Week in the woods

I have been home for a week but, just trying to play catch up after being away for a week. Last week was my annual trip for Summer Camp with my scout troop. Every July we take the boys up to Camp Yawgoog in Rhode Island. 1800 acres of nature and fun.

This year was different in a couple ways. This was the first year that my oldest son was not with us. Now that he is over 18 he is considered an adult leader. While he would have been able to come as an adult, he now has a job and was not able to get the time off. The other reason this year stood out is because on Monday the temp hit 101 degrees. Sounds hot? Well, Tuesday it hit 106 with a "Real Feel" temp of 117! And that was in the shade! It was a bit warm to say the least.Thankfully the army style tents allowed us to keep them wide open so that air would circulate at night.

Now I am sure that many of you may think that spending a week in the woods with 25 boys sounds anything but fun. I have to say that it is the most relaxing week of my year. The boys are so busy with everything there is to do that they do not spend a lot of time in the camp site. Add in the fact that there is no electric, no television, no radio, no video games and no wife, and you can see where this may be very very relaxing. I did have my cell phone with me but, unless you walked up the road and out the gates of the camp, there was no cell phone service. That was alright by me.

The only one that seems to have a problem with me going away for a week is my daughter. Now, before you sit there thinking, "Awww how sweet" let me explain. My birthday is July 8th. (Before you ask or before Dena rats me out, I turned 47 last Thursday). It is always the week I am away. That means I am never home on that day. If I am not home that means Katie has to wait for Birthday cake. Waiting is not something Katie is skilled in. lol

The week always seems to go by so fast. I am already looking forward to next year!

Tyler and I had a great week despite the heat!

Thankfully the sides all rolled up to allow air to pass through the tent.

It got a weee bit warm!

Defending your child -vs- crossing the line

I was sitting on the couch tonight. Finally relaxing after a long week. My wife's phone rang and when she answered it, it was my younger son Tyler. He had just been in a fight. That a boy had walked up and punched him in the head. This is when all rationale leaves and protective instinct takes over. I flew out the door and jumped in the car to find my son.

I found him standing on the side of the road. I could tell he was worked up but, there was no sign of any injuries. I asked him what had happened and he said he and 2 friends were walking down the street and they had exchanged words with another group of kids. One of those kids walked up to Tyler and punched him. I asked him which way the kid went and it took no time at all to find the kid. He was with a group of other kids at this point. I got out of my car and I admit that I was not exactly calm when I asked this kid what his problem was. I was downright pissed that he punched my kid. While I admit I may have been a bit abrupt, I was very careful not to threaten this kid in any way. I must have still scared him though because this kid got right in my face and told me if I touch him, he will own my house, my car, and everything else. What ever happened to respecting adults? This kid had me pissed. However I just looked him straight in the eye and told him I had no intention of laying a finger on him. I told him instead I was going to call the police. He decided that was the time he should be heading home. I demanded his name but of course he refused. So I told him that I can give a complete description of him and that his friends would roll over on him when the cops showed. That didnt phase him and he left.

Now I know my son. He can be a bit of a wise ass at times. I questioned him about what lead up to this fight. Both parties seem to agree that tyler and his group had said something first. Tyler insists that all he said was "Hi people across the street that I don't know!" The other group said that someone from my son's group had called them "faggots." I am sure the truth lies someplace in between. That still does not give this boy the right to punch my son. And both parties agree that it was not my son that took the first swing.

I got tyler back in the car and I got back in myself. I thought about it and decided to skip the police. I had already scared the other kid enough that I am sure he is still waiting for the police to show up. And Tyler said that after the kid punched him, he punched the kid back in the face and the kid walked away. Neither was seriously hurt physically. Let it be a lesson to both. My son needs to learn to not shoot off his mouth and the other boy needs to learn that he can not just punch people over words.....and I need to learn to take a deep breath before reacting next time!