast -























Some of the natives -















That's about all for today. The weather is wonderful again, upper 70's, with a light breeze and not very buggy.

Mr D

Everyone made it up safely yesterday and the weather is great. It got very cool last night - upper 50's, by my estimation - making for great sleeping weather. Very quiet, too, once the boys settled down. The food is good, although the campsite is a little rustic, with outdoor showers and latrines (although they are new). A few pictures follow -

Blackfoot Campsite -





































The Leader's Shack, where Mr G and Mr L live -













All the modern conveniences -

























And most importantly -













I'll post again tomorrow morning, around the same time.

Mr D