Now we were into August and still so much to do. Scott started off with a full week of ACT class preparation. I signed him up for a half day tutoring class at our local community college. The class focused on the math and science section which are the two areas   that Scott needs to bump up. Actually, he mostly needs to bump up his math grade so he can start college at a higher math level and be engineering ready. Besides the class, he was busy studying on his own with a program that Tom downloaded. Plus he had the opportunity to practice his new driving skills as we had him drive himself to class every day. Both good things.

We were also busy with Boy Scout meetings the past two weeks, preparing for the upcoming camping trip and visit to Six Flags Amusement park. I was getting rather frustrated as the scouts were asked to plan cooking activities to complete requirements for rank advancement or for their cooking or camping merit badges. Unfortunately, we had more scouts wanting to cook and not enough scouts signing up to go and eat! Scouts are supposed to cook for at least 3 fellow scouts each.  So we were trying to organize a camping trip along with a trip to the local Amusement Park. I managed to find a nice KOA campground very close to Six Flags. We got 50% off discount tickets to the park. Surprisingly, we did not have many scouts or adults sign up. We ended up with only 10 scouts out of a huge troop of near 75, including our Venture Troop and Cub SCout Pack. I was very frustrated. I had a lot of upset parents wanting their sons to attend and camp only, just to get their cooking done, but this was also supposed to be a fun trip to the Amusement Park. I also only had a few adults(primarily Tom and I) sign up, and even our Scoutmaster had to back out since his mother in law was ill. I think Tom and I ended up eating some of the cost of this trip. We headed over to the campground on Friday afternoon. At least it was close. Tom was expecting to cook for adults, but it was really just the two of us. We had another couple that took pity on us and the mom ended up camping one night(her first time camping) and her husband camped Saturday night. Tom and I were sharing our large tent on the other side of the campground, so they pitched their tent with the boys on a group site. The boys all arrived early in the evening, made their dinners and cleaned up before it got too dark. Unfortunately, we had a few that forgot their tents, so Tom had to make another run home to pick up a few extras. Tom even decided to cook us a few steaks that evening and I tossed some potatoes and corn on the cob on the grill too. Scott became the acting Sr Patrol Leader since the actual SPL was unable to attend the event, . So Scott kept track of the progress for all the boys, shared several meals for those cooking, and then he joined us for a grilled steak dinner too!  We had hoped to to enjoy a bonfire that evening(I brought s'mores), but it started to rain and even tstorm. We quickly discovered that our large tent and Scott's small tent were not very waterproof. We quickly threw some tarps over the top to help keep out the rain. The boys had also hoped to spend the evening swimming in the campground pool, or playing yard chess, ping pong or pool, or even bouncing on the giant trampoline. Instead, the campground staff put on a candy bar bingo game under the pavilion right next to the boys campsite. Unfortunately, no one else in the campground brought candy bars(except me)so they just played for fun and then showed a movie outside. It kept the boys entertained, and they stayed dry under the pavilion.

On Saturday morning we did not have to get up too early. The park opened at 1030 and it only took about 20 mins to get there from our campground. So the boys had plenty of time to cook breakfast and get dressed and ready for our big day. I even had time for a shower! And fortunately the rain stopped. It made for a long night and little sleep though. Everything was damp. Not to mention the guests that kept arriving during the night and the noise and lights as they were setting up their tents. We ended up with a few Michiganders right next to our tent(quite the partiers) on their way to an outdoor, all day concert at Pimlico. We packed up our boys and headed to the Amusement Park. We split up and Tom and I had the younger boys. They were a bit hesitant to go on rides, but did try a few and enjoyed every minute. We then took a break in the middle of the day to join up with our other group at the water park and have lunch. Then it was off for more rides and a few shows. It was just terribly hot and humid. It was a good thing Allison did not join us. She had come home to rest after a long week at Girl Scout camp supervising girls at the reservoir. She thought she was going to get some rest while the girls swam, but she kept busy since the other two counselors were not feeling well.  So she was a bit burned out.  I had wanted her to quit the week before, but she figured she could manage one more week. And then she had to head back for a few days to help clean and close up camp. I had a few extra tickets for the park from people that did not show up, but did not find any takers. We actually ended up with only 8 boys, which actually made it a little easier to supervise.


By 7:30pm we were pretty much done with the park. It stayed open until 9, but it took about 30 minutes to get the boys out to the parking lot. They were busy buying souvenirs near the front gate. However, a very large storm was brewing on the horizon. Tom had left about 30 mins earlier with Scott(he wasn't feeling too well), and another scout to head back to camp. They were already getting blasted by the tstorm. We managed to get to our cars and down the road before it hit. We decided to stop into a pizza restaurant for dinner along the way and wait out the storm. When we arrived, the storm had passed but everything was pretty wet and sandy from the campground. The other parent's tent actually flipped over in the wind, but remained staked to the ground. Scott and the other scout reset the tent before we arrived. And since the rain had stopped, we decided to try and get a campfire going. Scott managed to keep the wood dry enough with a tarp the night before, so the boys lit a fire and we enjoyed our s'mores and some jokes(and completed a requirement for one of the boys). Even though the tents were still soggy and damp, we all managed to sleep much better that night(even us with our Michigander neighbors returning around 2am from their all day outdoor concert).

On Sunday morning of course it was absolutely beautiful. We all got up early, the boys cooked their last meals, washed their dishes, packed their tents, picked up trash and were ready to leave by 9am. Moms and Dads starting rolling in. Tom cooked breakfast while I packed up. And the boys had time to play yard chess while waiting for their rides. Tom and Scott headed out since Scott was scheduled to work that afternoon(we brought separate cars).  I decided to get some grocery shopping errands done on the way home at Costco(and gas). Allison had already headed back to camp to start cleaning.

So we spent the rest of the day unpacking wet, sandy tents and doing laundry. I was planning on picking up my Mom for dinner, but after my shower I passed out on the couch and was done for the weekend!