Monday Morning, June 26th, 2017
Morning
Last night was rather cool, with a low of about 50 degrees F. This made for perfect weather to snuggle-up in sleeping bags. The chill also reduces the insect assaults (mostly mosquitoes) as do the layers of sleeping bag surrounding the somnolent Scouts and Scouters.
Our boys were up bright and early this morning. Wake-up call is at 6:15 to afford the boys time to perform their morning ablutions. The day dawned as cool as the night had been, with a lowering overcast that foretold of oncoming rain. And our Council asks why we do not go to summer camp in-council. While we love camping at Sid Richardson Scout Ranch or Worth Ranch for much of the year, there are three (3) reasons we prefer to head to Missouri and Camp Geiger rather than Texas for our week-long camping experience: June, July, and August! Not to mention the excellence of the program at Geiger. They offer a greater diversity of well-taught merit badge classes, for example.
The table waiters headed up to the dining hall (and I mean up!) to prepare for our morning meal, with the rest or the troop following somewhat later. A morning at Camp Geiger begins with the flag raising at the Cloud L. Cray Flag Plaza. After a respectful raising of the colors, we remove our hats and enter the dining hall. There, we were please to see our troop colors smack dab in the middle of the hall, on the dais, in recognition of our earning the 'Shapest Unit' honors last evening.
This morning's breakfast was a change from the usual rotation of morning meals here at Camp Geiger. Rather than the familiar French toast fingers, we had "cheesy eggs" with hash browns. Some preferred to dine on a favorite dry cereals or the fresh fruit. The breakfast 'bug juice' was popular with some and shunned by others.
Following the 'two minute drill" to clean up the morning mess, we joined in a song focused on swimming in the ol' swimmin' hole. Zack Penny was selected as one of four participants in a contest to locate a toy soldier. The challenge was that these particular four soldiers were each buried in their own chocolate cream pie and the boys had to keep their hands behind their backs the while. Although not victorious this time, Zach made a good showing of which Troop 451 can be proud.
After breakfast and before the day's classes started, we enjoyed a half-hour or so of sheltering-in-place owing to a thunder storm that rolled through, thoroughly soaking the camp. There is a reason Missouri is so very green in the summer time.
One highlight of the morning is preparing our campsite for the daily inspection, a chore made all the more challenging by the good wetting we received. Each Scout must prepare his tent neatly, with foot locker closed and locked, cot properly made up, the tent floor swept clean, and tent flaps tied closed. There is also the entire site to be policed, and the shelter with its associate pavilion to clean as well. We keep a tidy, ship shape campsite. This is not simply to uphold our great tradition of earning the 'Cleanest Campsite" award; we just like a neat, clean environment.
Now, our Scouts are off to resume their normal schedules, to regather again for lunchtime.
Last night was rather cool, with a low of about 50 degrees F. This made for perfect weather to snuggle-up in sleeping bags. The chill also reduces the insect assaults (mostly mosquitoes) as do the layers of sleeping bag surrounding the somnolent Scouts and Scouters.
Our boys were up bright and early this morning. Wake-up call is at 6:15 to afford the boys time to perform their morning ablutions. The day dawned as cool as the night had been, with a lowering overcast that foretold of oncoming rain. And our Council asks why we do not go to summer camp in-council. While we love camping at Sid Richardson Scout Ranch or Worth Ranch for much of the year, there are three (3) reasons we prefer to head to Missouri and Camp Geiger rather than Texas for our week-long camping experience: June, July, and August! Not to mention the excellence of the program at Geiger. They offer a greater diversity of well-taught merit badge classes, for example.
The table waiters headed up to the dining hall (and I mean up!) to prepare for our morning meal, with the rest or the troop following somewhat later. A morning at Camp Geiger begins with the flag raising at the Cloud L. Cray Flag Plaza. After a respectful raising of the colors, we remove our hats and enter the dining hall. There, we were please to see our troop colors smack dab in the middle of the hall, on the dais, in recognition of our earning the 'Shapest Unit' honors last evening.
This morning's breakfast was a change from the usual rotation of morning meals here at Camp Geiger. Rather than the familiar French toast fingers, we had "cheesy eggs" with hash browns. Some preferred to dine on a favorite dry cereals or the fresh fruit. The breakfast 'bug juice' was popular with some and shunned by others.
Following the 'two minute drill" to clean up the morning mess, we joined in a song focused on swimming in the ol' swimmin' hole. Zack Penny was selected as one of four participants in a contest to locate a toy soldier. The challenge was that these particular four soldiers were each buried in their own chocolate cream pie and the boys had to keep their hands behind their backs the while. Although not victorious this time, Zach made a good showing of which Troop 451 can be proud.After breakfast and before the day's classes started, we enjoyed a half-hour or so of sheltering-in-place owing to a thunder storm that rolled through, thoroughly soaking the camp. There is a reason Missouri is so very green in the summer time.
One highlight of the morning is preparing our campsite for the daily inspection, a chore made all the more challenging by the good wetting we received. Each Scout must prepare his tent neatly, with foot locker closed and locked, cot properly made up, the tent floor swept clean, and tent flaps tied closed. There is also the entire site to be policed, and the shelter with its associate pavilion to clean as well. We keep a tidy, ship shape campsite. This is not simply to uphold our great tradition of earning the 'Cleanest Campsite" award; we just like a neat, clean environment.
Now, our Scouts are off to resume their normal schedules, to regather again for lunchtime.
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