#1 Click this link to see 2009 News Photos page --> 02/27/2009

After 55 years as sentry to the stars, the Peoria Astronomical Society’s Northmoor Observatory dome at Donovan Golf Course was relieved of duty early Wednesday morning.  More than 100,000 visitors over the past five decades have peered through the dome at the nearest orbit of Mars in 60,000 years, countless meteor showers and the moons of Jupiter, but rust and age took a toll.  Members of the Peoria Astronomical Society researched repairing the dome and concluded replacement was a better option.

I can remember a long, long time ago when I was in Cub scouts we took an evening field trip to go see Mars & The Stars. We lined up single file and circulated through to look into the telescope to see the planet Mars and the stars within sight of it. It was really cool and wondrous. #Local #Scouting MjL

#2 Click this link to see Blog page --> 04/30/2019

#Obituary #Scouting Paul Mitchell was my Scoutmaster 50 years ago. I learned so much from him and not just about how to tie knots, start a fire or go camping. I learned a lot about what it means to be a man. Obituary

MjL

#3 Click this link to see Blog page --> 04/19/2024

In a recent email exchange with my friend Jeff (famous on the Blog for his Bicycle Trip and Truck Reports) I mentioned I’d considered a thread of stories regarding my time in #Scouting. He sent the photo below of the shoulder patch for our Troop 193. Jeff is a part of that story during my time in Boy Scouts and he is one of the very few who attained status as an Eagle Scout. I was also singularly impressed that Jeff usually had a can of pepper whenever it was needed. The epitome of the Scout Motto, Be Prepared. I was active in all phases beginning with Cub Scouts and moving forward through Webelos, Boy Scouts and Explorer. I hope to chronicle my memories similar to those of my Paper Route Stories. My memories are sometimes vivid and sometimes vague and occur to me in no particular order as one thing reminds of another. I invite Jeff, my brother Alan, and anyone else who has similar memories to walk along this memory lane with me. I look forward to discussion, additions, corrections or entirely new facets along the way.

MjL

#4 Click this link to see Blog page --> 04/20/2024

I don’t recall exactly how I joined the Cub Scouts. It was the summer of 1963 when I joined, the summer between 3rd and 4th grade. I suspect I was invited by Danny Sims, the son of the den mother, Mrs. Sims. The Sims family lived a block over on Berry Rd. Danny was my age, his older brother Gordon a year or two older and Randy, Ronald, Raymond and Clayton. There was also one sister, Joy, who was several years older. Six boys and one girl altogether. Families were larger back then. I don’t think I ever met Mr. Sims. I remember them as a rowdy bunch of boys and Mrs. Sims as a kindly woman who was completely frazzled trying to keep up with all her sons and the gaggle of boys who were friends in #Scouting.

MjL

#5 Click this link to see Blog page --> 04/21/2024

We were not a poor family; my Dad was just tight-fisted. The rest of us were poor. (Another story for perhaps another time.) I was embarrassed that I didn’t have a Cub Scout uniform. No cap, shirt, pants or belt with shiny brass buckle. I did have a neckerchief held in place with a twisted pipe cleaner. Mrs. Sims gave me the neckerchief with the promise I would return it when I no longer needed it. I don’t remember if I ever gave it back. I hope I did.

<——(Click to enlarge) The only badge I can remember was the Bobcat I received when I joined #Scouting. I would pin it on my t-shirt for meetings.

MjL

#6 Click this link to see Blog page --> 04/22/2024

#Scouting I don’t remember very many details from my short time as a Cub Scout. There was one memento of a Mother’s Day gift made from a white plastic Ivory dish soap bottle. We cut the top off and wrote “Mother’s Day” on the side with glue – then sprinkled glitter into the glue. Mrs. Sims put a few plastic flowers in it. It held pride of place on shelves over the years until we cleaned the trailer out when Mom passed away. I wish I had kept it. Another was a failed scavenger hunt. We went door-to-door seeking odd items on a list and people weren’t too thrilled about us knocking on their door. The only item on the list I remember was a burned-out light bulb. I can remember wondering who would keep such a thing? I suppose it was the rare item on the list and nobody got one. I vaguely remember other activities involving modeling clay, crayons, and reading Scout related literature. Mostly just fond memories of a bunch of young boys together.

MjL

#7 Click this link to see Blog page --> 04/23/2024

I found a small metal tackle box containing some of my #Scouting stuff. The plastic trophy cup is from 1965 - I don’t know what I did to receive it. Maybe just a “Participation trophy”? The “W” patch is from Webelos (We’ll Be Loyal Scouts) the last leg of Cub Scouts before moving on to Boy Scouts. The other patches were safety pinned to my shirt at meetings. Click photo to Enlarge

MjL

#8 Click this link to see Blog page --> 04/23/2024

Michael T.

#9 Click this link to see Blog page --> 04/23/2024

MjL

#10 Click this link to see Blog page --> 04/24/2024

Jeff emailed a couple #Scouting memories. A Christmas card from his Den Mother, Mrs. Bryant, and a membership card from 1964. The Cubmaster was Mr. Bradley at the time the card was issued. (Neither Jeff nor I remember Mr. Bradley.) Jeff and I were Cub Scouts at least as early as the 4th grade. Click Photo to Enlarge

MjL

#11 Click this link to see Blog page --> 04/25/2024

(Image borrowed from Internet for illustration only.) There was one source of disappointment and shame I will always remember from one aspect of Cub Scouting. The Pinewood Derby. I worked diligently to carve my own little wooden race car. You can probably imagine how naive I was when I found out most of the cars had been carved and painted with a great deal of adult “supervision”. It was in that moment I was glad my parents hadn’t come to the event. I don’t think my clunky little car made it to the end of the track. I never entered another Derby for the rest of my years in #Scouting.

MjL

#12 Click this link to see Blog page --> 04/26/2024

Cub Scout Pack meetings were held at the grade school. I have vague memories of the few times I attended because I rarely went unless I was receiving an award, a new patch or something. It wasn’t worth the long walk there and back again otherwise.

There is one general memory I have of a cafeteria full of noisy boys and laughter. The occasional adult voice telling someone to, “Stop That!” or “No Running”. And then the mayhem would begin to subside. The nudge on the shoulder and the sound of shushing as hands would begin to rise in the air with two fingers up. Attention would quickly shift to the front of the room and it would be almost silent as the leader holding their hand aloft commanded attention. The first time I experienced this was when I realized that #Scouting was far bigger than Mrs. Sims’ living room. All these kids united in silent respect with hardly a word of command.

MjL

#13 Click this link to see Blog page --> 04/27/2024

My Webelos den leader was Mr. Baker. I remember him as an old man with a southern accent. He probably wasn’t very old on recollection because although he was older than my Dad, he was younger than my Grandpa. He didn’t shave regularly like my father though, because often he had gray stubble that was noticeable to a youngster not used to seeing it. Mr. Baker had two sons, David and Ronald. David was older and Ronnie was my age. I don’t recall that either of them was in #Scouting. The family lived on Sangamon Road in the block between Lincoln and Grant. On the NE side of the road as I remember. I was only in his charge for a year or so. Maybe less.

MjL

#14 Click this link to see Blog page --> 04/28/2024

Mr. Baker was at my side the first time I fired a gun. He took several of us to a gravel bluff along Rt. 29 at the base of the big hill between Creve Coeur and E. Peoria. Over and over he explained the importance of gun safety, to keep the gun pointed away, the safety on, and to keep your finger off the trigger until ready to shoot. (I must admit that I am not as safety conscious as I should be.) He told everyone but the shooter to sit on the ground behind him while he knelt alongside the prone shooter. He showed each of us how to load the single shot bolt action .22 caliber rifle. There was no scope and I don’t recall what we used as a target or if there was a target. The bullets were nose down in a block of wood with small holes drilled partially through. We only got to fire a few shoots into the bluff, probably three to five shots each. Each spent casing was collected and placed back into the block before loading another single round. We had to make sure the bolt was open and the breech was empty before handing it back to him and then getting up off the ground. It was one of the most exciting things I had done in #Scouting up to that time. I’m sure my Mom probably never knew anything about it and I know she would not have approved. I don’t know if Dad knew either and I don’t recall discussing it with him. I can’t imagine young boys doing it at that age today.

MjL

#15 Click this link to see Blog page --> 04/28/2024

Jeff Teel

#16 Click this link to see Blog page --> 04/28/2024

MjL

#17 Click this link to see Blog page --> 04/29/2024

Another #Scouting memory I have from my time with Mr. Baker is probably memorable because I got into some trouble with him. I took out my pocket knife, probably to clean my fingernails (a habit I have to this day) and he very quickly told me to put it back in my pocket. At the end of the meeting he took me aside to talk after the others had left. He asked me to give him my pocket knife and I thought he was going to keep it. After looking at it and testing the edge, he asked me if my folks knew I had it and I told him they did. They probably didn’t because I filched it from my Grandpa’s garage. It was an old twin blade Barlow very similar to this image borrowed from the Internet. He gave it back and somewhat sternly said he did not want to see me with it again. I’m sure I didn’t make that mistake again.

MjL

#18 Click this link to see Blog page --> 04/30/2024

I’m not sure when this event happened but I think it was near the time I went from Webelos to Boy Scouts. There was an outing in Peoria and I believe it was at Camp Wokanda. Dad either couldn’t or wouldn’t take me and I somehow ended up going with Tom Colson – a volunteer member of the Marq. Hts. Fire Dept. I know Dad wasn’t happy about me going with someone else and I can’t remember how Mr. Colson got involved, but I remember him driving us to Peoria in his pickup truck. The highlight for me was cooking lunch with foil with Mr. Colson’s supervision. I cut up some potatoes and onion and rolled it up with a blob of hamburger in aluminum foil. The ends of the foil packages were turned up like ears and we used them as handles to place them onto the coals of a fire. These were occasionally turned by grabbing the foil ears and flipping them over so the ears were upright again. It was the first time I ever cooked a meal over an open fire and it was delicious. I really don’t remember anything else but I do remember this event cemented my determination to continue with #Scouting.

MjL

#19 Click this link to see Blog page --> 05/01/2024

I’ve thought about this memory for a while and wasn’t sure how or if I should include it. I decided to go ahead with what little I remember. I’d heard of a Boy Scout troop on Algonquin Rd. and went to a meeting. There were only a few of us and I was immediately unsure about it. The Scoutmaster told us to call him “Sarge” and at the second meeting he made us do push-ups because of some transgression. I never went back because it seemed too strange and he wasn’t like any other Scout leader I had ever met. Within a few weeks after, I found out Mr. Mitchell was the Scoutmaster of Troop 193. He lived on my road and his son Alan was my age. I joined his troop for good. He was what #Scouting should be about. I’ve always been troubled with this memory because I don’t know if Mr. Mitchell replaced “Sarge”, if there was a separate Scout troop, or if possibly this “Sarge” was never a Scoutmaster at all.

MjL

#20 Click this link to see Blog page --> 05/01/2024

Jeff Teel

#21 Click this link to see Blog page --> 05/01/2024

Jeff, I’m actually amazed you kept that journal I don’t have many things from that time at all. I think it was the summer of 1966 that my matriculation occurred, but I am obviously not positive about that at all. I’m also vague about whether or not we had a Troop 193 sponsor, but I seem to remember some affiliation with the Presbyterian church and/or the Lions Club. #Scouting

MjL

#22 Click this link to see Blog page --> 05/01/2024

Jeff Teel

#23 Click this link to see Blog page --> 05/02/2024

MjL

#24 Click this link to see Blog page --> 05/02/2024

I have two distinct memories which may or may not be confluent. I learned on my first elevator ride that a button with LL meant Lower Level; The JCPenney building in downtown Pekin had a section of “official” Boy Scout uniforms and accessories in the basement. That first elevator ride might or might not have been there, but I thought “lower level” was just a posh way of saying basement. And an elevator ride was really boss every time. Simple pleasures of a sheltered youth. I can remember talking my folks into taking me there every chance I could and I would marvel at the knives, compasses, etc. that were available there. Over the years a lot of my paper route money was spent there. And I have none of that today. All lost to time. Even the uniform shirt with the patches. #Scouting Here are some examples of some of those purchases. Click to enlarge

MjL

#25 Click this link to see Blog page --> 05/02/2024

Michael, I have enduring memories of the “Lower Level” of Pekin’s downtown J.C. Penney store for the exact same reason – except I don’t remember the elevator. Well, I don’t remember the stairway either. What I wanted most from there was an Official Boy Scout Pedometer. I finally got one - a gift I think. Jeff #Scouting

Jeff Teel

#26 Click this link to see Blog page --> 05/02/2024

MjL

#27 Click this link to see Blog page --> 05/03/2024

One aspect of #Scouting nearly became a stumbling block for me. Religion. Although the Scouts don’t require religious teaching, it was highly encouraged, and I didn’t feel comfortable not being up front about not attending. My Mom was a Jehovah’s Witness and it didn’t take me long to decide that wasn’t for me. Mom and I had a long discussion which finally concluded with she wanted me to go to a church, any church, because she wanted me to have God in my life. She was strongly against the Catholics because her grandmother had tried to raise her Catholic and she hated it. And for that reason she understood my feelings about the Witnesses. Two of my best friends were Catholic and I once attended a Sunday Mass as a guest. I found it to be very confusing (at that time there was a lot of Latin, and of course, the whole fish on Friday thing.) There were no worries about me becoming Catholic. I actually chose to go to the MH Presbyterian church because I didn’t know anybody there, although it turned out later I did. I only attended a very short time and then switched to the local Baptist church because of another friend asking me. That didn’t last long either because I was told I had to wear black pants and white shirt and I didn’t own any. And I only had tennis shoes. Eventually I quit worrying about it, but I have had a life-long curiosity about different religions and faith. I eventually came to the conclusion – I Don’t Know. Faith has never come to me and I doubt it will at this late date. I’m not an Atheist, more probably an Agnostic. I believe there is something, I just don’t know what.

MjL

#28 Click this link to see Blog page --> 05/04/2024

It wasn’t just faith and God that disturbed me. I can distinctly remember at that time calling someone a “Square” was an insult.

Some of the guys I ran with were pretty rough. In my mind’s eye I can see them making the square and ridiculing people they thought were Pansies or Goody Two-shoes. We smoked cigarettes, told dirty jokes, used profanity, and stayed out after curfew. Calling myself Square worried me about what those guys would say or think of me.

MjL

#29 Click this link to see Blog page --> 05/04/2024

Michael, Scouts provided a “license to carry” This was my first “merit badge”. Don’t remember how I came to earn it. You didn’t mention we also got to play with fire! Jeff #Scouting

Jeff Teel

#30 Click this link to see Blog page --> 05/04/2024

#Scouting I’d logged off the computer before you posted this last night Jeff. Love the merit badge! (I don’t have that one ) And I didn’t even know there was such a thing as a Firem’n Chit.

MjL

#31 Click this link to see Blog page --> 05/05/2024

A right of passage I particularly remember was getting my Totin’ Chip. The right to carry and use a knife, axe or saw. It was one of the first things I was eager to learn; probably because I already carried a pocketknife but couldn’t use it until I earned the privilege. Plus – I really enjoyed learning how to sharpen a knife and axe properly. One aspect of the #Scouting Totin’ Chip was if you got caught misusing a knife, axe or saw, you would immediately have a corner cut off your card. Lose all four corners and you start over again! I only saw this happen one time. Somebody (I can’t remember who.) was trying to stick his knife in a tree by throwing it. Mr. Mitchell immediately took the knife away and asked for his Totin’ Chip. He cut a corner off with the offending knife. He gave the card back and kept the knife until the end of the campout. I did see another infraction when a boy chopped his own foot and cut his big toe. He was standing on a branch trying to cut it in two and the axe hit his foot instead. Luckily he had heavy shoes on. I don’t know if he lost a corner though. I was fortunate to keep mine intact and never lost a corner. As you can see in the scan on the left below, my Totin’Chip went for a swim, got caught in the rain, or a trip through the washing machine. I found the photo on right on the Internet. Click to Enlarge

MjL

#32 Click this link to see Blog page --> 05/05/2024

Jeff Teel

#33 Click this link to see Blog page --> 05/05/2024

MjL

#34 Click this link to see Blog page --> 05/05/2024

Jeff Teel

#35 Click this link to see Blog page --> 05/06/2024

Jeff’s entry about the Firem’n Chit started me thinking about fire building skills. It was a point of pride to be able to build a campfire with only one wooden kitchen match. After a lot of practice I was able to do it most of the time in dry conditions. It is always a challenge to build a fire in wet or windy weather. I found the important factors are patience, preparation, dry kindling, and air flow to fuel the flames. Build too tight and it won’t get air to burn, too far apart and the flames won’t catch the other kindling. Preparation is important because you need to have the fuel at hand to get it going. If you must go hunting for wood after you start - it will probably die before you get it going. There are two styles of fire building. Start small and patiently add successively larger pieces as it progresses. Or carefully lay it all out and light it; hoping the flames will build because of planning. It was usually not allowed to use accelerants, or any fuel not naturally found, but I did keep a small kit to Be Prepared for the need to get a fire going when needed. I had a flip-top metal Band-Aid box that contained extra matches, popsicle sticks, toothpicks, etc. I also kept an Army Surplus tube of hexamine that was sure to start a fire but I rarely used them. It had to be really bad weather to warrant the risk of getting in trouble. I also learned a crayon will burn long enough to light a fire, but not as reliable as the hexamine. #Scouting

MjL

#36 Click this link to see Blog page --> 05/07/2024

I was a Star Scout working on advancing to my Life rank and considered going all the way to being an Eagle Scout. Unfortunately, I lost all interest in academics and accolades after an experience at the end of my first semester of freshman year in high school. I had always done well in school and was a member of the Honor Society. My guidance counselor asked me to come visit her to discuss my acceptance into the High Honors community. At some point in the discussion, she showed me a list of the other members and I was flabbergasted to see about a dozen names of the dumbest guys who ever existed. I asked how in the heck the dumb jocks got on the list and she said academics were only a part of the qualification. Basically admitting it was more a popularity contest rather than an academic standing. I told her I wasn’t interested and walked out. I dropped out of the Honor Society altogether. I wasn’t going to stand next to jocks and cheerleaders and pretend it was an intellectual community. This attitude carried over to other aspects and although I graduated in the top 5% of my class academically, I was still expected to take “placement” tests like SAT, etc. I didn’t take those tests either. So with this disdain awakening in me I lost interest in the accolades of #Scouting. I continued to enjoy learning and experiencing camping and woodlore but couldn’t help wondering how many Scouts of high rank actually earned the accolades or were just popular. The “It’s not what you know, but who you know” adage has always disturbed me.

MjL

#37 Click this link to see Blog page --> 05/08/2024

My favorite #Scouting adventures were the weekend campouts and the Amaquonsippi Trail was one of the best. It is a sixteen-mile hike along both sides of the Spoon River and there are cable bridges to get across the river and tributaries along the way. Those bridges consist of a steel cable to walk on and another above you to hang onto. Pretty scary for some of the youngest Scouts. I went on at least three trips there and possibly four. I can remember being rather exhausted by the time we had finished. Oddly enough my last time was the most memorable. I was usually out front on these hikes - eager to get finished - but on this occasion, I was told to bring up the rear. I thought it was a kind of punishment at the time but in hindsight it was probably a lesson in leadership in disguise. Mr. Wood, an Assistant Scoutmaster, took me aside at the beginning of the hike and told me Mr. Mitchell wanted me to bring up the rear and make sure the OSS finished the hike and were all accounted for. I’d never heard of OSS before, and he explained it meant “Odd Shapes & Sizes”. I thought that was a bit insulting, but Mr. Wood had that kind of sense of humor. This meant I had to chaperone the youngest, the slowest, the chubby, and the gawkers who stopped to look at everything along the way. The cable bridges were a particular problem for some of these guys. It seemed like it took forever to get them all herded down the trail but it turned out to be very fun getting to know some of them. I was older and they treated me more like a leader than a fellow Scout and that was very different for me. And it reawakened the wonder in nature the gawkers had for everything. Maybe my first experience with the adage, “It is not the destination, but the journey, that is most enjoyable”.

MjL

#38 Click this link to see Blog page --> 05/08/2024

Michael, Yes, Amaquonsippi was a great trail! I have some memorabilia, but didn’t have a map/brochure, and couldn’t remember where the trail was located. Thanks for the info. I remember some of the bridges had their cables too far apart for the shortest scouts to have their feet on the lower cable and hands on the upper. I’m sure you were partly there to lift up the lower cable end at the bank (or pull the upper cable down) so they could reach and cross. Jeff #Scouting (Image from Jeff added after comment) (Click to Enlarge)

Jeff Teel

#39 Click this link to see Blog page --> 05/08/2024

MjL

#40 Click this link to see Blog page --> 05/08/2024

I received an email as follows from my Brother Alan, (Alan’s wife, Gloria, is active in Girl Scouts) I read up on your #Scouting memories! Good Stuff! Glo has some Amaquonsippi patches too. Passing them along. I have no recollection of ever going there.

MjL

#41 Click this link to see Blog page --> 05/09/2024

Another fun #Scouting trip was to the Red Covered Bridge Trail near Princeton. The hike is eighteen-miles-long (according to Jeff’s journal) and took most of the day. I think I walked it at least twice. There are two stories I believe are related to this hike. I don’t think they happened on the same trip. On one of the trips, it was very chilly, and spirits began to wane. The leaders handed out Tootsie Rolls for an energy boost (with strict instructions to put the wrappers in our pockets). Mr. Wood told a story about the Marines in the Korean War eating them. I had always thought it was just another Mr. Wood story, but just recently I happened upon an Internet page about it. The other was a panic caused by gunfire. We heard gunfire quite near, and the leaders started shouting, “Get down! Lay on the ground!” and then yelling “Stop Shooting!” in the direction of the shooters. Mr. Mitchell continued to yell as he headed that way and the shooting stopped. I didn’t see the shooters but heard plenty of expletive laden anger from Mr. Mitchell about shooting in a prohibited area. (Click to Enlarge)

MjL

#42 Click this link to see Blog page --> 05/09/2024

Jeff Teel

#43 Click this link to see Blog page --> 05/10/2024

I have many #Scouting memories of the yearly week-long camping trips to Wilderness Camp near London Mills. The only drawback was having to get somebody to cover my paper route while I was gone. That was usually my brother Alan. There are more incidents to tell about summer camp than will fit in this one submission so I will start with the first one from every trip. The swimming test. One of the very first things we did upon arriving was to go down to the lake and take a swimming test. This consisted of jumping off a pier into the lake and swimming the length of the pier. I didn’t even try the first year because I couldn’t swim a lick and I almost failed the second year. Every year after I passed the test easily. I spent the first year swimming sessions learning how to swim. Mostly it was a matter of gaining confidence and learning not to panic. These images are in no particular order. (Click on image to enlarge)

MjL

#44 Click this link to see Blog page --> 05/10/2024

Michael, I found two of my summer camp swimming tags. The tag categories (unmarked, red, and red/blue) related to swimming skill levels, I think. Seeing the tags reminded me of the board with hooks at the swimming area. The board was divided ‘OUT’ and ‘IN’ (or something similar). It was a serious matter if we left the lake forgetting to move our tag back to the ‘OUT’ side of the board! Jeff (Click to Enlarge) #Scouting

Jeff Teel

#45 Click this link to see Blog page --> 05/10/2024

MjL

#46 Click this link to see Blog page --> 05/11/2024

There was another important task at camp, even before the swim test, the inspection and cleaning of the outhouse. We were told not to use the toilet until Mr. Mitchell declared it ready. Mr. Mitchell would head for the outhouse armed with a can of wasp spray and a bottle of bleach. He drafted me once to go get a jug of water and help. He checked all around inside and out, spraying any wasp or hornet nests. He even squirted a cloud down into the toilet. He then liberally poured the bleach all over the bench to sanitize it. After a short while he instructed me to use the water to wash off the bleach. We would have to wait a while for the seat to dry before using it. He may have done this more often, but I only remember the initial cleaning when we arrived. We in the Rattlesnake patrol still complained of the horrid smell which was not abated by the cleaning. We called the stench the “John Monster”. #Scouting

MjL

#47 Click this link to see Blog page --> 05/11/2024

MjL

#48 Click this link to see Blog page --> 05/11/2024

Jeff Teel

#49 Click this link to see Blog page --> 05/11/2024

MjL

#50 Click this link to see Blog page --> 05/12/2024

Yesterday’s discourse about the outhouse stirred a memory of pre-teen curiosity and inappropriate behavior. A cry went up from the edge of camp. “Green Poop!” “Rod’s Poop is Green!” Most of the camp rushed over to the open latrine to examine this oddity and poke fun at poor Rod. Me included. It was green. Mr. Mitchell immediately broke it up and told everyone to go back to what they were doing – but the damage had been done. At that age there is no stopping potty humor. Poor Rod was razzed all weekend. Knock! Knock!     ——> Who’s There? Rod!              ——> Rod Who? Rod’s Green Poop! Q: What’s Black & White & Red All Over? A: A Sunburned Zebra. Q: What’s Black & White & Read All Over? A: A Newspaper. Q: What’s Short & Bumpy & Green All Over A: Rod’s Poop! Q: Would you rather unload    a truckload of Rod’s Green Poop    or a truckload of Dead Babies? A: Dead Babies - because you can use a pitchfork! #Scouting

MjL

#51 Click this link to see Blog page --> 05/13/2024

On my first #Scouting campout I helped put up a Baker tent for the weekend. It was made of heavy canvas and had no floor. There was a wooden pole at each side with another wooden support across the top of the doorway. The entire front was a flap that was usually flipped back over the top during the day. It was large enough for three kids.

(Image borrowed from Internet)

MjL

#52 Click this link to see Blog page --> 05/14/2024

Patrol leaders were responsible for setting up a duty roster for camp outs such as cooking, dish washing, etc. When I was a patrol leader I made one exception to the roster. If somebody was cooking and forgot to soap the pans, they were also going to scrub those pans clean. Applying soap to the bottom and sides of cooking pots and pans kept the soot from staining the aluminum. We were to maintain all cooking gear in shining good condition and it was unfair to the dishwasher to have to clean up after the cook’s negligence.

MjL

#53 Click this link to see Blog page --> 05/14/2024

Michael T.

#54 Click this link to see Blog page --> 05/14/2024

MjL

#55 Click this link to see Blog page --> 05/14/2024

Michael T.

#56 Click this link to see Blog page --> 05/14/2024

MjL

#57 Click this link to see Blog page --> 05/15/2024

I really enjoyed fall and winter camping. There were fewer blood sucking ticks and mosquitos. Fewer flies and gnats buzzing around your face. The obvious downside —— it was COLD! I had the most trouble with my feet. I didn’t have any proper cold weather shoes or boots for the first years and my feet were always frozen. I wouldn’t take my shoes off for the entire weekend because my shoes would be stiff and ice cold in the morning. My toes would never get warm. So I would wear them to sleep and my feet would warm up in the sleeping bag. The prize for winter camping was the Polar Bear patch. You had to camp overnight, and the temperature had to get below 32°F. I wore that Polar Bear rectangle like it was the Medal of Honor. #Scouting

MjL

#58 Click this link to see Blog page --> 05/16/2024

Our meetings almost always had an educational part. Learning to tie knots, use a compass, etc. They also usually had some fun time and when the weather was good it was often outside playing Boston Bulldogs. I remembered the game well, but I couldn’t remember what we called it. Thanks to Jeff’s journal for that reminder. We played in the strip of grass between the city Quonset building and the road. It would start with one or two guys in the middle and everyone else would run past them trying not to get caught. Getting caught meant getting grabbed and lifted off the ground. I really enjoyed it because I was large (overweight) and fairly strong so I was usually one of the last caught. It would take four or five guys to get me off the ground and I fought like crazy. This also meant I was also often one of the first to be in the middle when the game started. It was very physical with lots of bruises and not a few bloody noses or lips. Several times Mr. Mitchell would take me aside and remind me not to be so rough on the younger or smaller kids, but I would forget in the heat of battle. I don’t recall any permanent damage, but I don’t think this level of physical altercation would be allowed today. #Scouting

MjL

#59 Click this link to see Blog page --> 05/17/2024

In most #Scouting activities I was better in actual outdoor use than in indoor study. Except the compass. I was great at using a compass to figure out a destination on a map, but in the only outdoor exercise our group got lost. I think we were at Spring Lake because I remember there were pine trees and it was very sandy. We were given a list of compass bearings and distances. We must have taken a wrong turn or something because eventually somebody showed up to get us back to camp. I don’t remember how they ever found us. It was embarrassing. I don’t remember ever again actually using a compass to navigate to somewhere.

MjL

#60 Click this link to see Blog page --> 05/18/2024

Towards the end of my time in #Scouting my father, Ronald Legel, began participating. He drove Scouts to and from events in our VW van. The van had a bumper sticker from the Royal Gorge in Colorado and somebody either misread it or was witty enough to come up with naming the van “Royal George”. Lots of kids clamored to get a ride in Royal George and one time when it got stuck in the sand, the whole troop worked together to push it out.

MjL

#61 Click this link to see Blog page --> 05/18/2024

Jeff Teel

#62 Click this link to see Blog page --> 05/18/2024

MjL

#63 Click this link to see Blog page --> 05/19/2024

Once again I was reading through the #Scouting thread and the silly incident regarding Rod’s BM brought to mind another instance of the cruel reaction adolescents sometimes display in awkward moments. We were eating lunch. I don’t remember anything else but apples. A bee landed on Dwight’s apple. Before anyone could say anything Dwight started to take another bite and got stung on the lip. He howled in pain and a bunch of the kids started laughing. Somebody managed to calm Dwight enough to remove the stinger from his lip, but the giggles and snickers persisted. The embarrassing memory of Dwight crying in pain with the backdrop of laughter. I’m also embarrassed to say I don’t know if I laughed.

MjL

#64 Click this link to see Blog page --> 05/20/2024

I remember blowing on campfires to get them to burn hotter or to stir up some flames to catch more wood on fire. There was always the risk you might singe your eyebrows and eyelashes, not to mention ashes in your face. Another oft used method was to fan the coals with a metal dinner plate, but it usually guaranteed dirt and ashes in the cocoa.

One day messing around in the shed behind our house I found a piece of copper tubing and had a light bulb moment. I took it with me on our next camp out and it worked perfectly. It was less than a foot long and fit nicely in my backpack. I still had to lean in a little but it was much better than sticking my face so close to the fire. I only got to use it a few times before it went missing. I probably left it laying on the ground and forgot to put it away. It seemed like such a neat invention at the time. #Scouting

MjL

#65 Click this link to see Blog page --> 05/21/2024

In 1971 our troop project for the Scout-O-Rama in Morton was the making of a totem pole which was later erected at Wilderness Camp. My brother, Alan, took photos in 2000. The #Totem reflected each of the patrols in our troop. This was probably one of the last #Scouting events I participated in before I moved on to an Explorer troop. Click on Image to Enlarge

MjL

#66 Click this link to see Blog page --> 05/22/2024

I’m sorry to say that during all my years in #Scouting I completely took our scoutmaster, Mr. Mitchell, for granted. It wasn’t until years later I realized how much of his time and energy he invested in our lives. Weekly meetings, monthly weekend camp outs, a full week at summer camp, and the list goes on. All the time he spent with us, instead of with his family. The financial cost I’m sure he willingly invested in our care. He wasn’t just our leader but also a mentor you could go to at any time for help or just someone who would listen. There were numerous other fathers who assisted him, but it seemed it was always Mr. Mitchell at the front of the troop; leading us to be better people and men. I only wish now I had realized it back then and had properly thanked him for it.

MjL

#67 Click this link to see Blog page --> 05/22/2024

Michael, You’re right, Mr. Mitchell was right there with us. I wouldn’t have made Eagle Scout without his help. I’d been a Second Class Scout for a year and a half when I transferred to Troop 193. The hold-up on making First Class was I couldn’t swim. The First Class swimming requirement was “. . . jump overboard feetfirst in water slightly over your head, swim 25 yards, make a sharp turnabout, level off, and return to the starting point.” Mr. Mitchell gave me help with this himself at swim nights, and also arranged for Mr. Witzig (owner of the Morton clothing store) to give me personal lessons. Six months later I was First Class. Mr. Mitchell didn’t berate anyone, nor allow us to either, but he did have a quiet exasperated look when the situation merited it. I received that look once during a canoe trip on Cedar Creek (or perhaps it was the Spoon River). The canoes were spread out along the creek. With all the bends, it seemed we were by ourselves. At one bend we ended up in the water. My glasses came off and were carried away in the current. We were diving to try to find them when Mr. Mitchell’s canoe floated up. After explaining what we were doing, he told us to give up and move on downstream. It was hours after we were back at camp before Mr. Mitchell arrived. I found out later from another adult that Mr. Mitchell had been looking for my glasses himself! Mr. Mitchell wasn’t always at the front of the troop. Sometimes he was at the center or bringing up the rear Jeff #Scouting

Jeff Teel

#68 Click this link to see Blog page --> 05/23/2024

Jeff’s #Scouting entry from yesterday bolsters my high regard for our Scoutmaster. He was truly a good role model. It also confirms Jeff and I were at the same Fall Camporee that year as my scans of badges below confirm. I participated in at least four Camporees and enjoyed them all. I believe we used up a bucket of twine lashing up pieces of wood to make a camp table that year. I wasn’t impressed with the social events some of the troops offered. I didn’t care for the skits or scavenger hunts nearly as much as the activities that highlighted camping and outdoor skills.

MjL

#69 Click this link to see Blog page --> 05/24/2024

I was elected a member of the Order of the Arrow. The Order of the Arrow is Scouting’s national honor society. Founded 100 years ago, it recognizes Scouts and Scouters who best exemplify Scouting values in their daily lives. scoutingmagazine.org I remember the initiation process as a 24-hour test of silence and service. We spent one night sleeping in the wild with only a sleeping bag and no fire or light. We spent the next day cutting weeds, painting, etc. All types of service to Scouts and #Scouting. We were to remain silent and obedient. I distinctly remember accidentally breaking silence at lunch time. One of the leaders was handing out sandwiches and I said, “Thank you.” He looked at me over the top of his glasses with a raised eyebrow. I immediately realized I had spoken aloud and then compounded it by saying, “I’m sorry!” He smiled and said he wouldn’t fault me for being polite but that I should try harder to be quiet. That evening there was a ceremony with a lot of family members in attendance. We were dressed only in loin clothes and sat on the ground, each of us with small fires in front of us. I remember the mosquitoes were horrible. I only recall attending one lodge meeting with Mr. Mitchell.

MjL

#70 Click this link to see Blog page --> 05/25/2024

Here is a picture of Mr. Mitchell and Mr. Wood. They came out in December of 2015 to check out the totem pole that Gloria and I rescued and repainted/repaired. We found it tossed in a wood pile at Ingersoll Boy Scout Camp, formerly named Camp Wilderness, where we set the pole originally. According to camp caretakers, the pole fell over around 2010; we found it in 2013 and brought it home. Considering the pole was a used pole and it stood at camp for 40 years or more, Mr. Wood thought that the pole was close to 100 years old or more. Probably the only totem pole out there with a VW beetle. Ha Ha!

Click on photo to enlarge

MjL

#71 Click this link to see Blog page --> 05/25/2024

Jeff Teel

#72 Click this link to see Blog page --> 05/26/2024

I don’t really know for sure how I got these two patches. An Internet search suggests it was a BSA campaign to recruit new scouts in early 1967. It wouldn’t apply at all to #Scouting today because it is not a guys only organization anymore.

MjL

#73 Click this link to see Blog page --> 05/27/2024

These #Scouting patches were part of a 1965 BSA recruiting campaign according to the Internet. I think I was still a Webelo when I got them. LINK

MjL

#74 Click this link to see Blog page --> 05/28/2024

One of my not so fond memories of #Scouting was the awful sulfur smell and taste of the water at Wilderness Camp. We found it helped to let the water stand in an open jug for a while and it seemed to dissipate. I can remember the sulfur smell of Yellowstone National Park reminded me of Boy Scout summer camp. Blech!

MjL

#75 Click this link to see Blog page --> 05/29/2024

I don’t remember what year it was, but I do remember a medical emergency at Wilderness Camp. One of our scouts, Denny Jackson, had an appendicitis attack and we had to carry him out on a stretcher. It had rained all week and a vehicle couldn’t make it to our camp site. Mr. Mitchell organized a bunch of us older scouts to take turns carrying Denny to the camp office area for an emergency medical evacuation. We jounced poor Denny quite a lot getting him there. He survived the ordeal and many years later I met him again at the CAT Research Center where we both worked. A shared #Scouting memory.

MjL

#76 Click this link to see Blog page --> 05/30/2024

Jeff had mentioned a #Scouting canoe trip in a previous entry and it reminded me of what fun those were. It was also the cause of the most unusual sunburn I ever had. I usually did not sit up in a canoe and instead knelt in the bottom to lower my center of gravity. It wasn’t so tippy that way. And it was easier to paddle as I was closer to the water. On one trip my shoes got wet and they were uncomfortable, so I took took them off and tied them to the cross support of the canoe. Hours later, when I climbed out of the canoe at the end of the trip, my feet hurt terribly as I walked through the gravel on the shore. I had sunburned the bottom of my feet! In the kneeling position, the bottoms of my feet were exposed to the sun for the first time ever. I never went canoeing barefoot again.

MjL

#77 Click this link to see Blog page --> 06/04/2024

MjL

#78 Click this link to see Blog page --> 06/06/2024

Michael, Thanks for all these #Scouting stories! You jogged some memories for me. I’d like to make a shout-out for the Potawatomi Trail in McNaughton Park. I might have been there once with scouts, but I’m sure I was there at other times with some of my sisters, and we also hiked the Running Deer Trail in Dirksen Park. Definitely had my Boy Scout canteen with me, if not also my Yucca pack filled with snacks. Jeff Click any image to enlarge

MjL

#79 Click this link to see Blog page --> 07/21/2024

Jeff’s Bicycle Trip (Link to the beginning) Day 7 - still near Niobrara, NE I borrowed this photo from Jeff’s trip to add to the #Scouting thread.

MjL