THE TEXAS SCRIBBLER

Mr. B. and I leave early tomorrow morning for the annual fall Cub Scout camping trip. This time we’re staying at Enchanted Rock state park, the big pink granite dome north of Fredericksburg where Texas Ranger Jack Hays fought off a Comanche war party about 1844. The boys will be hiking to the top at [...]

Mr. B. is a rising Webelos Cub Scout now, and the first requirement is for a citizenship belt-loop. Part of it is to do a public service of some kind. His den decided to have a bake sale outside Sam’s Club and donate the money to charity. I had forgotten how long ninety minutes can [...]

We made the Cub Scout topaz hunt in Mason County this afternoon out in the western Hill Country (didn’t find any but it was fun digging for them in a dry creek bed) but skipped the overnight campout. Stopped in Fredericksburg for supper then came on back to find the weather service out there pegging [...]

Mr. Boy is complaining mightily that he can’t join his cub scout pals camping out this Saturday in Mason County because "my parents are too old." True, in part. The forecast low Saturday night in Mason is right at thirty-four degrees and meteorologist Bob Rose is predicting a possible further decline into light-freeze territory. So [...]

Tonight will be our fourth campout in the woods with Mr. B.’s cub scout den. This time we’ll only be a few miles from the rancho. It’s forecast to be in the high seventies during the day but drop into the upper forties overnight. I’m bringing two radios, just in case, in order to listen [...]

Moral: never go to a Pinewood Derby with a car with a sticky wheel. I thought we could get away with it, after the epoxy spread to the wheel from where I had applied it to hold the axles on the wood. I turned it a few score times and applied powdered graphite to the [...]

Have to get our Pinewood Derby racer weighed today and leave it with the race officials for tomorrow’s competition. We wound up using some tungsten putty, after all, gluing it to the bottom of the car with epoxy. That way, if we’re a little over the maximum of five ounces, we can shave some of [...]

Last year, our first race, we got all complicated. Bought tungsten putty to stuff in drilled holes in the body, polished the nail-axles, sanded the plastic wheels, lubicated with powdered graphite. Even bought a scale to weigh the car. Then got to the official weigh-in and discovered it was too light. So used their hot [...]

We’re off to Krause Springs with the Cub Scouts. No further posting until we return tomorrow. Adios.

Mr. B. decided to stick with his design for last year’s car, which unexpectedly took third place in the pack’s race. But he couldn’t resist decorating this year’s car with a full-body decal of red and yellow flames topped off with lines of menacing skulls. Very second grade. At least it will save painting and [...]