Colin and I have survived the first day of Boy Scout camp. Actually, it was quite fun! We'll be at camp all week from 2:00 - 8:30 and, boy, do they pack in the activities! Yesterday we played badminton, learned archery, shot BB guns, talked to the Sherriff's canine unit, made a den flag, crafted our own leather-tooled name tags, made hackysacks, went on a nature hike and learned some camp songs! Thankfully yesterday was a cool 92 degrees and we had a lot of shade.

Before camp I made Colin a walking stick. We wove some leather strips around the top, with four strips hanging down. We attached two feathers to one strip. The other three are for beads he's earning at camp. Each boy gets a bead for completing an activity, and special beads are awarded throughout the day for excellent work and enthusiasm. Some of the older boys who have been to camp before have long strands of beads on their walking sticks. It is a surprisingly good motivator for Colin.

Although I'm not made for the heat, I do love camp. I love the camp songs, the great outdoors and the activities. I especially enjoyed the leather tooling (much to my surprise!). My badge is round and it looks like a little western flower.