Here's proof...

...that the boys did learn how to use their map & compass skills at the camp-out before our day hike to Oyster Dome!

Joseph taught members of his patrol how to orient a map, and to adjust their compasses for declination.

I went over a few of the finer points of interpreting map legends and made sure all the boys were checking the trail map at stops along the hike.

However, as previously mentioned, a few of the boys (including 2 of mine!) did manage to take a wrong turn (highlighted in red on the map where the yellow and red lines diverge).

"I say that the front guys should have the map!" explains Joseph.

"We didn't see the turn-off, I looked but I didn't see the trail. I guess I should have looked a little closer. When it started to flatten out, I thought, 'HMM I don't remember seeing that the trail would flatten out.' My instincts were telling me that we'd gone too far, but I asked Ezra and Boaz and they said that they hiked it last time when they hike to Oyster Dome.

"When we found that we had gone too far (because I noticed that the sign said Lily Lake instead of Oyster Dome) we were about to turn back when Ezra heard my mom yelling 'JOE!' Then I whistled with my handy whistle on my backpack...and then we walked faster than we we had been going. I thought, 'I'm kinda relieved that we found our way back again, but kinda disappointed that we hiked an extra mile and a half.'

"It taught us that we should stop more often to wait for the slower hikers."

Sharps
Thanks to the dads who joined our camp-out after work on Monday night, we were able to offer a Totin' Chip program for our Tenderfoot Scouts. One of our troop's Star Scouts also joined the teaching ranks for the evening (completing a portion of his Eagle required Communications Merit Badge in the process).

The boys were first given the safety & rules talk, which is always a good place to start when preparing to swing and use sharp tools.

The axe yards were assembled and the boys took turns using the axe and the saw.

Joseph was a natural with the axe... we might have to convert to a wood stove!

Joseph also found his niche at the sharpening station (sharpening all 3 or 4 of the pocket knives he brought along).

OYSTER DOME
Today we broke camp with packed lunches and double water bottles and hit the Oyster Dome trail on Blanchard Mountain.

We climbed about 2000' in 2.5 miles.

The views from the top are breathtaking (especially if you get too close to the edge of the cliffs!).

We had a slight detour (some say wrong turn) instigated by our "engine" (the hikers at the front).

They had studied the map, were wearing compasses, and knew that we were .3 mile from the final turn off.

But in their raging excitement to reach Oyster Dome, they missed a junction and headed southeast when they should turned north and hiked the last .2 mile to the viewpoint.

Amazingly, we came across some friends from church who mentioned the boys being on their way to Lily Lake... at which point we knew they had gone past the (hard to see) trail junction to Oyster Dome. Thank you, Lord, for sending those people at just the right time!

I left my pack with the other members of our "caboose" and ran almost .7 mile screaming 'JOE' (easiest name to scream the loudest).

The wayward hikers reached the Lily Lake sign at about the same time that they finally heard my shrieking and doubled back in quick time.

We had a briefing, and discussed the ways the situation could have been avoided (more frequent "wait" stops for the caboose to catch up, even when they're almost there and very excited).

The rest of the hike was fairly uneventful, save a few scraped knees and a bit of rushing to get to the cars in time to get to the Scout meeting (with dinner waiting ~ Thanks to Renee!) in time.

The day was fabulous and it will be even better after I have my shower!

What a great group of kids~

Hope visits
Our sweet Goddaughter and neighbor hope came for a visit today.

She memorized a few books and helped load the dishwasher...

Actually, she reminded us of the many treasures of new life!

Off to go camping with Joseph's patrol. Bye for now.

Picking Days

Time to start hunting and gathering berries to fill our freezer.

The local strawberries are in, and the raspberry (early varieties) are just coming on.

We picked both with our cousins who visited on Thursday. The net take was about $21 that day, and we picked another $24 the next day. Hopefully we can get back to the fields before the strawberries are gone, but personally I much prefer picking raspberries (not back-breaking!).

This summer tradition brings out the fruit-flies for sure! We can hardly get them processed/put up before a world of little annoying bugs appear out of nowhere! But it's worth the extra (unwelcome) inhabitants to have a good supply of the delicious fruit on supply year-round.

Been picking yet?

Try to guess....

Which family member was not very excited for the family photo~

It's not going to be easy...

But if you put your mind to it, you should be able to make a guess!
We had to have our family photo taken for a new parish directory (a new one about every 5 years).

While we were color coordinated, I had a friend of Zac's snap a few shot of the family outside before Tim had to get back to work.

Let's just say some of us were more "in the mood" than others!

But I won't give away the answer!!

BACK AT TRACK
What do we love about our city's all comers track meets? Everything!

We've been coming out on most Monday summer nights for 9 years or so. Peter "ran" track before he could even run!

Now the track meets are like old-home week, with the friends & families we see making the event much more than just a sports event.

Tonight was our first track meet of the '09 season.

A few surprises tonight: Peter's 800 time was better than Joseph's by about 4 seconds... a first! Although we emphasize sportsmanship and running against your own best time, the boys know who's doing what, and they do have a competitive streak (coming from who knows which side of the family!). There was a track meet a few years back when Zachary made a PR in the 800, while Joseph's 800 time that night was several seconds faster.

Both boys handled Peter's "win" in the 800 very well, and went on participating in the other track & field events. A favorite is the 'jogger's mile' in which the runners attempt to run the exact time they predict (on paper) before the race. The times are called out at the 400, but afterward there are no times (and no watches) allowed.

Tonight BOTH Joseph and Peter "won" the jogger's mile by predicting their times within the allotted 3 seconds. Joseph was within 2 seconds, and Peter HIT his mark!

They were awarded this year's jogger's mile T-shirt and will wear them proudly to be sure.