2:05 p.m. They're on the blue route now.

Just got a call from the bus at 2:05 p.m. They are on the blue route and should be at the church soon. See you there!

NOT QUITE YET! STUCK IN TRAFFIC 1:30 p.m.

Just heard from Frank. They are stuck in traffic down around the Christiana area. It'll be a while longer before they get home. He will call from the blue route. Stay tuned.

TROOP OF THE WEEK!

The Troop of the Week is headed home! Just received a call from the Scoutmaster. Troop 1 was named Troop of the Week at the closing ceremonies. I'm sure the boys are very excited and proud about that. The bus is headed north at this very moment. ETA is around 2:00 p.m. in the upper parking lot at Abington Presbyterian. Frank will call once more when they reach the blue route, and I will post an update then. Check back after 1:30 p.m. to see if we're still on target for the 2:00 p.m. arrival. Pray for good traffic!

Coming Home Today!

It was a busy day yesterday. So busy, that it was not possible to get to the Admin Building and send a blog. The boys were all very busy trying to get their last requirements completed before the end of the week. I took part of the morning to visit as many program areas as possible to take pictures and video which we'll use for our summer camp video production. At about 9:15, Lucas and Andrew arrived at camp to visit. Andrew was even invited to participate in the Aquaman program in the afternoon, so he was able to have a bit of the Henson Experience for himself. We enjoyed having Lucas in camp with us, and there was lots of good-natured teasing about his new status as an adult Eagle Scout.
As the Admin Building was closed in the afternoon, and I was not able to get internet access, I joined AJ in the C.O.P.E. course to watch him climb a high course and ride the zip line to the ground. AJ is 17, so this is his last summer camp experience. As fate would have it, his very last activity at summer camp was down a very long zip line. It was a cool thing to see, and I'm sure it was even better being up there. It seemed a fitting way to end his summer camp career.
Now for awards! At evening retreat yesterday, Troop 1 was awarded the clean campsite award and best gateway award. The camp commissioner made the announcement about the clean campsite award but prefaced it with a statement that some adult leaders in camp had complained to him, saying that commissioners are too strict in their inspection standards. Apparently they gave him a good deal of grief about it during the week. So after he said that, he noted that the winning troop had kept an extremely clean campsite all week, making sure that tents were in order, no clothing was hanging around the site, trash was picked up, the latrine was spotless, and all done with never a complaint. You should be very proud of your sons! I'm sure they aren't as diligent about keeping their rooms clean at home as they are about having a clean campsite. They wanted perfect 100's on their inspection sheet each morning. Each day they worked together, reminding each other to get their personal geared stowed neatly below their bunks, picked up trash and took turns cleaning the latrine, and generally keeping the campsite clean and organized. Our boys started the week scoring 97 on Monday, and were completely disappointed about losing three points! Each day they inspected each other before leaving for program areas, knowing that the camp commissioner would be inspecting while they were away. When they returned before lunch, the boys went straight to the board to find the inspection sheet, and we could hear them asking each other, "What did we get? Did we get 100?" Amazing, isn't it? On Tuesday, there was improvement, and they scored 98, on Wednesday 99, and on Thursday and Friday they received perfect scores of 100.
When the clean campsite award was announced, our SPL was in the dining hall attending to his waiter duties, while the rest of the troop was lined up just outside the door. But, when the award was called out, "Troop 1!" AJ was set to walk forward in place of Paul, since he was not in line with the rest of the troop. Paul, however, bounded out of the dining hall door saying, "Wait AJ! I'm getting that one!" It was a great moment that drew a laugh from the crowd, but it also showed the pride the boys have in themselves, and the pride Paul has in his troop.
Our gateway award was also a big deal to the troop. Everyone worked all week on the gateway, and it served two purposes. It certainly stood as the portal to Troop 1 country. And as it was lashed together from fallen wood, it served as practice for all the boys who needed to complete lashing requirements toward First Class. It was a monument to scout skills. The commissioners loved it.
The final award of the night was for the cooking contest on Thursday evening. That announcement was made near the end of dinner. Troop 1 was fortunate to be sitting right up front for that announcement. Mitchell, from campstaff, presented the award, and there was a huge cheer from our group when Troop 1 was announced the winner of the Iron Chef Henson competition. I can't tell you how much pride they have regarding this particular cooking competition. Henson has had cooking competitions for four years. For each of the three years that Troop 1 has been at Henson, they have carried the day in this particular competition. They feel a real sense of ownership about their cooking abilities, and I have to say that I consider their performance during that competition to be a highlight of the week. Everything that they are taught in scouting, especially leadership and teamwork, showed through that night.
Our final competition of the night was the Scoutmaster Splash. Mr. Frank represented the troop, and it was a wonderful thing to see! Four scoutmasters from around the camp showed up. This can be a brutal competition to your body and your pride. Scoutmasters are scored on originality, size of splash, and pain factor. And man! The judges are a really tough crowd! They throw all sorts of stinging comments at the scoutmasters. I think that perhaps some of the comments sting more than the belly flops and face plants into the pool. It was all in good fun, though. Our boys were excited about this competition, and marched Mr. Frank to the aqua arena. They proceeded in two-by-two column ahead of him, shouting "Huzzah for Mr. Frank", as they walked through camp. In the end, another scoutmaster won the competition, but we were all proud of Mr. Frank for representing the boys and literally taking a few hits for them.
Today it all comes to a close. The big announcement of Troop of the Week will be made at the closing ceremonies. The boys are excited to hear if they will be THE troop. Unfortunately, I won't be there to witness the announcement. I left camp last night after the scoutmaster's splash so that I could be home to work today. I will see everyone at the bus pickup later today at Abington Presbyterian. I will call to check on the progress of the bus as it travels north and will post updated information on ETA at the church. Check back around noon for the latest information.

Rain Dance - Thursday 11:00 p.m.

Adrian enjoyed a bright sunny moment in the hammock before the rain fell. Just minutes after I posted the last blog and headed back to the campsite, the rain began to fall. And it fell in whomping buckets. I have some great video of it. Our campsite quickly became a lake, and we were all trying to find dry spots to stand in. In one of the patrol areas, all of the boys hopped up on the picnic table as though it was a raft. But, we actually enjoyed it. It was just amazing to see how quickly water pools on top of this sand down here. At one point, the table boys were singing a rousing chorus of "The propellor on the boat goes round and round, round and round, round and round." I took a lot of great video of the storm, as well. I hope it's not the last video I take at camp, though, as the camera is now displaying a graphic rain drop and the words, "Dew. Eject tape!" It won't work now, but I'm hoping it'll dry out by tomorrow.
The rain cleared out just in time for dinner. Another night of mountains of good food! We were told that another storm front might be moving through during the night, and the Wilderness Survival outpost camping was cancelled. Conor and Chris were supposed to go to another part of camp with just a flint and some rope, I believe. They were a little disappointed, but not for long.
The big event of the night was the big cooking contest. This was nerve-wracking! The boys were given their secret ingredients right after dinner. Three mystery spices, a whole chicken, a mango, a kiwi, some onion, celery, carrot, and rice crispies. They were also given some canned biscuit dough and cheese. Four troops competed. Only boys could enter the "Brownsea Stadium", and all adults had to stand outside. It was quite a distance, and we had no clue what was going on. We could see fire, and we could see our guys working together, but we didn't know what they were up to. In fact, at one point, some Henson staffers told us that we could go in and observe, and our own boys threw us out and told us that we needed to keep by one full mile!
When we were allowed in, I was so proud of them! AJ led the cooking team. Paul Becker led the fire team. (We call him Pyro Paulie for very good reason!) They had also assigned a wait staff, as well. All of the boys were dressed in freshly laundered red t-shirts, green shorts and scout socks. They had their black Troop 1 aprons, and Gerome had special permission to attend the inner circle. The boys used one of my bed sheets as a tablecloth. (It's now in the washing machine in the shower house, and I'm hoping to have it in time for bed.) They also thought ahead, knowing that even though they were starting in daylight at 7:00 p.m., they would finish up in darkness around 9:00 p.m. They had lanterns for light. And the best touch of all came from Scott, who told me, "I even shaved for this, Mrs. Shields, so that I'd be presentable."
When it came time to serve, I was pleased to find that the rules were changed to staff judging only, but one scoutmaster-type person was allowed to eat, as well. I was allowed to join the judges. Let me tell you! The boys did an amazing job on their own! They chose to roast the chicken with the vegetables. Zach De carefully carved the three kiwis into garnish flowers. The chicken was perfectly done, moist, tender, not at all dry. They made a special Asian sauce with soy sauce that they were given, lime, and a few other ingredients that I can't recall right now. Paul Lee was the sous chef, and it was amazing. They also baked "cheese balls" in the Dutch oven, which was made from the biscuit dough rolled into balls and topped with cheese. It was really delicious!
But the best was how the boys behaved. They were also being judged on scout spirit, patrol cooperation, and presentation. How could the presentation have been any better? My bed sheet and Gerome as a centerpiece! They stood very proud, spoke about what they did, how they prepared the food, and also talked about how they like to work as a troop. They also let another patrol from another troop use their presentation area immediately after their entry was judged. (Other patrols did not have light and were set up in other areas of the "stadium". The staff noticed this and thank them for doing that. I can't tell you how proud I am of the boys for being gracious to others even during the competition.
The results of the judging won't be announced until tomorrow evening, but it really doesn't matter how it turns out. We think the boys are the absolute best!


Some notes about tomorrow: Lucas and Andrew will be visiting camp tomorrow. I will be leaving for Abington tomorrow evening. I will keep in contact with Frank regarding the Saturday departure and will post any last minute arrival information that I get.

Hello Muddah, Hello Faddah

Sorry for the lack of blog post last night. We were extremely busy right after dinner last night. From the dining hall, we went straight to chapel. From there, the boys headed out to the Gladiator Games. (Didn't score well but had a GREAT time.) Then we had home-made ice cream in the campsite a la the Becker secret recipe. We even managed to get a call through to Lucas to let him know we were having ice cream before the call dropped. Straight after ice cream, in fact, in some cases, with ice cream cups in hand, the boys headed up to the pool for a troop swim. We had the pool reserved exclusively for us for a half-hour from 9:30 to 10:00. It was really action-packed last night! We did a bit of math and realized that Henson has close to 16 hours of programmed activities each day. We don't have to do everything, but Troop 1 seems to be taking advantage of most program opportunities in camp. By the time we were done yesterday, everyone was exhausted, and Mr. Whalen made showers optional last night, since the boys came straight from the pool, as long as they passed through the exit showers on the pool deck to rinse out hair. The campsite was completely silent by 10:45 last night.

Yesterday I asked the boys to write notes to home. Some of the boys actually did go to the trouble of writing notes, and I will transcribe them for you all here, spelling and grammar intact. Remember that some of these guys have really twisted senses of humor. I had a good time reading the notes, and I hope you will, too.

_____

Hi
Mom Dad Dylan Saide (woof woof)
I am having so much fun. Yes I am participating in a skit. See you later.
Love
Zach
_____

Hi Mom, Dad, and poopy head Steph.
I am having alot of fun. I am being very successful in my merit badges. I love you!
Love Christopher
_____

Hi Grandma and Granddad cant wait to come I realy want to buy a kinlfe. say Yes! and hi puppy dog chance wac up kade bet ur doing bad! at cub scouts.
love, Isaiah
_____

Dear Mom, Dad, Claire and Reily
I feel really am home sick and last night I a ramdom nose bled. I think Reily is just deppresed and misses me. But I hope you don't miss me to much

Love, Matthew
_____

Dear Mom and Dad,

I miss you a lot and I get grumpy and homesick at night. The issue that you heard about has been resolved. Small boat sailing is awesome. We are sailing about 3 hours a day, 5 days a week. Rifle is cool too. I love you.
Lots of Love,
Tom

P.S. The same wtih Vito and Bob
_____

Dear Mommy and Padre,
I miss you so much. I love sailing and I hope Uncle Kevin lets me take out the sailboat this year. Tell Bob to stop hissing. Rifle is fun. I luv you.
Your favorite son,
Jack
_____

Dear Family,
I am having a good time here at camp. Aquaman is good and camping is ok. Communications is horrible and I dislike my teacher with a burning passion. Don't be mad when I don't get that merit badge. See you soon.
Love, Scott.
_____

Dear Mommy and Grandmom,
I'm having a fun time at camp. Lifesaving, shotgun, and canoeing are great. Communication sucks! I absolutely hate the guy. Same with Scott, don't be mad if I don't get the badge.
Love,
Your favorite son,
Joe
_____

Dear Mom and Dad,
It seems you forgot about me. You write a note to the troop and talk about Paul and don't even mention me. You put Dumbutt before me? How Rude! Well, I hope you're having fun without the son you don't love. Sniffle . . .
Ryan
_______

Dear Mom,
Hi. Hows it going with leah at the house all summer for the first time in 11 years. I hope you have fun for the rest of the summer.

Love,
Paul

***************

Note from blogger: I hope you enjoyed the notes to home. Some of the boys consider themselves real comedians. It's been a hoot spending time with them all week. Barely a moment goes by without a laugh.

Check for another blog tonight after the big cooking competition!

Wednesday 3:45 p.m.

Wednesday is always a bit of a drag -- on our stamina, that is. When it comes to having fun, though, everyone is still having a blast. The special leader's coffee service came to the campsite at 6:00 a.m. Mr. Tsung slept right through the coffee delivery, but he did get a few extra minutes of rest, which is a good thing, too.
Brownsea boys worked on more advancement requirements, learning to use saws, practiced knot tying, first aid, and map and compass. They also went to the rifle range and were able to each take five shots after receiving all their safety instructions and carefully following the rules of the range. At the same time, Mr. Frank was also helping on the shotgun range, again. And Mr. Whalen ran two archery merit badge sessions, including teaching boys how to make bow strings on the crazy contraption he had to deal with yesterday.
Aquaman activities continue to be popular, and some of the boys have been working on recovering capsized canoes in the Marshyhope Creek. Jack and Tom report that the small craft sailing classes are "the best!" They are also continuing to work on the final requirements left for their advancement to first class. Mark, Chris, and Connor are also working on lashings and first aid requirements, and we expect them to all complete first class requirements this week.
Tonight will be a busy night. The big Gladiator campwide game takes place this evening, and each of our patrols is entered. At 9:30 p.m. we will have the pool all to ourselves for a Troop 1 swim. And our cooking team has been discussing plans for the big Iron Chef Henson competition tomorrow night. They have requisitioned their cooking equipment and are discussing various possible scenarios for the "fowl" and other mystery ingredients they may get.
The weather today is hot, still sticky, and we have felt a few drops of rain and heard thunder in the distance. We actually wouldn't mind a bit of rain to help with the dust situation. Henson sand is very powdery, and it's everywhere. Whenever people walk, a cloud of dust rises up to about waist level, and it settles onto everything. It's actually a little strange, since everyone looks like "Pig Pen" from the Charlie Brown comics when they walk around camp.
If the night isn't too busy, we'll be back here later with notes home to parents. A notebook is in the campsite now, and the boys are writing messages to be posted to the blog. Stop back and check them out.