Sunday Scouting Hot Finds Newsletter July 31, 2016

SHF_jul_31

I have tried all week to put my finger on what makes this crowd tick and contrast it with my fraternity of Scouting friends. While in the river yesterday a teenager spotted my conclave shirt and we got into a talk about how he has just been inducted in Tsoiotsi Tsogalii (Greensboro, NC). Before long I was hashing out the difference between the red sashes that national issued for the Centennial and the ones made by Eswau Huppeday 560. That was the common bond – with Scouting this kid I never met could talk to me about Camp Cherokee (I’ve been there) and his lodge and experience in the OA. We parted with him telling me I need to get those Centennial patches because “they are going to be valuable”.

Another part of my theory on this is that you get to be somebody you are not in real life. You can kinda pull on a costume if you will and you go by a nickname rather than your given name and you kinda have a reputation (usually for good reasons). I was an unknown so it was easy to be the outsider looking in. However, there are a lot of parallels to going to a Scouting event. All week I enjoyed cooking up really good food on the stove and with the charcoal pit and dutch oven. The lady next to us never really remembered my name but when I offered her homemade peach cobbler last night she said “yeah that’s the guy that can cook”.

So while at a big Scouting event we might set up blankets and trade patches the bus camper folk have something called a skirt swap. Here you lay down items on a big blanket and pick up something you want. But it kinda happens fast and it’s not all about tye-dye skirts but I saw jewelry and even a hat getting swapped out. At a big conclave we march in with our spirit songs and themes. Here they marched in with a glow stick parade complete with head to toe costumes that were pretty elaborate. In the end it’s just a different flavor of people having fun and that’s what vacation is all about.

I will be shipping out orders when I get home today and prepping some auctions to run. Today is the last day of the month so I need to take advantage of the free auctions that eBay gives me with the store subscription.

 

CLICK HERE TO OPEN THE JULY 31, 2016 ISSUE OF THE SCOUTING HOT FINDS NEWSLETTER

 

Comments

Close

  

Search this website

DISCLAMER:
ScoutPatchCollectors.com It is not officially affiliated with the Boy Scouts of America, the Girl Scouts of the USA or the World Organization of Scout Movements.