jeff noel.org

Be Prepared

On February 8, 2010, the Boy Scouts of America celebrated 100 years of cheerful service to America’s youth. Since the Boy Scouts of America’s inception in 1910, members have learned to live by the principles of the Scout Oath and Law through community services and “helping other people at all times.” What began with a single act of service on a foggy London night quickly evolved into daily “Good Turns.” These have included selling war bonds, collecting food for needy families, and growing victory gardens during World War II.

My son and I are camping with our Cub Scout Pack.  Thank God for that foggy London night, 100 years ago.

From The Mouth Of Babes

“Do you have any questions?”, the Brevard Zoo staff member asked the boys.

One six-year old boy threw his arm up in the air, “Can scorpions fart?”

Brevard Zoo. Yesterday, January 24, 2010.  Twenty Cub Scouts plus an equal number of Parents.

Our Church has a growing Cub Scout Pack.  It shut it’s doors two years ago, due to low enrollment.

Last year, two Dads resurrected our Pack and Twelve boys with a few Tiger Cubs, a few Wolf Cubs, and even fewer Bear Cubs. It was intimate to say the least. And it was my first year having a Wolf Cub.

This year, we’ve tripled. Now our trips have more energy, more unpredictability. More involved Parents. More blessings.

More humor.

Thanks to a couple of dedicated Dads (Rob & Greg) (and also Mike) who led us last year.  They could have given up and said it was too much work.

That would not have been very funny.

A Growing Community

Wanna Touch?

Orlando’s Holy Family Catholic Church Cub Scout Pack 114 held it’s annual Cub Scout Awards Banquet last night.

A handful of Tiger, Wolf and Bear Cubs received their respective badges for earning their rank.

A special thanks to Rob, our Committee Chair and Bear Den leader, and to our Cub Master and Wolf Den leader Greg.  Also thanks to Mike, the Tiger Cub Den leader.

There are others, no doubt, who deserve credit, like all the parents.

Anyway, here are two short You Tube video clips I shot last night click on BEFORE and AFTER to perhaps enjoy a special memory in your own life.

My son and I spent the night at the Orlando Science Center.  We were there with our Church’s Cub Scout Pack.  There were other Packs and even some Brownie “Packs” there too.

Checked in.  Dinner buffet.  A presentation called “KA-BOOM”!!!!  Private admission to cool exhibits.  But wait, there’s more.

We capped off the night with two really unique experiences.  In fact, I had never done either in my fifty years.

We used two very powerful telescopes to view the Moon and Saturn.

The Moon?  Astonishing to be on earth and see what we saw with our own eye.

Saturn?  WOW! 

Saturn last night was 857 million miles away.  To say this another way, it was almost a billion miles away.  Billion.  Ya with me?

While it was tiny, we all knew we were looking at the real deal.  Not a photo.  Not a TV show.  Not a DVD program.  The real thing. 

Saturn is about eighty times bigger than Earth, by the way. 

To be able to see something soooo big, yet so far away, and it shows up as a tiny, but absolutely crystal clear image, is, well, almost indescribable.

Afterwards, we all slept in “Dino Digs“, a huge and very well done Dinosaur exhibit.

My son and I slept direclty beneath “Stan’s” enormous jaws.  Stan is a T-Rex, named after the archaeologist that discovered him.  What made “Stan” famous is that 70% of his bones were found; more than any other T-Rex.

We had a great time and have some great memories.  In the big picture, that’s about as good as it gets.  Carpe diem, jeff