Pack 303 at Battleship Cove Fall River, MA

Battleship Cove Overnight Sleepout
October 3-4, 2009
Cub Pack 303
No Name Patrol


We went down Saturday morning and well the day started off soggy wet. Rain, rain and more rain...it was heavy! We got there early near the 11am mark and it started to come down hard again. But we were in good spirits so we dashed from the parking lot to the welcome center. Most everything got wet except the sleeping bags so we were doing ok based on how much rain we were getting.

We were brought to our sleeping berth on the 1st deck down and found quickly some bunks to stow and dry our gear. Overall the accommodations are sparse but it's all in good fun. We had what we needed, a place to hang our coat and a place to sleep. The bunks are FOUR stacked with little room between bunks. I chose the bottom since it'd be easier to crawl in/out, Gregory grabbed the one above me. He fit fine, and eventually I figured out an easy way in/out.

We were able to start wandering around and explore the exhibits. This place is huge and I know because we never made it below one deck to the aircraft section. We went through the PT exhibits and then the rain slackened a bit so we ventured out to the other boats that are there. By this time the place was crawling with scouts and visitors, I heard that we will be part of 250 scouts/parents bunking for the overnight.

One thing to note that the "ladders" are very steep and there were a few that Gregory just flat out refused to descend. I didn't blame him one bit as I was a bit nervous myself. Let's see steep ladders and slick rain soaked sneakers, hmm. The upper decks of the submarine, destroyer and missile cruiser were great and showed a few different era's of equipment. It was fun to contrast some of the items on display like cameras and boxes of candy. So different than today's.

We weren't able to get to the upper super structure of the battleship but planned to try and go there on Sunday. As it got later we went inside for diner and some other planned activities. Diner was ok just like camp the food is decent and hot. After that Gregory and I relaxed for a bit until the planned movie. They had classes on morse code and knots but he wasn't interested. I could tell he was getting tired as we did a lot of walking. We even went on a quick trip down a few decks to the powder magazine and shell rooms below the forward turrets. Amazing how big things are and how fast it is to get lost. :) We got out alright.

The movies turned out to be cartoons of Donald Duck in the army and kept everyone entertained for an hour or so but it was getting really late. We went back and got ready for bed and crashed near 10:30, at 11:00pm taps was played and the lights were out. Oddly enough I slept well waking only once at 5am. The snoring contests were a draw as at least three men were keeping their side of the battleship up.

At 6:30am, we were awoken by revelry and had to get moving. As we had 1hr till breakfast then we had to vacate the bunks we were sleeping on. Thankfully the night was uneventful for us though I had heard there were some issues that apparently I slept through (oh boy!). Gregory however woke with a sour stomach. I gave him one rolaid but after we arrived at breakfast he needed to make a hasty exit. Thankfully there were no explosions but I could tell he was really hurting. So after we had breakfast it was clear that we were heading home. Which was fine we did a lot there and saw a lot of great things.

I hope at some point we go back and get a chance to see more of all the exhibits. I highly recommend going there with any aged kids even the old cranky ones. :)

-Stephen



Link to Photos! or cut/paste: http://share.ovi.com/album/cphobes.2009Pk303Battle

Cowboys Stadium Monday NIght Football

I was invited to attend the Monday Night Football game at the Cowboys new stadium on 9/28/09. Normally I would have refused out of principal but alas it was for luxury seats so I took one for the team. I was lacking a NE Patriots jersey and didn't have time to purchase one on the way so again I apologize for my lack of foresight.

It was a good time, all I can say is "WOW" about the new stadium. I haven't been in Gillette so I have no idea how they compare but the new stadium is impressive. The video board is absolutely nuts as well. It makes you want to watch it instead of the game as it's so clear and close up. Yes the guys LOVED the closeups on the cheerleaders, photos came out horrible so I deleted them but the guys at the office got a kick out them.

Apparently they had a symphony there playing Starwars and showed some of the movies, I'd go in a heartbeat to see Starwars on that huge video board.

Overall great time and well worth the late time getting back to the hotel. Thanks to AT&T for the tickets and my boss for including me in the junket. :)


Link to Photos! or cut/paste: http://share.ovi.com/album/cphobes.2009CowboyStadi



-Stephen

Book Review: Andrew Peterson’s North! Or Be Eaten

Originally when I agreed to read this book for a review I was concerned that this would be targeted for a younger audience. And therefore I’d be bored with it and have a hard time reading it. To prepare for the review we ordered the first book. I planned to read the first then the second so as to best prepared. Was I so pleasantly surprised!

The first book “On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness” arrived and was quickly read through by my oldest son. He enjoyed it, this gave me hope. So I read the first book on a trip in late August and I flew through it quickly and devoured it with joy. Knowing the 2nd book “North! Or Be Eaten” was waiting for me when I got back was electrifying as I’d be able to continue the story right away. Unlike many other fans who had to wait between books, I had the opportunity for minimal wait. And I’m quite glad I didn’t have to wait long as the story continued to deliver excitement and interest.

My Book Review:
In this book we continue the journey of the main characters Janner, Tink and Leeli Igiby. In the first book we learned of their serene living in a dark world that was dramatically changed and by the end of it they’re on the run. Like them we’ve learned that they aren’t just children without a future but they have a true part to play. In this book the journey continues both by where the characters are and who they are becoming. They begin to grow before your eyes and so doesn't the world around them.

What struck me most about the book was the many parallels’ and deep meanings hidden in the book and events described. Though the book’s covers, text and notes do not plainly indicate it, Andrew Peterson is a Christian musician and writer. There aren’t any obvious Christian themes but many times I was looking at key points from the Christian perspective. Searching and wondering if there was a message or lesson within.

This book carries us through many wonderful and sinister depictions of this world the children live in. You learn more of the creatures of this world through their close calls while fleeing their enemies. Later, we begin to both despise but pity the Standers. Learning with Janner a life lesson from an old woman who reminds him of what the right decision is. Sometimes even the most unlikely person is there to correct you. Even seeing at one point an older brother starting to understanding that part of his job isn’t just protecting his brother it’s giving him good counsel.

It’s a magnificent journey through a beautiful yet dark world. For me to see a book like this grab my son’s attention was pure joy. He’s not a boy who likes to read yet he found both books exciting and worthwhile. If you enjoy adventure and a deep story line I’d recommend these books for young and old. Now we're both eagerly awaiting the next book in the series.

Publisher's Summary:
Janner, Tink, and Leeli Igiby thought they were normal children with normal lives and a normal past. But now they know they’re really the Lost Jewels of Anniera, heirs to a legendary kingdom across the sea, and suddenly everyone wants to kill them.
Their escape brings readers to the very brink of Fingap Falls, over the Stony Mountains, and across the Ice Prairies, while villains galore try to stop the Igibys permanently. Fearsome toothy cows and horned hounds return, along with new dangers: a mad man running a fork factory, a den of rockroaches, and majestic talking sea dragons.
Andrew Peterson’s lovable characters create what FantasyBookCritic.com says made Book One “one of the best fantasy novels in a very long time,” and Book Two contains even more thrills, exploring “themes universal in nature, ranging from the classic good versus evil, to the importance of family, and burdens of responsibility.”

Author bio.:
Andrew Peterson is the author of On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness, Book One in the Wingfeather Saga, and The Ballad of Matthew’s Begats. He’s also the critically-acclaimed singer-songwriter and recording artist of ten albums, including Resurrection Letters II. He and his wife, Jamie, live with their two sons and one daughter in a little house they call The Warren near Nashville, Tennessee. Visit his websites: www.andrew-peterson.com and www.rabbitroom.com

Thanks to the publisher and Andrew Peterson for allowing me to be part of this blog tour and to review this book.
-Stephen

Not to be out done, Gregory's got the DS too!

So after an excruciating month of watching his brother play with the nintendo DS. Though Joseph was fairly generous with sharing. Gregory enters the fray! Using all of his birthday money (yeah talk about spoiled!) he was able to purchase with a little help from Dad the DS and one game.

Silence decends upon the house...

-Stephen

Green camping it's not that hard...

One of my RSS feeds pointed to this interesting article on green camping and minimizing your impact. It brought up some key points for me and got me to thinking about what I do when camping. I wanted to share this with my friends and familiy as many are camping as well and might find the ideas useful.

Now most of the camping I do is "car camping" meaning you rely on your vehicle as the primary means of getting and staying at your campsite. Some people would say if you can see your car from where you're sleeping you're car camping. I'm sure there are other definitions but I think this covers the majority of how I camp personally. Only with the boy scouts do I get close to non-car camping on a few trips.

So on to the article: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/09249/995622-140.stm

There is a PDF file with the 12 points and is a great starting point to making some easy changes.

For me after looking through the points the biggest changes would be:
#3, I hate rechargable batteries.
#5, Regarding soaps, not sure what I use right now so I'll have to take a look.
#8, I have for the longest time been using disposable plates & flatware which of course waste's paper etc. Guess it's time to try and switch back to re-usable dishes and flatware. I know thrift shops are the best place to get stuff like this.

So read the article, it might help planning for trips and a few small changes can go a long way.

-Stephen

Review: J Falk Bushwacker Wood/Gas Stove

J Falk Bushwacker Wood/Gas Stove

Website: www.trailgear.org

I purchased this from a person who built it using the plans obtained from J Falk's website. The only piece missing was the bottom grate which is not necessary though does improve airflow.

It's design is simple two cans a bunch of holes and some hardware cloth. Designed to be a burning chamber for wood.

First time using it was pretty simple. I had read a lot and also viewed the introduction video's on J Falk's website. I made a simple windscreen, though later I determined it was not as long as I had wanted.

I selected an older aluminum pot to use since it had a tight fitting cover and pour spout. Plus it had already been used over a wood fire at one point and had some soot already on it. It has a large handle that stays cool and two smaller handles on the side which remained less than red hot so I could use it without a pot holder.

I found wood throughout the site I was at and broke it into smaller pieces no larger than my pinky. I easily found enough wood within 20 feet of my tent without much effort at all. The wood was dry though some was "green" and sappy. It's pretty straight forward and to be honest most of the wood I saw while clearing the spot for my tent. I grabbed enough for the stove itself and the starter fire which you make on top to get it going.

Loading the fire chamber was easy but I could tell required some practice as you have to load it loosly and criss-cross the wood. This might not sound hard and it isn't but takes some strategy based on the wood you've collected. Loading it to tightly effects it's burn (see later note) so by the time it was fully loaded I had a better feel for creating spaces.

To light the stove you create a smaller fire on the top and let it burn then drop into the fire chamber. I used a bic lighter and cotton ball with petroleum jelly on it. It took the flame quickly and got the tinder pile going very well. The cottonball/jelly was messy and I think there's better options but a lot of people use them. I had to assist some of the long pieces of tinder into the fire chamber after it lit and dropped in. No big deal but you have to clear the top so you can put on the pot stand.

The pot stand is a piece of hardware cloth and attaches firmly. However as you press down to get it to click in tight the flames have a tendency to burn your hand. Plus the hardware cloth heats up pretty fast so some practice is needed to get it just right. After that was attached I placed the pot on top with nearly 3-4 cups of cold water and then wrapped it all in a foil windscreen. With the windscreen and also the vent holes in the sides you can "adjust" the air flow, I kept the screen in tight and left the holes wide open (high burn rate). I wanted an idea of how long it would take (shortest time) to boil water.

In about 20 minutes after the start of the tinder fire the water was boiling so maybe 10-15 minutes total for 3-4 cups of boiling water. For me this is fast enough, though some people always seem to need their water within minutes of starting a flame. The fire burned for at least another 8-10 minutes which would have allowed for a simmer if I were cooking a meal. Adjusting the vent holes and windscreen certainly would have lengthened the burn time. I noticed that I had packed the wood to tightly in the beginning and when I removed the pot the first time to pour the hot water out I saw that a mound of wood that hadn't completely burned was visible. It eventually did but you could see that it was too dense to burn well. So again some strategy and practice is needed for loading and using the stove.

In the end the soot was pretty much all over the pot so transport and handling are an issue with these stoves. I knew this already and planned for it. I had put a piece of foil down to protect the ground and it burned a circle in the pine leaves. I normally would have used this in a fire pit and avoid the burn scar so I'll be sure to do so next time.

Overall it's a fun stove and in the Northeast with all the wood we have it's probably a convenient way to cook while backpacking. The heat of the stove was nice on the cool morning and would be excellent on a fall/winter trip in my opinion. Though good luck finding wood under a few inches of snow. As for the soot, careful handling keeps the majority of it off the hands. I'll probably use this a few more times on hiking trips in areas where I know I'll find dry wood. The stove itself is so heavy that it's not going to beat out a smaller alcohol or canister stove for weight savings so if you're a gram-weanie this is not stove for you. As for "speed" of boil, I've never had an alcohol stove beat 9-10 minutes boiling for 2-3 cups of cold water. On an average morning you'll need at least 1-2 for your oatmeal and 1-2 for your hot coffee so if you're looking at 4 cups and a boil time of only 10-15 minutes, that's not bad at all in my book.

I took a few photo's while trying it out and have posted them here:

http://share.ovi.com/album/cphobes.JFalkBushwacker

This is a fun stove and great for a relaxing trip.

-Stephen

Rachael's Computer

Her's is pink with a touch screen and talks for her. Even has wifi and a ton of other options we've barely scratched the surface of.

-Stephen