Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Entropy & Order
We have had a definite summer mix of entropy and order in our household.
Entropy:
My work watch battery died. My casual watch band broke. The stores are always packed when I go to get them fixed, so I keep waiting for another time.
The Tivo that I got Celeste for Christmas didn't work as billed. It was not recording programs and was randomly resetting. We have gotten 3 replacement units to test (the latest seems to be working finally).
My cable modem stopped working together with cable TV. I could only get one or the other - in the middle of trying to test one of the replacement Tivo units!
The suburban needed new tires after we got a flat on a family outing.
The refrigerator was slowly dying, but gave us enough warning to go find a replacement.
The first replacement refrigerator had a leak in the freezer. It made beautiful ice sculptures, but that was not enough to offset our real need for a freezer.
The day that the first replacement refrigerator was delivered, our clothes washer decided that holding water was optional and dumped it all out on the floor. It gave us no warning, so we went appliance shopping again.
The second replacement refrigerator was obviously damaged, yet the retailer sent it to us anyway. The delivery guys were smart enough to show us the damage before unloading it.
The third replacement refrigerator and the new washer both arrived today. Both seem to work, but the delivery guys did some carving in the wood door jam to the kitchen as they moved the unit in.
I've missed some details, but that gives the general direction.
This is not a rant, but rather an observation that sometimes the bad luck cycles like to coincide. However, it's easy to forget the good things (i.e., the order) if you don't stop and think about it.
Order:
Bethany made it to Norway to visit Ina and family, stayed for more than 3 weeks, and returned as planned. Our webcam and cell phone communications allowed for daily contact as planned.
Bethany finished her Girl Scout Gold Award and we got to hold a nice party for her and her friend (they had "twin" projects at the same location) at the park where they did their project.
Celeste and I made it to our first no-kids getaway in almost 20 years last month. Hayley had a great time with Flying Van and family, Bethany was in Norway, and Andrew is still lives with Gramma in Costa Mesa.
Hayley has started summer Volleyball in preparation for trying out for the high school team. She is also moving into high school as a freshman and will join her sister at the same school for the first time in 5 years.
Hayley got a preview of being an only child while Bethany was away. It was good practice for when Bethany heads to college in a little over a year. She seemed to like it, although she did miss her sister.
Celeste and I had our first chance to see Andrew and his band perform recently here in Lake Forest. He has been working with them for a while, but it was the first venue that was close enough when the kids were busy for us to check it out together.
Entropy:
My work watch battery died. My casual watch band broke. The stores are always packed when I go to get them fixed, so I keep waiting for another time.
The Tivo that I got Celeste for Christmas didn't work as billed. It was not recording programs and was randomly resetting. We have gotten 3 replacement units to test (the latest seems to be working finally).
My cable modem stopped working together with cable TV. I could only get one or the other - in the middle of trying to test one of the replacement Tivo units!
The suburban needed new tires after we got a flat on a family outing.
The refrigerator was slowly dying, but gave us enough warning to go find a replacement.
The first replacement refrigerator had a leak in the freezer. It made beautiful ice sculptures, but that was not enough to offset our real need for a freezer.
The day that the first replacement refrigerator was delivered, our clothes washer decided that holding water was optional and dumped it all out on the floor. It gave us no warning, so we went appliance shopping again.
The second replacement refrigerator was obviously damaged, yet the retailer sent it to us anyway. The delivery guys were smart enough to show us the damage before unloading it.
The third replacement refrigerator and the new washer both arrived today. Both seem to work, but the delivery guys did some carving in the wood door jam to the kitchen as they moved the unit in.
I've missed some details, but that gives the general direction.
This is not a rant, but rather an observation that sometimes the bad luck cycles like to coincide. However, it's easy to forget the good things (i.e., the order) if you don't stop and think about it.
Order:
Bethany made it to Norway to visit Ina and family, stayed for more than 3 weeks, and returned as planned. Our webcam and cell phone communications allowed for daily contact as planned.
Bethany finished her Girl Scout Gold Award and we got to hold a nice party for her and her friend (they had "twin" projects at the same location) at the park where they did their project.
Celeste and I made it to our first no-kids getaway in almost 20 years last month. Hayley had a great time with Flying Van and family, Bethany was in Norway, and Andrew is still lives with Gramma in Costa Mesa.
Hayley has started summer Volleyball in preparation for trying out for the high school team. She is also moving into high school as a freshman and will join her sister at the same school for the first time in 5 years.
Hayley got a preview of being an only child while Bethany was away. It was good practice for when Bethany heads to college in a little over a year. She seemed to like it, although she did miss her sister.
Celeste and I had our first chance to see Andrew and his band perform recently here in Lake Forest. He has been working with them for a while, but it was the first venue that was close enough when the kids were busy for us to check it out together.
Labels: Andrew, Bethany, Family, Hayley, Ina, Scouts, Vacation, Volleyball
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Our cabin on the cruise
During the cruise, we had a very cool cabin. Since this was a Girl Scout trip, we had to have a separate bedroom for the girls and the adults. We got an "Obstructed View Family Suite" cabin. This gave us a cabin with two rooms: a living room/bedroom combination and then a 2nd bedroom. Each bedroom had a bathroom. Having two bathrooms was essential with 3 teenage girls!
The picture below was taken from the main room. The door straight ahead is the exit to the hallway. You would enter the room from this door and be in a small hall. The door that you can see to the left side of the photo is the entrance to the 2nd bedroom.
Some of these pictures, taken with the camera on my phone, are pretty fuzzy. Sorry about the quality issues. However, these make the cabin easier to explain.
The picture below is turned around from the one above. My back is to the door out to the hallway. On the right, you can see part of the 2nd bedroom. Straight ahead, you can see the couch in the main room. On the far wall straight ahead, you can see part of the curtain. Our room had windows looking out the starboard side of the ship.
Here is a picture from inside the 2nd bedroom. You can see the window. It was enough to let light in, but the view was very obstructed by the lifeboat hanging right outside of our window. When I took this picture, the closet for this room was directly behind me and the bathroom was to my right (out of view of the picture).
Here is the main room. As I said before, it served as a combination bedroom and living room. This picture is taken from the bed. The doorway across the room to the right leads to the short hallway entrance to the room. The couch seen in the prior photo is straight ahead in this picture.
This picture is taken from the doorway into the main room. It is looking back at the bed that was the origin point of the picture above. In this picture, you can see the large window on the left (there were two in the main room). What is not seen is the bathroom door on the left side of the bed from this point of view.
Here is a view of the window by the couch. In the main room, the lower part of the window was covered by the lifeboats. However, we had a decent view above the lifeboats.
Here is the view from our main room window at sunrise on our first morning on the ship. We are approaching Maui when these pictures were taken. I have included a photo looking left out the window, looking straight out the window, and looking right out the window.
The picture below was taken from the main room. The door straight ahead is the exit to the hallway. You would enter the room from this door and be in a small hall. The door that you can see to the left side of the photo is the entrance to the 2nd bedroom.
Some of these pictures, taken with the camera on my phone, are pretty fuzzy. Sorry about the quality issues. However, these make the cabin easier to explain.
The picture below is turned around from the one above. My back is to the door out to the hallway. On the right, you can see part of the 2nd bedroom. Straight ahead, you can see the couch in the main room. On the far wall straight ahead, you can see part of the curtain. Our room had windows looking out the starboard side of the ship.
Here is a picture from inside the 2nd bedroom. You can see the window. It was enough to let light in, but the view was very obstructed by the lifeboat hanging right outside of our window. When I took this picture, the closet for this room was directly behind me and the bathroom was to my right (out of view of the picture).
Here is the main room. As I said before, it served as a combination bedroom and living room. This picture is taken from the bed. The doorway across the room to the right leads to the short hallway entrance to the room. The couch seen in the prior photo is straight ahead in this picture.
This picture is taken from the doorway into the main room. It is looking back at the bed that was the origin point of the picture above. In this picture, you can see the large window on the left (there were two in the main room). What is not seen is the bathroom door on the left side of the bed from this point of view.
Here is a view of the window by the couch. In the main room, the lower part of the window was covered by the lifeboats. However, we had a decent view above the lifeboats.
Here is the view from our main room window at sunrise on our first morning on the ship. We are approaching Maui when these pictures were taken. I have included a photo looking left out the window, looking straight out the window, and looking right out the window.
Labels: Family, Scouts, Vacation
Monday, April 19, 2010
Sea Scouts
Taking a break from vacation blogging, more to come in later entries on that...
We are officially a Boy Scouts of America (BSA) family again!
After Andrew earned his Eagle Scout rank and aged out of the boy portion of the program, Celeste and I turned our attention to Girl Scouts. As a result, our BSA membership lapsed. We have still been involved in helping out, but not as members.
On Saturday, Hayley signed up for BSA Sea Scouts. She got interested a couple of years ago during a Girl Scout sailing trip at Newport Sea Base. She has been attending as a guest off-and-on since then. Now that she is 14 years old, she is eligible to be a member.
Last weekend was the membership kick-off for the year. Hayley went to both work it and show kids and parents around as well as to finally officially sign up. I got her paperwork done and paid her dues. My paperwork is in process.
I am already an official Girl Scout. Soon I will be an official Boy Scout again too. I will be so confused!
Anyway, it is nice to see Hayley excited about something that is an area of expertise separate from her older brother and sister. Go Hayley!
We are officially a Boy Scouts of America (BSA) family again!
After Andrew earned his Eagle Scout rank and aged out of the boy portion of the program, Celeste and I turned our attention to Girl Scouts. As a result, our BSA membership lapsed. We have still been involved in helping out, but not as members.
On Saturday, Hayley signed up for BSA Sea Scouts. She got interested a couple of years ago during a Girl Scout sailing trip at Newport Sea Base. She has been attending as a guest off-and-on since then. Now that she is 14 years old, she is eligible to be a member.
Last weekend was the membership kick-off for the year. Hayley went to both work it and show kids and parents around as well as to finally officially sign up. I got her paperwork done and paid her dues. My paperwork is in process.
I am already an official Girl Scout. Soon I will be an official Boy Scout again too. I will be so confused!
Anyway, it is nice to see Hayley excited about something that is an area of expertise separate from her older brother and sister. Go Hayley!
Sunday, April 18, 2010
Cruise Photos - purchased from ship
The cruise industry is doing a lot to try to increase the revenue per person once they get you on the ship. Don't get me wrong - you can have a great time without spending on any of the extras. The price includes a room, food, and entertainment. A "service fee" is automatically taken at the end of the week to cover the standard tips for the restaurants and the room steward. You have opportunities for extra tipping, but it is for anyone special that you want to recognize or for some of the "extras" on the ship.
One extra that we partook of was the ship's photography department. We didn't purchase all of the pictures that they took and we bypassed some of the photo opportunities. However, we did buy a few photos and a scrapbook. Our arrival photo purchase included a photo of the ship and the scrapbook included another photo of the ship.
Here are copies of the photos that we bought.
Here is our ship: the Pride of America. This is the photo that came with our arrival photo.
This is when we arrived to the ship on Saturday, April 3. We had flow in from LAX, taken a shuttle to the ship, and we were about to check in and get on the ship. This photo was taken in the arrival area with a few hundred of our soon-to-be-ship-mates around us. They had entertainment and some reading to get ready for the first day, so overall it was a decent check-in experience.
P.S. They claimed that it was an important tradition to set me on fire upon arrival (see my hand in the photo above).
The ship's photography department had opportunities for formal portraits. We didn't do that. However, we did have some fun with some green screen photos. Below is the only one that Celeste and I liked. The girls were busy with the teen club and didn't join us.
At each port, there was a photo opportunity as you left the ship. We skipped the photo opp in Maui and Hilo. However, we got a nice family shot when we got off the ship on Wedneday, April 7 in Kona on the big island. We were on our way to kayaking and snorkeling (I have already posted a few of those photos).
On Thursday morning (April 8) we arrived in Kauai. Bethany, Udara, and I left the ship for another one of our shore excursions. More about that in a future blog entry.
On our final full day of the cruise (Friday, April 9) we left port early enough to sail along the Na Pali Coast of Kauai. As you can see from this photo, the scenery is very dramatic. This part of the island is off-limits to any development.
The next day, we got off the ship at around 9:15am (after one last buffet breakfast). Little did we know that we had more adventures ahead. But that is a story for another blog entry.
One extra that we partook of was the ship's photography department. We didn't purchase all of the pictures that they took and we bypassed some of the photo opportunities. However, we did buy a few photos and a scrapbook. Our arrival photo purchase included a photo of the ship and the scrapbook included another photo of the ship.
Here are copies of the photos that we bought.
Here is our ship: the Pride of America. This is the photo that came with our arrival photo.
This is when we arrived to the ship on Saturday, April 3. We had flow in from LAX, taken a shuttle to the ship, and we were about to check in and get on the ship. This photo was taken in the arrival area with a few hundred of our soon-to-be-ship-mates around us. They had entertainment and some reading to get ready for the first day, so overall it was a decent check-in experience.
P.S. They claimed that it was an important tradition to set me on fire upon arrival (see my hand in the photo above).
The ship's photography department had opportunities for formal portraits. We didn't do that. However, we did have some fun with some green screen photos. Below is the only one that Celeste and I liked. The girls were busy with the teen club and didn't join us.
At each port, there was a photo opportunity as you left the ship. We skipped the photo opp in Maui and Hilo. However, we got a nice family shot when we got off the ship on Wedneday, April 7 in Kona on the big island. We were on our way to kayaking and snorkeling (I have already posted a few of those photos).
On Thursday morning (April 8) we arrived in Kauai. Bethany, Udara, and I left the ship for another one of our shore excursions. More about that in a future blog entry.
On our final full day of the cruise (Friday, April 9) we left port early enough to sail along the Na Pali Coast of Kauai. As you can see from this photo, the scenery is very dramatic. This part of the island is off-limits to any development.
The next day, we got off the ship at around 9:15am (after one last buffet breakfast). Little did we know that we had more adventures ahead. But that is a story for another blog entry.
Labels: Bethany, Family, Hayley, Rob, Scouts, Vacation
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Hawaii Pictures # 1
Rather than not posting due to lack of time, here are some initial pictures from our Hawaii trip.
Here we are at LAX before leaving for the flight. This was officially a Girl Scout trip - the girls saved up their money for many years for this. However, we only ended up with one non-family Girl Scout on the trip (Udara). Udara is one of Bethaany's best friends and like a daughter to our family. Udara's dad drove us to the airport.
Here is a starter picture taken by each of the girls on Easter Sunday on Maui.
A photo taken by Hayley:
A photo taken by Bethany:
A photo taken by Udara:
Here we are at LAX before leaving for the flight. This was officially a Girl Scout trip - the girls saved up their money for many years for this. However, we only ended up with one non-family Girl Scout on the trip (Udara). Udara is one of Bethaany's best friends and like a daughter to our family. Udara's dad drove us to the airport.
Here is a starter picture taken by each of the girls on Easter Sunday on Maui.
A photo taken by Hayley:
A photo taken by Bethany:
A photo taken by Udara:
Labels: Bethany, Family, Hayley, Scouts, Vacation
Thursday, April 23, 2009
A post to catch up on everything
We got home from vacation which went very well. I'll have to post more about that another time.
Back at home, work is very busy. My customer in Sweden is in the process of going live on our software. That means very long work hours at unusual times right now. However, it should be behind me by the middle of next week.
I'm still finding time for family even with the work. Last night I took Andrew, Ina, and Hayley to an Angels Baseball game. The Angels lost, but it was still an exciting game. Lots of hits and the score kept going back and forth. Unfortunately, the Angels were on the "back" side at the end of the game.
Tomorrow we are taking Bethany and her Girl Scout troop on another college visit (have I written about that? Need to check.). We are driving up to UC Santa Barbara. Between the drive and the on-campus time it will be a very long day. The girls need lots of hours to apply to their Gold Awards, so that is a good thing. However, it also means a Friday away from my projects so I have to figure out how to keep everyone busy when I have very little way to communicate with them.
Volleyball season started last week. Hayley is doing it, but Bethany has gotten to old for the league. I am coaching Hayley's team again. They picked their team name: Fergilicious (need to confirm that spelling). I told them that it could not be a dull name and it had to be family-friendly. Beyond that, it was a team vote. The name Caliente Loco (Crazy Hot) came in a close second.
I'll close with a couple of pictures of Hayley from the end of our vacation. We are at my aunt's house. The house is by a private runway and has a hangar attached to it. For car fans, you can appreciate this. My aunt has owned a Shelby Cobra since 1972. It is in great shape and is often taken to car shows. For those that are not car fans, this is a very expensive car by a renowned designer and is personally signed by that designer (see the "glove compartment" area in the photo showing the dash). The girls had fun taking photos in the car and in the (not seen in this photo) airplane that is also in this hangar.
(by request) ... and now you're all caught up!
Back at home, work is very busy. My customer in Sweden is in the process of going live on our software. That means very long work hours at unusual times right now. However, it should be behind me by the middle of next week.
I'm still finding time for family even with the work. Last night I took Andrew, Ina, and Hayley to an Angels Baseball game. The Angels lost, but it was still an exciting game. Lots of hits and the score kept going back and forth. Unfortunately, the Angels were on the "back" side at the end of the game.
Tomorrow we are taking Bethany and her Girl Scout troop on another college visit (have I written about that? Need to check.). We are driving up to UC Santa Barbara. Between the drive and the on-campus time it will be a very long day. The girls need lots of hours to apply to their Gold Awards, so that is a good thing. However, it also means a Friday away from my projects so I have to figure out how to keep everyone busy when I have very little way to communicate with them.
Volleyball season started last week. Hayley is doing it, but Bethany has gotten to old for the league. I am coaching Hayley's team again. They picked their team name: Fergilicious (need to confirm that spelling). I told them that it could not be a dull name and it had to be family-friendly. Beyond that, it was a team vote. The name Caliente Loco (Crazy Hot) came in a close second.
I'll close with a couple of pictures of Hayley from the end of our vacation. We are at my aunt's house. The house is by a private runway and has a hangar attached to it. For car fans, you can appreciate this. My aunt has owned a Shelby Cobra since 1972. It is in great shape and is often taken to car shows. For those that are not car fans, this is a very expensive car by a renowned designer and is personally signed by that designer (see the "glove compartment" area in the photo showing the dash). The girls had fun taking photos in the car and in the (not seen in this photo) airplane that is also in this hangar.
(by request) ... and now you're all caught up!
Labels: Andrew, Bethany, Hayley, Ina, School, Scouts, Vacation, Volleyball, Work
Monday, March 30, 2009
Map & Compass
While Andrew was in Boy Scouts, one of the things that I did was Map & Compass training. I did this about once per year mainly to cover some basic requirements at the earlier ranks. However, I did some more advanced training from time-to-time as well. I expanded this and covered Girl Scout requirements a couple of times too. However, right about the time that I organized it into a document laying out the details, the demand went away.
A few months ago, the troop tried to contact Andrew to help them with some Map and Compass training. Since Andrew is now living in Costa Mesa, has no car, and keeps himself very busy with other activities, he was not able to help. However, since I had the materials ready I signed up.
Last Saturday I did the class. I met the scouts at Riley Regional Park at 8am and kept them until a little after noon. We covered how to use a compass, how to read a map, and some other basic skills. I then gave each of them a topographical map of the park and had them trace a hike and profile the elevation changes. Finally, we used the map and compass to take a 1 mile hike.
They were a rowdy bunch: 17 boys in the 11 - 13 age range. Some of them really got into it, others were not interested at all. Pretty typical of past groups that I have trained (although a few more kids than I usually include). The leaders were really appreciative and I enjoyed getting the chance to use my materials again (and get out on a very nice day).
For the record, the Scouts completed these requirements:
* Demonstrate how a compass works and how to orient a map. Explain what map symbols mean.
* Demonstrate how to find directions during the day and at night without using a compass.
* Using a compass, complete an orienteering course that covers at least one mile and requires measuring the height and/or width of designated items (tree, tower, canyon, ditch, etc.)
The requirements have changed slightly from when I developed the course. However, I still cover the new requirements. This could be done in much less time than I spend, but I want to give them a chance to try out their skills and really learn it. Most of them will promptly forget everything, but for some it will stick. Maybe some basic land navigation will come in handy for some of them someday!
A few months ago, the troop tried to contact Andrew to help them with some Map and Compass training. Since Andrew is now living in Costa Mesa, has no car, and keeps himself very busy with other activities, he was not able to help. However, since I had the materials ready I signed up.
Last Saturday I did the class. I met the scouts at Riley Regional Park at 8am and kept them until a little after noon. We covered how to use a compass, how to read a map, and some other basic skills. I then gave each of them a topographical map of the park and had them trace a hike and profile the elevation changes. Finally, we used the map and compass to take a 1 mile hike.
They were a rowdy bunch: 17 boys in the 11 - 13 age range. Some of them really got into it, others were not interested at all. Pretty typical of past groups that I have trained (although a few more kids than I usually include). The leaders were really appreciative and I enjoyed getting the chance to use my materials again (and get out on a very nice day).
For the record, the Scouts completed these requirements:
* Demonstrate how a compass works and how to orient a map. Explain what map symbols mean.
* Demonstrate how to find directions during the day and at night without using a compass.
* Using a compass, complete an orienteering course that covers at least one mile and requires measuring the height and/or width of designated items (tree, tower, canyon, ditch, etc.)
The requirements have changed slightly from when I developed the course. However, I still cover the new requirements. This could be done in much less time than I spend, but I want to give them a chance to try out their skills and really learn it. Most of them will promptly forget everything, but for some it will stick. Maybe some basic land navigation will come in handy for some of them someday!
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Multi-Faceted Volunteer Day
As I sit here procrastinating due to some work that I need to get done, I am catching up on blogs and reflecting on my day. Thinking back to this evening, I covered a lot of volunteer ground.
4:30pm - Arrived home from work to prepare for the evening's activities. Spent time reviewing a homework assignment with our Exchange Student from Norway.
Group: EF Foundation
5:00pm - Left the house to coach my daughters' volleyball team.
Group: US Youth Volleyball League
6:30pm - Dropped the girls off at home, picked up Celeste & a friend to drive to Anaheim for Girl Scout "Older Girl" leader training.
Group: Girl Scouts of America
9:45pm - Arrive home to continue the work that I was not able to finish earlier when I left early for volleyball, etc. I have a demo with my customer from Sweden early tomorrow morning and I have to make sure that everything is ready to show!
Lee / Tina / Shoo (probably a large percentage of my reading audience!): Sorry that I missed our WoW session tonight. I forgot about the training that I had to attend to become an official Girl Scout leader.
Not exactly solving the world's social problems, but doing my little part to help others when and where I can. I know that most of you reading this have similar stories. What are your favorite volunteer organizations?
4:30pm - Arrived home from work to prepare for the evening's activities. Spent time reviewing a homework assignment with our Exchange Student from Norway.
Group: EF Foundation
5:00pm - Left the house to coach my daughters' volleyball team.
Group: US Youth Volleyball League
6:30pm - Dropped the girls off at home, picked up Celeste & a friend to drive to Anaheim for Girl Scout "Older Girl" leader training.
Group: Girl Scouts of America
9:45pm - Arrive home to continue the work that I was not able to finish earlier when I left early for volleyball, etc. I have a demo with my customer from Sweden early tomorrow morning and I have to make sure that everything is ready to show!
Lee / Tina / Shoo (probably a large percentage of my reading audience!): Sorry that I missed our WoW session tonight. I forgot about the training that I had to attend to become an official Girl Scout leader.
Not exactly solving the world's social problems, but doing my little part to help others when and where I can. I know that most of you reading this have similar stories. What are your favorite volunteer organizations?
Labels: Exchange Student, Family, Scouts, Volleyball
Monday, September 15, 2008
Rise, Egor! - Part 2
By request...
The basics of the Egor skit are pretty simple. The beauty of the skit is in the execution. This is something that we had down pretty well in our Boy Scout days. Not everyone needs to be good. As long as everyone provides some basic level of acting ability and talks loud enough to be heard by the audience then a few standouts will make for an excellent skit experience.
Rise, Egor - plot summary:
We open on a mad scientist gleefully announcing to the audience that he has made the ultimate invention with which he can take over the world (very Pinky & the Brain-like). The invention is Egor, a monster that follows the mad scientist's murderous directions by choking the victims to death. From there, a series of visitors come to the door (one at a time). The mad scientist has Egor dispatch each of them with a series of simple comments: "Rise, Egor", "Walk, Egor", "Kill, Egor". After dispatching the visitor, then Egor is sent back in hiding for the next victim.
After going through a number of visitors, the scientist is pleased that the tests worked. The visitors would usually be a typical door-to-door salesperson or donation solicitor of the time: vacuums, Fuller Brush, Jerry's Kids, etc.
At this point, the Mad Scientist is ready to start conquering the world. He turns back to the audience and announces that he can take over the world with three simple comments:
"Rise, Egor" (behind the scientist, Egor rises)
"Walk, Egor" (Egor extends his/her arms and advances towards the scientist)
"Kill, Egor" (Egor dutifully dispatches the scientist -- the best laid plans...)
I honestly only have 2 clear memories of the performers of that skit. We had a number of people participate with repeated performances of the skit over time. My general recollection is that everyone did well and that we had a lot of fun with it. However, the two performers that stick out are Lee and Shoo.
With Shoo, his preference was to be the visiting Avon Lady (do they still do that?). Anyway, he would come to the door and in a falsetto voice attempt to sell various cosmetics. Shoo would also make a futile effort at defense with the Avon Lady purse when Egor attacked. That was one of the few cases when the victim would notice their fate before it descended upon them.
With Lee, it was a great, stereotypical mad scientist performance. He had the voice down, the mannerisms down, and interacted well with the audience and each of the visitors.
The Girl Scout that played the mad scientist last weekend did a very good job. She definitely did not look the part. She is the most petite girl in the group and has long, California-blonde hair. However, she put her hair up in a crazy do and did a good job with the voice and mannerisms. She had a bit of a false start, but then fell easily into the role. In fact, it was a bit scary at just how much she got into it!
All in all, an excellent memory from the past Boy Scouting days and the current Girl Scouting days. It was fun to bridge the two programs in this way.
The basics of the Egor skit are pretty simple. The beauty of the skit is in the execution. This is something that we had down pretty well in our Boy Scout days. Not everyone needs to be good. As long as everyone provides some basic level of acting ability and talks loud enough to be heard by the audience then a few standouts will make for an excellent skit experience.
Rise, Egor - plot summary:
We open on a mad scientist gleefully announcing to the audience that he has made the ultimate invention with which he can take over the world (very Pinky & the Brain-like). The invention is Egor, a monster that follows the mad scientist's murderous directions by choking the victims to death. From there, a series of visitors come to the door (one at a time). The mad scientist has Egor dispatch each of them with a series of simple comments: "Rise, Egor", "Walk, Egor", "Kill, Egor". After dispatching the visitor, then Egor is sent back in hiding for the next victim.
After going through a number of visitors, the scientist is pleased that the tests worked. The visitors would usually be a typical door-to-door salesperson or donation solicitor of the time: vacuums, Fuller Brush, Jerry's Kids, etc.
At this point, the Mad Scientist is ready to start conquering the world. He turns back to the audience and announces that he can take over the world with three simple comments:
"Rise, Egor" (behind the scientist, Egor rises)
"Walk, Egor" (Egor extends his/her arms and advances towards the scientist)
"Kill, Egor" (Egor dutifully dispatches the scientist -- the best laid plans...)
I honestly only have 2 clear memories of the performers of that skit. We had a number of people participate with repeated performances of the skit over time. My general recollection is that everyone did well and that we had a lot of fun with it. However, the two performers that stick out are Lee and Shoo.
With Shoo, his preference was to be the visiting Avon Lady (do they still do that?). Anyway, he would come to the door and in a falsetto voice attempt to sell various cosmetics. Shoo would also make a futile effort at defense with the Avon Lady purse when Egor attacked. That was one of the few cases when the victim would notice their fate before it descended upon them.
With Lee, it was a great, stereotypical mad scientist performance. He had the voice down, the mannerisms down, and interacted well with the audience and each of the visitors.
The Girl Scout that played the mad scientist last weekend did a very good job. She definitely did not look the part. She is the most petite girl in the group and has long, California-blonde hair. However, she put her hair up in a crazy do and did a good job with the voice and mannerisms. She had a bit of a false start, but then fell easily into the role. In fact, it was a bit scary at just how much she got into it!
All in all, an excellent memory from the past Boy Scouting days and the current Girl Scouting days. It was fun to bridge the two programs in this way.
Labels: Scouts
Sunday, September 14, 2008
Rise, Egor!
The family went to a Girl Scout family camp outing in San Pedro this weekend. Nice camp, lots of cool things to do there (both in camp and nearby outside of camp).
Ina had her first chance to actually touch the Pacific Ocean on this trip. We had taken her to Laguna Beach on Labor Day, but only had time to get to the cliffs overlooking the beach and let her take some pictures. On this trip, she got to play in the sand and visit the local tide pools.
On Saturday night, the girls had a campfire. The girls were trying to come up with a skit and I made a couple of suggestions. The first suggestion was considered too gross even by their standards (which are much lower than I thought, but that is another topic). That skit was "A Hot Meal." I won't go into details, but those of you who know it understand when I say it is gross.
The one that they did like was "Rise, Egor." This was one of our favorites when we were in Boy Scouts. I have very fond memories of Lee as the mad scientist and Shoo as the Avon Lady. But I digress. The girls talked me into playing a part and I had the honor of being the first to die. The little girl that played the part of the mad scientist did a great job. Hayley played Egor and at the end of the skit had the audience cheering her on.
The campfire included the making of s'mores. This was another first for Ina and she seemed to enjoy it.
Ina is a great sport and is doing a good job of putting up with our kidding and even starting to return it. I don't think that camping on the sand is what she expected, but it is definitely a unique California experience!
Ina had her first chance to actually touch the Pacific Ocean on this trip. We had taken her to Laguna Beach on Labor Day, but only had time to get to the cliffs overlooking the beach and let her take some pictures. On this trip, she got to play in the sand and visit the local tide pools.
On Saturday night, the girls had a campfire. The girls were trying to come up with a skit and I made a couple of suggestions. The first suggestion was considered too gross even by their standards (which are much lower than I thought, but that is another topic). That skit was "A Hot Meal." I won't go into details, but those of you who know it understand when I say it is gross.
The one that they did like was "Rise, Egor." This was one of our favorites when we were in Boy Scouts. I have very fond memories of Lee as the mad scientist and Shoo as the Avon Lady. But I digress. The girls talked me into playing a part and I had the honor of being the first to die. The little girl that played the part of the mad scientist did a great job. Hayley played Egor and at the end of the skit had the audience cheering her on.
The campfire included the making of s'mores. This was another first for Ina and she seemed to enjoy it.
Ina is a great sport and is doing a good job of putting up with our kidding and even starting to return it. I don't think that camping on the sand is what she expected, but it is definitely a unique California experience!
Labels: Exchange Student, Family, Hayley, Scouts
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Bridging Ceremony
In Girl Scouts, the process of moving from one level to another is called "bridging". The Girl Scout Council in San Francisco hosts a neat "bridging ceremony" for girls at the end of Junior Girl Scouts where the girls walk across the Golden Gate Bridge and have a ceremony on the other side.
Hayley got to participate in this ceremony last weekend. She rode a bus up with some other local troops and they had a fun weekend in the city. Bethany, Celeste, and I went along as backup support as needed, but it turned out that we got to spend a lot of family time together.
For us, the highlights were a visit to Muir Woods and a "Green Thumb" geocache in a community garden (very neat concept) that overlooked the Golden Gate Bridge.
It was a very quick trip - drove up after school on Thursday and drove home on Sunday. However, definitely memorable and worth the visit.
P.S. BobV (if you get to read this) - we thought about looking you up while we were in the area, but simply ran out of time. For what it's worth, we did a little wave towards Oakland to say hello as we drove towards it on the Bay Bridge (not sure what part of Oakland you are in, so we generically greeted the city!).
Hayley got to participate in this ceremony last weekend. She rode a bus up with some other local troops and they had a fun weekend in the city. Bethany, Celeste, and I went along as backup support as needed, but it turned out that we got to spend a lot of family time together.
For us, the highlights were a visit to Muir Woods and a "Green Thumb" geocache in a community garden (very neat concept) that overlooked the Golden Gate Bridge.
It was a very quick trip - drove up after school on Thursday and drove home on Sunday. However, definitely memorable and worth the visit.
P.S. BobV (if you get to read this) - we thought about looking you up while we were in the area, but simply ran out of time. For what it's worth, we did a little wave towards Oakland to say hello as we drove towards it on the Bay Bridge (not sure what part of Oakland you are in, so we generically greeted the city!).
Labels: Family, Geocaching, Hayley, Scouts
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
Bethany's Girl Scout Silver Award Project
The Girl Scouts have a series of awards that lead to the Gold Award (the Girl Scout equivalent of the Eagle Scout rank). The series starts with the Bronze Award and then goes on to the Silver Award. The Gold Award is completed by the end of High School. The awards require leadership, meeting goals, and performing a community service project.
Bethany and a friend worked together on their Silver Award service project last summer. They chose Ronald McDonald House of Orange County as the organization to work with on their project. They each put in more than double the service hours required.
The main focus of the project was a “books on tape” type of deliverable. The girls gathered around a dozen cloth bags and included a set of children’s books in each bag. They then recorded each book to an MP3 file and made a CD for each bag that matched the books in the bag. They also raised funds to purchase portable CD players for each bag. Ronald McDonald house now checks the bags out to kids who can listen to the books on CD and read along.
We recently delivered the project to the grateful recipient. In addition to the book bags, the girls also delivered the following items:
• Notebook with paperwork for book bag checkout system
• 51 pounds of can tabs (they recycle the aluminum)
• Several boxes of donated adult and children’s books for the house library
• Several boxes of donated food from a neighborhood food drive
I don’t have the exact statistics for pounds of food or number of books, but the delivery jammed the back of our Suburban.
It was a nearly overwhelming project, but the girls stuck to it and got it done. It was easily as big or bigger than many Eagle projects that I have seen.
Bethany and a friend worked together on their Silver Award service project last summer. They chose Ronald McDonald House of Orange County as the organization to work with on their project. They each put in more than double the service hours required.
The main focus of the project was a “books on tape” type of deliverable. The girls gathered around a dozen cloth bags and included a set of children’s books in each bag. They then recorded each book to an MP3 file and made a CD for each bag that matched the books in the bag. They also raised funds to purchase portable CD players for each bag. Ronald McDonald house now checks the bags out to kids who can listen to the books on CD and read along.
We recently delivered the project to the grateful recipient. In addition to the book bags, the girls also delivered the following items:
• Notebook with paperwork for book bag checkout system
• 51 pounds of can tabs (they recycle the aluminum)
• Several boxes of donated adult and children’s books for the house library
• Several boxes of donated food from a neighborhood food drive
I don’t have the exact statistics for pounds of food or number of books, but the delivery jammed the back of our Suburban.
It was a nearly overwhelming project, but the girls stuck to it and got it done. It was easily as big or bigger than many Eagle projects that I have seen.
Tuesday, September 04, 2007
Girl Scout Camp
Hayley and I went to Girl Scout camp last weekend. They had a lot of fun activities and, with the heat wave here in SoCal, it let us avoid some of the worst of the weather. We did have some thunderstorms in the area that curtailed some of our swimming time, but overall it was lots of fun.
We participated in the following activities: swimming (lots of that), canoeing, archery, hiking (short hikes), and horseback riding. The horses were Hayley's favorite part by far. At the end of our ride, she made "fourteen new friends" by giving each of them a handful of sweet oats. She even got to help lead one to the stall at the end of the day. Lots of fun for her.
We participated in the following activities: swimming (lots of that), canoeing, archery, hiking (short hikes), and horseback riding. The horses were Hayley's favorite part by far. At the end of our ride, she made "fourteen new friends" by giving each of them a handful of sweet oats. She even got to help lead one to the stall at the end of the day. Lots of fun for her.
Monday, June 11, 2007
Father-Daughter Campout
Hayley and I went to a Girl Scout Father-Daughter campout this weekend. We had a great time! We drove up on Friday afternoon and returned on Sunday afternoon.
Here are some of the activities:
Night Hike - this included a Native American story of how night and day came to be and where the stars and moon came from.
Day Hike - This hike ended with a nice overview of the camp and a rock we got to climb up. We climbed down the other side through a tunnel where we got down with our back on one wall and legs on the other to scoot down to the floor below.
Archery - We got to fire 2 rounds followed by a home-made bolo setup that was fun to try out on plastic PVC targets.
Canoeing - We went to camp with another father/daughter who we shared a canoe with. Our bottoms got wet, so good thing it was a warm day!
Swimming - the camp has a nice pool, so we didn't have to / get to (depending on the point of view) swim in the lake.
Pit - we brought the card game Pit and met a bunch of new friends when we played in the dining hall during some free time. Hayley got email addresses for 2 other fifth graders that we met: Haleigh and Alyssa.
The drive to camp takes about 2 hours without traffic. We left early in Friday with our friends the Koppes to avoid traffic. Once we got past the traffic problem areas we were early enough that we stopped in Old Town Temecula for some micro-brewed Root Beer and locally made popcorn and nuts as snacks.
This was definitely a good bonding weekend!
Here are some of the activities:
Night Hike - this included a Native American story of how night and day came to be and where the stars and moon came from.
Day Hike - This hike ended with a nice overview of the camp and a rock we got to climb up. We climbed down the other side through a tunnel where we got down with our back on one wall and legs on the other to scoot down to the floor below.
Archery - We got to fire 2 rounds followed by a home-made bolo setup that was fun to try out on plastic PVC targets.
Canoeing - We went to camp with another father/daughter who we shared a canoe with. Our bottoms got wet, so good thing it was a warm day!
Swimming - the camp has a nice pool, so we didn't have to / get to (depending on the point of view) swim in the lake.
Pit - we brought the card game Pit and met a bunch of new friends when we played in the dining hall during some free time. Hayley got email addresses for 2 other fifth graders that we met: Haleigh and Alyssa.
The drive to camp takes about 2 hours without traffic. We left early in Friday with our friends the Koppes to avoid traffic. Once we got past the traffic problem areas we were early enough that we stopped in Old Town Temecula for some micro-brewed Root Beer and locally made popcorn and nuts as snacks.
This was definitely a good bonding weekend!
Labels: Camping, Hayley, Rob, Scouts
Monday, February 05, 2007
CPR / First Aid
It's been a while since my last CPR and First Aid certification. Probably around 3 years -- definitely overdue. This past weekend I attended a course and found that CPR in particular had changed substantially from before. Glad I went. The girls have a Volleyball league coming up and I am one of the First Aid volunteers. On top of that, I need the certifications as a leader for Girl Scout and Boy Scout outings.
The instructor is someone that I met through Boy Scouts. He was one of the Asst. Scoutmasters in the troop. He is a registered nurse and has been certified for CPR and First Aid training for many years. He is both knowledgable and an effective teacher -- a nice combination. Celeste of course knows him too and had arranged this training for local Girl Scout leaders.
We all have things that we do to make it feel like we are making a difference in the world. This is one of mine.
The instructor is someone that I met through Boy Scouts. He was one of the Asst. Scoutmasters in the troop. He is a registered nurse and has been certified for CPR and First Aid training for many years. He is both knowledgable and an effective teacher -- a nice combination. Celeste of course knows him too and had arranged this training for local Girl Scout leaders.
We all have things that we do to make it feel like we are making a difference in the world. This is one of mine.
Tuesday, December 12, 2006
There and Back Again (squared)
Hayley's Girl Scout troop went to Winter Wonderland camp last weekend. It was our family's turn to help with transportation. Unfortunately, Hayley got sick (flu or something much like it) and at the last minute we found out that she would have to stay home. Nevertheless, we were on the hook to help get the rest of the girls up there along with one other family.
The adventure started last Friday. The drive with no traffic is about 2.5 hours one way. We left at 3:30pm on Friday and arrived at camp at about 8:30pm (with a dinner stop and another bathroom stop of about 1 hour total). Traffic was definitely heavy!
Our family plan was to spend the weekend in Temecula -- near camp to avoid driving home and back again. With Hayley sick, that was not an option. Instead, I drove back home. I got home around 11:00pm.
Retrieving them on Sunday was easier. I left home around 8:30am and got back around 2:30pm (including a lunch stop).
I like driving. I like listening to the radio and getting the thinking time. I also had fun playing with my GPS (the one for the car -- not the portable one I use for geocaching, I have gone deep into the GPS thing) to test out different route calculation options and the MP3 player features on it. No complaints for me -- I would have preferred to have my daughter spend a fun weekend, but the drive time worked fine for me.
The adventure started last Friday. The drive with no traffic is about 2.5 hours one way. We left at 3:30pm on Friday and arrived at camp at about 8:30pm (with a dinner stop and another bathroom stop of about 1 hour total). Traffic was definitely heavy!
Our family plan was to spend the weekend in Temecula -- near camp to avoid driving home and back again. With Hayley sick, that was not an option. Instead, I drove back home. I got home around 11:00pm.
Retrieving them on Sunday was easier. I left home around 8:30am and got back around 2:30pm (including a lunch stop).
I like driving. I like listening to the radio and getting the thinking time. I also had fun playing with my GPS (the one for the car -- not the portable one I use for geocaching, I have gone deep into the GPS thing) to test out different route calculation options and the MP3 player features on it. No complaints for me -- I would have preferred to have my daughter spend a fun weekend, but the drive time worked fine for me.
Labels: Family, Hayley, Rob, Scouts
Wednesday, September 06, 2006
Eagle Court of Honor
Last Sunday, September 2nd, was Andrew's Eagle Court of Honor. We and 4 other scout families from the troop held the event at the local church where we meet. There were around 250 people there. While some parts of the day took longer than expected, overall we were done within the expected timeframe (2pm to 6pm). Our troop is great about volunteering to help out and this event was no different. The decor was fun and the dinner of Italian food from Peppinos (a local restaurant chain) was tasty.
The 5 boys made the decisions about this event -- often to the chagrin of their moms. The main theme was Hawaiian/Luau. However, the food was Italian. To top off the cultural melting pot, they were escorted into the room by one of the Eagle fathers playing bagpipes. Personally, I thought that it was very cool both in general and that they went with what they liked rather than what their moms wanted.
We were happy to finally present Drew with the gifts we had assembled. This included a flag flown over the US Capitol in a case with engraved glass, a box of Heroclix sent by WizKids games, various gift certificates from various companies, a book of letters from various dignitaries ranging from President George W to Jack (as in "in-the-box"), organizations ranging from the FBI to Jester'z Comedy Troupe in Arizona, etc. I was particularly happy with a few of the personalized letters which included friends (thanks Uncle Shoo!), local radio personalities Mark & Brian, and Microsoft VP Doug Burgum. Through a connection with some friends, Andrew also received an invitation for a personal tour of the Dreamworks Studio. All-in-all a nice haul to celebrate his achievement.
The mailing for the book of letters was my main job. Putting a scrapbook together with the letters and photos was a family event, but mainly the work of my creative wife. We have almost 200 pages of letters, certificates, photos, etc.
The ultimate item in my mind was a quilt that made by Celeste & one of the other Eagle moms (they each made one similar, but slightly different). The quilt depicts an Eagle in flight with a fish in the talons and a river, trees, hills, and rocks in the background. This was a 2 year effort and it came out AWESOME! When I have some time, I'll post pictures.
In case I haven't said it clearly before, we were very proud of Andrew and this event was a great way to acknowledge it.
P.S. From those of you who know Andrew and did not get a request from me to write him a letter, consider this that request. We are still updating the book since more letters are trickling in even after around 5 months. The personal letters are something that we have not seen with Eagle Scouts, but seemed to be one of Andrew's favorite parts of the book. Those of you that this applies to should know how to reach me by email, phone, or snail mail already.
The 5 boys made the decisions about this event -- often to the chagrin of their moms. The main theme was Hawaiian/Luau. However, the food was Italian. To top off the cultural melting pot, they were escorted into the room by one of the Eagle fathers playing bagpipes. Personally, I thought that it was very cool both in general and that they went with what they liked rather than what their moms wanted.
We were happy to finally present Drew with the gifts we had assembled. This included a flag flown over the US Capitol in a case with engraved glass, a box of Heroclix sent by WizKids games, various gift certificates from various companies, a book of letters from various dignitaries ranging from President George W to Jack (as in "in-the-box"), organizations ranging from the FBI to Jester'z Comedy Troupe in Arizona, etc. I was particularly happy with a few of the personalized letters which included friends (thanks Uncle Shoo!), local radio personalities Mark & Brian, and Microsoft VP Doug Burgum. Through a connection with some friends, Andrew also received an invitation for a personal tour of the Dreamworks Studio. All-in-all a nice haul to celebrate his achievement.
The mailing for the book of letters was my main job. Putting a scrapbook together with the letters and photos was a family event, but mainly the work of my creative wife. We have almost 200 pages of letters, certificates, photos, etc.
The ultimate item in my mind was a quilt that made by Celeste & one of the other Eagle moms (they each made one similar, but slightly different). The quilt depicts an Eagle in flight with a fish in the talons and a river, trees, hills, and rocks in the background. This was a 2 year effort and it came out AWESOME! When I have some time, I'll post pictures.
In case I haven't said it clearly before, we were very proud of Andrew and this event was a great way to acknowledge it.
P.S. From those of you who know Andrew and did not get a request from me to write him a letter, consider this that request. We are still updating the book since more letters are trickling in even after around 5 months. The personal letters are something that we have not seen with Eagle Scouts, but seemed to be one of Andrew's favorite parts of the book. Those of you that this applies to should know how to reach me by email, phone, or snail mail already.
Labels: Andrew, Family, Scouts
Monday, July 17, 2006
BSA Tall Ship Argus
The Orange County Council of Boy Scouts of America has a Sea Base facility in Newport Harbor. Since 1972, a key attraction of Sea Base has been the tall ship Argus. Unfortunately, the Argus has probably taken its last voyage as a BSA ship (and possibly last ever).
The Argus is over 100 years old. It is mainly oak and iron. However, the Coast Guard has put the ship out of commission due to extensive wood rot and iron fatigue. It made (or is about to make) one last trip to Catalina Island and then to Long Beach Harbor to be stored at a donated docking facility until its final fate is determined. Repair estimates are around $1.5 million and a fundraising effort to save it came up far short. There was even an attempt to sell it on eBay with no bidders.
Here is a link to articles in the Orange County Register for more details on the current news: http://search.ocregister.com/cgi-bin/texis/webinator/multi?uquery=argus
I have fond memories of the Argus -- especially of an overnight trip to Catalina Island with Troop 339 (including Shoo, Lee and others). It has been a visible symbol of Boy Scouts in Orange County for as long as I have been in scouting. The Argus gained particular fame in April, 2004 when it rescued a stranded diver in the open ocean (I will post that article separately for anyone that wants more details).
How could I have never arranged to take my family on one of the local cruises that were sometimes available? Looks like it's too late now. The best bet now seems to be that some historical society purchases it and makes the necessary repairs to keep it operational. However, it's unlikely to be used as a scouting vessel again.
Good luck, good ship Argus!
The Argus is over 100 years old. It is mainly oak and iron. However, the Coast Guard has put the ship out of commission due to extensive wood rot and iron fatigue. It made (or is about to make) one last trip to Catalina Island and then to Long Beach Harbor to be stored at a donated docking facility until its final fate is determined. Repair estimates are around $1.5 million and a fundraising effort to save it came up far short. There was even an attempt to sell it on eBay with no bidders.
Here is a link to articles in the Orange County Register for more details on the current news: http://search.ocregister.com/cgi-bin/texis/webinator/multi?uquery=argus
I have fond memories of the Argus -- especially of an overnight trip to Catalina Island with Troop 339 (including Shoo, Lee and others). It has been a visible symbol of Boy Scouts in Orange County for as long as I have been in scouting. The Argus gained particular fame in April, 2004 when it rescued a stranded diver in the open ocean (I will post that article separately for anyone that wants more details).
How could I have never arranged to take my family on one of the local cruises that were sometimes available? Looks like it's too late now. The best bet now seems to be that some historical society purchases it and makes the necessary repairs to keep it operational. However, it's unlikely to be used as a scouting vessel again.
Good luck, good ship Argus!
Labels: Scouts
BSA Ship Argus rescues diver
As promised in my post above, here is the article about the Argus saving a diver in the open ocean:
Monday, April 26, 2004
While underway returning from a weekend trip to Catalina Island with Troop 681 on the Boy Scout Tall ship Argus, a new trainee spotted a man in the water off the port side. Zack, on his first voyage on the Argus decided to look at the object floating about 150 yards away closer with a pair of binoculars. “I was wondering if I could read what the logos on the balloons might be.” To his surprise it appeared that there was a green balloon being waved by a man. Dan Carlock had become separated from his dive partners on a dive out by the oil platforms mid channel between the mainland and Catalina Island. Surfacing alone he tried to attract attention with his whistle but was unnoticed as the current swept him further away. “I had been in the water over four hours”, reported Dan.
Serendipity had certainly been at play as we were well off the normal direct run from Catalina to Newport Harbor. The Argus was off course as a result of altering course to avoid the ‘cargo ships’ whose booming horns we could hear in the thick fog. The fog was lifting and we were heading back to Newport when we spotted the man in the water. Zack said, “ Because we had practiced a man over-board yesterday (Saturday) I knew just what to do. “MAN OVERBOARD” was yelled and quickly all hands leaped to the drill. The small boat was brought in and was underway within seconds. “This is NOT A DRILL” yelled Captain Fred a long time captain of the vessel. First Mate Al Sorkin yelled, “Main sail crew keep pointing,” all hands were pointing at the man in the water and a life ring had been deployed as per previous training.
“Headsail crew douse the inner jib and outer jib” the mate Al called. This was done so that the captain could maneuver the ship easier as our engine roared to the job speeding us toward the small boat already half way to the man in the water. “Start the Generator and heat some water for cocoa,” I requested. I knew that the man had to be cold. The next order was, “Bring blankets and dry towels to the main deck he might be in shock!” All of the training we had ever done was important.
Within minutes we had him aboard and got him dry and warm. One of the men supplied him with dry clothes, and another made him a sandwich as one of our scout leaders Kelly S. (a Navy Paramedic), checked all of his body signs.
“He’s alert and doing well”, we reported by radio to the Coast Guard. “We are on our way to your position” they replied. As Captain Fred went in to the Galley to meet our guest, he joked; “That will be $4.50 for the sandwich.” Every one laughed knowing that not only were we PREPARED but also we had done our GOOD TURN for the day.
Monday, April 26, 2004
While underway returning from a weekend trip to Catalina Island with Troop 681 on the Boy Scout Tall ship Argus, a new trainee spotted a man in the water off the port side. Zack, on his first voyage on the Argus decided to look at the object floating about 150 yards away closer with a pair of binoculars. “I was wondering if I could read what the logos on the balloons might be.” To his surprise it appeared that there was a green balloon being waved by a man. Dan Carlock had become separated from his dive partners on a dive out by the oil platforms mid channel between the mainland and Catalina Island. Surfacing alone he tried to attract attention with his whistle but was unnoticed as the current swept him further away. “I had been in the water over four hours”, reported Dan.
Serendipity had certainly been at play as we were well off the normal direct run from Catalina to Newport Harbor. The Argus was off course as a result of altering course to avoid the ‘cargo ships’ whose booming horns we could hear in the thick fog. The fog was lifting and we were heading back to Newport when we spotted the man in the water. Zack said, “ Because we had practiced a man over-board yesterday (Saturday) I knew just what to do. “MAN OVERBOARD” was yelled and quickly all hands leaped to the drill. The small boat was brought in and was underway within seconds. “This is NOT A DRILL” yelled Captain Fred a long time captain of the vessel. First Mate Al Sorkin yelled, “Main sail crew keep pointing,” all hands were pointing at the man in the water and a life ring had been deployed as per previous training.
“Headsail crew douse the inner jib and outer jib” the mate Al called. This was done so that the captain could maneuver the ship easier as our engine roared to the job speeding us toward the small boat already half way to the man in the water. “Start the Generator and heat some water for cocoa,” I requested. I knew that the man had to be cold. The next order was, “Bring blankets and dry towels to the main deck he might be in shock!” All of the training we had ever done was important.
Within minutes we had him aboard and got him dry and warm. One of the men supplied him with dry clothes, and another made him a sandwich as one of our scout leaders Kelly S. (a Navy Paramedic), checked all of his body signs.
“He’s alert and doing well”, we reported by radio to the Coast Guard. “We are on our way to your position” they replied. As Captain Fred went in to the Galley to meet our guest, he joked; “That will be $4.50 for the sandwich.” Every one laughed knowing that not only were we PREPARED but also we had done our GOOD TURN for the day.
Labels: Scouts
Tuesday, June 13, 2006
Eagle Scout Court of Honor Photos
It's been a little while since I updated this Blog, so I will indulge with a second short posting today.
Last December, Andrew earned his BSA Eagle Scout rank. He and some other recent Eagle Scouts from his troop are planning an Eagle Court of Honor. It is a big event to plan, but we have some time: the event will be on September 2nd (save the date if you know Andrew and are in town for Labor Day weekend).
Each family is taking on part of the responsibilities for the event. Tonight we are taking photos for the invitation and the awards table. The scouts are coming to our house and we are using our recently purchased digital camera to see how it goes. The good thing is that we will get instant feedback on the results. Once we have something good, a Costco photo upload will let us pick up finished photos tomorrow. The biggest challenge right now is that we need to get the house ready for some nice backgrounds for the photos. Hopefully the gardening we did last weekend will give us some outdoor photo ops.
Last December, Andrew earned his BSA Eagle Scout rank. He and some other recent Eagle Scouts from his troop are planning an Eagle Court of Honor. It is a big event to plan, but we have some time: the event will be on September 2nd (save the date if you know Andrew and are in town for Labor Day weekend).
Each family is taking on part of the responsibilities for the event. Tonight we are taking photos for the invitation and the awards table. The scouts are coming to our house and we are using our recently purchased digital camera to see how it goes. The good thing is that we will get instant feedback on the results. Once we have something good, a Costco photo upload will let us pick up finished photos tomorrow. The biggest challenge right now is that we need to get the house ready for some nice backgrounds for the photos. Hopefully the gardening we did last weekend will give us some outdoor photo ops.
Labels: Andrew, Family, Scouts
