Are we having fun yet?
Cub Scout Camping at Hammonasett
I took the Cub Scout Den I lead camping this weekend at one of our favorite camping spots - Hammonasett State Park. Cole and I went up on Friday with another scout and his dad to set up and ended up at Fish Tale for dinner and sundaes - another tradition. Cole and I both picked up the requisite t-shirt for the year (they do custom shirts each season). The rest of the evening was spent around the campfire in between bouts of flashlight tag.
The next morning the rest of the Bear Den arrived and set up camp. I had a chance to get the flexi-foil kite up and let all the boys have a turn getting airborne!! Hammonasett has a great Nature Center and we spent the afternoon on a nature hike around and in the rocky intertidal zone catching crabs and collecting seaweed. The boys were in heaven.
Evening found us all around the campfire telling ghost stories and roasting marshmallows. I broke out the 'Skeleton Lady' story repleat with prop bone. I think I scared a few kids (maybe even some Dads too).
GIVE ME MEAT!!!
I hope I can make this an annual outing when I take over as Cubmaster next year.
Pinewood Derby
Cole participated in his first Pinewood Derby today and to our surprise, finished in the "Top 12". The derby was held in the Tashua School cafeteria by Cub Scout Pack 164 and was quite a professional undertaking complete with digital scoreboard and optic timing system. Albeit all this equipment took a bit of finagling to set up, once the bugs were worked out - everything ran smoothly.
Cole raced a modified design that I downloaded off of the Internet. He had some assistance from Laurie and I, especially on the paint job and dubbed his creation "Ghost Rider". I never knew that the Pinewood derby "experience" was so well represented online. I had no idea how competitive Pinewood racing was. Shaving off hundredths of a second by filing down the nubs of metal on the axles was something I wouldn't have thought of, but nonetheless an activity I did perform. I am sure that was the key to our success - or a large helping of luck.
Battleship Cove
Cole and I went on an overnight camping trip with his Cub Scout den to Battleship Cove in Fall River, Massachusetts this weekend and I have to say - it wasn't as bad as I had been led to believe. Yes it was cold, and yes the bunks were uncomfortable - but all in all it was very enjoyable.
We met the rest of the scouts at Tashua School on Saturday morning and embarked on our three hour odyssey to Fall River. We were told that there would be no food until dinner so be sure to stop. Luckily we spied a Cracker Barrel (my favorite) about a half hour from our destination and Cole seemed to remember that there was a shopping opportunity (can you say TOYS!) and was amenable to layover. Country fried steak and a sizzle magnet toy later we were on our way.
When we arrived at Battleship Cove we checked in and boarded the Battleship Massachusetts and found our bunks. A bit tight (I slept on the bottom - sort of) but nonetheless spartan. We were among about two hundred others in this part of the ship and I have to say that some of the other packs were better prepared - movie screen, DVD entertainment system complete with loudspeakers and a copy of the latest Pirates of the Caribbean movie. Cole was in heaven.
The activities and orientation films that the staff of Battleship Cove had prepared kept the kids active and busy throughout the day. After all, how hard is it to engage a few hundred 10 year old boys than with machine guns and 16" cannons? Cole picked up some great souvenirs like authentic dog tags printed with his name, date, and cub scout pack to commemorate the occasion and a "Big Maime" sweatshirt. Despite some cautioning from a friend (and his suggestion to bring along a bottle of booze and some sedatives), we had a great time and Cole is already asking to go back.
iPod In-Ear Headphones
What I thought would be the coolest addition to my retro 5GB iPod turned out to be a total bust. I received the iPod in-ear headphones the other day and couldn't wait to verify the Apple claims:
What a crock! The sound was comparable to listening to your favorite song through blown out car speakers, underwater, with your head wrapped in tin foil. I mean terrible... So I opted to return them, which was a relatively painless experience as this was an Apple product. Heaven help you if you buy a non-Apple product from their Apple Store web site, they don't want to know you from Adam if you have a defective return. Their terms spell it out clear enough, but sheesh, at least don't be rude about it.
I am off track.
Right, so I have returned the iPod in-ear headphones and have purchased the Sony MDR-EX71SL FontopiaŽ Design Bud Style Headphones from MySony Rewards Central ($10.00 cheaper than Amazon) using my Sony points I get for reading their emails. They are not as cool looking or iPod-like, but I would rather have audio fidelity than street cred anyday.
