Category Archives: Vacation

Vacation is underway…

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Well it is good to have a change of pace — and this vacation is off to a quick one! We left New York after church on Sunday morning (and after lunch and loading the big van). After several hours drive down I-95, dodging NJ drivers weaving about us, we arrived safely in Maryland, at the home of old friends Dwight & Kim Chamberlain. What a warm welcome — even from the family dog, Chloe (is that how you spell it?), who seemed to like our Heather most of all!

Family vacations are also a good time for “character formation” (or so it would seem, from reading my daughter Kathryn’s blog, BLOOM AND GROW.)

i95After some great conversation it was off to bed. In the morning, we eat a leisurely breakfast while waiting for “rush hour” to pass, then it was off on the byways and highways to Virginia and beyond. Many parts of the drive were most interesting (long tunnels, and high bridges).

Tonight, after an hour long delay on the road (arrggg!), we have landed in Florence, South Carolina. We seem to have a brand new Holiday Inn Express all to our selves!

And everyone has since turned in to bed, while I do some work online (emails and this entry). My hope is that the boys, sharing the room with dad, will all fall deeply asleep before the old man starts “sawing logs” as they used to say! (stay tuned for results).

pdb

Bat Slayer!

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Here’s one of the more interesting accounts, from my week with the Scouts at Camp Wakpominee.

Early one morning, while the troops assembled awaiting the morning flag raising, I walked over to the dining hall for my first mug of coffee. One of the staff was sending all the table-setters, etc, out of the hall, and refusing admittance to everyone. “What’s up?” I asked, hoping to still get to my coffee. There were some BATS in the dining hall, which meant no scouts could enter. “Let me in,” I said. “I know how to deal with bats.” So they let me in.

Kitchen staffers were running aorund the hall with brooms in the air, swinging wildly at 3-4 large brown bats. Quickly I explained how, back in college, I used to deal with bats in the dorms, and the weapon of choice was not a broom but a tennis racquet! A minute later they put one in my hands, and I was after the bats myself. The guys with the brooms tried to direct the bats out one of the doors or windows — or to me.

Eventually, one flew out a door, one bat was pinned against a window screen, and the last one made the mistake of flying within reach of my racquet. With a large arc, as if hitting a serve, I knocked the bat from above my head towards the fireplace, 20 yards away. He landed there unconscious. The sound of the bat hitting the sweet-spot of the racquet was followed by a cheer; the last bat was gone, and breakfast could be served.

The rest of the week at camp, while dealing with the buckets of rain, I campaigned for the nickname “bat slayer” but it didn’t seem to stick.

…more tales to follow….
pdb