txscoutdad

Thanks for the responses. I had my doubts that this park was that unique and what was on the web site was the result of an overzealous webmaster putting spin on the topic or just posting what someone else wrote and not checking for facts. If it was true, then I thought it would be great for a day trip for the troop maybe. I did email the webmaster a while back pointing out the errors in the info on the sand bass but did not recieve a response nor see a change in the site. Oh well. Off to Lake Texoma this weekend for a troop campout. Hope the weather stays cool like it has all summer. Only ONE day of 100 deg temps.

Found this on the Salt Lake Tribune web site. I have been wondering about the amount of traing the boy has had and what rank that he is at. They found his sock Tuesday. The sock's location, about three-quarters of a mile from where Bardsley was last seen, confirmed for Summit County Sheriff Dave Edmunds that the boy had followed a predictable course - downhill and toward the highest peak in the immediate area- after leaving his father. The sock was spotted on a steep ravine in an area marked by an outcropping of boulders and small caves, suggesting Bardsley relied upon training he received weeks earlier at a Scout camp, where he earned a merit badge for wilderness survival skills. "It seems likely that he would have attempted to find shelter and that was the place to find it," said Edmunds, who noted that the boy reportedly had been excited about the training and even told his mother what he would do if he were to become lost.

Fuzzy, Yes I live in the next town up. So nobody that comes here is a Forestry Merit Badge Counselor or has any input on my question? Hello...Hello...Hello..

I went looking on the net for information on the painter and found this on his offical site. Thought it would be appropriate to share the link to site here. It's about his working with Norman Rockwell and doing commissioned work for the BSA. Shows some of his works that are in the BSA National Musuem. http://www.csatari.com/articles.html

FB Okay so the question is eight SPECIES of oak in one spot. Yes, I'm a few minutes from the West side of the lake.(This message has been edited by txscoutdad)

A while back I was looking for local places to go on day hikes with my kids and was looking at a web site hosted by the county. It made a claim about one park and I'll clip and post it here "This is a climax forest with some trees that are estimated to be 300 to 500 years old. This is the only known location in the world where eight species of oaks are found growing together in the same ecosystem." I'm just wondering about the factual content of a statement like this especially when on another park site they talk about a creek by saying, "Each April the Sand Bass spawn, and people come out to see the thousands of fish swimming toward Lake Ray Hubbard." Now I'm not real knowledgeable about Forestry but I do know something about fishing and I've been down to this creek when the Sandies are running and all the people down there are not there just to watch the fish. Holding a fishing pole and with the water so muddy it's real hard to "see" the fish run. Oh and the fish swim up stream away from the lake. Now the point of this post. Yes I do have a point in this, and it's a question to ask anyone knowing about Forestry. It goes back to the topic about Oak trees and if this is the "only" place in the world that you can see eight types of Oaks in one place. Anyone have an answer?

I went to the National Museum this weekend for the first time and loved it. Acco40, The other artist that was featured besides Rockwell was Joseph Csatari. The web site for the museum also lists Remington Schuyler but I don't recall seeing any of his on display. Csatari's work, although not as nostalgic as Rockwells of course, was very inpressive. Just thought I'd add this side note in.

Have you all seen this in the news and does anyone from that area have any updates on this? Search Continues for Missing Boy Scout Aug. 21, 2004 SALT LAKE CITY (AP) -- Summit County search and rescue crews are trying to find a 12-year-old Boy Scout who has been missing in the High Uinta Mountains since yesterday. Garret Bardsley of Elk Ridge disappeared around eight A-M yesterday when he went to change clothes after he fell into a lake while fishing with his father, Kevin Bardsley. The father is a member of the Salem Eighth Ward of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which is the scout troop's sponsor. Searchers are looking in the Pass Lake area, just north of Mirror Lake. A Utah Department of Public Safety helicopter is assisting in the search. This is the second time in a month that a Boy Scout became lost in the Uintas. William Dunn, a 13-year-old from West Valley City, was equipped with a map, compass and camping gear when he was separated from his troop during a five-day backpacking trip that began in late July. He hiked alone for two days before he was found by searchers. (Copyright 2004 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.

johndaigler, Our local newspaper ran this and cited the Post, so I went to the source.

A recent article in the St. Paul Pioneer Post had an article about a summer camp for Atheists called Camp Quest Minnesota. In the article it quotes a 16 yo boy with him stating "It's better than Boy Scout camp," said Andrew, 16, Robbinsdale. "Whenever we ate, we had to do a prayer. It got rather annoying." So with what I believe is a very general prayer at most camps, and I don't recall every seeing a boy not be fed if he just sat quiet while everyone else prayed, and the boy being in an association by choice orginazation, he is still upset that he has to set through a prayer? In my opinion I would say that is being extremly thin skinned. Link below http://www.twincities.com/mld/pioneerpress/living/9355971.htm?1c

Like I said in my eariler post, can someone throw another log on the fire so we can get back to talking about something worthwhile.

Wow, After being gone for two years, checked your post counts I wasn't here back then, you drop in to bash someone who doesn't post here any more and refer to another board with out naming it. I also see that you were a poster with more than one name that you posted with. Great Scouting Spirit Is it just me or does the campfire need another log?

I've been to the Circle Ten Council Winter Camp several times. It's during Christmas break, four days long, and is run by the OA. The camp is in East Texas in Athens. Camping is done Jambo style but really more packed shoulder to shoulder campsite wise, reminds me of the large trades-day flea markets that we have down here in that you look out over a sea of tents in the woods. I don't know if they have a limit on the number of troops that they let attend. It also has has a large ratio of campers to MB counselors who are OA members. Almost all MB are partials. Our troop is scheduled to go again this year but I hope that they might look for something else next year. The good thing is, if your looking for warm weather to camp in Dec you can find it here. Would I recomend it? If your coming all this way you could probally find something better in this state.

Maybe its more like a blast furnace burning off the dross and some of the metal was lost with it. Still lots of refined stuff left.

Eamonn, I agree with all the things in your post.

St3rd, I take offense to your post so you owe me an apology. With regards to Diversity training I feel it is being pushed to the extreme by bleading heart types and our society will sink to the "lowest common denominator" because of it. The mass being dictated to by a small minority in all regards of life. No room for your rights or the majorities because you might tread on just one persons right. My wife was reading a book about PC in standardized testing and what words are allowed and are not allowed. I don't recall the name of the book right now. It stated that in standardized test no mention can be made of the birds of the Owl family because some Native Americans believe them to be bad. You can not have a story about oceans because a person that does not live near the ocean may not understand anything about oceans.

Well let me toss this out for us to thrash about on hazing. At Summer Camp at a camp that is pratically with in spitting distance of our Mecca in Irving, TX, the camp staff has a game they call "Where is Suzzie?" First, what is Suzzie? Suzzie is a peice of leather with the name Suzzie on it. The game goes that you pass Suzzie off to another Scout or Scouter at camp but when you do you must find out who they are and what Troop they are with. Object of game is to get people to get to know each other. Well at lunch and dinner the person left holding Suzzie has to pick from a cup one out of several Consequences. The ones I remember are Free Drink at Trading post,and a few other good ones that I don't remember, as well as several bad ones like Walking the Plank (walking off a dock into the lake in front of the whole camp), Your Troop having to wear their shirts on backwards to the next meal,or having to clean your troop's campsite latrine. Most occasions found an adult stuck with Suzzie and with a lone person feeling the consequences but one troop had to wear their shirts on backwards. So there you have it. Game or Hazing done in a Council Camp by Staff. Where is the line starting for the ones going to make a phone call to stop this abhorrnet behavior. Let me add that I do agree that there is Hazing done that is unsafe, dangerous and very cruel. With no purpose other than the allow what is usally and older and stronger person to humiliate another person. So what is it, Hazing or a Camp Game?

Eamonn, I personally sew my patches on as well as my son doing his. I do know of a dad that takes his to the dry cleaners and has them sewn on for a Dollar a patch, might be cheaper than buying new shirts evertime.

About pictures being real scouts or paid talent, I know that in the Field Book they use real scouts because a boy from our troop is pictured in it a few times.

Well I see I started a really heated debate on this and I want to elaborate on the SC incidents that I mentioned. First this was the middle of the week. First few days on the campsite inspections we were getting hit for latrine cleaness. First we talked to the scouts about picking up after themselves. Next day we still find stuff in the latrine. Second talking about picking up after themselves. Third day, scouts sing for what is left in the latrine with SM having a item left so he sings too. I'm always talking to the boys about how when they leave an area they need to turn around and look to see if they have left stuff. No this is not the only tool we use to reinforce to the boys that they need to be responsible for their stuff. No someone can not go trying to look for stuff belonging to another scout just to make him sing, this goes through the SM to the SPL on the occasions that someone sings. Many items that are left lying around in areas like pinic tables are simply returned to the scout. silver-shark, No negative consequences? What about a scout that decides not to go to merit badge class all week of SC. Does he still get his merit badge? Is that not a negative connsequence? Maybe thats why it seems that camps seem to be just handing them out to all on the roster at the end of the week. Are we going to throw out all of life lessons that can be taught that deal with negative things that can happen in life?? Just to be PC and only stroke the egos of the scouts? I believe that Scouting is a safe place for a Scout to fail, as well as learn and succeed at life lessons and scout skills. Do we set them up for failure? NO. But character is not only built on success, but also on overcoming failure. (This message has been edited by txscoutdad)

I love being in the outdoors and working with boys. Last year at SC I was working with a boy on 2nd Class requirement to identify animal signs. We were walking down a path in the woods with his buddy when I spotted a box turtle in a pile of leaves looking at us. I stopped real short and wispered,"Stop guys, you have a wild animal looking right at you." Well they just froze and I continued talking about how animals use colors for camouflage. I told them to look all around 360, up and down. I'm not sure what they was thinking it might have been at first but after narrowing down the area where it was at, they saw it and I used it to illistrate that you never know what might be about when tredding in the woods. This years SC we had a large portion of the troop atttending camp being first year campers. We had three treks go to Philmont this year so not many really seasoned dads and older scouts to help these boys make it through the week. It fell to me to make sure that the SPL and PL were doing all for them that they could but to also come along side of them to encourage them and get them trough the week. One scout was crying his eyes out the first night. He tried to come up with all kind of excuses to go home and I was struggling for something to grab his attention enough to forget about being homesick. We were in Athens, TX at Camp Cherokee and there are alligators in the lakes there. The big ones hide but the small one can be seen and sometimes wind up of fishing lines. This young scout was in the Fishing class and on one of the first days spotted one and decided he was going to catch one. Well that was all I needed to get him through the week by telling him he couldn't go home till he caught his alligator. He didn't thankfully but caught a small lizard and was intending to take it home. I also love setting aroung the campfire with all the dads that are involved with our troop. We are a large troop with around 80 boys and always have about 20 dads on most campouts. Getting out of the city to were you can see all of the stars again. Hearing the whipoorwill. Seeing my son try new things and succeeding at them. Just some of the things that I love about Scouts(This message has been edited by txscoutdad)

In our troop when things come up unclaimed we make the owner sing silly songs for returning the items. Songs such as the Barney song, I'm a litte tea pot, ect... If the persons name is on the item this makes it eaiser to match up with the owner. Now if any of you think that this some cruel hazing done with in the troop, at summer camp this year the acting SM left some of his stuff in the latrine and at Flag ceremony had to sing the Chipmunk song. He really hamed it up too for the guys to geat a kick out of seeing do this.

I just went through this with my 13 yo son before we left for Summer camp at the end of last monht. Most of our troop takes their bikes to camp and when I told my son to put his name on his, he had a melt down saying, "We'er going to Scout camp dad, who's going to steal a bike there." I could not seem to get him to see the logic in what might possibly happen. Well it happened. A bike was "procured" by a scout from another troop. The staff at camp called this boy on not wearing a helmet and this is when he dumped the procured bike. When reported missing the staff had a good idea where to go look and found the bike. On a side not about stealing. That same week three boys broke into the trading post at night to steal candy. Needless to say the Camp Director was not happy. The boys did come forward to comfess but I don't know the resulting punishment. We also have unclaimed items every campout it seems and I'm with Acco40 in that I've told my son that we will help but the intial gear required but repacements will come out of his money. He used money from Popcorn sales to by himself a Termarest last year so he seems to taking ownership in his things.

My hopes also dancinfox.

Alright, Jason has got to be WHEELER incarnate or just another really bad TROLL, yes TROLL which I will be ignoring from now on. To Terry, In my opinion if you do not get a handle on the TROLLS on this board and the off topic threads then this board is destined to down in flames with very few true Scouters left.