Eagle Court of Honor

Bert = Big Red Truck that helped and worked on every Eagle project of each boy

Table with awards

The Fab Five- 4 on left receiving Eagle Charge from the 5th one who did his COH a year ago- All boys together since 1st/2nd grade

Certificate from Beneficiary for his Project

Waiting for Color Guard at closing- Hubby the Scoutmaster and TJ

Grandpa Bob and his Brother Dick- Great Uncle Dick - thanks for coming!

"ONE HUNDRED SCOUTS"

"Of any one hundred boys who become Scouts, it must be confessed that thirty will drop out in their first year.  Perhaps this may be regarded as a failure, but in later life all of these will remember that they had been Scouts and will speak well of the program."

"Of the one hundred, only rarely will one ever appear before a juvenile court judge.  Twelve of the one hundred will be from families that belong to no church.  Through Scouting, these twelve and many of their families will be brought into contact with a church and will continue to be active all their lives.  Six of the one hundred will become pastors."

"Each of the one hundred will learn something from Scouting.  Almost all will develop hobbies that will add interest throughout the rest of their lives.  Approximately one-half will serve in the military, and in varying degrees will profit from their Scout training.  At least one will use it to save another person's life and many will credit it with saving their own."

"Four of the one hundred will reach Eagle rank, and at least one will later say that he valued'his Eagle above his college degree.  Many will find their future vocation through merit  badge work and Scouting contacts.  Seventeen of the one hundred boys will later become Scout leaders and will give leadership to thousands of additional boys."

"Only one in four boys in America will become Scouts , but it is interesting to know that of the leaders of this nation in business religion and politics, three out of four were Scouts."

"This story will never end.   Like the "Golden Pebble" of service dropped into the human sea, it will continue to radiate in ever-widening circles, influencing the characters of men down through unending time 
A Look At 100 Boys That Join Scouting

 28 will continue lifelong hobbies started in Scouting

 18 will develop hobbies which will last a lifetime

 17 will become Scout volunteers

12 will receive their first time religious contact

 8 will enter a career based on Merit Badges work

5 will earn their religious emblem

2 will enter the clergy

1 will use Scouting skills to save the life of another person

1 will use Scouting skills to save his own life

Last Day of May!

                    Just the everyday . . . .that would probably best describe my blog . . . the every day moments that make life what it is.  That is hopefully a wonderful Journey for everyone.   Just the everyday moments that I want my kids to remember or at least be able to look back on . . .
                   It was a good end to the month of May . . . . Carnival, Parade, Finishing May Grid on the last day . . .  now to go back and fill in the days - well that is not so wonderful.
          Carnival rides at night are really fun to look at- so colorful against the night sky . . .  I do not however like to ride any of the Carnival rides, in fact there are a few that just watching them is touchy.  In and out,  up and down, round and round, these folks must have very strong vestibular systems.  I was not gifted that.
                May 2014 went fast, dinners out, Theater2x, a Confirmation, Mothers Day Brunch, a College Graduation, an Eagle Ceremony, 2 Parades, Cemetery duties and all the other wonderful day to day bits and bobs.  Like meals, laundry, cleaning, making cookies, the parts individually that are not noteworthy but together  they make a whole, a whole wonderful life. May we love the Lilacs, the longer days, the return of Tree Frogs and birds, nesting birds, quiet mornings and warmer nights, May is a most delightful month and I look forward to its return next year!

Memorial Day 2014

Before the Parade!

View from the Hammock -dappled sunshine, gentle breeze, summer's coming!

Sweet Scones and Doughnut Muffins on the deck with Tea of course

The current Read . . .

After breakfast with Korean War Veteran Grandpa Bob

Every year the boys march with Scouts from in Town to the cemetery, where a short ceremony will take place, the Middle school band will play a few numbers, the Legion will lay a wreath and fire some shots. We give thanks for the Veterans of today and of yesteryear for those that remain with us and for those that have passed on.  We can have this public ceremony to thank them today because of their service to protect our freedoms- you only need to watch World News this week to see how precious those freedoms are.
                   We went out for Breakfast afterwards and got my Dad to tell a few stories.   He served in the Korean Conflict in Sapporo, Japan on the Island of Hokkaido in the National Signal Core as an Interceptor. He listened to Morse Code during all of his shifts and translated it.  He told us on the boat ride over- he did not have a job.  He was in the middle of about 5 berths deep for sleeping and his head was by a water fountain and frequently he would get sprayed while sleeping.  On the return trip he worked in the on-board bakery. " oh we made jello and pie bars for the men in big sheets"  " we used some steam to cook the jello until we found out it was not safe"  "The officers and their wives got real round pies. We had a little cooking area and we cooked eggs or things if we got hungry, it was a good job"  He served there for 3 years.  I would love to interview him and record it on video- these times and stories are fading fast.   Happy Memorial Day to one and all.  We are blessed.

Flag Planting 2014

Every Year the Scout Troop Plants about 400 flags on the graves of veterans in our towns cemetery.   They range from recent to back into the 1700's.  They first search to  find the veterans correct resting spot. Plant the flag, stand at attention and then give the veteran a salute.  We had about 4 teams working and it takes about 2 hours. A job well done, memory not forgotten.  This instills wonderful civic inspiration in today's youth.

Maple Weekend Boy Scout Pancake Breakfast

ScouterDan

Well it has been busy times here at Chestnut Hill.  Last weekend was Pancake Breakfast fundraiser Sat. / Sunday I worked 7:30 AM to 2:30 PM both days.  This is one of our major Fundraisers for the Troop and a lot of work.  We had good success despite the snowstorm on Sunday that dropped 10 inches and made roads very difficult to travel.  I work in the kitchen keeping the pancake batter mixed, sausages to be ready to bake and general clean up  . . .  My husband flips the flapjacks and boys usually work the serving line or are runners with food from kitchen to line.  Many Hands make light work and that is what makes this work.

Leaving to Create and Live in the 3rd largest City in West Virginia - BSA National Jamboree

Here we are - the day that has been planned for say about 3 years, the day that B218 has been working towards for 12 months, Departure for Mt. Hope, West Virginia  Summit Bechtel Reserve,  This is a BRAND NEW High adventure site for the Boy Scouts it will now be the permanent home for all future National Jamborees and home to the next World Scouting Jamboree.
                  It has everything and any thing you can imagine that is high adventure, Zip Lines, rock climbing, white water rafting, Mountain biking, Shooting, Archery, water sports, ATV, the list goes on and on . . . Both of my boys are there - Yoda for his first at 13 and Slugger his second Jambo at 17 ( sorry they do not like there pictures on the web at all)
                     Additionally my Husband is on board as an Assistant Scoutmaster and in charge of all things medical for 36 boys and 4 adults.  that means Medical forms prior to leaving, ( 3 hard copies each, 3 electronic copies of the whole troop . . . each boy had like 20 pages . . .) passing daily meds, trips to Medical tents . . . .
                    Many things are different this year, being in a whole new place, The new location is totally wired for technology, each subcamp that holds about 8K kids has its own Cell Tower.  This year there are about 40K of youth and 10K of staff  all the adults and staff are volunteers and  each paid to be there as well as using their own vacation from real world jobs to be there. Yes a city of 50,000 people set up in about 24 hours. The buses arrived at 800 an hour I think they said for 8-12 hours . . . .this is from Alaska to Florida East coast to west Coast . . .it really is pretty amazing when you stop to think about it.
           I am proud and moved for all the time and effort my husband has put into this endeavor that these 36 boys under his temporary care can have the time of there lives.  He has been texting photos and commentary back to parents which is a real perk. When my older son went 3 years ago, I saw and heard nothing.  Biggest issue is usually heat and dehydration. most days are Red Flag and they are supposed to drink a liter of water an hour.  Showers are cold but he and my older son say at the end of an exhausting, hot day they feel just right. They have 5 more days before they come home. 
             One of those will be a Day of Peace and they will be taken off site to a WV location to do community service. 40K youth/adults will each provide 6 hours of service to a WV community - you do the Math, think about the impact that they should leave on WV.   The New River National Gorge Park is what this High Adventure Camp Borders on- check it out!!!

Summer Camp 2011

Sailing Regattas, Merit Badges, Hiking, Campfires, Sleeping in Tents, Bear in the Mess Hall, Gopher duty, Launching Rockets, Sweet Treats from the trading Post, Letters from Home, Home Sick, Wood carving, Latrines, Sunsets, Sunrises, Mountain Dew - phew mom never lets me have this!!, Rifles, Shotgun, Mammal Study, Nature, Indian Lore, the fun never ends when at Summer Camp!!

Two Wheels . . were' rolling!

So they now have 2 wheels and Axel and the Tongue even though it is not in this picture. Next is ammunition box and the actual cannon piece that will have a PVC potato launcher in the middle of it. They are doing a great job!!!

River Rats

Oh what a weekend to raft down the river with friends. Just think of Mole and River rat from The Wind in the Willows and what fun they had traversing the great waterways. This is indeed the swimming hole of my grandfather and Great grandfather on the mighty Genesee, one of the few rivers to flow North! Life is good on a Spring day in the sun with friends on the River.

Building a Wheel, Learning a trade, forging Friendship

So, you want to build a cannon? That is an 18 12 replica Cannon to use in an International Fort George Brigade Boy Scout re-enactment weekend? So where do you start? The wheels of course. This is the beginning for a group of 9th grade boys as they learn, cut, saw, build and fund raise to make a real to scale 18 12 cannon that will have a Potato Launcher in the middle of the actual cannon.
I'll post more progress as it happens.

Snow Day 2011

Well it might have been a day off school and the first in about 5 years despite the 150 inches of snow we get each and every year. But it was far from a "snow" day. The "big" storm was a near miss. No high accumulation, some blowing and drifting and that can be pretty bad but all in all it was a quiet day. When we got up this morning every school was closed. We went out and shoveled and went for a walk before the road was plowed or driven on for that matter. Kinda strange walking down a well traveled road that is thick with snow. It was quiet. We could hear the plow in the distance but other wise all was quiet and still - all the houses that are usually bright and waking up were quiet and dark, taking advantage of a rare day to sleep in. We did a lot of baking- cheesecakes, chocolate Amaretto Brownies and cooking- Stuffed shells, Shepherds Pie and Homemade Mac and Cheese and we are not done yet. Some is for the weekend to come and some for a Rotary dinner dessert raffle to benefit the Girl Scout troop.Hoping you had a good day and stayed warm and dry and enjoyed the view from your window!!

Quinzee - slept 11 blissful hours there

about 2 feet of snow fell over night - need aluminum poles for the cold temps- fiberglass breaks.

Anyone in there?

Biking the Canal

Low Bridge - everyone down, Low bridge for were coming to a Town . . .

Scouts drove Sat. AM to the Port of Buffalo . . . . then over 2 days rode/cycled their way back to the Port of Pittsford. 103 miles, to many bridges to count. Lots of sore legs! Way to go boys!
Green Lock is at Lockport NY
Erie Canal is another wonder that we locally take for granted, Cobblestone houses fall in that category as well but save that for another post. It is truly amazing to think they dug this "ditch" as Governor Clinton referred to it as by hand. Can you imagine anyone today doing that much manual work?