Bent Finger Chronicles

Suey

2012-01-24T19:42:00.000-06:00

Aedan, Suey, and Nolan

One of the big events of last year was that Carol officially got her grandmother name. Aedan calls her “Suey”. Not that I ever got a vote on the subject, I like the name. Grandmother names are important, and in a crowd, odds are; there will be only one Suey

The entomology of the name is pretty cool. Carol’s middle name is Sue. More importantly she likes to call all herfemale friends by their first name and then add Sue. Therefore, history will show that she Sueyseveryone’s name.

40 Pounds

2012-01-19T20:52:00.000-06:00

Today I had my annual physical. Last year I got an “evil” letter from myDoctor. I hang this letter on therefrigerator as a reminder to remain motivated to get to my ideal weight.

Nonetheless, I am 40 pounds lighter than I was at last year’sphysical, but I am still "overweight". I still have a ways to go tomake it to my ideal weight of 186 pounds. But today I am much closer than I was last year. It is going to be a long road, but I amgoing to stick with it.

Eighty's music

2012-01-19T08:19:00.001-06:00

I had a very good long weekend. Monday, I spent it riding the bike mowing the yard and cleaning the house. Well, my version of cleaning house anyway. So while I was getting the house straightened up, I put it on the 80s station on my satellite radio.

Upon reflection, if you ask any of my roommates I had during the eighties,this was probably the first time I ever clean anything with that music in the background.

No more Blackberry

2012-01-12T19:07:00.000-06:00

I have left the blackberry it has be replacedwith a Samsung Galaxy (tm) S II Skyrocket (tm). I have enter the world of the Droid.

This was a huge move for me. Upon receiving my first corporate BlackBerryin 2004, I quickly became a “crackberry” addict.

I made the move for two major reasons.

1) We just don’t do email on our phones now. The blackberry is an email machine. I found that I needed more and more functionsat my fingertips that the blackberry was not providing. Most importantly syncing with all my family’scalendars.

2) I could not join the Iphone cult. Since the Iphone was introduced in 2007, Ihave spent quite a bit of time mocking the cult of the Iphone.

January Century of the Month

2012-01-09T18:32:00.000-06:00

The Fort Worth Bicycle Association in conjunction withBicycles’ Incorporated, my bike shop, put on a monthly century ride. I passed on the century, but did the 100kroute. When I leave from the house, Iget 67 miles in, so it is a real good day.

What makes these rides special is that they seem to collectmy cycling buddies from over the years. Some I ride with on a regular basis, others not so much. This pastSaturday it was a morning and ride of “Happy New Year!”, “What have you been upto?”, “Meet your goals from last year?” and “What are your plans for this year?”

The college boys set the pace and soon I was just ridingwith my normal gang. Any time on thebike is always coveted, but January time is bonus.

Catching up

2012-01-06T17:56:00.000-06:00

It will be easy to get my six blogs in this month. Quitea bit went on in the past six months and I will slowly get to it. The most important thing is that I had agreat Christmas. I told Carol and the beginningof the holiday season that I was going to make an effort to get into theChristmas Spirit. I think I did a goodjob at that. I must admit having athree year old and one year old to share the holidays with made it mucheasier. When people at work ask me howmy holidays went, I just show them the picture of Nolan I currently have on myphone. It says it all.

Blogging about a Blog

2012-01-05T18:32:00.000-06:00

I am a big fan of New Year’s Resolutions. I like goals and encourage people to dofollow through. On that note, myson-in-law, set a goal for himself to post a picture a day on his photographyblog. Just like I attempt to writeevery day, as an aspiring photographer, he feels that a picture a day will helphim improve. So click on T2 Picture a day and follow his work!

New Year’s Resolutions

2012-01-03T19:05:00.000-06:00

I have put quite a bit of thought in my New Year’sResolutions this year. I want to carry the momentum of 2011 into2012.

I want to get down to my ideal weight of 185pounds. This is going to be a challenge. At my annual physical last January, I weighed249 pounds. I got my weight under 200pounds in September, but have slipped backed due to the holidays. I head back for my annual physical on January19^th for my new benchmark weight, which I hope will be under 210pounds. (I am at 209 this morning)
Ride 5,000 miles on the bike. This will include regular road riding andcycling commuting. I will not count anymiles I do on my rollers. This is doable, but will require some focus;it will also assist in resolution #1.
Read some Mark Twain and hisautobiography this year. I have beenreading some of his quotes and this one hit home “A man's character may belearned from the adjectives which he habitually uses in conversation” – Mark Twain. I amtrying to expand my adjective vocabulary and not rely on those colorful fourletter words.
Carol and I are going to find time to go for awalk three times a week. We have donethis in the past and we broke this very good habit. We are going to make an effort to make it ahabit again.

Happy New Year!

2012-01-02T11:59:00.000-06:00

It has been a long time since I have blogged. One of my resolutions is to get back intothe swing of blogging on a regular basis. My goal this year is at least six blog posts a month. I have trimmed from a goal of eight, but wantto be realistic. I was surprised in the past six months howmany of my friends commented on the lack of blog posts.

Al Taub

2011-07-16T16:15:00.000-05:00

Dalworthington Gardens celebrated its 75^th Anniversarythis past June. I am very proud to be aresident and have the served the City as it City Administration from1993-2002. During that period I had the privilegean honor to work for the Honorable Mayor Albert Taub. He served as Mayor of Dalworthington Gardensfrom 1986-2006. I had a wonderful timeat the celebration catching up with my former boss.

Although I was appointed by the whole City Council, I alwayssay that Mayor Taub took a chance with a 26 year old kid. I had work as a Budget Analyst for two andhalf years for the City of Dallas. (Please note I was promoted to a SeniorBudget Analyst in that period) I had myMasters Degree in Public Administration from Texas Tech, I thought I knew itall. I was so wrong.

I was blessed with a caring, thoughtful, tough, difficult,frustrating, sometimes crazy, detailed, micro manager, but always understandMayor and mentor. Mayor Taub’s lifeexperience as an engineer and builder, intertwined with all his years as anelected official gave me the perfect boss to learn how a city actually runs.

Small towns have all the same issues the big cities have,but no staff to handle them. I was theCity Administrator, City Secretary, Public Works Director, Water/SewerOfficial, Planning and Zoning Official, Building Official, Parks Director,Finance Director, Budget Director, and Public Information Officer for the Fireand Police. During my nine years, I madequite a few mistakes and even some huge blunders. Mayor Taub always worked through them with me,upset at times, but always turned them into learning experiences.

Those experiences made me make fewer mistakesand open doors for my career down the road. I am forever indebted to Mayor Taub and even today, I try to make himproud of me.

Arlington 4th of July Parade Guest Blogger: Mack McKee

2011-07-06T19:38:00.000-05:00

As a Scoutmaster, it is often difficult to balance life andthe Scout Troop. Scouting takes an inordinateamount of my time, but little Troop 5 has Adult Leaders that step up so that Ican do other things. Thanks Mack!

Guest Blogger: MackMcKee

The 4^th of July parade in Arlington is a bigdeal. This is the 46^th yearthat Arlington has put on an Independence Day parade and it has grown into oneof the largest parades in the country. This year the parade consisted of over 130 entries, 3000+ participants,and spectators lining the two mile route that estimates put at somewhere between25 and 50 thousand. There were a lot of people who were excitedabout celebrating American’s 235^th birthday!

I’ve been involved with the Arlington July 4^thParade for over twenty years – as a spectator for many years, then as aparticipant during our Cub Scout years, and finally as a member of thenon-profit Arlington July 4^th Parade Association board which plansand puts on the parade each year.

This year, the Parade Association purchased a new banner todisplay the logos of the parade sponsors, who are companies that contributesignificant cash or in-kind contributions that allow the parade to happen. The Board President asked me if I couldprovide some Scouts to carry the new banner and I immediately said “yes”. (I knew that in the worst case scenario, Icould have my two sons carry the banner!) However, when I put out the call for volunteers, four other Scouts signedup for parade duty, and on the day of the parade, two more Scouts showed up, fora total of eight Scouts from Little Troop 5 on the UTA parking lot ready to goby 8:00 a.m. This was perfect, becauseit would allow us to rotate the Scouts along the parade route so that theywouldn’t have to carry the banner the entire two miles and would give them achance to get some water and wave at the crowd, etc.

The sponsor’s banner was entry #3, so we had to move out tothe street a little before 9:00 as the parade began to form up fordeparture. As is often the case with alarge undertaking such as this, there was some kind of logistical SNAFU and theStaging Area Coordinator came up to me and asked if I had any extra Scouts whocould carry another banner. We moved acouple of the boys to the 2^nd banner which announced the GrandMarshal. Almost before they were inplace, the Coordinator said “Do you have two more who could carry a thirdbanner?” I reluctantly said “yes” andsent two more Scouts over to get the “Mayor’s Award” banner. Now we only had one “extra” Scout so most ofthe boys would have to carry their respective banners for the entireroute. Also, the Sponsor’s Banner waspositioned right behind a group of horses! Fortunately, Michael Hernandez was there in his Class A and he walked alongto ensure they didn’t step in anything! I was with the Scout’s carrying the Mayor’s Award banner, which waspositioned between Mayor Cluck’s car and the float that won the award. (We didn’t have to worry too much about thehorses!)

The Scouts did a magnificent job and hiked the two mileroute like the troopers they are. It wasfun to hear the positive cheers from the crowd for the Boy Scouts. I think our uniform ranks right up there withsoldiers, police, and firemen as far as the respect it generates from manypeople. We saw a number of familiarfaces in the crowd and Little Troop 5 was featured prominently in pictures andvideos, due to our prominent placement in the parade.

I am proud to be associated with the Arlington July 4^thParade, and yesterday I was equally proud to be associated with Troop 5. Great job guys!

Bill Carlisle

2011-07-05T20:38:00.004-05:00

Bill is one of my many lifestyle mentors. Bill has been my friend for over 14 years. He never meets a stranger, quick with an opinion, and always holds court wherever he goes. Our friendship grew because he joined my Kiwanis Club, which has really evolved into Bill’s club. Bill is an integral part of my Hotter N’ Hell gang and one of the main reasons I go every year.

On June 29, 2011 the Kiwanis Club of Arlington made Bill a Hixson Fellow by donating $1,000 in his name to the Kiwanis Children’s Fund in his name. This was for all his service to the club as treasure and one of the wittiest newsletter editor in the world. He has always championed Troop 5 to insure it continues to get sponsored by the Kiwanis Club of Arlington. I was quite flattered when he recognized me as family and at his acceptance speech.

I make guest appearances to the club because of my job, but was glad I made it that day to Bill’s Kiwanis Club.

Catching up

2011-07-05T19:02:00.001-05:00

I think I am going to start just catching up onthe blog. Some really cool things havehappened since I dropped my 8 blogs a month dropped off in April. So some of my items will be a few months late,but I am going to make every effort to include them in the blog. I do appreciate the readership, but I reallythink I do this for my own mental health.

Who I am.

2011-06-28T17:37:00.006-05:00

I think this picture almost saysit all. It has me pushing my father’sday gift, in front of the troop bus and beside my little car. I told Carol I just needed to put my bike onthe bike rack and we would be done.

We Survived

2011-06-26T17:45:00.003-05:00

It was a great summer camp. I think Scout Camp is one of the mostwonderful places in the world. I wasblessed that a bunch of adult leaders thought that was the case when I was aboy.

Scouting was and is an integral partof my life. I stay involved as an adultleader because I want boys to have the same opportunities that I had when I mademy voyage through scouting.

Worth Ranch is a special place forboys Scouting journey.

Zack Wisch

2011-06-26T17:14:00.000-05:00

Zack was our Program Director at WorthRanch this past week. In the immortal wordsof Evan Voorn as he introduced Zack for the Softball game, “The Pride of Five!!!”

I explained to the boys as weheaded to camp that we would be known as “Wisch’s Troop” all week. I was not wrong.

I met Zack when he was a Tiger Cuband tracked his progress in Cub Scouts through his father. He joined Troop 5 in April 2002. Thatsummer I took Zack to his first summer camp at Worth Ranch. He quickly bought into the Worth Ranch lorethat was exposed by the Camp Staff. Hewent back in 2005 as Camp Staff and he really has not left Worth Ranch sincethen. Along the way he has been an integral part ofLittle Troop 5 and carried our banner proudly.

He has served the Troop, the OAlodge and the Council. One of my proudestmoments was hanging my Vigil Sash that was hung on me in 1984 on him. I bestowed his Vigil name to be “Never Withoutan Opinion”

Scoutmasters take great pride intheir scouts. So I broke from my own traditionsand gave an award at the campfire.

Troop 5 uses the gold neckerchiefto signify the Senior Patrol Leader, because it is the burden ofleadership. No adult has ever worn theneckerchief until now.

Closing Campfire

2011-06-26T16:43:00.000-05:00

Friday Night is the ClosingCampfire. Camp staff uses it as anopportunity to give out awards to scouts and scouters that have done anoutstanding job during the week. Someboys from Troop 5 were recognized for their hard work at Nature and Climbing.

It is also a Troop 5 tradition to giveour summer camp shirt to our extended family and Troop 5 staffers at the campfire.

The lighting of the Worth Ranch brandconcludes a heck of a week.

Troop 5 Family

2011-06-26T13:13:00.001-05:00

Troop 5 has a tight nit extendedfamily. I benefited from thisgreatly. Scouts and friends over theyears came out to Worth Ranch during past this week and I got a route 44 DietCherry Coke from Sonic daily.

Little Troop 5 parents need toknow that these boys and men will always look after our little Troop.

me, Chris Houters, Zack Wisch

Evan Voorn

Hayden Pierce

Shawn Cox

Steven Storrie

Trey Sergeant

Zach Cloyd

Ian Voorn

Me, Luke Schubert

Me, Sean Schubert

Chris Houters

2011-06-26T12:34:00.000-05:00

Chris is another adopted member ofthe Troop 5 Family. I have known Chrissince he was eleven. I have camped many years with him, his Dad and hisUncle. For those parents really payingattention, he was the mystery member of the Troop helping with the FlagCeremony.

This past week at Worth, Chris wasthe Assistant Health Officer. The boysof Troop 5 seem to appreciate the air conditioning at the Health Lodge.

Update

2011-06-25T10:25:00.000-05:00

We are headed home, but I have about five or so more updates to do on the blog. So stay tuned for the next few days. Awesome week of camp!

Random Photos

2011-06-24T14:18:00.000-05:00

There are so many things going onat scout camp, it is tough to blog it all, so here are some random pictures.

Program Director’s Office

2011-06-24T13:31:00.000-05:00

The blog is blessed by the use ofZack’s Office during camp. I have sathere so much that many of the other adult leaders assume I am on staff. I have answered their questions.

Shawn Cox

2011-06-24T13:23:00.000-05:00

Shawn is one of those scouts thatI have always seemed to have known. I amnot even real sure when I first met him. He staffed Worth Ranch for eight years. All different generations of Troop 5 boys have worked with him at camp.

This year Shawn is the ShootingSports Director and has been the Aquatics Director in the past. Lately he has camped with the Troop once ayear. The current crop of Troop 5 boys considers him one of theirs.

What is most important about Shawnis that he can talk Red Raider Football with me.

Friday Staff Shirt

2011-06-24T11:28:00.007-05:00

Really like today’s shirt. I could see some kind of shirt with a 5 on itfor when we go out of state next year for summer camp.

Mile Swim

2011-06-24T11:03:00.002-05:00

I must confess that I did not dothe mile swim Friday Morning. It was agoal, but I go lucky and got the Worth Ranch Grip on Thursday. Worth has had a rash of the stomach bug thisyear. I won. (So did Mike) I will spare you the details.

Drew McKee was one of 11 boys incamp to complete the mile this morning. Congrat’s Drew!

Blood

2011-06-24T10:42:00.001-05:00

It is not scout camp until someone bleeds. Andrew stepped up and got tovisit the Palo Pinto County Hospital with six stiches. All is well, although Aric and Gabby a tad tired after returning to camp witha sleeping scout at 1:30 AM.

Thursday Night Campfire

2011-06-24T10:02:00.001-05:00

Boy led skits are an important partof scouting. To have to do some type ofperformance in front of a large crowd is an excellent life skill. When you have been to summer camp as long asI have, you rarely see original skits.

To the credit of the boys of Troop5, they strive to do something original every year. Sometimes they are free form adlib skits thatseem only to be funny to themselves. Thursdaynight’s on the other hand,they hit a home run. They did some kind of Jeopardy parody that made fun of members of thecamp staff. The perfectionist ZackWisch felt they did an awesome job.

Order of the Arrow Call Out

2011-06-24T09:42:00.002-05:00

The Order of the Arrow is thenational honor society of scouting. Ituses Native American traditions to establish a brotherhood of cheerful service. Troop 5 called out all its boys this pastspring.

Garrison

2011-06-24T09:14:00.009-05:00

On Thursday the camp staff puts upa garrison flag on the Jack Boyd Flag Pole. It is quite impressive sight. The Staff do a wonderful job of bringing itdown. It impresses the heck out of theparents.

Motor Boating

2011-06-23T12:17:00.002-05:00

Worth Ranch in the banks of theBrazos. This is where Scouts do rowing,canoeing and motor boating. This yearour boys are spending more time in the pool than in boats, but we had onehearty soul do Motor Boating Merit Badge.

Archery

2011-06-23T11:47:00.003-05:00

Mack again bowed up and went downto the Archery Range. (Shooting sportsis too dang far away)

Kyle Mountain

2011-06-23T11:29:00.011-05:00

Guest Blogger: Mike Riehle

Every year at summer camp, WorthRanch sends the first year scouts from Hammer Patrol to spend the night on KyleMountain. And every year it’s a Troop 5tradition to send a first year adult leader with them. This year I was awarded that honor. Even though we only have one first yearscout, I was very happy to see five of our second and third year scoutsvolunteer to go up Kyle with Cory. I’m notsure, but a lot of the other troops must have had the same idea as there wereover 130 scouts on the trail up the mountain. Add to that the staff guides and adult leaders, and there’s almost acontinuous line of people from the bottom to the top.

The trek up Kyle is not aparticularly strenuous one, but for some scouts it can be their first real “scout”type challenge. All of the scouts withme had been on Kyle before, so the climb was almost second nature. Of course, the intended challenge is spendingthe night in the open on top of the mountain. This too went without a hitch, our Troop 5 reps got settled in prettyquickly and were soon asleep. By thesounds coming from the campsites around me, I realized that I was not one ofthe fortunate scout leaders who had the traditional first-year-scout-sleeping-on-Kyle-Mountainexperience. I’m not complaining.

Once all the flashlights were outand scouts were finally quieting down, I was able to lay back and enjoy mynight under the stars. And though I hadn’tchosen the most comfortable spot, I was soon asleep as well. I woke to the first sounds of our scoutguides waking everybody up before daybreak. The ultimate purpose of the trip was coming soon; heading to the otherside to watch the sunrise. Although itwas a little crowded on the ridge, it was worth the wait.

As with most things in nature, thepictures do not do it justice. Sleepy eyessoon forgot how sleepy they were and a lot of first year scouts will go homewith something not everyone has.

…and we made it down in time forbreakfast.

Thursday Staff Shirt

2011-06-23T10:44:00.003-05:00

Staff went with the traditionalWorth Ranch logo today.

Softball Game

2011-06-23T10:10:00.002-05:00

The Softball game did not go the way thestaff wanted. It was entertaining towatch them get a tad frustrated. I mustconfess it reminded me of myself when I played softball in college.

Wednesday’s Flag

2011-06-23T09:30:00.000-05:00

Men are competitive. I know this comes as a shock to those thatare reading the blog. In Scouting,Scoutmasters are always comparing themselves to other troops, finding ideas toborrow and gloat that your troop does it better. Nowhere is that more on evident than a camp flagceremony. Your troop is on display infront of the whole camp.

That being said, Little Troop 5turned it up a notch by electing to bring down the half garrison flag, a 10’ by18’ American Flag Wednesday evening.

I am one very proud Scoutmaster!

Rifle Range

2011-06-22T17:27:00.000-05:00

Mack bit the bullet and made the long hike back to the gunrange Wednesday afternoon. The boys arelearning all the safety of fire arms under clear supervision. Alex McKee wanted the world to know he isusing the Troop 5 Worth Ranch rifle.

Wednesday Staff Shirt

2011-06-22T16:59:00.000-05:00

On Wednesday there is a softball game between the Staff andthe Scoutmasters. It is a big deal to the Staff. Somehowtoday’s shirt is related to that event.

Shotgun Range

2011-06-22T16:39:00.001-05:00

I sent Mack down to take pictures at the Shotgun range. Its way down there, it is hot, and really Iam not a big fan of guns. (Some mayargue that I am a lousy shot, thus hold this opinion) Nonetheless, I do believeit is important that Scouts learn about gun safety because guns are a part ofour lives.

Shotgun Merit is difficult because you have to show proficiencywith the shotgun per the merit badge requirements.

Troop 5

2011-06-22T16:15:00.001-05:00

LittleTroop 5 in 2002 made its own flag. I amnot sure the boys of the Troop even realize their troop flag is not even likeevery other troop flag in the country

A Scout is Reverent

2011-06-22T16:06:00.003-05:00

Every week during scout camp there is an interfaith service. One of the neat spots atWorth is the chapel.

Cactus

2011-06-22T15:51:00.002-05:00

Sometimes we play with Cacti.

The Storm

2011-06-22T15:33:00.007-05:00

While the boys were up at Roeser Hall practicing with theflag, we rescued four drowned rats or staffers as they were making their way upto shelter. Plus not the aftermarketadjustment we had to do to the shelter to keep the storm out.

Flag Practice

2011-06-22T15:14:00.001-05:00

I have many scouting compatriots that I have met through theyears. We see each other, we wave, andeven support each other. But most of us arefocused on the program, so we really don’t get to know each other thatwell.

To one such Scouter I am known as the “Blog Guy” and I callhim the “the Flag Pole Guy”. Jim Goldthwaiteplayed an integral part in the placement of the Jack Boyd Flag Pole at WorthRanch. The pole is designed to handle many size flagsfrom a full garrison to a normal flag.

Troop 5 has elected to bring down the halfgarrison tonight. They even chose topractice during the storm. As ascoutmaster, I am nervous because our boys will be on stage this evening. I know Jim will be excited that we chose touse that flag.

Micah Hernandez

2011-06-22T14:43:00.000-05:00

Micah is the Senior Patrol Leader of Troop 5. We are a very boy led troop. The adult’s job is to keep them out of theditches and give them an opportunity to lead. Micah has done an excellent job at camp. As with all management people, there are ups and downs, but he has had moreups.

As a Scoutmaster, summer camp is a lot less work when youjust have to guide your SPL instead of ride him.

Hayden Pierce

2011-06-22T14:31:00.004-05:00

Hayden Pierce is another Troop 5 Eagle Scout working Worth RanchStaff. He is teaching Fishing and Fly Fishingmerit badges. To be honest, this isactually more of a vacation for Hayden, because he loves to fish.

I did have a very proud moment as a Scoutmaster in the Wednesdaymorning meeting as a Scoutmaster from Conroe, Texas complimented the young manthat was teaching Fishing Merit Badge to the Program Director.

Environmental Science

2011-06-22T14:10:00.004-05:00

Environmental Science is a traditional summer camp meritbadge and also Eagle required. None ofthese boys had the opportunity to take it from the greatest Nature Directorever to teach this merit badge. TheGreat Gonzo is a legend in his own mind but these boys were not alive orcampers at Camp Freedom in the early 80s.

Hammer Patrol

2011-06-22T13:40:00.003-05:00

The Hammer Patrol is the first year program at Worth Ranch. The purpose of the program is to introduce the scouts to basic scouting skills. The Hammer Patrol at times is not the most exciting part of a first year campers day at camp as the picture clearly reflects.

Duncan Dining Hall

2011-06-22T13:15:00.000-05:00

Food becomes an important part of camp. If you had the joy to sit in the Scoutmaster Meetings like I do, you would really know.

Upload Problems

2011-06-22T10:31:00.000-05:00

I know most of you only read the blog for my wonderful writing, however I seem to to be having some picture uploading problems. Hopefully this will be resolved quickly.

Tuesday Evening

2011-06-22T09:42:00.000-05:00

My first post of the day is to again report we survived the storm last night. It was quite a nice storm, even with a little hail. The boys spent the storm in Roeser Hall practicing folding the half garrison. The troop is taking down the flag for the camp tonight. More posts to follow after the Scoutmaster meeting.

Evan Voorn

2011-06-21T15:45:00.002-05:00

I have watched Evan grow up. I first knew him as Ian’s little brother. Ian was a scout a met when I started being a Chapter Advisor in the Order of the Arrow back in 1997. Evan and Zack became friends during their time working at Worth. Zack has even brought him on a few Troop 5 Camp outs.

He is the Scoutcraft Director this year and has received the highest compliment from the boys of Troop 5. “He is not boring”

Climbing Merit Badge

2011-06-21T15:17:00.005-05:00

Worth Ranch has a climbing garden, one of the advantages of being on cliff on the banks of the Brazos.

Climbing merit badge is one of the more physically demanding Merit Badges at camp. I must confess that I never earned it.

Tuesday Staff Shirt of the Day

2011-06-21T14:48:00.003-05:00

Staff went with the Tiger Cub look today. Ironically the first time I met our program director he was a Tiger Cub.

Tuesday Morning Campsite Flag

2011-06-21T14:40:00.003-05:00

The boys are getting into the routine of summer camp. The discipline of getting up after a long day of camp and getting up to be ready for the next day is tough. I was honestly quite surprised to find them in formation when I returned from my morning run.

Storm

2011-06-21T14:02:00.002-05:00

Nothing makes summer camp more exciting than a good storm. We got some weather on Monday night. We really did not get much rain, but more of an exciting light show.

Troop 5 Neckerchief

2011-06-21T13:51:00.004-05:00

There is always much discussion about the Troop 5 Neckerchiefs at camp. Troop 5 is one of the few troops in the Longhorn Council that always wears a neckerchief. We also wear it euro style without a neckerchief slide. The switch to this neckerchief was boy driven to make it actually more traditional and stand out. We have been wearing it this way since 2003.

A scouting friend, the scoutmaster of Troop 17 at time, really liked the look and I set them up with our vendor. There is always much discussion at Worth when both troops are here on who had it first. It really does not matter, but it was Troop 5. Just saying. ;-)

Scout like

2011-06-21T13:25:00.001-05:00

Every once in a while, you see the boys of Troop 5 just looking very scout like. This was one of those times.

Mile Swim

2011-06-21T12:23:00.001-05:00

As one can quickly tell, the pool is an important part of scout camp. Every year I try to set a goal for myself to do something different at scout camp. This year is to get up every morning and run and do the mile swim. We have not had many boys attempt the mile swim in the past and I was hoping that some would follow my lead.

It is a five day process. Each day you swim a longer distance until Friday when you finally do the mile. Monday was just a 100 yards. Seven boys and two leaders have committed to do the mile swim. Updates to follow.

Life Saving

2011-06-21T11:40:00.000-05:00

As I blogged earlier, Lifesaving merit badge teaches basic water rescue techniques. I still remember “reach, throw, row and go” from when I took Life Saving many years ago.

Camp Gadget

2011-06-21T10:05:00.000-05:00

I will get the blog caught up shortly. We survived the strorm last night and the boys are all at class. I spent the morning in the Scoutmaster meeting. Other adults have seized the opportunity to be the annoying scouter.

I know everyone is looking for their boy on this blog, but I felt I should share our Camp Gadget from yesterdays campsite inspection. I call this art "Scouter in repose"

Smiles

2011-06-20T16:50:00.004-05:00

I present two smiles. One is of mischief and one of happiness. As a Scoutmaster, I can live with any kind of smile.

Singing

2011-06-20T16:24:00.002-05:00

Singing is an important part of scout camp and Worth Ranch is no exception. The Camp staff begin every meal with a camp song. It serves two basic purposes. 1) To keep the boys in the Scouting Spirit and 2) Buys the cook-staff time to get the meal ready. One is more important.

Rain

2011-06-20T15:18:00.001-05:00

Not really sure what to say, but we actually had some rain this Morning. Cooled the camp down, but I fear that will only last for the morning.

Summer Camp T-Shirt

2011-06-20T14:47:00.002-05:00

T-Shirts are a big deal at Summer Camp, even more so at worth. Many troops create their own summer camp T-Shirt. Troop 5 is no exception.

The Staff also creates daily shirts. I will do my best to get picture of each one the bog.

Morning Swim

2011-06-20T14:06:00.000-05:00

Life saving is one of the Eagle required merit badges. You have to already have earned the swimming merit badge. The boys learn the basic techniques of water rescue. Before they even get into the merit badge they have to swim 400 yards. If you cannot do that, then you will have to find another merit badge to work on.

So at 5:22 am this morning, I got up to wake up 6 hearty souls of Troop 5 for a 6am swim. Besides the challenges of the swim, it is quite the challenge to get up that early in the morning after a very long day at Camp on Sunday.

I am proud to report that all 6 were successful.

Campfire

2011-06-20T10:36:00.001-05:00

There is always an opening campfire at Summer Camp. Campfire is liberal term, because with the burn ban, there was no actual fire. It is a wonderful stage production put on my staff to help get the boys into Worth Ranch Spirit

Adult Leaders

2011-06-20T10:14:00.002-05:00

The boys of Little Troop 5 would not make it to summer camp without the dedication of its volunteer adult leaders. Just saying.

Flag Lowering

2011-06-20T10:03:00.001-05:00

Flag Ceremonies are an integral part of scouting. Every day is started and ended at flag. Besides the learning of the respect of the American Flag, it provides an excellent gathering place for announcements.

The Troop does its own campsite ceremonies to honor the Flag and to provide simple time management discipline to the troop.

Scoutmaster Meetings

2011-06-20T09:21:00.002-05:00

I find it interesting that I go on Vacation to sit in meetings. I find them somewhat informative, but always excellent people watching. I have been coming to these meetings as an Adult Leader since 1997. It was enjoyable to watch Zack Wisch give his program director spiel. I must confess I am looking for an opportunity to be the annoying scoutmaster during these meetings. I will let you know if I have been successful.

Dining Hall

2011-06-20T08:25:00.001-05:00

One of the cool things about the Dining hall is that it is actually cool. It is the only air conditioned building the boys ever step foot in. This picture clearly dictates that they were more interested in being in the AC than the briefing on how to do KP Duty.

Swim Test

2011-06-20T07:59:00.001-05:00

A rite of passage for every boy at scout camp; it can be very stressful for an 11 year old boy to take. You jump into a pool and have to swim 75 yards on your stomach and then 25 yards on your back. After doing that you have to show you can float.

That may not sound like a lot of swimming. But for an 11 year old, that is a lot of pressure. Troop 5 has a tradition on cheering on their boys as they do the swim test. It seems to help.

For those that were worried I passed mine and so did the 11 year old.

Luke Schubert

2011-06-20T07:32:00.001-05:00

Every Troop gets a Troop Guide that welcomes you to camp. They get you checked in; get you to your campsite and through the first crazy day of Scout Camp. If you are lucky you get an enthusiastic staffer that the boys of the Troop think is really cool.

If you are super lucky, he can be the son of some of your dearest college friends. In this case, we got both this week.

Cast of Characters

2011-06-19T22:54:00.000-05:00

If you choose to follow the blog during summer camp you are going to meet an interesting cast of characters. They are made up of the boys of Little Troop 5, Worth Ranch Staff, Adult scouters and the like. I will attempt to identify as many as I can

The Big Adventure

2011-06-19T22:17:00.000-05:00

We successfully made it to camp. For those that know the history, we made it to Worth Ranch without running out of gas. As you can see from the picture, we have a new paint job on the bus.

For some reason, I was not very apprehensive in the parking lot. Getting out to camp is always stressful to me, but not today. The boys did an excellent job of getting the trailer loaded and we got on the road.

The usual stop at the Mineral Wells Whataburger was awesome as usual. It is full of scouts heading to summer camp; Some to Worth Ranch and some to Camp Constantine.

Forgive the typos and the spellings, trying to get some posts up before I go bed.

Worth Ranch 2011

2011-06-18T20:49:00.001-05:00

This is the official first post of the little Troop 5 summer camp adventure at Worth Scout Ranch. Scout camp is epic, but this year is going to special for me. In 2002, I took Zack Wisch to his first summer camp to Worth Ranch. As little Trmer oop 5 arrives on Sunday, Zack Wisch will be the Program Director. I will post more about this later, but it makes a Scoutmaster very proud when one of his Eagle Scouts is leading a summer camp staff.

We leave tomorrow morning. I hope to update this blog as much as possible. Enjoy and forgive my typos.

Tour d'Italia

2011-06-18T20:47:00.000-05:00

Today was the 26th annual Tour d'Italia in Italy, Texas. I went down to Italy with my cycling buddy Justin. We met up with some other cycling buddies for what was a brutally windy and hot day on the bike. Wind was 30mph plus and the heat was over 104 off the road. We finished the 63 mile ride in 3:20.

The highlight of my ride was when I ended up in a pace line with a cycling buddy I have not seen in a while. He rode past me and yell “Shugart is that you? Where did you leave the rest of you?” We chatted and I shared my weight loss goal, he said he recognized the bike before he recognized me.

I am still above 200 pounds, but I am dangerously close to having a new frame.

Blog Update

2011-06-18T20:42:00.000-05:00

For those 5 people or so that keeps coming back and checking to see if I have updated my blog. Ta Da! Life has gotten in the way. I always say that people make time for what is important so the blog has just not been important. I am moving it up the list of my things to do.

Tarrant County District Attorney’s Office

2011-04-06T18:46:00.003-05:00

I seldom post about work due to the fact I work for elected officials, in addition; making sure a law office has enough toner really is not that exciting.

I have had the privilege and honor to work for Tim Curry and Joe Shannon, Jr. as the Business Manager of the Criminal District Attorney for the past nine years. There have only been four District Attorneys in my life time and I got to work for two of them. To be part of the transition that brought Mr. Shannon as the District Attorney was a privilege. This transition had not happened in Tarrant County in over thirty-six years.

I have made a rare move within Tarrant County that the District Attorney’s Office believed merited a send off after nine years of service. Although more of a roast, it was quite flattering and humbling.

The above picture will be framed as part of my work history. From left to right, Bill Waybourn, Police Chief of Dalworthington Gardens; ADA Jack Strickland, started his career with T. Cullen Davis Trial; Judge Robb Catalano, a former ADA and one of my new bosses; Me; Joe Shannon, Jr., The District Attorney; and Melinda Westmoreland, an ADA, MC of the Roast and a cycling buddy.

Without the experienced I gained working at the District Attorney's Office, my new opportunity would not have been available. I will always be grateful.

Weight Loss Continues

2011-04-05T17:45:00.001-05:00

I continue to set intermediate goals to make my progress towards my ideal weight by my birthday. One of those was to be below 220 by April 1. I set this goal with the thought it was at the beginning of cycling season. After a hard summer of riding, I get down to about 230 to 225, so I figure if I could start the season at 220 or less, I could really knock off the weight in the spring and the summer.

I accomplished that goal. My next goal is to be below 200 pounds. The carrot I have in front of me is that I will purchase a new bike frame. To keep that in clear focus, the down payment for a Specialized Tarmac has been made. Even in my hard riding days of my early 30s, I barly got below 200 pounds, This carrot better work

Catchin Up

2011-04-04T17:40:00.001-05:00

Life has been tremendously busy. My lack of blog posts are directly proportional to how busy my professional and personal life get. March was a very crazy time for me. I have changed jobs, which I hope to post about, and my parents came to visit. Hopefully in the next few weeks I can get caught back up.

Cowtown Half Marathon

2011-03-12T18:49:00.010-06:00

On February 27, 2011 I did the half marathon at the Cowtown. I wrestled with the idea for a long time, but registered at the last minute

I still do not consider myself a runner, but I believe this was my 5th half marathon. I do admit that this was my first one I ran with the goal beyond just finishing. My weight loss had motivated me to want to get below two hours. My PR was for a half is 1:50:29, set in 2007 at The Dallas Whiterock Half, so I know that I could get there.

One of the signs that I was motivated was that I actually looked at the course map. I noted that mile nine was going to be a very long uphill up Main Street, so I even planned to make that an eleven minute mile.

This was the first time I had run the Cowtown, so the fact that it was a new course did not matter to me. It was a neat course that started at Will Rodgers, took us through the stockyards, up Main Street, through downtown, down Lancaster (by Carol’s work) and back to Will Rodgers.

Mile nine did suck. I took an informal vote of all those around me at the time and it was unanimous. As I was recovering and checking my watch to make sure I could make my goal, two of my long time cycling friends Mark and Liz Wessels were at the Mile 10 marker. They had come out on their bikes to cheer on everyone they knew that was riding. The picture above was taken by Liz and I was going to “give five” to them.

It helped me stay motivated and finish with a 1:58:16

Kiwanis Pancake Breakfast

2011-03-11T18:45:00.001-06:00

The weekend that I went to Houston is getting farther away, but the blog deserves me finishing it.

One of the reasons I had to cut the trip to Houston short was the Kiwanis Pancake Breakfast. Kiwanis is the Chartering Organization for Little Troop 5 and it is their one fund raiser. The scouts of Troop 5 work the pancake breakfast by serving juice, coffee, cleaning tables, etc. The adults of Troop 5 stand around and visit with the Kiwanians and those coming to eat pancakes. It is what I call “marketing”

What I really look forward to now is when Carol and Aedan come for breakfast. (Nolan stayed home with his parents.) There is no greater venue to show off one of your grandsons than Kiwanis Pancake Breakfast.

Brandon Brooks

2011-03-10T17:48:00.001-06:00

Last week little Troop 5 had its 24th Scout pass its Eagle Board. Brandon Brooks became the 19th Eagle Scout under my watch as Scoutmaster. (These numbers are starting to get staggering to me)

I tend to wax poetically bout how I have watched my Eagles Scouts grown from eleven year old first year campers to fine young men. This is true about all them; however Brandon Brooks will always have a special place in my scoutmastering history. He is my karma being balanced.

Brandon and I butted heads the whole time he was a boy in Little Troop 5. Tthis was due to the fact that he is more like than me than not like me. Brandon challenged and stretched “boy led” in the Troop to the levels that I tried to do as a boy.

Strangely, this became an asset to the troop as he got to be an older boy. He encourages the younger scouts to take ownership in the troop, take charge, and run the troop. This is particularly true when the troop straps on Backpacks. Brandon always proves to be a steady hand on these trips.

Congratulations Brandon! Welcome to being a Troop 5 Eagle Scout.

Houston Rodeo Cook-off/Heidelberg Reunion.

2011-03-02T17:27:00.042-06:00

I cannot do my whirlwind tour of the Houston Rodeo Cook-off/Heidelberg Reunion justice this blog post, but I going to give it try.

Back in fall small group of Heidelberg High Schoolers met in Mansfield and Chip Whitley hatched this grand plan. I have to admit I was skeptical and it if it was not for one last minute prodding from Chip, I probably would have passed on the whole event.

Chip and Lisa

I know now that would have been a huge mistake. If you ever getting invited to a party that Chip and Lisa Whitley are coordinating/hosting, go. Don’t question yourself, clear your schedule and go. They know how to throw a party and know how to make it easy on everyone that attends.

Nick, Me, Fran

My trip to back to High School began by knocking on the hotel room of Francisco Hamm and Nick Sands. Nick reacted like everyone else that has not seen me since high school. “Holy $#!#, who is the big guy?” Besides my girth, I am about 8 inches taller than I was when I walked across the stage at graduation in 1984.

We did a lot of catching up before we headed up to meet Lisa and Chip in the hospitality suite. Again I cannot stress how organized Chip was as he was handing us our passes and T-shirts for the cook-off. I must admit of having admiration for Chip’s cleverness of combining something he is going to do anyway with a chance to see old friends.

Back in the fall Chip tried to explain the vastness of what I was going to expect when I got into the World's Championship Bar-B-Que Contest. I did not grasp it. You cannot scale it. After a very confusing cab ride, Chip led us to his booth. I use the term booth because I do not really have another word. But the crew of Whitley Construction Services built a building that housed a full kitchen, bar, storage area, stage for the band, dance floor and of course plenty of seating. I apparently kept over using the word amazing all night long.

The following morning was spent reorienting myself to the real world. Francisco and I hunted down breakfast at the local Taco Cabana. (Nick had to go teach a class) We had a wonderful visit about life, family, relationships, work, etc. I actually got sunburn on my legs in February because we spent the morning outside on the patio.

Chip,Melinda, Mellisa, Chris, Fran, Leanne, Cathy, me

About lunch time the next wave of Heidlebergers came into town. A wonderful time was spent in the hospitality suite getting reconnected and making new friends with a common background. I had committed only one day to this event and was regretting that I did. It took a lot of self discipline not go get on the bus back to the cook-off when I said good bye. All the reports from the Heidielbergers I got from the rest of the weekend also over used the word amazing.

Chip says he is doing this again next year. I am clearing my schedule to make it the whole weekend.

Randy Lutz

2011-03-01T18:02:00.005-06:00

Last week I went down to Houston to go to a Heidelberg American High School Reunion function. The magic of Facebook has really made me want to reconnect with old friends. With everything that I do, I tend to try to put as much on my plate as possible. That being the case, I also let an old college fraternity brother/housemate from college know I was in town.

So after my visit with Big Sam, I headed to Infinity Guitars and Houston to meet up with Randy Lutz. Besides picking his brain of what it took to start a business, Randy and I caught up with over 20 years of our lives.

It seemed like yesterday Randy and I were sitting on the roof of the house in Lubbock discussing the problems and issues of the world or watching Thunder Cats instead of going to class. I think that is why it was so easy to visit last Thursday.

Big Sam

2011-02-28T18:40:00.004-06:00

As I have previously posted, interesting things to me happen in waves. The past few days been quite interesting so I again have some blogging to do. I think the theme for the past few days have to be stopping and visiting the milestones of my life.

So it is interesting that I chose to stop and visit the statue of my distant cousin Sam Houston. This is from the Shugart side of the family that originated in Tennessee. To be honest I really needed a bathroom break on my way down to Houston, but I have driven by Big Sam quite a few times without ever stopping. It just seemed like the thing to do last Thursday.

He is quite impressive.

Weight Loss Update

2011-02-27T17:06:00.001-06:00

I have lost over 20 pounds since my Doctor told me I was obese. I have obtained my first goal of my weight loss plan and I now just overweight per the BMI index. Weight Loss has become a game for me with the calorie counting application I am using. I have set my goal to lose two pounds a week with the long term objective of being my ideal weight. (I have not been my ideal weight since I was in college. Even the peak of my cycling in my early 30s I was still over weight)

One advantage I have over the normal person who has received bad news from the doctor is that I had to only make one life style change, which is to eat less. I already exercise quite a bit. With all things considered, I was a very big in shape guy. For example, as I was tracking my calories on the day of the Super Bowl, I realized that if I wanted to eat pizza and drink margaritas I would need to run for an hour to burn them off. I got a nice 6.3 mile run in and enjoyed the heck out of my pizza.

I have always said I ride the bike so I can eat. This can be expanded to I will exercise to eat and drink.

Running in Austin

2011-02-25T17:24:00.004-06:00

We could not have asked for better Saturday afternoon weather when the Troop was in Austin. When the boys went to their last class, I left the Merit Badge College and went for a run in Austin.

I still don’t understand what people see in the UT Austin Campus. It is like a beehive. A bunch of buildings stacked as close as they can get in a very small space with way to many people crammed into it. I know I have a Red Raider bias, but still.

I completely understand why people like Austin. I ran by the capital, down through Sixth Street, and head down to the running trails on Town Lake. It was gorgeous day; people were out enjoying the wonderful amities that the City of Austin provides. I came back up to Campus on West Street past all the old homes and businesses. It was just was beautiful, even though I was running uphill the whole way.

I ended up running six miles just because I was just enjoying the journey the run was taking me.

Bob Crouch

2011-02-23T17:49:00.011-06:00

Again the magic of Facebook made me aware that Ltc. Bob Crouch was with his troop in Austin at the Merit Badge College.

So as I was signaling to the SPL to gather up the boys at lunch time, I hear from behind me. “Shugart, that invisible lasso is not going to catch a single boy” I turned and found Bob Crouch, Eagle Scout, Heidelberg American High School Class of 1986, in his Troop’s Class B uniform.

It was awesome to see Bob and his son Kenny. It had been since Bob was teaching ROTC at Texas A&M, that I had seen him.

Facebook continues to amaze me.

UT Austin Merit Badge College

2011-02-22T17:28:00.002-06:00

Little Troop 5 spent the last weekend in Austin at a Merit Badge College put on by Alpha Phi Omega. APO is the national Boy Scout Service Fraternity. To put on a Merit Badge College is a fantastic service project for this organization.

Austin is quite the drive from Dalworthington Gardens. As the previous post noted, it did not start off very well, we successfully made it to Austin.

The trip for the boys was quite uneventful, but fun and productive. Merit Badge Colleges are kind of a beating for the adult leaders. Once the boys are stowed away in a class, there is not much to do. It should be noted they did offer classes for adults, but the Little Troop 5 contingent did not seem interested.

What made the trip really work was that the troop stayed at Texas Motor Transportation Association at no cost. This gave us a location in downtown Austin, close to the university, without having to deal with the issues of camping. As a rule, camping in February in Texas is a gamble. Sometimes it is freezing and wet, other times are beautiful. To schedule an inside campout where there was a chance of advancement, seem like a no brainer to the boys.

John Esparza, President/CEO TMTA

The troop owes a great bit a gratitude to John Esparza, the president of TMTA for the opportunity to stay. John is a scouter with the local St. Austin Cub Scout pack, but more importantly he is long time friend of mine from Texas Tech University. John has an impressive resume beyond his degree in Public Relations from Texas Tech. He has been on the Staff for Governor Bush and Governor Perry.

Without John’s hospitality, I do not think we could have pulled this trip off. Each of the 12 boys from the troop got a chance to attend four different Merit badge classes, thought by professors , teachings assistants and college students. I was very proud on how the boys seemed to get something out of each class.

Even though it’s behind the orange curtain, I would not have a problem to take the troop back if the boys vote to go again. We just need John to keep his job.

Tires

2011-02-21T15:03:00.002-06:00

I am very blessed to have Brian and Gary McGaw as my mechanics. The own the McGaw Brothers Automotive in Dalworthington Gardens. I have been taking my vehicles to them since 1993. In addition, they very kindly let the Little Troop 5 store their trailers in their yard.

On Friday evening about 5:15 pm, when Zack Wisch and I was hooking the little trailer to the troop bus, I noticed that one of the trailer tires was low. So I swung the trailer up to the McGaw’s bay to have them air them up. As Brian was airing up the tire he asked me how far we were going. I said to Austin.

“No you are not” he replied. “This tire is about to go”

So I dropped the trailer door and rolled out the spare.. “Greg, that one won’t work either, head to Pioneer Tire, they close at 6pm."

I quickly head to Pioneer Tire. I can go into great detail on how they took care of us, inspected the bus tires, and replaced a bus tire and trailer tire all at 5:45PM on a Friday. Little Troop 5 was quickly taken care of by these fine folks.

What was amusing is when the owner told me to back the trailer into the bay. I said, “you got to be kidding?” Zack and I unhooked the trailer and walked into the bay. I knew my “man card” was lost to the crew that was working at Pioneer Tire. The only saving grace was I did not understand the mocking of me in Spanish by the workers. I knew enough to smile and laugh with them.

I blew the bus horn as we drove pass McGaws as a thank you on my way to Key Elementary with the two new tires. Thanks to some very nice folks Little Troop 5 made it to Austin safely.

Waves

2011-02-21T12:59:00.000-06:00

Life seems to happen to me in waves, or more importantly, interesting things happen to me in waves. The blog has been quite because life has been great. However, the past few days have been quite interesting and so I have some blogging to do.

Super Bowl Sunday

2011-02-07T18:03:00.010-06:00

Every year, cyclists from around the metoplex ride into downtown Dallas on Super Bowl Sunday. It is one of my favorite rides of the year. It is more of a cruise and you catch up with your cycling buddies you had not seen since it got cold. I was particularly wound up about this year with the fact the Super Bowl was in Arlington. I had grand plans of doing the ride and cutting back through North Arlington just to check out the crowds.

Thanks to the ice on the roads and looming bad weather, the ride was canceled. Sunday morning turned out to be much nicer than anticipated, I am sure some people did the ride anyway, but I had accepted my fate and did not ride.

Instead of pouting about not riding, which if you ask Carol, I am known to do on occasion. I seized the opportunity and took Aedan to feed the ducks at the Garden’s Park. It worked out for everyone. Aedan was happy, the ducks were happy and there are new fewer dandelions in the park.

Snow

2011-02-04T17:58:00.021-06:00

This has not been the week before the Super Bowl that North Texas wanted. We have a had the worse winter storm since 1996.

I have been taken the bus as usual, but this really avoids the icy roads. This morning I went over and took some pictures around the court house, before people track up the fresh snow.

Super Bowl in North Texas

2011-01-31T18:06:00.019-06:00

The Super Bowl is in Tarrant County, in Arlington, at the Cowboys Stadium, to be exact. It will be interesting to see how DFW is portrayed in the national media.

I took a part of Friday morning off so see how close I could get to the Stadium on my bike. Not very, but it did look really impressive all dressed up.

This morning, I got off the bus early to check out ESPN’s broadcast of the Mike and Mike Show. ESPN has pretty much closed downtown Fort Worth for their on location studio. It is quite impressive. We will see how they do in the weather that we will be getting in the next few days.

Body Mass Index

2011-01-27T17:43:00.002-06:00

I had my annual physical in January. It has become very obvious that I cannot out exercise my terrible eating habits.

I have always argued that I am not an athlete, but someone who exercises regularly. Based on studies, only about 40% of the county actually exercises at all. In addition only about 7%-8% of adults participate in 3 or more true works outs a week.

I am a member of that group that out exercises over 90% of America. Yet my body mass index is actually in the obese range. These are things one does not like to hear or know.

I have been reluctant to throw this information down on the internet, but publishing it probably will help me stick with my goal to get my Body Mass Index down to Normal. My first goal is to get it to Overweight.

A little over a week ago I have begun counting calories, because I do not think I can exercise anymore than I do. I hope to post progress.

December 2010 Backpacking Trip Day 4

2011-01-22T17:57:00.006-06:00

We woke up (particularly me) to find us all dry from the rain storm. The boys digressed a little, but we made it out. I had moved the bus so they had to hike about a mile.

Thanks to the graciousness of the Longhorn Council, we took showers at the Lake View Cabins and headed home.

Although they did not get their orange hats, we still went and had a victorious lunch at a Tex-Mex place in Bridgeport, Dos Chiles. I recommend it.

December 2010 Backpacking Day 3

2011-01-21T17:47:00.012-06:00

I don’t think I mentioned it in the last post, but we spent the night on Stripling Island. It is a neat part of Sid Richardson that is surrounded on all sides by Lake Bridgeport. It was a good test for the bivy and cold wind over water. Bivy passed.

Since now we had a bus to use on a backpacking trip, we had the whole camp open to us. The boys made a plan and I moved the bus to the point where we get on it to move us to our next campsite. I noted over and over again, I have never driven this much on a backpacking trip.

The boys chose to head out to Windy Point, go around the peninsula and end up at the gazebo at the COPE course. Even though they knew that the orange hat was beyond their grasp, they remained focused. They started to figure out who was good at what during the trip. I think for one thing, this crew has found their map reader.

They moved with a passion on this day. If they would have had the drive on Day One, they would have accomplished their goal. The issue is of course, they had to have Day One to be able to have Day Three. We covered more ground than the two previous days combined.

We loaded up the bus and headed to the Canoe base. I again dropped them off so they had to hike into camp. This worked out for us, because the base had a shelter and it rained like the dickens. I must confess, I did not test the rain worthiness of the bivy, because I slept under the shelter.

It was a bummer that our last night could not be spent around the fire.

2010 Backpacking Trip Day 2

2011-01-20T16:37:00.003-06:00

For Christmas my parents gave me an REI gift card. I used that card to buy a bivy for my sleeping bag. Instead of having a tent, I just had a breathable, waterproof shell around my bag. I think it was the way to go, but I woke up the morning of day 2 to a 20 degree morning. There is no in-between getting out of your bag to being outside. Just an observation.

Over the years, Troop 5 is a 90 minute troop. What that means is that from first waking up in the morning, the troop can pack the camp, gear and eat breakfast and be on the trail in 90 minitues. I had encourage the boys the night before that we would need to get moving in the morning in order to accomplish the goals of the trip, having already being short of our night one campsite.

Well this crew was a 4 hour troop the first morning. I regretting getting out of my sleeping bag to wait in the cold for them to get ready. I could have packed the whole camp by myself in 90 minutes to get them ready for the trail. Instead the adults sat and watch the boys just putter around.

By the time we hit the trail, it was almost lunch time, but the boys did decide to continue to push. When we sat down for lunch, I went over the map and concluded there was no way the boys would make their goal. In addition, they were short on water. In the summer this would be a bigger problem, but it is still a problem. This is where health and safety over rules boy led in Troop 5.

I hiked back with the high school senior to the troop bus and drove to where the trail crossed the road. The rest of the crew continued down the trail to they met us. By this time it was 4pm. We had about 4 more miles to go to make our campsite. Hiking without water in the dark would probably not be the wisest thing, so the bus would have to be used.

I sat down with the boys and explained the cause and effect of their four hour morning. In short, once they stepped on the bus, the idea they would get an Orange Hat at the end of the trip was a dream. The boys, although not pleased, accepted their fate. I was very proud of them by realizing it was a group failure and at no point did they blame any one of them, but all of them.

I dropped them off about a mile from the campsite and took the bus to get some water.

They finished up that day with one heck of a dinner and a wonderful fire. We may have a long way to go on backpacking, but we sure can make a big fire.

2010 Backpacking Trip Day 1

2011-01-19T17:27:00.003-06:00

The key to any high adventure trip in Troop 5 is that it has to be at least three nights. I have learned over the years that boys have figured out how to camp over two nights, but the third adds the little extra. You have to plan more and pack correctly.

We left from Key Elementary like we always do and actually on time. I was blessed as an adult leader to have six adults including myself to take nine scouts camping. Two of these adults were young Troop 5 Eagle Scout assistant Scoutmasters, a high school Senior and a sophomore in College. These type of young adults make the trip so much smoother, plus they have the energy to keep up with the boys.

The plan was to get to Sid Richardson Scout Ranch, divide up the gear, and hit the trail. Over the years I become very frustrated with this process. It seems that it takes forever for boys to figure out that goofing off at the beginning of the day makes the end of the day a long way off.

In traditional Troop 5 fashion, the boys took forever to divide the gear and hit the trail. This caused the crew to adjust their goal of their first night campsite to being a much shorter distance. This new crew was not hiking very quickly, but at least they were steady.

We bedded down for the night at Hermit’s Cave campsite. On a positive note, we had one heck of a fire that night.