We made it back from camping, and we actually even camped!  I went up with two or three plans in mind, depending on how Allison handled camping.  She was a trooper!  Of course, Mom's RV was a big help in that regard.  It has a little TV in it that I could pop a movie tape in, so Alli got to watch the Pokemon movies when she got restless at the campfire.  I was all ready to either leave AJ up there with his tent to camp over night, or pack us all up and drive back to Mom's house overnight, depending on how things played out, but....I didn't have to do either!  I didn't want to push it to two nights camping, but she did really well for one night.  Maybe next year we can push it out to two!

A view of Antelope Lake

Jake showing me the best spot for pictures

One of our camp visitors

A close up of him - Mom was disappointed that they didn't seem too excited about coming in for peanuts.  The Ranger that stopped by told her that it was because they were all full - they'd been getting handouts since June!

This little guy liked to take his peanut up above the crowd!

Moonrise

Finally!  After 12 years, I have a fan over the kitchen table!  And it's a beautiful fan - and it works so nicely too!

I finished up a few projects yesterday - after I ran around like a mad woman cleaning, I took the afternoon off and crocheted.  I finished a doily I had started - called 'On Vacation".  The last row was all picots - and as much as I like my cat (named Picot) I don't like making them.  So.....I improvised.  I threaded some beads and used them instead on the last row of the doily.  It added a nice touch, I think!

Then, since I still had the thread out (a light violet) I made a snowflake!.  A Yahoo group  that I belong to is making snowflakes, and this is the first in the bunch.  I think I am going to make these all in color, just to be different.  I have made literally hundreds of white snowflakes in the past - this will add some 'fun' back to them!

 

We had a swim guest last week - a huge bullfrog.  I don't mind sharing, but I worry about the chlorine on the frog!  AJ very kindly fished him out (he didn't want to swim with him!) and put him back in the bushes.  We're hoping he stays there!

I think Alli's teenage hormone are kicking in.  She was all mad at me about something - I don't know what it was, either!  She was growling and crying - and I couldn't figure anything out, so I just left her alone.  When I came back, she had pulled all of my projects out of my knitting bag and scattered them.  Yes, she was mad at me about something - I just wish she would tell me what it is!

The last of the pictures!  AJ getting his Eagle badge (the one I had to go back home to get!)

Me getting my "Mom badge" - yes - the one I had to go back home to get.

AJ Getting his hand-carved eagle neckerchief slide

AJ giving his 'mentor pin' to Ken.

Bill showing AJ his 'Eagle Staff' and the plaque he was going to put on for AJ's eagle.

Alli is still being good!

AJ giving Ralph his 'Dad' pin - yes, the one I had to go back home to get - and after all that, AJ forgot to give it to him in the regular ceremony! I was cutting the cake when AJ remembered to give it to him.  I'm glad we made it through - what a lot of fun memories!  Probably more memories because of the things that went wrong.

I got started posting these pictures two days ago and never got any further!  I really need to get organized in the mornings!  

More pictures from AJ's Court:

AJ, Conner, Mom and I went in to the church at 12:30 to get set up for the Court.  We decorated the tables, set up the cake, made the coffee and punch, set up the slide shows, etc.  We got everything done, and I was able to greet people when they came in - wonderful!  About 2:03, AJ came up and asked if I knew where the Eagle kit was.  (We were supposed to start at 2:00, and the Eagle Kit is his Eagle badge and the pins for his mentor and his parents - us!)  OMG!  Not only did I NOT bring it, I don't even know where it is!  I can't remember what I did with it after I picked it up at the Scout meeting!  I told AJ I would go get it, told Ralph where I'm going, and went flying out the door - just in time to hear the train whistle - there is a train going through Anderson, and I'm on the wrong side of the tracks!  Needless to say, we got started a bit late for the Court!

(Ralph is holding the Eagle kit)

We did it!  we made it through AJ's Court of Honor!  I was lucky enough to have a friend take pictures for me.  The building was fairly dark inside, which made the pictures not the best, but it's not the fault of the photographer!

The cake had it's own saga.  I ordered it two weeks before, and was to pick it up at 10:00 on Saturday.  While I was on my way in to town at 8:30 to do my normal Saturday shopping, I got a call from Raley's.  They couldn't find the picture I wanted on the cake, but they did have something close, but it did have GS on top - maybe for Girl Scouts???  Probably not going to work?  No, probably not.  They said that if I had an emblem or something I could bring in, they could us it instead.  So....one quick phone call to the house later, Ralph was on his way in to town with a Eagle Scout emblem.  They made the cake up while he waited, and he paid for it, and happily left the store.  They chased him down outside.  They had put the emblem on the wrong cake.  I had ordered a marble cake, and they had put it on a carrot cake.  Back he went to the store, waited for a new cake to be made, and home with the cake.  It turned out very pretty, and very tasty!

AJ did a candle ceremony - the small candles on the left represent the scout oath, the red candles in the middle are the ranks in scouting, and the three white represent the scout law.  Unfortunately, we needed one more candle - the spirit of scouting - that was supposed to be lit before we started.  But....no one told me, and I had AJ and Conner check on the number of candles I needed several times!  Oh well - they worked around it!

We made up a couple of presentation boards with AJ' patches and some photos, etc. We also drug out his old derby cars, and this Arrow of Light from Cub Scouts.

Alli enjoyed waiting - she got to spin!

The Eagle Scout emblem - quite large!

This is the Eagle Board - all the scouts that got their Eagle out of Troop 122 are listed on it.  AJ got to add his own plaque to it.

Alli - still enjoying the day!