Patrol t-shirts - check.

3 garbage bags - check.

baby powder...(?)... - check.

These were the sounds of "bag check" on Tuesday evening as Troop 812 Scouts dropped off their large and medium duffel bags. Discussions about the heat, departure at 3:30 am and plans to continue preparing for the National Jamboree and tour dominated the conversations.

See you bright and early on Saturday as we load the 18 wheeler...!

SHAKEDOWN BREAKDOWN!!

The one word to describe the setup is: teamwork. The Troops rolled in a various times, some early in the afternoon, some late in the evening. The one thing all of them had in common was that every single Scout worked hard to help get their campsites ready to show off. We wanted to finish before the sun set, but after that, we were motivated "so we didn't have to worry about it during our events," Hayden Hall commented.

All the OC Troops had different approaches on camp layout. Some experienced Scouts set up the shade shelters in an hour, but some "set ours up for the first time. It took almost four hours," said Nick Nazari of T-824. With the camp just steps away from completion, the Troops went to sleep for the night.

Saturday morning the Troops woke up for reveille. After a quick breakfast, Scouts went back to work for the final details on the campsite. As Trevor Osaki mentions, "Because all the Scouts in our Troop worked together toward a common goal, we were able to set up our site in an efficient manner."

Then came the fun part of the weekend; the Events. With no schedule of what to do when, all the patrols went to town, having fun while working their way through all the activities. "I have a bump from when the helmet hit me, but it was crazy fun!," says Scout Zach Caudill after walking away from Pillow Jousting. At the set time, patrols lined up for shotgun shooting, which was the most fun activity for the majority of the camp. "I hit eight of the ten shots," commented Taylor Baudoin after one of his best rounds.

Reflecting back on the weekend, "I am proud of how fast we set up camp, and despite a few setbacks with our equipment, we did a pretty awesome job. There are times in this Troop where leadership is not necessary because the patrols have become teams and with their teamwork they are fully functional, completing tasks on time and having fun," says Matthew Bicakci, Assistant Senior Patrol Leader.

Troop 812 had a great weekend and we are not the only ones who think so. The Troop won awards for the participation in the Cleanest Camp, an award for WINNING the Best Campsite, and the Best Patrol Yell. Finally, the award that should have been handed out but wasn't is the "best hamburger award." Mr. Mac would have won this hands down with his Scotty Mac Burger...it puts the McDonald's Big Mac to shame! "The Best Set of Wheels Award" definitely goes to Evan!

Troop Equipment Gets A Paint Job

Yesterday, Troop members arrived bright and early for painting. We unloaded all the boards for the entrance gate out of the shed, as well as the gear boxes and patrol boxes. We propped the individual pieces against the shed, pulled out the paint, and started to apply the first layer of primer to the planks. As many were hard at work on the gateway, two boys from each patrol primed their patrol boxes. With the first layer complete and the brushes clean, we moved on to the second layer of color. As it turned out, all the patrol leaders, except for Los Guerreros, decided to paint their boxes blue ☻. The rest of the gateway was painted tan. After the second layer, we all went back one last time for a touch-up layer on all the boxes, legs, planks... everything. With the painting complete, the Troop was dismissed after a few hours of fun, hardworking painting.

Have Scouts... Will Camp....

This weekend was full of fun. Everyone got to camp excited for what was to come. Camp was set up faster than anyone expected, and we were able to get started on activities immediately after. We got our mess kits, learned about safety around camp, built rockets, and swam in the pool. Thanks to lifeguards Rudy, Trevor, and Alex, everyone passed their swim tests. Bobby and Keet were such advanced swimmers, they took their swim tests with syncronized swimming. After wrapping up the swim checks, everyone had tons of time to have fun in the pool and... under water.

Dinner of beef stew, mashed potatoes, and salad gave us all the energy we needed to participate in a campfire. The Watchmen, Cookie Monsters, Dragons, and Los Guerreros had fun performing songs, skits, and readings for the adults and siblings in the audience. Everyone left the amphitheater and went back to camp for a cracker barrel of cookies and hot chocolate. As the parents started to leave, the Scouts climbed into their tents for the night.

An earsplitting air horn woke up everyone in the campsite. After a quick breakfast of cereal and muffins, camp was packed up. With rocket launching on our minds, we worked as fast as possible.

With all the gear in the trucks, we went rocket launching. Ironically, the Flying Turd had the best flight, and the pencil couldn't get off the pad... (but it still looked cool Paul :D) Others, like the Banana, made the leaders a little nervous ☻

After getting back to the meeting spot and unloading the gear, we dispersed. Congratulations Noah for the Scoutmaster's Knot for the campout!!

Gettin' Ready

Tonight's meeting felt like we were going to a funeral.... just kidding! it was just the boxes that we will use to transport our gear resemble coffins. We went to work right away, setting up the biggest EZup (which wasn't so easy to get up) that I had ever seen. Assembling this giant piece of equipment took up most of the meeting. For the first time, we all got to see the design being used for our gateway, which will be assembled on April 10. The troop is really bonding now as is evident by all the jokesters. See you all this weekend!

Unlost

Full Day!!! Unlost was by far the best activity we have had to date. We stated off picking up our jackets, and then trying to figure out how to work the ticket dispensers. Thanks to Evan's button pressing job, everyone got their tickets on time.

Once we arrive in L.A. the subway was the next form of transportation that was nothing short of fun with a seemingly messed up throttle. We then boarded a bus and were dropped off at the National Cemetery where our first order of serious business took place; the election of Troop 812 Senior Patrol Leader. After the brief speeches, the Scouts voted, and in the end it was tuba player, motivated Rudy S. who came out on top. Congrats Rudy! One of the most interesting parts of the day was at the cemetery, when the patrols split up to search for different soldiers' headstones and present what we found to the troop.

After taking the bus and subway back, we all had food on our minds. as we exited the subway station, the smell of warm foods wafted around our noses. One block later and we found ourselves in line at Philippes restaurant, wanting only to lay our hands on the soaked bread of a famous French Dip sandwich. We stuffed ourselves with some of the best meat, bread, cake, and even baked apples!

With our stomachs full, everyone walked another block up the street and came to Olvera Street. We walked up and down the street, stopping to look at what vendors were selling, and after a couple hours of shopping, the Scouts took a break at the top of the street where performers were dancing.

A couple more pictures in the train station and it was back home for Troop 812. A special award, the Scoutmaster's Knot, was handed out to Haiden for exemplifying the best Scout Spirit on our activity. Good Job Haiden! A quick motivation check (CHECK!) organized by our new SPL, and then everyone dispersed.

To all of the adult leaders who made this trip possible, THANKS! Everyone had a great time. For some of us, it was the first time travelling on a train, subway, or bus, but for all of Troop 812, it was a fun learning experience that only made us more excited to get to Virginia!

11/19/2009

Sorry for the late post!!! It's been a busy couple of weeks. So.... Last meeting was important for the members because, instead of hearing about past Jamborees, everyone got a sense of what a modern Jamboree is like. Scouts Dennis Maccarthy and Evan Seacrist spoke to the group about their experiences from the 2005 Jamboree. They shared with us places they went, such as the Empire State Building, Ellis Island, Times Square, and Boston. Their stories made us even more excited to start out on our own adventure. "You will learn how to sleep sitting up reall well," says Evan. After the question and answer session about Jamboree, the troop split up into patrols and started a game of tug-of-war. Some patrols struggled while the others pulled with ease. The meeting ended with a ScoutMaster's Minute. Another great meeting Mr. Mac!!!