We’re all about scoutin’! No foolin’!

Good afternoon!

Last week Easter, this week April Fools’ Day.  Great family times, but us Coles are feeling like maybe we can take a break on any more holidays for awhile.  This latest one took its toll on the Cole adults, beginning with Mrs. Cole being fooled by the kind offer of an Oreo cookie, whereby the white filling had been sneakily replaced with toothpaste.  Much grimacing, gagging and other fun faces ensued! The signature ‘gotcha’ this year was at bed time, however, when the senior Coles turned out the lights and turned on the ceiling fan on their way into bed, and proceeded to get pelted by flying objects.  Upon further review with the lights back on, the room was covered in large marshmallows, which had been strategically placed on the fan blades.  Very nicely done, but it does beg the question.  Why can’t such outstanding imagination and creativity be invested in such things as homework?

This was to be a month of technology meetings, but with our canoe outing this month, the PLC decided to swap months and pull ahead next month’s aquatics agenda into this month.  Come prepared for a Tuesday meeting led by the eldest DeAngelis detailing canoeing and aquatics at an overview level.  The team putting this weekend’s canoeing outing has changed from a Verde River float to a desert lake outing instead – likely Alamo Lake – due to high release volumes in the Verde.  There will be a focus on canoe skills and safety, working on keeping clothes and camp gear dry in lake crossings rather than a focus on swamping and righting canoes on this particular outing.  We will also have sufficient time for advancement, so for those of you looking to hold boards of review or sign off on water rescues or lashings or other complex items, this will be a perfect opportunity.  Ensure that any materials you need (rope, poles, etc.) are planned for and gathered to be loaded on the trailers Friday night.

We are also getting into the final stretch before our pancake breakfast and silent auction fundraiser.  You should be well on your way to selling your first round of tickets, and perhaps looking for a second ticket book by now.  Patrols should also be gathering their auction basket items – either through donations or other means.  Patrol leaders should begin doing inventories to determine what additional items might be needed to round out the baskets.  Hopefully you are all planning to attend on the 27th – it should be an absolutely marvelous, and profitable morning!

Looking ahead, you should have your 6 top merit badge choices for summer camp in to Mr. Benyi by now.  Also, young Mr. Turner presented a service opportunity to the PLC this week that is an outstanding way to give back to our community.  Stay tuned for more information on how to help the Miracle League on Saturday mornings this spring as we assist special needs children and adults play a real baseball game, complete with announcers, concession stands, screaming crowds, and able bodied buddies out in the field with them.  Mr. Turner will have volunteer applications on Tuesday night, and I would encourage us all to contribute at least one morning to this very worthwhile endeavor.  It is also likely time again to get your newsletter items in to Mrs. Traynor, so please share your newsworthy items with our whole troop!  Tomorrow night is our monthly adult leader meeting, and this weekend Mr. Butler has rented a paint sprayer and has offered to paint our troop shed/container on Saturday with 2-3 adult leaders who may not be going on the canoe outing.

I hope the majority of you can come to the canoe prep meeting and follow it up with the canoe outing this weekend. It is a great time of year to be enjoying the great out of doors before the onset of the summer heat.  Come enjoy the outing part of scouting with T648!

Mr. Cole