Boy Scouts, Yesterday and Today

Since John and Becky are still out-of-town in Paris, they asked me to pick up their youngest son, Sam, from football practice and take him to his Boy Scout meeting. In addition, I was asked to sit in on a Boy Scout Parent's Meeting and take notes for John and Becky.

In my younger days (way back in the 1940's) I was quite active in the Boy Scouts in Northern Indiana. I advanced through the ranks to Eagle Scout, was a Scout Leader, and worked full-time at the Summer Boy Scout Camp for two years teaching swimming, life saving, and canoeing. I was deeply involved in Scouting.

Back then, our troop always struggled to keep 20 boys active usually with only one Scout Leader. We frequently went on hikes or camp outs with only 8-10 boys . . . most of the time with only one adult leader and sometimes without any adult leader for part of the camp out. Parents were seldom involved, especially Moms.

I was quite surprised at how much Scouting has changed in the past 60 years . . . or even since my boys were in Scouting in the late 1960's and early 1970's. Sam's troop, year after year, has 80-100 boys participating along with 8-10 adult leaders and 30-40 parents . . . both Dads and Moms! They will only go on a camp out if each patrol (5-8 boys) has at least two adults camping with them. Otherwise the camp out is cancelled.

On the surface, having so much adult participation and interaction with the boys sounds great. But it's really to avoid any one-on-one situation, i.e. one adult with one boy. They require at least two adults to be everywhere at all times for all occasions, whether it be a hike, going to the mess hall, a training class, or a trip to the latrine in the middle of the night. Although I fully understand their rationale, as there are a lot of "weirdos" around, I thought, "What a sad commentary on today's society!".

What a difference in "Boy Scouts, Yesterday and Today". How did we ever make it through childhood and adolescence years ago?

Gun Show

A "Gun Show" was held this weekend at the International Trade Mart in Overland Park, Kansas. Being a "gun nut", I had to go! Since Carole hates guns, she decided to let me go alone.

I was impressed by the numerous displays of guns of all types . . . antiques, muzzle loaders, rifles, shotguns, handguns, guns for hunting, guns for target shooting, guns for self-protection, tactical firearms . . . as well as ammunition, accessories, knives, and related clothing. It was truly an impressive array.
















I thought the show was open until 7:00 PM, but it was the last day of the show and it closed at 3:00 PM. I arrived late, so I really didn't have as much time to look around as I should have. However, I did see a number of guns I would like to have. It's too bad we're downsizing.

















I did buy a few boxes of ammunition, which is becoming scarce and very difficult to find at sporting goods stores or gun shops . . . but there was certainly no shortage of ammunition here.

Even though I didn't have much time to spend at this "Gun Show", I thoroughly enjoyed it. Next time I'm going early!

Annual Roots Festival

In about 1990, a couple of families in Paola decided to have a reunion and invite all of their out-of-town relatives so they could get "back to their roots". They brought in a band to furnish music and, the first couple of years, the "roots reunion" was held in a city park, but it quickly became much larger involving more families and more entertainment. So they moved it to the Town Square and re-named it the "Roots Festival".

Over the past twenty years, it continued to grow in size, the number of musical groups performing, the number of food vendors participating, and many more arts and crafts exhibits as well as the number of people attending. It has become one of the largest events in Miami County rivaling the County Fair.

This was the weekend for the "Annual Roots Festival" in Paola. A large stage was constructed in the street on one side of the Town Square and all streets around the Square were closed off, which provided lots of space for vendors, booths, and a variety of exhibits.

















People brought folding chairs and set them up in the square facing the stage so they could enjoy the music, which went on all day Friday and Saturday. About a dozen bands were scheduled; some rock, some jazz, some country, some nice to listen to, some ear-splitting loud. There seemed to be something for everyone. It was definitely a family affair.

















We wandered among the booths and exhibits, had a smoked (really over-smoked) German sausage sandwich with sauerkraut, sat and talked with neighbors and friends, and listened to the music.

The music was generally too loud for us "old folks" . . . but we enjoyed the event just the same.

The "annual Roots Festival" in Paola is a very nice small town family event. We will likely return next year.

Roses for No Occasion

I try to bring flowers home to Carole often enough to keep fresh flowers on the dining room table . . . and keep her happy. Today while at Walmart in Paola, I stopped by the flower cooler to pick up flowers for Carole and discovered that, for some reason, they had a dozen large, beautiful, red roses on sale for only $4.00.

So I bought Carole a dozen "Roses for No Occasion" . . . since when are roses only for special occasions anyway? . . . especially since Carole loves them anytime!

They sure look nice on the dining room table. Just don't tell her I only paid $4.00 for them.

Another Triple Celebration

Tomorrow is Sam's birthday, John & Becky's youngest. But we needed to celebrate his birthday a day early as John and Becky leave for Paris (France) tomorrow morning and will be gone a week. It's a pleasure trip, not business, as tomorrow is their 20th wedding anniversary. So today was a time for "Another Triple Celebration" . . . Sam's 12th birthday, John & Becky's 20th Anniversary, and a "Bon Voyage" party for John & Becky before they leave for Paris.


Since Becky was still packing for Paris, it was just a simple family celebration at John & Becky's home. The menu was simple; pizza, three different kinds, followed by Sam's birthday "cake". Since Sam prefers pie, his birthday "cake" was pie with birthday candles. He blew the candles out in one breath, but had to be careful not to blow the meringue off his "cake" . . . and, presumably, made a birthday wish.


So . . . "Another Triple Celebration" . . .
(1) Happy Birthday, Sam!
(2) Congratulations to John & Becky on their 20th Anniversary!
(3) Bon Voyage, John & Becky. Have a safe trip and a wonderful time in Paris!


The French silk and banana cream pies from Perkins were great. I might even request pie for my next birthday "cake".

Overland Park Farmer's Market

There are many Farmer's Markets in the Kansas City Metro area, but one we have always found to be very nice is in the suburban city of Overland Park. We had occasion to be in town today and since the Overland Park Farmer's Market was open, we just had to go.

















The market wasn't very crowded so we had plenty of room to wander around in. The fruits and vegetables were very well displayed, and seemed to be very fresh. Most were picked yesterday or this morning. There was quite a variety available including many varieties of peppers, squash, cucumbers, asparagus, beans, corn, tomatoes, etc. Note in the right picture above, the whole table is covered with Heirloom tomatoes.

Carole picked up fresh green beans, tomatoes, cucumbers, sweet peppers, asparagus, and onions. She was looking for beets to pickle and can, but we were told it's the end on the season for beets. So she will have to be content with what we were able to find at today's "Overland Park Farmer's Market".

Maybe she can find some beets elsewhere.

Weeding Party

While we were gone from home all Winter and most of the Spring, Carole's flower beds around the house grew out-of-control with grass and weeds. Since Carole's hips and knees have been bothering her, she has been unable to work in the flower beds. And I must admit pulling weeds is not my bag.

So I arranged with Kyle, my 17-year old grandson, to come out to our home in the country for a "Weeding Party". He worked pretty hard most of the day in 80-degree weather, then returned the following day with his 16-year old brother, Luke, and they both spent a few more hours finishing up the job.


Of course I paid them for their work, but as a result of their "Weeding Party", Carole's flower beds sure look a lot better. The challenge now is to keep them looking good.

Do you suppose I can get away with a few carefully applied applications of Roundup between the flower plants?

Back to School Night

Every year, our local civic organization, the Hillsdale Ruritan Club, as a community project, serves watermelon for the Hillsdale Elementary School's Annual Back to School Night. Parents and students come to school in the evening to meet the teachers and visit their child's classroom. Everyone also has the opportunity to tour the school and meet the Principal and her staff.

So tonight we set up tables in the school parking lot, backed up a pick-up truck loaded with watermelons, then cut and served watermelon to students, parents, and teachers. We club members also ate our share of watermelon.



Everyone enjoyed the watermelon and the opportunity to meet friends and neighbors in the community. A great time for socializing in an informal setting . . . and the kids all had fun spitting watermelon seeds!

Tyler Send-Off

This afternoon, John and Becky had a "Send-Off" dinner for their oldest son, Tyler. He returns to the University of Kansas in Lawrence tomorrow to begin his Sophomore year as a Jayhawk.

He was the first through the buffet line and the first to make it to the dining room table.









Everyone else followed Tyler down the buffet line . . . Kyle, Alex, Sam, Madison, Jordan and Luke.

The adults, of course, came last.











The whole gang made it through the buffet line and into the dining room for the "Tyler Send-Off". . . left to right around the table are Becky, Sam, Luke, Kyle, John, Tyler, Jordan, Alex and Madison. Now that's a table full . . . and a house full.

You can see why we refer to them as our "Brady Bunch".







Good luck in school this year, Ty. Study hard!

Race for the Cure

When my daughter, Cindy Moore, was diagnosed with Breast Cancer, the whole family as well as many friends participated in the Annual Susan G. Komen "Race for the Cure" to raise money for Breast Cancer research and treatment. Many have continued to participate every year since.


Today was the annual event. John Crowl, my son-in-law, is shown on the left with two of Cindy's sons, Kyle and Luke. John and his two girls, Jordan and Madison, walked the 5K course. But both Kyle and Luke, along with Alex, Cindy's youngest, and Sam, John and Becky's youngest, all ran the 5K course. Sam's time for the 5K was something like 26 minutes and Alex's time was something like 29 minutes. Pretty good times for 10 and 11 year olds!

They make me proud!

But more importantly . . . there were 28,500 runners, walkers and survivors who participated . . . and the "Race for the Cure" raised $1.2 Million Dollars here in Kansas City today for Breast Cancer research and treatment!

Now that really makes me proud!

Home Again

We arrived back home at about 5:30 PM today and parked "The Bus" in our driveway. It's not the same as the Rocky Mountains, Northern Michigan, or the Gulf Coast . . . but it's home!

And Carole does enjoy being in her own home.

Iowa City Moose

We left Indiana today and headed home to Kansas, but stopped overnight at the same location we had stopped on our way to Indiana, the Moose Lodge Campground in Iowa City, Iowa, just off I-80. We had found this to be a very enjoyable place to stay and wanted to return here.

This Lodge has space for four RVs to park with full hookups. The parking spots are on concrete pads with plenty of space to park a car and to put out the awning and lawn chairs if you are so inclined.





The clubhouse is fairly large with lounge, bar, dining room, dance floor, and game area. The front entrance has a large pull-through overhang to load or unload passengers out of the weather. Out back is a nice patio with chairs where people can enjoy a drink and a snack.

Also behind the clubhouse is a very large well equipped playground for kids. This is certainly a family center.








Adjacent to the RV parking spots is a sizable pond and across the pond is an outdoor pavilion shown on the left below. This is where they have cookouts and outdoor parties. Across the way is a baseball field as shown on the right below.


















But the best part is the great people at this Lodge. What a reception we received. They welcomed us back like long lost family and really made us feel at home. It had been three weeks since we stopped here overnight on our way to Indiana, and when we returned, many of the members even remembered our names.

They have a steak cookout scheduled for tomorrow and a shrimp boil scheduled on Saturday. We had originally hoped to stay for both of those activities, but felt we had to get home in plenty of time for Carole's next eye treatment, which we sure don't want to miss. So we passed up what would have been some really great food and good fellowship, and headed home to Kansas after an overnight stay.

But . . . I'm sure we'll be back!

Girls Day Out

Every once in a while, the "Girls" need a day out. Today was one of those days. I dropped Carole off at the old soda shop in South Goshen and I slipped over to the Goshen Library to hang out with a good wifi connection.

Carole was to meet two of her old friends, Helen Angelo and Ursula Mars, at the old soda shop for lunch.


I accomplished quite a bit on the Internet with a good wifi connection at the library for a couple of hours before Ursula and Carole showed up. They said they had a great time and a good lunch together with Helen . . . as evidenced by the big grins on their faces.

It may have been short, but it was a "Girls Day Out".

Cool Rockford

Today we left "The Bus" in the Elkhart Campground and drove the Blazer to Rockford, Michigan, just North of Grand Rapids, about a two hour drive from Elkhart. Our good friends and former neighbors in Kansas, Fred and Gayle Merz, moved here a few years ago.

This is their home in Rockford. That's Carole and Gayle upon our arrival "hamming it up" in front of the garage door. They have a beautiful new home on the edge of Rockford, which is a small town, very clean and orderly.







We had lunch at Red's On The River, a really nice restaurant in downtown Rockford. We all had a delicious shrimp chop salad for lunch on the outside deck overlooking the river. That's Gayle, me, Fred, and Carole getting ready to dig in.











After lunch, we walked around the downtown area. Rockford is such a "cool" town. Carole says the downtown streets and shops look like they are right out of a Norman Rockwell painting. A river runs through the downtown, where there is a dam surrounded by a very attractive park with beautiful gardens and quiet benches on which to relax. And all of this is right downtown where you can easily walk from store to store, many of which are quaintly restored shops.







Below on the left is Fred leaning on the fence along the river. Below on the right are Gayle and Carole relaxing on one of the many benches along the river walk.

















It was nice to spend the afternoon with good friends . . . and Rockford is indeed a "cool" town. In fact, I think Carole would move here . . . but I reminded her that in the winter the snow gets pretty deep around here.

So we left "Cool Rockford" in the late summer afternoon and headed back to Elkhart in time to arrive at "The Bus" before dark.

Short Move

Today we left Johnny Appleseed Campground in Fort Wayne and moved "The Bus" to Elkhart, Indiana, Carole's home town. We checked in at the Elkhart Campground rather than the Moose Lodge Campground to be closer to friends Carole wanted to visit.

We only plan to be in this area for a few days as we need to get back home to Kansas in time for Carole's next treatment on her eye Tuesday, August 11.

Davis Family Reunion

The annual Davis Family Reunion was held at the Sears Pavilion in Foster Park, Fort Wayne, on the first Sunday in August. However, it was rather poorly attended, probably no more that 30 family members. That is certainly the lowest attendance ever. Attendance used to approach a hundred. But those of us who were there had a great time. What can be more important than family?


Here's Carole, Karen McFarland, and Michelle Davis.














Here's Marge Davis, Jim Davis, and Leila Parks.















Here's Ken Davis, Joan Davis, and Me.















Not much family here. But the food was great as usual. That's one thing the Davis family has always been very good at . . . great food and lots of it to eat! But it would sure be nice to see more people at next year's "Davis Family Reunion".

Farewell to Norm

Several days ago, one of my cousins, Norman Smith, passed away. We attended Norm's funeral and listened as Norm's oldest son was giving part of the eulogy relaying experiences with his Dad. We had to laugh when he said his Dad could whistle and pass gas louder than anyone he ever knew. Obviously, his comments eased the tension at the funeral . . . just the way Norm would have wanted.


As is often the case with such gatherings, this was an opportunity to see family members we seldom get to see. Pictured here are Ron (my brother) and I with cousins, left to right, Leila (Smith) Parks, Victor Smith, Willa (Smith) Thorp, me and Ron.

Norman Smith was the brother of Leila, Victor, and Willa. Their mother was my father's sister.


Rest in peace, Norm.