Monthly Archives: August 2009

Camp slide shows

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The slide shows for both camps are more complete although we are still adding pictures as they come in and we are continuing to work on the sound tracks.  There are 108 slides for Hidden Valley and 265 for Bell.  The Bell slideshow will take awhile to load because of the the number of pictures and the high resolution of some of them.

Once the shows load, you can either page through them or just click on START SLIDESHOW.

Some video clips are in a separate album.  If you don’t understand them, ask the Scout in your family to explain them.  If you don’t have a Scout who was there, feel free to ask.

For the clips, ignore the START SLIDESHOW button.  Just wait for them all to load and then click on the one you want.  Once it comes up, click on the arrow to run it.  They typically pause just after they start, then take off and run to completion.

Here are links to both shows and the clips:

Bell Slideshow

Hidden Valley Slideshow

Bell Videos

All of the pictures in the slideshows may be downloaded or sent to various online picture printing sites.  A big thank you to all the photographers who have contributed their artwork.

Enjoy!

-Hank Manz

No meeting this week … first meeting next week after school starts

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I had hoped to be able to have an informal meeting this Thursday to clean up a few loose ends from camp.  There are some merit badges which need just one or two requirements before they are finished.  There are also tons of signoffs for 2nd and 1st Class.

But after putting in two nearly full days on the advancement chest from camp, there is still more to do.

When we finish the work, we will send out a list so you can see where you are.  Moreover, we are going to make sure that you all know about some of your historic partials so you can finish them up if at all possible.

There has also been a mini-flood of pictures from camp which I am sorting through so a complete slideshow can be put up.  I thought I was done with that effort, but then a bunch of pictures arrived today which just have to be part of the show.

So there will be no meeting this week.  The first meeting will be next week, right after school starts.  That first meeting will be for, among other things, patrol reorganization and a first pass at SPL nominations.  The actual elections for SPL will be at the second meeting rather than the first because this is such an important position.

So try to make those first two meetings because they will set us on a good course for the coming six months.

-Hank Manz

ETA for camp bus

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We try to leave camp between 9:30 AM and 10:00 AM.  Because the bus is big and is a commercial vehicle, it uses a somewhat longer route than most of the cars, but still it should only take about two hours to make the trip.  That should put us in the St Brigid parking lot around noon.

There are some things which can hold us up.

1.  Stormy weather.  Rain was predicted for today through Saturday, but that weather has not yet arrived so it is hard to tell what Saturday is going to look like.

2.  Non-bus parents arriving late.  We have had late arrivals both weeks so there is a chance that there will be another this week.  I cannot leave camp until the last Troop 160 and Troop 119 camper is accounted for so if everybody could be on time …

3.  Unusual traffic or unforseen circumstances.  One year it was an unexpected bathroom break.

If we are going to be later than 12:30 PM we will start calling as soon as we know it.

Once we hit the church parking lot, there is a small amount of work left to do.  We must unpack the truck and then carry the troop equipment into the storage area.

If you are picking up your son at Hidden Valley, it would be a very good idea to be there no later than 8:45 AM.  The closing ceremonies are typically over by 9:30 AM and may end even sooner.

See you all on Saturday!

-Hank Manz

An electronic letter from camp at Hidden Valley

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Here are a few shots of the early days at Hidden Valley.  Click on START SLIDESHOW once the photos load.  You can download hires photos from the site or send them off to be printed by any one of several photo printing services.

http://hankmanz.phanfare.com/4284660#imageID=78610811

Things are going smoothly.  The weather has been HOT, but dry.  Everybody has been in the water and, in fact, a special Siesta Swim has been started just to get more cooling off time on the agenda.  About half the troop showed up for the Polar Bear Swim at 6:30 AM today although the polar bears were mostly sitting under beach umbrellas and sipping tropical drinks.

If anybody has pictures from Weeks 1 and 2 they would like to publish, we will add them to the Electronic Letters Home and make them into a full blown slide show after we get back on Saturday.  There are plans to add a better soundtrack as well based on our recordings of The Sounds of Camp.

Stay tuned!

-Hank Manz

A quick note about Hidden Valley camp

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Things work just a bit differently at Hidden Valley.

If your Scout is not already at camp with the Tween Weeks Party, then you should arrive on Sunday NLT 1 PM.  For those returning from a night at home after a week at Bell, DO NOT RETURN TO BELL.  Stop at Hidden Valley.

Take your trunk to the sign outside Carter Lodge which says “”WINNI.”  Then join the troop which will be hanging out by the dining hall.  Carter Lodge is right across from the dining hall.

In your day pack should be:

Class A shirt
Towel
Water bottle

We will have somebody collecting meds.  I have already written extensively about meds.  Even OTCs, vitamins, whatever are considered to be meds.  Turn ‘em in.

Those staying over Saturday night will get both supper and brunch.  Supper will be around 6:30 PM.  You don’t have to be back by then, but try to be back before dark.

I wrote before about which way to go once you turn onto Crystal Lake Road.  This is a good neighbor thing so follow the instructions.

There will be more pictures posted as soon as I get them from the various photographers.

-Hank