July 27, 2005
Scout Camp
We're having a heatwave here (we made the CBS evening news!). So naturally I spent 3 days without air conditioning in scout camp last week - Thursday through Saturday. I had a good time and I sleep better every camping trip I go on. Normally I try not to sleep on my back because I tend to snore in that position but given the Dad Symphony around me I rolled over onto my back at 2:30 AM Thursday and slept there the rest of the trip. Nobody complained in the morning, and I slept like a middle aged fat man -- I only woke up to go to the bathroom.
Summer camp at S-F is like stepping back in time, since the equipment is the original from the mid '60s and the tents have a feel of such antiquity you feel like you're at a civil war encampment. But on a hot summer night, a tent that becomes only a roof is pretty handy, although by the end all the boys were sleeping out under the stars:
I know a lot of people think Missouri is just another boring midwestern state without majestic scenery, but I find the scenery here to be wonderful in an elegant yet understated way. The centerpiece of the S-F ranch is Nims lake (at least for the campers) which not only is beautiful, but fun:
Each patrol has it's own area in the overall troop campsite, and the dining table with fly above is the nerve center of the operation. So here's a picture of the Eagle's nerve center, with the Old Goat's (the adult patrol) area in the background, marked by the presence of the troop trailer, source of many good things. My son was happy to see me when I got there, but I of course wanted to capture the moment on film. Or CCD, as the case may be.
The campsites at Camp Sakima are arrayed in a horseshoe fashion around a cove of Nims lake; the two sides of the mouth of the cove are connected by a long pontoon bridge (very long under the hot Missouri sun). Campsite Dilling is located on a hill at the end of the bridge.
Thursday night was the tapped out ceremony for the Order of the Arrow, the real secret society that runs the world. Or at least the scouting world. We made our way to the parade grounds were the camp director gave a good talk about what the OA is all about -- cheerful service (It's just one of the reinforcements of good behavior the Scouts provides). And it was better for the fact that he wasn't chosen the first time he was eligible, so he talked about the importance of looking within at your motivations, and looking without at your actions. Then we were led by guides back along the shore or lake Nims where we lined up, shoulder to shoulder (a phrase often used to pack us in at camp) for the ceremony. It's a very cool ceremony, involving lots of fire, several Indians, and the choosing of members for the Order of the Arrow. I thought it poor form to take pictures of the ceremony itself as I was a participant, so sadly I have no really cool pictures. I do have a group shot though, just before the boys and parents separated and we made our separate ways to the start of the ceremony.
It really was a good time.
