Summer camp '15

I don't think I have ever spent a week camping in so much rain.
My camera bag was soaked just sitting in my tent and there are no pictures to post.

The craft area was well used with four very large classes. Two Leatherwork and two Woodcarving.
All but three blue cards were completed, which must be a record.

Meal times breaks and evenings saw boards of review for every rank from Scout to Eagle. It could be that the advancements were in record numbers as well.

For OA we accomplished one Brotherhood walk ... my contribution ... and one Vigil ... another night out of my week spent in the pouring rain. Luckily. due to plan "B", the candidate was able to keep his fire going and stay dry, and be awarded his sash and recognition.

Another ceremony which I missed (can't be everywhere at once), was a beading ceremony for the most recent woodbadge course. I was particularly honored because the candidate took a book I had created and put it on line and available to scouts through the internet.

Many years ago, the Far East Council held yearly "College of Commissioner Science" courses. The first year one would take the course. The second year, for a master's degree, one taught the course and for the third year, one would spend one year on a project.

I submitted three proposals and the one selected for my PHD was a reference book on plants that could be used by English-speaking Scouts and Scouters for identifying trees and plants. I completed the book within the year using a word processor. It could be printed out on A4 size paper and with each page folded print-side-out, stapled along the open side to create a small book. That was in February 1991.

It was put on line by Troop 15 and available to troops in our area. The woodbadge candidate took the original copy and turned it into a file that can be accessed and even added to.

WB_Ticket(4)_KantoPlantGuide_KAtobe.pdf  My own computer skills are limited but if there are those in the area who would like to have a walking map of trees they can use to teach the requirements for plants, or to test the scouts, I would be glad to create one. This makes it more simple for those who are not familiar with Japanese trees and plants. You just follow the map, look up the number on the map and read the description. With observation skills, one shouldbe able to identify which tree is being described.
Thanks Ken Atobe for your hard work and computer skills. I know scout requirements are always changing but I hope this will not disappear as did the poisonous animals. Of course we still need to know how to treat a poisonous snake bite but we no longer need to identify whether a snake is poisonous ... go figure????