July 26 2015

The Best Part about City Slickers Camp

Experiences as a Leader, The Grand Scheme of Things    No Comments    , , , , ,

City Slickers Summer Camp Patch

We just finished our service unit camp called City Slickers – and it went really well.  While I had volunteered before for various gopher duties and car pools, this was my first year being a leader and planning out the week.  My partner-in-crime Tonia and I had a great time leading the Juniors.

We had a lot of different activities scheduled – but the best moment of all was something that was completely unplanned (And no, it wasn’t when the person leading our art class cancelled ONE HOUR before our appointment….). Continue reading

July 20 2015

The Shortcut Debacle

Reminiscing    No Comments    , , , , , , , , ,

I thought this story deserved its own title graphic too.
I thought this story deserved its own title graphic too.

This will be the last post for a while – I’ve got City Slickers camp the rest of this week, and then I’ll be in and out for the rest of the summer until school starts!  Maybe I’ll fit one in before I get too busy with back to school stuff.

A few months ago, a large contour map of National Center West appeared on Ebay.  I lost the auction, but the seller posted some very large close up pictures of the map.  I received permission to download the pictures, and I then stitched them together in Photoshop.  The original would have obviously been a lot clearer, but I just wanted to get an idea of what it looked like.  Take that, person who outbid me by a penny!  This map brought back one of those “this isn’t very funny right now, but we’ll laugh about in the future” memories. Well, maybe not.  Who knows.

After I started this blog, I made a list of various stories that I wanted to share.  Some of them are short, and others require names – kind of like The Scut Farkus Affair*.  I call this one The Shortcut Debacle.  Continue reading

July 19 2015

2015 City Slickers Camp

Experiences as a Leader, Ideas    No Comments    , , , , ,

City SlickersEach year, our service unit (639) puts on a summer camp called City Slickers.  It lasts a week for Cadettes, Seniors, & Ambassadors and a half-week for Daisies, Brownies, and Juniors.  Our theme this year is “It’s a Girl Thing!”  I’m one of the Juniors’ leaders.  The Brownies and Daisies are day-only, but the Juniors spend each night.  I’m really looking forward to it, and I’ve been planning events for it for the past few months.  After City Slickers is over, it’s troop planning time!  W00t!  Continue reading

July 17 2015

My Favorite Troop 20 Newspaper Clipping

Reminiscing    No Comments    , , , , ,

Our Cabaña Logo

This is my favorite newspaper clipping of Troop 20.  It didn’t appear in the regular newspaper but instead in the 1988 edition of Trefoil Trails, the parent newsletter of the Northeast Georgia Council.  (I know all of this because it’s on the other side of the clipping, not because I have an awesome memory.  I do have an awesome memory, but not of facts like the name of the Northeast Georgia Council’s parent newsletter.)  Continue reading

July 14 2015

Wildflowers Aplenty at Station Cove Falls

Hikes & Outdoors    No Comments    , , ,

Station Cove Falls
Station Cove Falls

As a follow-up to my previous post about wildflowers and nature journals, I’d like to share some info about an easy hike with oodles of wildflowers called Station Cove Falls.  If you’re in the Upstate of South Carolina, Northeast Georgia, or Western North Carolina and want to see some wildflowers, then go on this hike in April during wildflower season.  You will not be disappointed.  This is a very easy and short hike and would be perfect to take troops that haven’t been hiking very much or have younger girls.

It’s one mile round trip and has very little change in elevation.  It features a 60 foot waterfall surrounded by so many bloodroot plants I couldn’t believe it.  I missed them blooming, but I’ve got to get back sometime to witness it.  It’s located in Oconee County near Walhalla and the trailhead is right off the main road.  Continue reading

July 13 2015

Nature Journals

Hikes & Outdoors, Ideas    1 Comment    , , , , , ,

I love the outdoors!  I love nature!  I love showing my love of nature and the outdoors to my troop!   I don’t know if my troop likes it, but oh well!  That’s what they get for having me as their leader!

Ogres are like onions....
Ogres are like onions….

I have an incessant curiosity about finding out the names of plants and birds.  I think it’s because my dad would point out the names of them while I was growing up, and I just absorbed it.  Many times people will ask, “How on earth do you know that?” and most of the time it’s something my dad shared with me at some point.  If you ever go on a hike with me, I might annoy you after a while because I like to stop and stare (and take pictures) of *stuff*. That and I’ll talk your ear off like Donkey does to Shrek.  Man, now no one is going to go hiking with me anymore.  🙁   Continue reading

July 11 2015

Love for Our Cabaña

Reminiscing    No Comments    ,

The other day I was going through some old things to see what I could find and scan to share.  I realized that I have been extremely remiss in talking about our troop’s trip to Our Cabaña in 1988.  I cannot believe I have been so neglectful of it considering it is a tie with the Trip Out West™ for my favorite GS trip.

If you are not familiar with Our Cabaña, it’s an International Center of WAGGGS with Our Chalet in Switzerland, Sangam in India, and Pax Lodge in England as the other three.  It’s located in Cuernavaca, Mexico. Continue reading

July 9 2015

Old School Sleeping Bag

Random Things That Don't Fit Anywhere Else Kinda Like Me    No Comments    , , , , ,

Get In The Bag Do they make lightweight sleeping bags these days that you don’t have to have relations with in order to get it back into the bag?  I’m trying to decide if I should get a new one for my birthday.

I have an old school sleeping bag that I’ve owned for about 30 years.  It’s warm and toasty on those cool nights, except it’s too toasty for those not-so-cool nights.  Plus, the zipper on the side comes apart too easily, so halfway through the night, my leg is hanging out of it.  Or, it’s unzipped itself and half of it is on the floor, leaving my back exposed to the creepy crawlies of the night.  Continue reading

July 7 2015

Camping Kaper Charts

Hikes & Outdoors, Ideas    No Comments    , , , , ,

My friend Samona (ALL HAIL SAMONA) asked me the other day on Facebook how I had time to post on this blog since my youngest daughter is just FULL of energy.  It’s a nice break, and I’ve been posting a lot over the summer because I probably won’t get to as much when the school year kicks in.  My juniors will be working on their Bronze Award this year, so most of my GS time will be directed toward that goal as it should be.  Continue reading