The weekend Thread

[bigoldron]

Oh my gosh! Shorts and t shirts. I am so jealous. It's great that you can go participate in the Scout events.

I hate it for you, Spudster! We were COLD this morning, got all the way down to 41! I had to actually put a jacket on this morning as I got cold and I'm pretty hot-natured.

[Brian Krashpad]

I hate it for you, Spudster! We were COLD this morning, got all the way down to 41! I had to actually put a jacket on this morning as I got cold and I'm pretty hot-natured.

Haha, Ron, you're a cruel man.

You are just on the other side of the swamp from where we were, I bet, if you're in SW Georgia.

[bigoldron]

Haha, Ron, you're a cruel man.

You are just on the other side of the swamp from where we were, I bet, if you're in SW Georgia.

Actually, we're about 2 1/2 hours or more away. Okefenokee is in Southeast GA and we're in SW GA. In fact, if you look at map, we're the SW corner of the state where GA, FL and AL meet. Only 100 miles from Panama City!

[bigoldron]

Not really a weekend thing, because we got home LATE Friday night (OK, maybe it is considered a weekend thing.), but my daughter (the 17 year old) is on our high school's "One Act Play" cast and they competed at the region level and won on Friday. This coming Saturday, they will compete at the state level.

The play they're doing is "Seven Brides for Seven Brothers". Carabeth is one of the brides and has a few speaking parts. She and the rest of the kids have done a really great job. In fact, the girl playing the lead (Millie) won "Best Actress" at the region competition. Not bad for a little podunk town in Southwest Georgia! :

[Brian Krashpad]

Not really a weekend thing, because we got home LATE Friday night (OK, maybe it considered a weekend thing.), but my daughter (the 17 year old) is on our high school's "One Act Play" cast and they competed at the region level and won on Friday. This coming Saturday, they will compete at the state level.

The play they're doing is "Seven Brides for Seven Brothers". Carabeth is one of the brides and has a few speaking parts. She and the rest of the kids have done a really great job. In fact, the girl playing the lead (Millie) won "Best Actress" at the region competition. Not bad for a little podunk town in Southwest Georgia! :

That's outstanding Ron! My daughter did some community theatre a few years ago but hasn't had time for it with her studies of late. She's going to be Mary in our church's annual Christmas pageant thingy (it's something called "Boar's Head" or something like that, not having seen it before I have no idea where that name comes from) but I think it's more of a choral presentation with action rather than a traditional play with speaking parts.

[Spudman***]

I hate it for you, Spudster! We were COLD this morning, got all the way down to 41! I had to actually put a jacket on this morning as I got cold and I'm pretty hot-natured.

Thanks but as much as you are trying to dig on me all I have to do is remind you that we ain't got chiggers or hurricanes.

[Brian Krashpad]

Thanks but as much as you are trying to dig on me all I have to do is remind you that we ain't got chiggers or hurricanes.

Remember, nowadays we're very PC and half of the latter are him-icanes.

[bigoldron]

Thanks but as much as you are trying to dig on me all I have to do is remind you that we ain't got chiggers or hurricanes.

Chiggers???!!! We don't got no stinking chiggers!!! Redbugs we do have, but not THAT bad.

I'll tell what we have seen in the past though, it's that white stuff, er ugh, what do you call it? Snow, yeah that's it. We have seen a snow flurry or two in the last 10 years or so.

[Brian Krashpad]

Oh my gosh! Shorts and t shirts. I am so jealous. It's great that you can go participate in the Scout events.

It really has been a blessing. The camping weekends only cost $20 a person, and include food and entrance fees to the parks, etc. So aside from gas money I spend since I drive along, it's a $40 weekend. Although on the way home on this one I bought the 3 scouts in my van a burger each since they were starving since we didn't have lunch.

So make that a $44 weekend.

[Brian Krashpad]

That was reveille, Steve. Unfortunately we did have a mishap later on Saturday after we got back to camp, some of the younger scouts are a little too wild for my liking, and they were playing a ways away from the adults, and somone through some sand. It got in one of the scouts' eye, and they had to take him to an emergancy room in the nearest town to be safe. He had some scratches on his eye, hopefully it will heal up fast.

The reason that had to do with the bugler is, the boy who got injured is his son, so he wasn't around to blow taps.

They gave two different talks to the scouts about horseplay the next day. The first one was for the kids involved, and then the second was to the whole troop in general. I was not surprised by the composition of the first group. I knew Jack wouldn't be in it, and he wasn't, but conversely the kids who usually are the worst about running amok were there.

What kinda pisses me off is that at least a couple of the 5 or 6 kids that were involved were there with their dads. Sfaik I didn't see any of those dads wander over to see if their kids were in the first group, nor go off with their sons to talk to them privately about what had happened.

One of those kids I've known since Cub Scout days, and the kid doesn't mean harm but he desperately needs direction. His dad is totally oblivious. I hate to do it, but there've been times when I've had to, either as a parent or assistant den leader (during my last year in Cubs) stop the kid from what he was doing beofre he hurt himself or someone else, even though his dad was right there.

I just don't get that type of parenting.

[sunvalleylaw]

Hey Ron, congrats! I love it when kids are involved in creative arts and putting it out there, and love it when parents support them.

Brian, I agree with being frustrated with parents that don't take responsibility for guiding their own kids and want to leave it to the Scout leaders. We have some parents like that in our own little Cub Pack. I will say that I recall running amok myself just a bit at Boy Scout camp (wasn't allowed at Cub events). But throwing dirt and sand was never a part of it. I do remember throwing a hatchet at a tree Davey Crocket style when the leaders weren't looking. As I recall, we were told by an older scout to stop in no uncertain terms or I just decided on my own it wasn't a good idea and said so. (I normally didn't start the mischief, but I sometimes joined in or watched before coming to my senses). Some of my buddies were also pretty good at making a "smoke signal" fire with wet fir boughs piled on a big fire (cough, cough). I was not so into that.

Seriously though, as soon as we got into more backcountry backpacking and more serious camping, there was an emphasis on survival skills, first aid, responsibility for one's own safety etc. and that cut down on the horseplay. The horseplay tended to happen at the Scout camp that we just drove to and set up stinky canvas tents for a week.

Scouting is great, and some amount of self discovery needs to be allowed, but I hope the leaders and parents can learn to guide the ones that need it.

[Brian Krashpad]

I'm back!

I know, I know-- "You were gone?"

Anyhow, last week I went up to West Virginia with la familia Krashpad. It was a ski trip with the kids' (Hannah, 15, and Jack, 11) church group and assorted friends and parents. Monday night we took a bus up from Florida. Tuesday morning we arrived, checked into our hotel, and went out to the resort (Winterplace) to rent our skis and snowboards and check them overnight. After dinner we went to some Christian youth meeting where there was live music (one acoustic guitarist, two vox, full drum kit), and a speaker.

Wednesday, New Year's Eve, was our first full day there. The kids and I did snowboarding and Mrs. Krashpad tried skiing. It was the first time for all of us. It was snowing and windy. By the afternoon, the missus and I were pretty tired so we just hung out in the lodge/restaurant while the kids snowboarded. I got a call on my cell phone from my daughter that my son had got an injury and that the Ski Patrol was bringing him down the mountain.

I went down to the Ski Patrol and told my wife to just stay with the rest of the group and I would call her to give a status report. My daughter Hannah had told me Jack had a cut and if he was bloody and not cleaned up yet I didn't want Mrs. K to get all freaky on us.

Which was a good thing, because he was all bloody. Whole left side of his face was covered in blood from hairline to jawline. He had a nasty cut, up under his hair a couple inches above his temple, where his snowboard had whacked him. He'd been boarding with his back foot out of the binding, went down, and the board popped up and hit him. Apparently this happens enough that they have a name for it-- "the Scorpion." Since the cut was well up under his hair, they didn't stitch it up, which they otherwise would've. They just took strands of hair from either side of the gash and knotted it together temporarily, to keep the wound from opening up. Once he was cleaned up I gave Mrs. K a call and had her come down to the Ski Patrol.

The injury got us out of going to another of the Christian youth group meetings/sermons, which was OK by me because I was beat. We hung out at the hotel until the rest of the group returned, and then our kids joined the rest of them in a little celebration at midnight.

Thursday, New Year's Day, we went back out to the resort. But not on schedule. While we were down in the hotel lobby getting organized, one of the girls in the group freaked out and said one of her roomates had fainted or something and wouldn't open the door to their room. So we had to get a key from the desk and run down the hall and open the room.

Sure enough, the girl in the room had passed out. I held the door open (it was really hot in the room) and tried to calm down the first girl, who was nearing hysteria, while the other adults went in and worked on the girl who was passed out. She was initially unresponsive and since no one had seen her fall, there was the possibility she'd hit something on the way down, and they called 911.

By the time the ambulance got there the girl had revived and could at least respond a bit. Turns out she was anemic to begin with, and being in the hot room with all her ski gear on, had passed out. She (and one of the leaders and some friends who went to the hospital after her) later rejoined us at the resort around noon time.

I did a little bit of snowboarding in what was left of the morning with Jack (we rented a helmet for him), and then we all had lunch. After lunch we went up the mountain to the tubing run. That was the most fun we had during the trip. No learning curve, yay! That night after dinner the whole group skipped the speaker/music meeting so we could pack up and get planety of rest.

Friday was spent on the long bus ride back to Florida. One of the best things about the trip was the price. Since the kids and I had helped with all the youth group's football parking days (our church is near Florida Field, a/k/a The Swamp, where UF plays football, and we sell spots in the church parking lot on game days), for each of us the cost was only $50-- the cost of the bus ride! My wife paid that plus $250, so for the whole family was $400, which included round trip transportation, 3 hotel nights, and most breakfasts and lunches.

Here's a couple pics, a batch more to come:

Jack, first day:


Jack and I on the slopes:

[Brian Krashpad]

Here's some more pics:



Jack, 2nd day, post-crash (note helmet):

[Katastrophe]

Yep, scalp cuts get bloody in a hurry. But, Kraspadito looks like he bounced back well in the later pic!

Sounds like an eventful trip, Brian. One of these days, I'm gonna have to do stuff like this with the family. Wife's been wanting to go camping. Maybe this summer.

[Brian Krashpad]

Yep, scalp cuts get bloody in a hurry. But, Kraspadito looks like he bounced back well in the later pic!

Sounds like an eventful trip, Brian. One of these days, I'm gonna have to do stuff like this with the family. Wife's been wanting to go camping. Maybe this summer.

Camping definitely rocks. Thank goodness for Scouting, because I doubt I'd have ever got round to it otherwise. Mrs. Krashpad is not a camper, has no desire to sleep outdoors. So Scouting allows me and the boy to go camping with no guilt.

BK & kids:



All of us:



Tubing hill:



BK & kids in tubing line:

[Brian Krashpad]

Last batch o' pix:

Hannah Beth in tubing line:



Snowball fight (Jack and HB):



Sunset at Winterplace:

[sunvalleylaw]

Ouch, bite 'o the Scorpion. Glad he is ok. Helmets are a great idea when snowboarding or skiing. These days, they are very light, comfortable and warm, and can save your bacon. Back in the olden days, before retracting ski brakes, skiers used to get injured like that when you ski popped off during a crash and windmilled around as you fell while connected by a ski leash. RE: the girl who fainted, it is common up here for altitude, cold/hot from going in and out of weather, and dehydration to cause fainting, light headedness etc.

I am glad overall your trip was a success. Looks beautiful. I spent the holiday season (through this last weekend) working my lawyer job part time as I did my ski instructor job while folks were in for vacation. This is what it looks like here now. It is snowing lightly, and absolutely beautiful conditions.

http://www.sunvalley.com/SunValley/info/mtn.cams.aspx (SV Mountain cams)

P.S. Your kids are darned cute. Good for you for taking them out to all these great places and joining in with them. It was very important to me growing up that my folks took us skiing and to scouts, etc. and participated. Yours always look like they are having fun in the pics you post. :

[Brian Krashpad]

Wow, that looks great where you are Steve. I'm back in near-80 F weather today. Quite a switch. Wonder how long it'll be before all those snow clothes we bought get used again?

I'm just glad I didn't have to drive around in the snow/ice. There were 2 wrecks right at the entrance to our hotel in the few days we were there, although apparently more from poor road/driveway design/placement than anything else.

[sunvalleylaw]

Heh, heh, that pic is from the very nice golf course that is groomed for Nordic (cross country) skiing in the winter, and where I often take a mid day office break to get some quick cardio. The mountain in the background is Bald Mountain (Baldy) where the main alpine ski resort is located. And the skies really do get that blue. There are tradeoffs for trying to make a living in a relatively remote resort area (cost of living, earning capacity, proximity to diversity), but views like that are a good thing. Glad you had that great trip!