Today we had to rush around a bit at breakfast time. Jonathan, David, and
Adam were slated to raise the flag at the Union HQ and had be to in their
full dress uniforms. I don’t remember what time that was, because they
kept changing it on us. First we heard 6:45. Then 7:45, 7:30, and 7:00.
I think 7:00 was the final time. The flag raising itself was at 8:00.

I couldn’t be there, because I had a director’s meeting at 7:30. Also,
our group was scheduled for community service, and we were supposed to be
at the busses at 8:30. As soon as the boys finished hoisting the flag, they
hightailed it back to camp to change, and I must say, they can do that pretty
fast. I can never change into or out of a uniform in under 15 minutes it
seems, even when I’m in a hurry.

We didn’t make it to the busses at 8:30. It was more like 8:40. I had
underestimated the amount of time it takes to walk from our camp to the
busses. But the busses did not leave until 8:45, so we were there in plenty
of time for that.

They took us to Neenah, WI, where they have several parks. The one we worked
at is overgrown with buckthorn, which is an alien species. We have that
stuff in NH too. Birds eat the berries, but they derive almost no nutrition
from them. It works as a laxative, causing them to deposit the seeds without
gleaning any benefit ofr their trouble. Also, this stuff tends to establish
itself pretty thickly. Very little grows underneath it. The volunteer
coordinator had been working the area with a chainsaw and cut down thousands
of these trees. We hauled the brush out of the woods and piled it along
the curb so the city can send the chipper through and take care of the rest of
the job.

When we got back, I sent everyone off to the showers. That’s when I realized
that I had set up a meeting with all my pals from the forum on
http://pathfindersonline.org. That was to happen at 1:30, and when I sent
everyone off to the showers, it was 12:45. I didn’t think I could take a shower
and make it over there in time, so I cleaned up as best I could and went over.

I got to meet several people face-to-face with whom I have corresponded for
years (really!). It was pretty cool. On the way back I stopped at the
Potomac Conference and saw my old friend Roger Rinehart. He’s an area
coordinator for Potomac, and is a member of the church we attended in Virginia
for 18 years. Potomac had a fire tower set up – the same one they had here
five years ago. I asked for and was given permission to climb it and took
several photos of the campground. I don’t have the bandwidth to upload it
though, so that will hafta wait!

Then I came back to camp, grabbed my stuff and took my shower. By then, Joyce
had taken most of the younger kids to the hangers, and Jessica had taken
the teens to catch a bus to the YMCA. They say it is a very impressive place.

I got in my car and drove to Target. I bought two pillows (they boys forgot
theirs and have been sleeping uncomfortably without them). But the important
part of the trip was that Target is air conditioned. I also used their
real bathroom. That alone was worth the trip!

The evening program went far better tonight. The people in control of the
program understood that they had a major problem, and they addressed it.
People were far more polite tonight, and the program was very good. Melissa
was posting to Facebook in real-time, and since I am connection constrained,
I will leave coverage of that to her.