I recently took part in our local Boy Scout Council’s contingent to the National Scout Jamboree.  We were allowed to send 3 contingent Troops each consisting of 36 boys, 1 18-20 year old young adult, and 3 adult leaders.  It was definitely the experience of a lifetime for all who atte… Read full post »

I truly enjoy working with youth in the outdoor environment thru the program that Scouting offers.  While admiring the sagacious appearance that the additional grey in my beard provided me, I had remind myself  the prior weekend’s experiences would help the boys… Read full post »

            Just last month, in what I consider a joke, my hometown received a designation as a bike friendly community.  Their expansion of our bike trails was the reason cited for this designation.  I ride my bike for recreation and e… Read full post »

This past Saturday I participated in another powerlifting meet. 

Powerlifting is a sport where the contestants attempt to lift the most they can in three lifts the squat, the bench press, and the deadlift. In the squat, the lifter takes the weight out of the rack on their shoulders,… Read full post »

I’m Fat—or so says the Boy Scouts of America.  According to their new physical form I exceed the maximum allowable weight for my height.  Therefore I am not supposed to ever be more than 30 minutes from a hospital by ground transportation.  It is also recommended that I not… Read full post »

I took two vacations this summer:

The first one was to summer camp with my Boy Scout Troop.  Both of my children went.  My wife chose to stay home and repaint the bathroom.  The cost for this 3 person week was around $500 including money spent on transportation,… Read full post »

When this summer winds down approximately 2,200 boys ages 11-17 will have spent a week at our local council’s Boy Scout camp.  Some of the things that I saw happen over a typical week there were:

            a boy who was too… Read full post »

     Everyone has some skeletons in their closet.  I could write about my great grandfather’s stint in prison for bootlegging in the 1920s or my great aunt’s schizophrenia.  I will instead tell the story of some of the still enfleshed skeletons in my wife&rsq… Read full post »

Three years ago I had what was probably the scariest time in my life so far.  It was one of those times where I thought my life was about to change for the long haul and not in a good manner.  It is finally distant enough that I can write about… Read full post »

     This past Sunday I stood by my 14 year old son while my wife pinned a red, white, and blue ribbon with a medallion of an eagle suspended from it onto his left pocket thereby formally recognizing him as an Eagle Scout.  As the medal had passed thru the hands… Read full post »

In addition to its human occupants, our house contains many monsters.  From the limited communication I have with theses creatures, I understand that most houses are this way.  What surprises me is that so few people talk about it.  Both of my sons and I see them but my wife insists… Read full post »

I found OS thru Salon.com.  I enjoy peering into what appears to be a warm community with some very gifted writers.  I have not posted myself till now partly due to not having the time to do so, but also due to feeling slightly intimidated by the quality of the material… Read full post »