Article 22
PROMOTING SCOUTING: MY NEW MISSION BEGINSSome time ago, I made a decision to feature Boy Scout characters in my first novel, VIOLENT NIGHT. Now that I’m about to release my second book, HAUNTED CAMPS:...
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MERIT BADGES CAN LEAD TO BIGGER DREAMSOur second Eagle Scout, Max, took Computers Merit Badge at Camp Post in 1996. Computers weren’t as commonplace then as they are now, but the ranger there had it...
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Article 20
EL RANCHO CIMA’S BATHTUBOnce every so often I find myself having to sort through pictures looking for something, and stumble across places I miss.Sam Houston Area Council’s flagship camp is El Rancho...
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Article 19
FRIGHTENING LIGHTNINGAlthough, basically, the Boy Scout program has a great safety record, there remain those situations that make us Scoutmasters nervous.When I was a new leader, I found that the...
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Article 18
Here’s one of those situations where the boys temporarily bypass the literal interpretation of the 11th point of the Scout Law. But that’s okay.WHEN SCOUTS ARE ANYTHING BUT “CLEAN”There was a surprise...
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Article 17
A Boy Scout Adventure: Solving the mystery of the Marfa LightsFolks shopping for young adult literature without lewd content may want to give THE GHOST OF MOUNT CHINATI a try. This short, innocent...
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Article 16
THE CASE OF THE POWER RINGSIt’s so often that bit of silliness that makes a high-adventure trip so memorable.On our way to the Weminuche Wilderness in Colorado, we made a stop at Alabaster Caverns in...
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GOD BLESS THE SIMPSONS:ANECDOTE TO NICHIFICATIONWhen I was a Boy Scout, back in the days of 8-tracks and lava lamps, we used to spend our idle hours on the bus or around the campsite sharing bits of...
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Article 14
DISCOVERING CAMP DON: A GREAT SUMMER CAMPBy the year 1990, we were weary of our own council camp and nearby councils’ summer camps. I don’t remember how we found out about Camp Don (Golden Spread...
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HORRIBLE CAMPS, PART ONEWhat’s worse than a Haunted Camp? How about a Horrible Camp? See if you can top this one:Although we paid a site reservation deposit a year in advance, we arrived to find...
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Article 12
BTSR: THEN AND NOWThis picture is not some tropical paradise. It’s in Buffalo Trail Scout Ranch in southwest Texas!When the topic of Texas camps comes up, Buffalo Trails gets more than it’s share of...
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Article 11
IT PAYS TO BE A GOOD SCOUT…At least in Troop 1197 it does.It begins with Patrol Leader Training, where we give each patrol leader a set amount of this “Funny Munny.” We get most of it back by...
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Article 10
THE KILLER JOKEArturo is the boy on the left. This was his very first campout, a backpacking trip to Lost Maples Natural Area in the Texas hill country. The year was 1985.You see, Arturo was special...
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Article 9
I WISH I WAS IN THE TETONSThe mercury reached 97 today in the Bayou City. In spite of global warming, this summer has been cooler than any I can remember. Yet every time August or September rolls...
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Article 8
YOU CAN’T EARN THE RANK OF EAGLE!Scoutmaster Steve of Troop 68 in Melrose, Minnesota, posed a question about Eagle conferences on his Scoutmaster’s Blog today. Some of the replies spoke of Eagle Scouts...
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Article 7
EXPANDING WHICH TENT, EXACTLY? An article about Scouting “expanding the tent” to include immigrant youths prompted discussion on the Boy-Scout-Talk list yesterday. In the article, they state that the...
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Article 6
THE TRUE MEANING OF CONSERVATIONThis cedar tree used to grace the summit of Sentinel Peak at Sam Houston Area Council’s El Rancho Cima. It was a welcome spot of shade; a place to rest on hot, sunny...
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SCOUTS “WUSSY”?Last week, a youth leader told me that they had failed to start a Scouting group because the parents thought Scouting was “wussy.” The parents preferred to put their sons in sports.The...
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Article 4
REMEMBERING THE PONDEROSAI wish I could turn back time and visit the Ponderosa again. Yes, the Ponderosa that was the stage set for the television series “Bonanza,” in the town of Incline Village along...
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Article 3
DOES OUR PATROL METHOD PASS THE SMELL TEST?Recently, as we are now between the birth of Scouting and the birth of the B.S.A., Scouters have been harking back to the beginnings a la Baden-Powell. In one...
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Article 2
MY CAMPFIRE STORIES ARE PUBLIC NOW!Today ten of the stories I’ve been telling around the campfire are published in the new book, HAUNTED CAMPS: The Campfire Stories of Scoutmaster B.C. Justice. The...
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Article 1
KUDOS TO PACK 266Since we don’t have a “feeder” pack, recruiting has always been a challenge for us. In our 27 years of existence, only a handful of Webelos have ever visited our troop, even though we...
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Article 0
WE FIGHT, WE FIGHT, WE FIGHT AND FIGHT AND FIGHT…BECAUSE WE ARE FRIENDS!The two Scouts in this photo were both stubborn. They argued about everything. If one said the sky was blue, the other one would...
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