Friday, July1, 2011
so close and yet so far from done…

As we are winding down the week there is still considerable work that must be done for the boys to finish up their badges. Having reached Friday I find that generally all in camp have a diminished fuse length leading to an increased level of snippiness. They indicated that they were cancelling the Friday carnival to allow boys more time to finish merit badges. That means that the whole camp could be full of boys with “nothing to do” all afternoon. That could be an unpleasant combination. Acting SM returns from his meeting indicating that many of the scouts are going to have classes Friday afternoon to finish off requirements. Crisis averted.

Alfred “Captain Ahab” Wilhelm went fishing and caught a 6lb catfish. He is very excited. That night before dinner he filets it and fries it up and lets everyone who wants to sample his catch. It is very tasty and many of the scouts enjoy not only a taste but seconds on tastes and the catfish, similar to a chicken bone in a pool of piranhas, is quickly consumed leaving nothing but bones and scales. It was apparently a good day to fish as Carter went also went fishing and caught 2 fish. He also told us “but my Dad didn’t catch any.”

The drivers determined that while they are in their own tents or scattered among the hundreds of acres that are Marriott Scout Camp, the boys are free to smell as they wish. However, hauling said extremely stinky scouts home for 3+ hours is not something we desire and have “strongly encouraged” the scouts to shower today (or find an alternative means of transportation). Since all scouts must be accompanied by an adult to the shower building, David, using the full power of the yellow wrist band, is designated accompanier. He makes 3 trips that day - the return trip being far more olfactory pleasing each time – and earning him the extra cookies from dinner.
We attempted to take a group picture in front of the Camp Marriott sign before dinner. As you can see, we were about 2/3rds of the way there. Right after dinner, the SM headed down to collect the blue cards. We were to meet him at flag retreat. Assistant SM Wilhelm did yeoman’s work cajoling the troops into packing up their tents. Before we left camp, I was able to get this group picture of the Troop and I think we had everyone there! And they were extremely happy to help me by removing their ninja hoods, their bandanas, and tucking in their shirts I can assure you.

We met SM at the flags and he indicated to me that we were missing about 20 cards meaning that he would have an interesting evening attempting to track down whatever was going on with them. When we lined up for flag we lined up towards the right side, towards the campfire location. Rookie mistake. When we headed to the campfire, they started on the left side and led us on a long walk nearly silent walk prior to getting to the campfire meaning we were one of the last troops to enter. To our pleasant surprise, they had added more benches since Monday and everyone was able to sit down. Campfire was a few songs, a few skits (the one making fun of the staff – or more specifically the various areas in camp – aquatics, range, handicraft, and ecology – was pretty good I thought) and with a closing prayer we were back to camp.

Bro. Neuffer was back down again and he provided devotional and then took his grandsons and left. That fortunately allowed us to avoid having to have 3 scouts across any van back seat! That made car assignments much easier as we divided them up as best we could geographically so they could be dropped off at home rather than having to be picked up. We loaded up all the gear except their sleeping bags and pillows so that we could make a fast get away. We also told the scouts checking us out that we would be ready at 5:30am.

SM returned to camp a little after 11 with general success in resolving our prior issues and it appears to have been a pretty successful camp in terms of progress of the scouts. One last time to hit the cots…

David “yellow wristband of power” Mangum told to me that tonight feels a little like Christmas eve he is so excited. I think we are all looking forward to being home.

Heard around camp: Camper one with eye’s wide with excitement “…and after he cut it open, we saw the poop sack and we got to touch it!”

Thursday, June 30, 2011
Same song, next verse….

It was a chilly night last night as my toes will confirm. There were a number of folks who awoke with comments about having a bit of a chill. Scoutmaster has prohibited fire in our camp due to its distracting influence on the youth getting things done they need to get done rather than “tending” to the fire (and by tending I mean finding anything that seems like a fuel source and throwing it into the fire – typically these are smoke producing items). I ask Tall Cedars Troop if I can enter their camp and I enjoy some warm conversation with our old ward mates…not to mention the warmth of their fire. I return to camp when the food arrives.

I think that many of you will hear tales of how the food was not as good as Mom’s (certainly true) and that it was terrible (generally not true), but I can confirm a few things – everyone ate almost every meal, and we had to develop a plan for seconds due to the fact that some folks (generally leaders) were not getting a chance to eat before the ravening masses consumed all the food. So, while they may have negative comments, their actions indicate either a willingness to eat whatever was placed before them, or that they may have, at least at some level, enjoyed the food!

The march to merit badges is continuing. Most of the boys are on track to get most of what they have signed up for but the push for the finish is still necessary.
A strange phenomenon has taken place as I watched as a number of the scouts were involved in a unicorn game which play time lasted well over an hour this afternoon. I am attaching a picture of 3 of the troop members in their “unicorn form.” Jacob Holtom actually made this his photography photo essay (yes, he was passed off on that requirement although I’ll withhold the comment made by his merit badge counselor). I guess it is good that they have such vivid imaginations, but I would be dishonest if I didn’t say it gave me at least a moment’s pause…

Justin and David engaged in a stick flick competition and fortunately no one had an eye put out so it turned out to just be fun and games (the origin of said game is a DEEPLY hidden secret so I’ll have to leave that to your imagination).

Dinner was….wait for it…. late. Of course. Which isn’t a big deal except that we had 4 members of the troop attempting the mile swim at 6:45. The food showed up at ~6:15. It was fajitas and quite tasty if I don’t say so myself. The 4 milers then took off for the water front 15minutes later – most still chewing. Fortunately, I can tell you that all four completed the swim – both of Brother Neuffer’s guests and the two Hamms. It was then time for flag ceremony. I typically enjoy flag, but one of the LDS folks decided to take “a moment” and, well, I guess his time is reckoned in Kolob, but nonetheless we headed back to camp.

Tall Cedars joined us for a “ceremony” for the milers (they had a Schmootz who had completed the mile) which I can only mention involved an oath and a container of Oreos. After our guests returned to their camp, David Mangum then presented the devotional which was led by Miles and Nate H. (communication merit badge requirement…check ).

We had our typical scoutmaster counseling sessions and unfortunately one scout was sick enough that his father came to pick him up (don't worry, he is fine). That required that his SM stay up to make the connection and his assistants stayed up to keep him company. It was an enjoyable conversation, but there will be some tired leaders tomorrow. Till then….

Wednesday, June 29, 2011
Just another beautiful day in camp Marriott… except for the food maybe

Editorial note – I made some additions to my post of yesterday for a few items I forgot. No need to go back and read unless you are bored, but I did want to make you aware.

We awoke to a morning with a bit of a chill. Nothing like Maine last week, but a very pleasant cooling. The breeze was blowing briskly down at the waterfront which made for very nice sailing for the small boats class. It didn’t bother the swimmers – until they got out of the water at which time they realized that it was indeed more of a cool breeze…

I have been spending a lot of time down at the waterfront and have not had as much time to spend stalking the scouts but I have seen many of them down at the waterfront. I was a “victim” for a number of them in lifesaving and am happy to report that all of them were able to rescue me without becoming a victim themselves – at least on the 2nd or 3rd try (Instructor yelling out: “Lifesaving class – who is the most important person in any rescue?” class screams out “Yourself!” – only thing worse than a drowning victim is two drowning victims). They also successfully surface dived and retrieved a 15 lb weight and carried it to the dock – again at least on the 2nd or 3rd try.

Dinner is supposed to given to the scouts to haul to camp each day around 5:30. They have had a difficult time getting it all out this week due at least in part to the large number of scouts and asked from some of the leaders to come down and help at 4:45. Out intrepid leader Bro. Haseldon was a willing helper and wandered down. The food arrived in camp at 7:00pm. Now, they claim that the truck was that late, but some of us have other suspicions. In all honesty, I think the only folks more frustrated than the scouts were the leaders who were ready to help and ended up doing nothing but waiting. I did receive reports from sources which are fairly reliable that the scouts who were stuck down their waiting for their troop food behaved in an exemplary manner. It should be heartnen for some mothers to know that they can wait and not act like the might on occasion act on Fast Sunday while waiting for dinner. Not sure what the issues with the food are, but thus far no one is starving.

Due to the late dinner the evening program was thrown off but we think we got everyone where they needed to and do. At this point in the week, there are a number of folks who are completing merit badges. Our scoutmaster attended a meeting last night and most of our scouts are on course and pacing to have a successful merit badge camp. I apologize for not having more specific reports for some of the parents wanting to know about each child, but with 20 kids and very limited time in which to file my reports that is difficult to do. As a general overview of the details – we have had one finger sliced open with a knife, hundreds of whittled down sharp sticks (and about as many blood circle violations – but those are decreasing), many scouts enjoying the rifle range, not as much food as the boys would like to eat (and due to that and going for seconds or 1sts above allotment meaning that late comers and/or adults going without some parts of meals), great devotionals, continued emphasis by the boys on fire building skills – or at least large quantities of smoke inhalation as they attempt to start the fires), tears and occasional calls home from 3 or 4 of the scouts (but they are all still here in camp), a priesthood blessing, and did I mention the large number of knives? I’m pretty sure that we better keep control because there are enough of them armed that it would be difficult for us to stop any attempted large scale mutiny.

Overheard in camp:
camper one:” Some of the boys were teasing me and asking if I was related to Harry Potter or dating Hermine.”
Camper two: “What did you do?”
Camper one: “I made this sharp stick and I intend to poke them with it the next time they do it.”
Camper two: “You do know that that sort of looks like a wand don’t you.”

Tuesday, June 28, 2011 The march to merit badge glory continues

After a bit of a hassle locating a comfortable position on the very squeaky cot, awaking various times during the night, including once hearing a very light rain and remembering I had left my swimsuit and towel on the frame outside the tent, I awoke reluctantly to the voice of our scouts milling around. As I attempted to describe yesterday, we have 6 tents back off the path, three in front of those near the path and 3 additional ones across and down the path about 10 yards. David, being somewhat new to this adult role, figured that the youth would gather in their areas. However, if there is someone in camp, it is typically a leader and the leaders all have camp chairs set up around their tents making this area the natural draw – unless they are avoiding the leaders as they are either shirking some responsibility or up to some mischief. Of course, I’m sure there are other reasons such as enjoy the company of tent mates as well. Regardless, this morning they were as usual gathering near the leaders tents and enjoying jovial and some (count me in this group) would say loud conversation.

Breakfast turned out to be late as the trucks didn’t arrive so we didn’t get our food till almost 8:30. Everyone snarfed quickly and headed to their classes. It was a fairly uneventful day full of merit badges and good weather. Around 4:30 we heard a thunderclap that closed the aquatics area.

Back in camp there appear to be at least as many knives as naves, and given the number of youth in our troop I was doing some quick calculations to determine if there is enough space in our camp for the number of blood circles needed. I gave up. Unfortunately, there was a series of thefts in the camp today and a number of our scouts, along with many in other camps, were victims. We had 3-4 who had money taken from them while they were at the waterfront. It is a very sad situation. We have subsequently learned that potentially as much as $1,000 was taken from all over the camp. We have decided to pray that the individual(s) will have a softening of the heart and return the items.

The food arrived. One night each week of camp is foil dinner night. There are two options available here at beautiful camp Marriott. The first is cook – self explanatory – you pick up food and cook it up. The second option is referred to as “heater stack.” You pick up prepared food and take it back and eat. We are a heater stack group. I was a little disappointed in this my first year as a leader having cooked my years in camp, but I find heater stack the only way to go now. With the schedule of classes around here, there is just very little time for the boys to prepare and cook and clean up.

So, for this one meal a week, everyone is a cook group. Our scouts seemed to have a very difficult time understanding that if they didn’t get moving, there was not going to be any dinner. There were some difficulties getting the charcoal to light without “scout helper” juice but eventually the coals got going. Still there was no movement for preparation. This is not hard to understand to anyone who has actually ever known a boy – slicing potatoes vs playing with fire is a pretty known outcome. I encouraged them with something having an inspirational factor somewhere south of Knute Rockne’s “win one for the gipper” speech, way south…. Whether from his own intestinal fortitude or my motivational prod, Jacob Holtom was finally able to shake the grip of the fire and started on the food and Bryce helped him out. At this point the rain came down, nothing too hard, but while light also fairly steady for 15-30 minutes. It wasn’t too much later that the troop was enjoying partially burned partially raw foil dinners. Of course, one issue with foil dinners is remembering which is yours. This was complicated by the dinner puller-outer doing apparently random shifts of meals to spots he found better, or to give someone the spot they wanted, but even with this Houdini like sleight of hand, I think most ended up with the correct meal. Don’t worry, the “hamburger” patties were fully cooked – the e coli scare they had up here years ago made that a necessity. Many of the troop members enjoyed some of the secret weapon – thanks Bro. Nicholls – taking care of us even in his absence. They provided buns so I’m not sure how many potatoes were actually eaten. Some ingenious scouts were seen thawing their patties directly on someone else’s wrapped up dinner – which worked quickly and as long as you paid attention you didn’t get too much ash on it. Dessert was to be spiced apples. I saw a few apples thrown into the fire, a few consumed raw, and I saw one boy who actually cut his apple up, put in the cinnamon and sugar and wrap it up and cook it. No report on how it tasted. There was a report that his cast now had a lovely cinnamon sent from some of the spice getting into the cast.

Shortly after dinner the wilderness survival scouts including Michael and Will headed off to sleep in the woods. There has accordingly been some tent switching for tonight. Nice change of pace I suppose. Unfortunately for David, he is still stuck with me.

Brother Haseldon then lead a group of boys down to the showers. I will report that 12 of our 20 boys went to shower and of those not included about 3 were the wilderness group. That is a very high number. I’m not going to tell you who showered and who did not, but I’m pretty sure most those who didn’t also have either lifesaving or swimming so at least they are getting a rinse each day…

Flag ceremony was beautiful as the twilight fell across the lake and the fireflies added to the ambiance. While the bugler plaid taps and the flag was slowly lowered while the entire camp stood in hushed silent salutes, I was grateful for a program where respect for this symbol of the country is part of the program, thankful for those who have and do serve our country, and appreciative of a group where my boys are being taught that respect as well.

Acting scoutmaster Bro. Haseldon then led us in devotional and another beautiful day at beautiful camp Marriott came to a close.

Overheard at rifle range:
1st boy “Oh man, I’m sorry. It looks like I was shooting at your target.”

2nd boy “That’s ok, I did that my first time too.”

Monday, June 27, 2011 - Camp Begins

I’m writing to you from my post embedded in Troop 1106 here at beautiful Camp Marriott (where “we don’t run in beautiful Camp Marriott”). There has been a change since I last joined the troop here three years ago. We no longer are required to leave at 0:00 dark hundred. Instead we actually left in the light of dawn. While that meant an extra hour or so of sleep, the unfortunate side effect was that the boys were as awake as they typically are after two hours of driving. Maybe that was the reason I was distracted and missed my turn off…. fortunately, I was able to channel my inner Wayne Janzen and find the infamous mountain pass and make up quite a bit of time (we knew this since the one car that ended up following me when I was supposed to lead the entire pack – missed this turn and ended up in camp maybe as much as 30 minutes after we arrived.

We were assigned to camp 11. Camp 9 is our favorite camp. It is right next to handicraft and the commissary and the trading post. Very convenient. Camp 11, not so much. But you say, “t is only two numbers different.” Well, two numbers is worth at least 150 yards of walking over uneven rocky terrain. No, I’m not saying it is a perilous adventure walking to our camp each time – but you do have to cross a stream and I have almost fallen on my face twice on the stairs up the bridge that are not attached to it (of course, that could say more about my lack of alacrity than anything else, but I would argue to the contrary).

David (our newest “adult” -with the yellow wrist band to prove it - and fellow leader now) and I drove out to the camp and the Tall Cedars folks were already set up in site 11. There were three other camp areas. One had 5 tents with a 3 tent sub set for a total of 8. Another had 4 tents and the last had 5. We have 20 youth with us this week and 5 adults all week. Since these are two person tents, that meant that we needed to have 13 tents. So if we took the 8 and the 5 then we would have enough. That is what we determined to do. As we were waiting for the scouts, another troop showed up and indicated that they needed at least 6 tents. Well, now we are well short of tents anyway you cut it. While we were making this discovery, “Corn,” our camp site coordinator came up and I told him of the issue. He headed back down the hill to tell them we had an issue. Shortly after he left, another Scoutmaster showed up, he had 10 scouts and 3 leaders and was also assigned to Site 11. Hmm, for those of you who don’t do “fast math” that could be another 7 tents. Hmm. Meanwhile, we need to get changed for swim check… We used the tents that we had to get everyone changed and they headed down to swim check while a few of the leaders waited at the camp to get things resolved. The camp folks showed up and realized that one of the troops had been left off the chart and they were going to set up a new camp area for them along with adding some additional tents to the other camp site.

Later at the scoutmaster meeting we were told that capacity here at camp is 350. We have 507 scouts here this week. That is the most scouts that have been in this camp since 1974 – which is before I was going to scout camp and sister that is a very long time. We are busting at the seams. Should be interesting. There will be some large merit badge courses and there will be some difficulty getting into some courses.

The opening meeting took place at the flag. We were lined up and then we saw the camp staff rush over to near the front of what I might described as a series of extremely short single file lines in random vector patterns (in other words, despite request to the contrary, the boys were assembled more as a herd than a single file line). Out troop has welcomed two visitors from another ward (Wilhelms) and two of Bro. Neuffer’s grandkids. One of our visiting members had fainted. Don’t worry, he is fine and he was well cared for by the staff.

The youth scattered after lunch to various merit badges and handicraft was again a popular end point. I saw a number of the youth at the water front working on lifesaving merit badge. Dinner was pasta and meat balls which received fairly good rating, the accompanying broccoli not so much. However, it appeared not to be anything against this particular preparation of the vegi, as against the vegi in general as I only saw broccoli even make it onto the plate of one youth. Those of you familiar with the carts for carting food, should know that there are only a few carts still in service and none of those have both wheels working. Throw in the fact that we have to traverse a bridge/stream and getting food out here is a bit of a chore but the boys are doing it well.

There was a pair of underpants dropped on the trail early in the afternoon. Strangely, it was never claimed.

We went down to the fireside, but were a little late due to the site people wanting to instruct us when we were to be down there, and ended up at the back where it was hard to hear. We then moved to the flag ceremony where both Nates in our group ended up attempting to lead music. I won’t blame them given that there was clearly a lack of musical talent in the crowd, but let’s just say MoTab will sleep easy tonight, unless of course they heard us, in which case they may be too disturbed to sleep.

We ended with a devotional by Bishop Holtom. I was wondering if I would get a repeat of the one last week which I enjoyed. But he indicated that he was planning to do just that but as he thought about it on Sunday he decided to talk instead about Brother Joseph. As he read the section in the D&C about the martyrdom he read the date – June 27. I looked down at my watch – this was the actual anniversary date. That was very powerful to me. When I told the Bishop about it, he seemed to be surprised as well. It was an inspired choice and I found it very moving.
Day one is over. Unlike prior years, it appears that I will embedded all week. General observations – 20 kids is a lot. Three patrols are also a lot. There are lots of chiefs and not yet many good Indians. I’m tired. Jeremiah got into the ATV program but Bryce even having been accepted was rejected due to age but he has been going to merit badges instead.

Till tomorrow…

Overheard at the waterfront:
Lifeguard on dock – “hey you in the Kayak. Where is your buddy”

Kayaker – “He abandoned me”

Lifeguard – “You have to have a buddy.”

Kayaker – “Really? Well, he never really was a buddy.”

Lifeguard – “Hey, have you taken the kayak class?”

Kayaker – “Yes.”

Lifeguard – “Were you in my class?”

Kayaker – “Yes”

Lifeguard – “Is your name Geoffery?”

Kayaker – “yes.”

Thursday, June 23, 2011
The rain in Maine falls gently on the lane…

Today all the youth apparently decided to spend their morning “free time” sleeping, so we didn’t get started until the bugle call at 9:30. I think that officially concludes the 8:00am study time experiment with a zero success rate.
The rain that showed up last night is expected to linger today and it is overcast and drizzling as breakfast finally ends after 10:30. It being cold outside the boys opt for the hot tub. However, the water is quite tepid as they get in but it is heating as they go. Despite the fact that many of the boys have not been in the lake since the first day (or possibly at all) they are now traipsing across the porch, across the lawn, through the wood path and over the dock to get to the lake where they climb, jump or slowly dip into the water with accompanying screams. The process is then repeated in reverse replacing screams with sighs as the warm hot tub water engulfs them.

There were rumors that it was a 12 person hot tub. If that is the case, it would need to be folks who are much smaller than our young men. It is pretty full with 8. But with the path to the lake resembling the path of ants to that cookie crumb there is typically enough room for those who want to be in. The downstairs sauna is then also turned on and some of the boys attempt to melt themselves.

While the weather is damp, it doesn’t dampen the mood, but maybe the enthusiasm. The bulk of the day passes as the boys occupy themselves with games of pool, air hockey, a game of settlers of catan, some reading, a movie and video games. There is a general desire to just hang out. Bro. Evans and I take the kayak over to an outlet on the far side of the pond. Bishop and Jeremiah take the canoe out.

After dinner we turned on the NBA draft to see who would take Jimmer. A large group watched Tangled after a week of discussing when that would take place. Devotional and then I head to be early – we decided to get everyone up at 5:30 with a goal to leave at 6:00. That means I need some sleep…

Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Work hard, Play hard and leader rotation

The bugle call rang out at 8:30 this morning as Bro Evans did his nearly perfect rendition of Revele. Breakfast of bagels and yogurt. During morning free time Josh and Jared joined Brother Linton’s art class. The canoe (Reuben and Jeremiah) and kayak (Bro Evans – solo in a two man kayak. Wonder why he had no company? I might have enjoyed that trip), made a long trip around the lake. Jacob H., Jacob G. and Alex messed around on the paddle boat. Those who went into the lake enjoyed it but most did not get in this morning.

Lunch was uneventful (other than Reuben sustaining a cut from a tuna can – sorry, no horrendous photos of said incident today) and delicious.

After lunch we had our service project(s). We split into 3 groups. One group cleared the path to the lake and gathered some firewood for the campfire tonight – Jeremiah was on this team and had a strange glint in his eye (note foreshadowing). Another group was in charge of rearranging some decorative rocks – according to at least one member of the group the rocks in Maine have a higher density than rocks found in other parts of the country making moving a rock of seemingly manageable size instead a monumental task. The third group headed back up the driveway to transplant three pine trees and to beautify the front gate area by planting flowers and shrubs. I was with the third group and due to the long walk, I had to take the dune buggy up the hill. Well, and then we forgot some equipment so I had to take the buggy back down to get it and then back up to the work zone. Then I had to go get some soid we had forgotten and haul those supplies up to the group so I had to take the green Polaris up the hill. Then they needed another tool so I had to go back down and pick that up. Then they needed to go back down and re-do some work so I took two YM and the red Polaris down there. It may sound like I was just doing a lot of driving back and forth, but really I was just trying to do my part…I was in a meeting recently when the comment was made that one really shouldn’t underestimate the value of a really good “go-fer”. And the gopher was glad to be of service driving all the vehicles (I think the green on was the best).

Bro Linton and Bro Janzen wandered the grounds killing off plants, grass, and weeds that dared to grow in forbidden areas (such as rock paths). After he finished that job, Wayne was able to fulfill one of his lifelong dreams of being a grounds keeper when he got to drive the lawn tractor while pulling a seeder machine to put down some grass seed. For a minute I thought I was looking at Carl Spackler. Must have the sun in my eyes.

Bishop arrived at the lake via pontoon plane as afternoon free time was getting started (Ok, just kidding about his mode of transportation, but he did arrive). Bro Evans, myself and Jacob H. enjoyed a swim in the lake. Bishop joined us and then he and Jacob took the two man kayak out into the lake.

Austin fried some burgers up for everyone at dinner. Bro Evans kept us updated on the weather – the rains were anticipated to hit around 8:00 so we hustled everyone out for a game of football and then ultimate. It was a spirited game and I even think I may have heard some “trash talk” from the Bishop. We came in for water and on the TV the USA was playing a 0-0 Gold Cup soccer match against Panama. We watched from about the 60 minute mark. The USA scored on an amazing cross by Donovan to win 1-0.

Meanwhile, Jeremiah had gone out to start the fire for s’mores. Unfortunately, in what appeared to be a reaction to smoke inhalation, he apparently got "fire sickness." He was wearing a loin cloth and throwing all wooden objects he could locate into the fire despite its already raging flames. Ok, maybe it wasn’t a loin cloth, but he was shirtless and there was some sort of fire dance with flailing arms thrown in there. And I was concerned that he was about to start tearing up the deck for additional fuel. Eventually, his wood supply disappeared, his burning desire was satiated and the crew was able to make s’mores on the large pile of coals. As we neared 10, still no rain.

We gathered for devotional and Bishop pointed us to D&C 64:33 (“Wherefore, be not weary in well-doing, for ye are laying the foundation of a great work. And out of small things proceedeth that which is great.”) while sharing with us some of his personal stories experiences in his life where the Lord had guided him. We then took a group picture. I hope to get one outside tomorrow afternoon.

Brother Linton leaves us early tomorrow. It has been fun to have him here. I have watched from a distance as he has discreetly made the rounds taking time to talk with each of the youth one on one and also in groups as he builds relationships with them. He has given the art bug to some and provided quarantine from that for some of them by providing an opportunity for them to work with his craft. We wish him safe travels home and a big thank you to his family for allowing him to take this time to be with these youth that he serves! His love and concern for these young men shows.

The rains came in around 10:30. I’m looking forward to bed….

Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Day Two: We are in Maine, and it ain’t just the lobsters that are red…

Well, we didn’t start at 8. Most of us were up when Tuesday showed up so I slept in till 7. Wayne was up working when I got up. At 8:00 Matt was up and I think that was all. By 9 I think everyone was finally up. Our delicious breakfast of toaster waffles, sausage, hashbrowns and unnaturally florescent Tampico orange “juice” was lovingly prepared by Alex and Matt.

Once that was finished up we headed to the lake. Reid and Nick were in Bro. Linton’s art class out on the dock painting their landscapes in oil. The canoe and the paddle boat were used to carry the rest of the crew out to the “raft” where all newcomers were forced to walk the plank into the water which was cool but not near what the less than manly banshee screams of the crew might lead you to conclude. A few rousing rounds of king of the raft ensued with no clear winner (despite what nearly all of them might tell you). Then out of the corner of the eye came a flash. As the head turned to follow the blur we realized it was John Evans on an air mattress paddling across the water, but he wasn’t floating, he was skimming, hydroplaning even. The sheer strength of his arms creating such velocity as to leave one questioning how it was done without mechanized means. Josh attempted to cut him off at that pass (why you ask? Well, that is a long story, but long story made short, there was a smiley face on the air mattress which presence of said smiley was explained by Bro. Evans as “this was Meg’s air mattress which suddenly made the air mattress highly coveted) but sadly underestimated the angle which he should have attacked.

The young men were determined. They loaded into the “big boat” – which looked like it would do well with a motor on it. They had no motor. There was about as much meat in that boat as it would hold. And there were more people than oars so there were also a number of free loaders. The scene reminded me of that scene in Ben Hur and they were attempting “ramming speed” – unfortunately, they had no one whipping them to keep them in sync so rather than making a path encouraged by geometry (the shortest distance between two points is a straight line) they appeared to be on the windward leg of an America’s Cup race during a tacking duel. They attempted to rectify the issue by moving a couple folks but it still didn’t help much. Meanwhile, John had moved quite a way out into the lake. They continued to purse but John proved again that the craftiness of age can overcome the strength and determination of youth and managed to maneuver past them around a dock and make it back to shore well ahead of them.

He also knew that the while he had won the battle that that war was unfinished. He knew that when they reached the shore they would try to capture Meg. He knew he couldn’t let that happen. And so like any salty sea captain he scuttled his own boat before the attack so that when Austin leapt from the boat and captured the lass, although he was unaware, she was already letting out her air because John had twisted the plug just a bit so it would let out the air. By the time Austin realized he was on a doomed ship it was too late. Not only was it too late for him, but it was too late for Meg – you see, the wily captain had intended not to fully scuttle Meg, but only to temporarily incapacitate her but when Austin climbed on or during the ensuing moments, the plug somehow dislodged and fell into Davey Jones locker. An search party ensued but even with the shallow dept of the lake at that location, it wasn’t found. Given that there was a lot of bottom material floating in the water it would have taken a miracle at that point to find it. Search and rescue was deferred to a later date.

Lunch was sandwiches – lunch meat or PB&J with more fluorescent punch. I’m worried that night games will be a little less fun with the entire crew glowing. Also not to self – when there are some constraints on the amount of punch available, remember to buy smaller cups.
After lunch the crew headed out to the gridiron for a game of two hand touch football. I found it quite enjoyable. There are some really good athletes in the group and there are some who are less athletically gifted who also played and I think enjoyed the game in spite of that. I think everyone caught at least one pass and many caught TD passes or had other moments of glory with which they can regale their mothers upon their return.

Jared had become quite parched and requested a water break. Most of the Crew had headed for water but I was still out throwing the football around when I heard a very loud noise which I think included a scream from Reid. I didn’t have to get very close before I could see that a porch swing on the side of the house had fallen down. By the time I made it over to the house they had Austin sitting down and were applying pressure to his head wound. Of course, if you know anything about head wounds, they bleed a lot which made for a pretty spectacular photo as you can see. Once we got the blood to slow down we could see that he was most likely going to need a few staples to seal it up. Austin was his typical understated self calmly telling a family member on the phone that it didn’t even hurt and wasn’t a big deal. After a priesthood administration, Bros Janzen and Evans headed to the hospital (not far from Wal-Mart – apparently everything in this area sits in that general vicinity) with Austin and Alex who went along to keep Austin from suffering further trauma be being exposed to two adults in the car by himself (they might have broken out the Barry Manilow had Alex not been there). They returned a couple hours later and Austin has 4 staples to fix the about 1 inch gash in his head that no one will know is there until at some future time his hair begins it’s disappearing act and begins “male pattern baldness.”

As near as we can tell, there were three YM trying to get into the swing at that same time. Austin said it didn’t feel quite right and so he was trying to stand up when it gave way, which is probably what made him the highest object and therefore received the conk on the noggin. We were fortunate that no one else was hurt and that Austin had “merely a flesh wound.”
While they were gone, Bro. Linton painted a picture, video games were played, and some air hockey battles took place. The pinks were starting to show across the shoulders of many of the YM who either didn’t sunscreen or who didn’t sunscreen enough. The hue and cry for aloe vera sounded throughout the cabin.

We still had some free time before dinner so I looked around for a buddy to go swimming with but could find none until Bro. Evans returned and we returned to the lake. The water was clearer but lead to no further success in salvaging Meg. I think that us not being able to find and salvage the plug is portend to the boys that Meg is also out of their reach. Jacob and Alex attempted to claim the dock as their own but were thwarted in their efforts by Bro E and myself. Again, the sagacity of age over brawn of youth.

Reid and Nick cooked up some tasty chicken (I know it was tasty because 1) I had some and 2) there was none left) for dinner. After dinner most of us played a game of Ultimate Frisbee until those who hadn’t put on bug spray cried uncle and fled for the cabin having served as a very tasty meal for the mosquitoes in the area. A game of capture the flag then took place in the area behind the house since night games were scheduled even though at 9:15 it was still somewhat light. They came into the cabin a little before 10 indicating that there was no clear cut winner by having both teams simultaneously claiming victory.

It would appear that many of us are a little pink on the way to bed. Maybe that is how the lobsters do it. Ice cream for a snack and then closing devotional and bed. Our first full day of “high adventure” was a full day. I’m going to feel this day when I wake. The curse of age vs. the resiliency of youth….

Tuesday, June 21, 2011

I’m writing to you today from my perch near the tree tops overlooking moose lake while the loons call in the background (and I do mean loons, not a reference to Crew 1106). Yesterday began not very bright but certainly early as the second day of summer vacation found 12 of the young men at the church at 5:30ish. Pres. Linton shared with us some rules, we prayed, and then we headed into cars. Pres. Linton took the 3 teachers (Jer, Reuben, and Grover) with him as they were going to swing down into NY to do a drive by of the Statue of Libery, the Temple, and Time Square among others. Since that was reportedly about a 20 minute detour, the rest of the group decided to bypass it. In my van I had Josh, Jacob, Jared, and Matt. Josh played DJ for the first while and that kept the ipods and ear buds away, but did not appear to reduce the texting… Wayne drove the other van which had Alex, Reid, Tate, Nick, and Austin.

As with most lengthy drives, there was snacking, napping, texting, joking, and singing – but no showtunes. Well, actually, does that love song from Tangled when the lanterns go up and down count as a show tune? If it does than scratch that prior comment (for the record, it was found on Jared’s Ipod and played upon Josh’s insistence). Wayne was driving a borrowed van (Thank you Fords!) and they decided they wanted to watch a movie. After pushing all the buttons they could find they pulled out the manuals (last resort for any male...) when Alex decided that it was not yet time to read. He texted Tim asking "how do I get the DVD to work?" The response - "Pull into a dealership and have them repair it." Alas, we just didn't quite have time for that...

As we were getting ready to go, Wayne commented that he was ready to go since he had input the address into his GPS…I had a flash back to a time when I had been told by the same Mr. Janzen that he had a new GPS and that he had an amazing new route that would take off tons of time from the trip – and we ended up on a dirt path scaling mountain terrain through someone’s back yard (sorry for knocking down your clean laundry)…but did make it to camp…. Back to our current trip, as we were approaching what my GPS said was time to switch off and avoid NY, Wayne’s GPS lead us to…wait for it….NY. It was a different route than the one Bro. Linton took, but we were still in the city. Turns out that Brother Linton was ahead of us by about 20 minutes when all was said and done… The ride was otherwise uneventful. We stopped in a city about 30 minutes out and picked up pizza (little Caesar’s – questionable quality but affordable quantity) and soda for tonight (and salad – in case you wondered, no one under 40 had any). After about 12 hours on the road, we finally got to dirt roads and after a fairly 4x4 trip down the “drive” we saw the place. Gorgeous. “Cabin” nicely landscaped with a lake in the back. Rustic and with the dead stuffed carcasses of at least 5 different species of former wildlife accenting the rooms and with skins of other deceased animals hung artistically as wall coverings throughout as well. Pizza was snarfed, John Evans (who flew to Boston and drove by himself in a convertible to the cabin (– do I come across as somewhat jealous? Well, that would be accurate) beat me in pool on the table down stairs, and we enjoyed the cool temperatures. The young men played musical beds as they attempted to determine where to set up shop. I think the oldest boys ended up in a loft and the younger ones got the big room with the tv and wood stove. We headed to Wal-Mart to fill the fridge and pantry and managed to come in under budget. Now the question is will we come in under fed or over purchased.

Once the sun went down we looked at the amazing bowl of stars, numerous “star gazing aps” were downloaded in an attempt for us to figure out what the heck we were looking for with only limited success. Let’s just say that if we were ancient mariners we clearly would not have arrived wherever we were hoping to get, unless by sheer luck or divine intervention. Plan for tomorrow is to start at 8:00am with scripture study. It is nearly midnight but since they all slept at least for a while today, maybe they will make it. Thankful this evening for all the prayers offered for our safe journey today.

Merry Christmas 2010 and Happy New Year 2011

In the new greener world, and in the one current one in which I don't have unlimited resources to send glossy booklets to all my family and friends with our Christmas greeting, I provide an electronic version of our annual Christmas Card. And yes, those are footnotes. Deal with it.

Hamm's
. . Isle1
Sung to the tune of Gilligan's Isle 2

Just sit right back and you'll hear a tale,
A tale of a grateful year
That started from Virginia
With a two thousand ten cheer. 3

Now Nate was a mighty middle school man,
6^th grade is good for sure
Played football, soccer, basketball too
Sense of humor is so mature,

Jaclyn was a BYU Soph,
Summer working a restaurant,
admitted into the nursing school 4 -woohoo
rumored boyfriend she has got,5 (but not if you ask Scott.

Well Ty hit ground falling off of his
unstable bicycle
He broke his arm,6
was baptized too,
His dad still works for Deloitte,
Downtown DC
Coaches basketball in spare time
If that's what you can call it7

So this is the tale of Nanette's full days,
she serves everyone all the time
Ma on trek and a Den mother
uniformed she's fine!

Josh posted a song on youtube 8
We all think it's the best.
He worked at a pizzeria
And joined the Eagle's nest.

Jacob completed his eagle project
He's happy as can be
He played JV football 9
Is refereeing for a fee

So join us anytime my friends,
we welcome with a smile
From seven happy hammaways
Here on Virginia's soil!

Wishing you all a very Happy New Year! Thank you for your friendship! And know that if we were going to be stranded on a desert isle, you would be second on our list of who to be stranded with, right behind the guy who can make about anything we need (other than a boat) from nothing more than coconuts! :D

1. Just a note about the picture at the top (the card): I was against the cross dressing and suggested two Mr. Howell's. I was outvoted (some things are still done democratically even in the Hamm household). Tyler was an extremely good sport in agreeing to play the role of Mrs. Howell.

^2. With apologies to Sherwood Schwartz, the genius who brought us both Gilligan and the Brady Bunch, and who wrote the theme songs for both! I would proudly note that we own the complete collection of Gilligan's Island and my children have been indoctrinated although, they seem to prefer ALF.

^3. My editor (Nanette) pointed out that while most of you probably got through the first verse, many might not be familiar with the full version of the song. To maybe help you along as you try to sing the above, I provide the full lyrics:
Just sit right back and you'll hear a tale, A tale of a fateful trip. That started from this tropic port, aboard this tiny ship.
The mate was a mighty sailing man, The skipper brave and sure. Five passengers set sail that day, For a three hour tour, a three hour tour.
The weather started getting rough, The tiny ship was tossed, If not for the courage of the fearless crew The minnow would be lost, the minnow would be lost.
The ship set ground on the shore of this uncharted desert isle, With Gilligan, The Skipper too, The millionaire and his wife, The movie star, The professor and Mary Ann, Here on Gilligan's Isle.
So this is the tale of the castways, They're here for a long, long time, They'll have to make the best of things, It's an uphill climb.
The first mate and the Skipper too, Will do their very best, To make the others comfortable, In the tropic island nest.
No phone, no lights no motor cars, Not a single luxury, Like Robinson Crusoe, As primitive as can be.
So join us here each week my friends, You're sure to get a smile, From seven stranded castaways, Here on "Gilligan's Isle."

^4. We were very proud of Jaclyn and her hard work as this is one of, if not the, most selective program on campus! She clearly has her mother's brains!

^5. We are prohibited from providing any additional information. (jk) But, if you want to know more, you will have to ask her. ;) ps - let us know what you hear. ;)
^6. So, for those of you counting (and we are), we believe that is 4 broken arms in 5 summers. Of our boys, so far Nate is the only escapee (knock on wood). The picture here is of Ty on our summer vacation. We spent a week at Lake Almanor in Northern California with Nanette's entire family (not only lived to tell about it, quite enjoyed it). Ty didn't let his arm slow him down at all. He is seen here with is cast protector (listen, I know all about waterproof casts, but for a number of reasons, including Ty's being a compound fracture, waterproof wasn't available) (yes, I also know that they make cast covers - we had one, and well, it was a distant second to the old garbage bag and duct tape in terms of keeping the cast dry) getting ready to head out to the lake.
^7. Whether the "if that's what you call it" references his coaching or his "spare time" we leave to you (hint - it is likely equally applicable)

^8. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Nd3uIlLRPk The song is called "Help! I'm in love with a superstar." It is written and preformed my Josh. Just a warning, it is a catchy little tune and you might find you wake up one day with it running through your head if you listen to it...

^9. varsity state champs!

10. If you have any cute 14-17 year old daughters who would like to get to know my two oldest boys, please text me at