Stop gap

I'm stealing time from housework and packing to scribble this little blog note. We're off to "Draney Camp" tomorrow and may or may not be in Internet range in the meantime. So, to keep the grass a little bit green, here's a tiny little posting...

Scout camp was good. Very, very good. By turns it was restful, invigorating, delicious (maple bars on the last day), spiritual, and hilarious. Of course every joke told after midnight around a campfire is the funniest you've ever heard, and scouts add to the hilarity quite innocently when the subject matter is just barely over their heads. Good clean fun all around.

Perhaps the highlight for me was the tenacious way that a couple of our first-year scouts stuck to their tasks and earned some tough merit badges. They got in the cold, cold water of the arctic lake, they slept out without tents, they braved the famed "Yeti hike," and they endured the Environmental Science badge. Well done, scouts!

On the leaders' side, we learned how to splice rope, identify a few plants, and avoid gaining a million pounds while eating 3 carbohydrate-rich meals (with seconds) every day. Official weight gain this year-- a mere 1.7 pounds. A friend even asked me yesterday if I'd lost weight. How nice is that?

So... we're off to the Basin for a few days. I probably won't be able to blog there, so... until next week, enjoy your last weeks of summer.

I know I will.