GreenMountainGear - home of the GOOD stuff! :-D

If you're like me, and have been Scouting for ANY length of time, then you find out QUICKLY, what WORKS, and what DON'T! As I'm getting back into REAL Scouting with my son (OK... so he's a Tiger Cub... he'll be camping EVENTUALLY! MOREOVER, so will his two little brothers, coming along BEHIND him!), my attention is turning back towards outdoor gear. As not a few Scouters also have a military background, I - like they - come to prefer mil-spec gear in MANY respects; notably, if the United States Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, & Coast Guard can't break it, there's a fair chance it MIGHT hold up to Boy Scout-grade punishment as well!

No, Scouts may NOT attire in mil-spec camo, including caps & shemaghs (unless you're an ROTC Venture Crew, but that's a bit esoteric for our discussion here...), sheath knives are still forbidden at camp, & no matter HOW rowdy they get on that cross-country excursion, you probably still won't need a tactical bullet-proof vest (all of which they CARRY!), BUT... will your Scouts & troop ever need;

- a dependable folding/pocket knife?
- first aid kits that are field ready & tested?
- pocket survival kit (can you say, "Wilderness Survival Merit Badge?")?

I'm REALLY sold on the quality & price of their first aid gear - I've bought several med kits from them, for use around the house, my cars, and for my backpack. The service is great, the shipping fast (order by Tuesday, and you'll be able to take it in the field with you Friday night for that weekend camporee! That may vary slightly around the country, but it's true in Pittsburgh at least!), and the gear has been TESTED U.S. Armed Forces TOUGH.

And, if you have some other 'hobbies (can you say, "Rifle Shooting" merit badge?)' along these lines, GreenMountainGear will do you right there as well! Give 'em a try sometime - you won't regret it!

Bob McCanless
Pittsburgh

Some thoughts on Red Feather Lodge #403...

Being a lifelong easterner (and most of that in the southeast!), you may wonder why I'd choose this topic for exploration. Fair enough - I actually married a girl who's three generations from Chadron, NE, which is about an hour north of Scottsbluff, NE, the headquarters of the former Wyo-Braska Council #325 back in the day. Chadron, a little town of about 6,000 (there's a small state university there, which accounts for MUCH of that - they didn't get a McDonalds in that town unti the early 90's!), was actually one of the BIGGER towns of the old Wyo-Braska Council, and since I still have relatives there - including an Eagle Scout father-in-law - this is why I find it so fascinating!

Needless to say, as scarce as Wiyaka Luta #403 flaps and patches are, these Red Feather #403 insignia are even tougher! Thing is though, there technically exists NO documented Red Feather Lodge insignia. Even though these flocked felt rounds pop up from time to time (and can be had fairly cheaply, too, I might add!!!), NO ONE has ever found the paperwork necessary, to prove these are THE OA insignia of the Lodge.

Sadly, I'm not going to shock the world here, by posting said proof (though I wish that I could). Rather, through my father-in-law (Eagle Class of '50 - Wyo-Braska Council), I hope to shed some light on Scouting & the Order of the Arrow in particular, that MIGHT explain why it IS so tough, to both find - and DOCUMENT - these early OA pieces.

Seems my father-in-law - & MOST of the boys in that town - were none too keen, on joining the OA! Racism was hardly limited to the "Jim Crow" south of the 1950's; seems most whites out near the Indian reservations of NE, SD, & MT, were as UN-fond of the Lakota, Cheyenne, & Crow, as had been a settler or twelve a less than a century earlier! To identify with so obvious a Lakota name/symbol as the Red Feather, and the OA in general, would have been akin to asking Gov. Wallace in 1964, for his NAACP contribution! Simply put, very FEW boys opted to exercise their OA invitation in those days, an attitude I'm sure, was reinforced in no small part, by parents, and even popular culture of the day. If you don't believe THAT, then take a look at Looney Tune Golden Classics Vol. V - it just came out this fall. Check out "Injun Joe" on Disc 3. Oy vey...

If you read my post from earlier this year, than you know I've spent a little time on the res in Pine Ridge. It is indeed, a different world there. Not SO different from us - people are people, and all have the same basic needs - food, shelter, love, a purpose in life - and all people have the same desires - peace in our time, a better future for their children, and the like. Getting to MEET and KNOW different peoples from us, makes all the difference in the world. I just don't know that those opportunities were there, in the early 1950's yet. Consequently, even our Boy Scout history of that part of the country suffers, and is incomplete still, as of this day.

A little more info can also be found here, but again, it's sketchy at best, and sheds no more light on these mysterious felt rounds either. I remain hopeful... for a few more years, at least, that something may YET be discovered about these pieces, before anybody who COULD still be old enough to be 'in the know,' is gone. It would be a shame to lose that history - good, bad, or ugly as it may be...

Bob McCanless
Pittsburgh

GUACAMOLE!!!! 2008 is here! :-o

Is it 2008 already?!?! Seems like yesterday, it was Zachary's first Pack Award Ceremony! Oh yeah, that was the end of September. I missed Sox winning another World Series, The Festival of the Reformation, Thanksgiving, da' STILLERS makin' da' playoffs, and Christmas!!! Uhmmm... would you believe, that I've been BUSY?

Well, Zachary keeps plugging along at his Pack - he's good at memorization, but it takes him a while - he's finally gotten his Cub Scout Oath and Law of the Pack memorized, and will be getting his Bobcat badge soon (pictures to follow!). The boys started school with Zachary this fall, so the house is kinda quiet in the mornings whe they're gone, what with just mommy & Katie putting around. And - oh yeah! I got the call, to serve as the FULL-TIME Pastor here at Concordia!

The call committee finished up their work in October, and extended me the call on Oct.28 (Reformation Sunday!), which I announced my acceptance of, on Sunday, Nov.18. Given the proximity to Advent & Christmas, we just decided to put off the formal installation, until Jan.13, 2008. Besides, it's not as if they haven't been used to seeing me around here since the end of LAST August anyways. I might have a picture or twelve of that to post eventually, too.

I've had a LOT of thoughts of useful things to post for a while, but HAVEN'T - I wished I'd taken my camera to Cub Scout Fun Day out at South Park (no, not THAT South Park! We have one here in Pittsburgh, too) back in October, but I'm sure I'll get other pictures eventually. I'm proud of that fact, that being 9 generations from NC, I was the ONLY one there that day in SHORTS!!! Who's da MAN!?!?!

I'll post some other stuff here REAL soon, I PROMISE - SCOUT'S HONOR! For starter's, since Russell Means' group out in the Lakota Nation have declared independence again , this seems a timely post - a bit of insight, if not explanation & documentation of - the scarcity of Red Feather Lodge #403 insignia, & paucity of information ABOUT that Lodge. I've actually worked on this post for a sentence or two at a time for over 6 mos., it seems, but that will be coming up next!

Here's HOPING I get a chance to make a post or two this coming year... whew!

Bob McCanless
Pittsburgh

Pack 210 rides again!

Well a new Cub Scout year is off & running, and we're still running with Pack 210 here on the south side of Pittsburgh! Our first two meetings, were Roundup/Fast Start Training nights, so Zachary didn't go to those, as I wouldn't have been able to stay with him anyway (I supplied the Fast Start Training materials, but I had to go to an Eastern District LC-MS Pastor's conference in Buffalo THAT week, so we BOTH missed that meeting!).

HOWEVER, we had our first Pack Award Ceremony of the fall last Monday, as all the boys who earned awards over the summer received them. Zachary was recognized as being a new Tiger, plus, he got his first activity patch - the patch from Cub Scout Day camp!

Many of you who have knowledge of - or experience with - your camp's summer woodcraft projects, probably know the name, "Bob Rietmeyer." We like Bob here at Pack 210, because he's our committee chairman! As a woodcrafter/carver extraordinaire, our Pack - as you might expect - NEVER has a shortage of things 'woodcrafty' to do!

Ergo, Zachary got to make a nice little toolbox for mommy's garden tools that night, as our Pack activity for the meeting. He's actually getting better at this already, as the pictures will attest (I still start the nails, and let him finish them).

We're having lots of fun so far, and mommy was quite happy with her toolbox. October 22nd is the next Pack Award Ceremony and our Halloween party (as a diehard Lutheran, we do not celebrate "Halloween," per se - I celebrate either, the Festival Eve of the Reformation, or, All Hallow's Eve, but I detest 'Halloween... '), so maybe I'll dress him as Luther or some such... unless MOMMY gets her way...

Bob McCanless
Pittsburgh

New Dance category for NOAC? ;-)

Swedish Techno!

ACTUALLY... it's not AS far-fetched, as appears on the surface. Take a look, and a listen:



Heaven help me, it's 12 years later, and I can still get all 200lbs and THEN some of me on the dance floor, when "Cotton-Eye Joe" cranks up. I am of course, a child of the 80's. The EARLY 80's; think, Duran-Duran, A Flock of Seagulls, Ultravox, The Boomtown Rats, Oingo-Boingo, Gary Numan, et.al. Maybe that's why I like Rednex so much - everything they perform, sounds like everything ELSE they've ever done - there's a comfort, familiarity, and safety in that. That said, "Spirit of the Hawk" IS a bit different for them!

It'd certainly be a FRENETIC performance - First Place would certainly earn a Gatorade, to go with their ribbon!

Bob McCanless
Pittsburgh

OBV flaps are outlawed... again...

Here's the link to the NOAC's actual (& latest) position. Big whup.

Here was my actual reply, when this came down the pipe on Patch-L;

Here's hoping that most Lodges meet it with the resounding YAWN that it deserves...

Were it not that MOST BSA patches (local & national) are made for a nickel a piece these days, in sweatshops by children to young to BE OA members, I probably wouldn't care. I think whether my flap looks like any of the other 30,000 (CONSERVATIVE estimate on how many of the current 57 s5 regular issue have been made over the years!) made just like it, or whether it has the special SMY VIG border that I'm having custom made for my OWN personal use, is small potatoes, compared to whether or not we should examine our own policies about who MAKES them, and where. I'm still holding my breath, to see if there'll be a recall notice on our s5; for too much lead in the thread...

Bob... *yawn*... McCanless
Pittsburgh

It set off a rather nice discussion on the topic, with most folks missing altogether, the following points;

a) Everyone - EVERYONE - in the Order of the Arrow, holds one of three distinctions - either, ORDEAL, BROTHERHOOD, or VIGIL HONOR. Is National planning on doing away with these three distinctions? Are they planning on ditching separate sashes? Are they planning on ARRESTING everyone at the next NOAC or Jambo, whose members show up, with one or more different-colored borders on their flaps?!?!

b) So, OBV flaps are verboten, because, everyone either IS - an Ordeal, Brotherhood, or Vigil Honor member, but HALO flaps can continue, because... those Lodge members who wear them, reside in a video game?!?!

c) OA flaps for Jambos, NOACs, Lodge 12th anniversaries, etc., can continue to contain up to 137 pieces, but OBV flaps are forbidden because... they can ONLY cover 1 pocket flap at a time on the uniform shirt?!?!

I can think of a LOT of things to ban, vis-a-vis OA flaps (JERRY BEARS, leaps IMMEDIATELY to mind!!!), but of all the nit-wittery that the NOAC can think of to occupy a meeting agenda, this HAS to rank right below mounting toilet paper in the bathrooms of National HQ, in an under-roller or over-roller fashion.

Sheesh... can we find these people some REAL work, please?!?!

Bob McCanless
Pittsburgh

Got this in my e-mail this morning - for those of you on Patch-L, it's no big deal - for everyone else however, you'll probably enjoy this. It was done by the son of the editor-in-chief of The Blue Book Guide to OA Insignia (Bill Topkis), so I take no credit - other than being able to - remarkably! - make a YouTube viewer actually appear in my blog! Here goes!



Neat stuff, from one of the CO-founders, of the Order of the Arrow.

Ta da.

Bob McCanless
Pittsburgh

Don't worry - I got'cha covered! :-o

I originally posted this story under humorous Police anecdotes on a different website. Upon further review, it's just TOO funny not to post here!

I don't mean to be obtuse when it comes to explaining how Scouting & Explorer Posts work - I simply posted it to a NON-Scouting site originally, and in case my readers there WEREN'T familiar with Scouting, I made certain to spell it all out, so as to leave no confusion, FYI.

Two things then - IF you are a Scout/Explorer reading this, by ALL MEANS - do NOT attempt to recreate this moment!!! This story originally took place over twenty years ago - you WILL be in more trouble TODAY, than you ever dared dream was possible!!! Always, ALWAYS, ALWAYS - follow the instructions of your Post Advisor and Law Enforcement officials TO THE LETTER. Furthermore, when in doubt - READ THE INSTRUCTIONS!!! They are there for his safety, as WELL as yours!

Secondly, this story comes to me, via a LONG-TIME 'perfhushanul' Scouter associated with that Council, and verified by two long-time volunteers, so I trust its veracity. Nonetheless, enjoy it for what it's worth - a humorous story, that ENDED up well.

When I was going to graduate school in Ft. Wayne, IN, I was also working for the Boy Scouts part-time, which is where I heard this story.

For High school-aged Scouts (ages 14-21, actually) interested in career exploration, there is a program called "Explorers." One of the more popular programs, is the Law Enforcement Explorer Post (a "Post" is what each Scout unit in Exploring is called). These units are sponsored all across the country by various PD's, Sheriff's Departments, Highway Patrol/State Police Barracks, and for military dependents overseas, even MP Units at the local bases. Scouts get to study firsthand with the local constabulary, all the various job requirements and duties of law enforcement; from the most mundane (paperwork), to the most complicated (DNA analysis) to - of course - the most FUN (firing handguns - under STRICT supervision at a range, of course).

Long a complaint by adult volunteers in the Scouting program, is the notion that to MANY a parent in this day & age, "BSA" stands for (in THEIR mind), "Baby Sitters Anonymous"), as evidenced by their tendency to slow to about 35mph, before pushing the kid out the car at the Scout meeting, and zooming off into the distance, until time to pick the kid up again. Univolved, uninformed, unenlightened parents, is what this story is all about, so now you have some background at least, in where it's coming from.

Seems that back in the mid-80's, the Allen County (IN) Sheriff's Department, sponsored just such a law Enforcement Explorer Post. During the summer - while school was out - Explorers could, after a certain amount of training & time in the program - even join a deputy for a "ride-along" on a week night. Since most of Allen Co. was rural, and as crime was fairly low - especially on weeknights - it seemed like a good opportunity, to stress how routine & dull (but necessary!) much of police work really is. Wouldn't you know it though - on THIS night - with a 17 year old Scout in the car, a call comes in, that a local 'Stop 'N' Rob,' is BEING robbed, and this deputy was the closest LE in the area. Rolling up to the scene, the deputy tells the Scout to STAY PUT, and STAY LOW in the squad, while he went to investigate. Moving towards the store, he could see a masked assailant rifling the register from his position of cover. All of a sudden - hearing footsteps, and the unmistakable sound of a gun cocking - he wheeled to see the 17 year old Scout - holding a 6" barreled .357 Magnum; the Scout then says - "Don't worry - I got'cha covered!

Turns out, that the brain-dead dad in this case - when Junior informed him that he was joining a Law Enforcement Explorer Post - figured he'd better outfit the kid, so he went out & BOUGHT him his own .357 Magnum!!! Never ONCE, did he check any Scouting manuals or paperwork (Scouts bearing .357 Magnums - or any OTHER caliber pistol - under any circumstances - OTHER than AT a closely supervised range - is verboten!!!), any of the information sent home by the Sheriff's office, or any OTHER information about Scouting. He ASSUMED the kid needed outfitting, and this was HIS idea of how to do it!

Thankfully, everything turned out well; no shots were fired, & no one got injured, maimed, sued, etc. The Scout AND his dad, got a THOROUGH tongue-lashing by the Sheriff AND the Boy Scouts, and spent MANY hours afterward, doing some remedial study of Scouting & Sheriff's Department guidelines, but all's well that ended well. If you have any Scouting experience at ALL though (as many of us do), it's still just a (VERY) funny visual!

Bob McCanless
Pittsburgh

WHERE did the summer get to?!?!

I'm still amazed, that ANYONE finds my commentaries herein, in the LEAST bit "interesting." Having been off of Patch-L quite a bit of late, I threw out a comment on the proposed "new rules" from the NOAC, regarding OBV flaps (the same rules they've BEEN trying to push for 40 years, basically...), and was amazed at the feedback! Nice to know I still have "the touch."

Nonetheless, it has been a BUSY summer for me - I am still, the Vacancy Pastor at Concordia - Brentwood, which has kept me off the streets and out of trouble. The call documents of the congregation are now in the hands of the Eastern District President, so we'll see what happens there. I shall attempt to get on here a little more regularly this fall (we'll see how THAT goes...) - especially since I can make these new 'smilies' work on here!

To occupy you until then, I'll post a good Scouting story I heard while in Ft. Wayne ('01-'02) next - enjoy!

Bob McCanless
Pittsburgh

The Itibap188 Collection sale rolls on!!!

Time for some more "whine" with my update! :-P

First off, MANY thanks to Mike Conkey, for even agreeing to take on this project! Having experienced the rapturous joy that IS Philmont, he has SINCE had to come back down off the mountain, and do some more of... THIS....

There are a LOT of good bargains to be had - some interesting and obscure issues from MANY merged Lodges, so NOW is the time to look into grabbing what you can, and enjoying YOUR slice of OA history, via the Itibap188 collection!

As for the "whine (the "why" you should buy my patches from Mike!)" - my car needs inspecting before the end of the month, and I need four new brake rotors (ain't 4 wheel anti-lock disc brakes a BLAST... :-(... ugghh...) - el pronto!!!

Aside from MY needs, go take a gander a Mike's "for sale" stuff - it's GREAT stuff to look at, and you just MIGHT finally find, that UNexpected bargain! ;-)

Bob McCanless
Pittsburgh

Cub Day Camp!

(WOW! Has it been a MONTH now, since I PROMISED these?!?! I need a vacation... :-p At any rate, here's the pics!)

Well, Zachary being the newly-minted Tiger that he is, had a blast at his first Cub Day Camp last week!

Ours was a nautical theme, based on the wildly successful "Pirates of the Caribbean" movie - "The Search for the Black Pearl." Our staff was excellent, the games, events, & crafts well thought out, & best of all, the weather - despite being stormy all week - always worked out well during Day Camp hours! :-D

Being only 6 1/2, some of the stuff - like the USCG Boating safety presentation - simply went over his head (we don't boat). He GREATLY enjoyed making his nametag, the suncatcher, "beach-in-a-bottle," and the 'treasure chest (aka - "CD crate!" ;-)),' though!!!

As a heads-up - sadly, I only took my camera the FIRST day, so you see the other boys in THEIR t-shirts, but Zachary didn't get his 'til mid-way through the first day. Ergo, he wore his Tiger Cub tee the first day (and I wore one of my commissioner shirts!). The shirts are really nice, and I'm glad I bought us 2 apiece. He'll be the only new Tiger this fall, who already HAS two Class 'B' shirts (not counting his 2 orange Tiger Cub tees!).

Being autistic, some of the activities were just not his cup of tea. By the end of the week though, he was participating with more of the group - in things like, the water balloon fight, the relay races, tug of war, and the parachute lift. As expectd, he took very well to some of the individual activities, like archery & crafts each day. Some of the older boys (Webelos) were also good about encouraging him - giving him High-5's and cheering him on. It certainly restores your faith in (some) youth, simply by being around Scouts for a week - that's for sure! :-D

Because Zachary still has bolting issues, I didn't realize it until the end of the week, but BOY were my forearms tired, from just having to hold his hand EVERYWHERE we went, all week long! I felt like I had these big 'Popeye' forearms after the week-long 'Zachary workout program!' :-p

I met up with our Camp Director the following week at Scouts (her son is in the troop, sponsored by Good Shepherd LC-MS, which also sponsors my son's Pack), and told her, that of the dozen or so Day Camp's that I've staffed - going all the way back to my first - 1980 - as a DEN CHIEF - that this was perhaps the best! Granted, I'm a LITTLE biased, because it was my SON'S first camp, and we DID have a good time, but having also run these events from beginning to end - as a Council Staff Advisor - I KNOW what goes into pulling one off. She told me about some of the problems they'd experienced, yet, they managed each dawn to have it resolved, and everything - from a participant and close observer perspective - came off without a hitch! :-D

Can't wait 'til NEXT summer - or, our first Den Meeting this fall, for THAT matter! :-D

Bob McCanless

Pittsburgh