This is the made-in-China, two-person tent Mr. B. and I used on his Cub Scout camping trip last month. Quite a change from my Boy Scout days in the 50s when we only had WWII-surplus pup tents assembled from shelter halves. They almost always leaked. Lots cheaper now, too. The surroundings are the campsite at Inks Lake State Park, one of the Highland Lakes in the hills west of Austin.
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Tagged Boy Scouts, camping tents, Cub Scouts, Inks Lake State Park, pup tent
This is one of Heinlein’s older juveniles. Note the ninety-five cent price. It’s from this site that mocks some book covers, this one for the astronaut’s day-glo orange trousers. Hmm. Mr. B. and I enjoyed the tale as a bedtime story a few years ago, despite the tedious courtroom passages which weren’t near as funny as the author tried to make them.
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Posted in Library, Mr. Boy, Scribbles, Space
Tagged bad book covers, Robert A. Heinlein, science fiction, space opera, The Star Beast
That’s the sign me and Mr. B. kept seeing in a yard on Balcones Drive as I took him to and from basketball practices and games at WAYA (West Austin Youth Association). I figured it was just another hysterical Greenie. We have lots of them in Austin. We finally figured out it referred to this. The sign owners will be happy. But there’s still one two more to save.
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Posted in Iraq, Mr. Boy, Texana
Tagged Iraq abuse case, Navy SEALs, WAYA
Mr. B.’s grandma in Fort Worth took this one of a nest on her back porch.
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Posted in Mr. Boy, Mrs. Charm, Texana
Tagged Fort Worth, mourning dove and chicks
I like this nice turn of phrase by one of Mr. B.’s teachers, even if she did misspell hygiene:
“With the onset of warmer weather, please be aware of changing bodies and their changing smells. As we approaoch puberty, controlling body odor can be a challenge. Please be aware that body odor can be strong and stigmatizing in 4th grade. Thanks for your cooperation in reinforcing good hygeine at home.”
Imagine being close to the action all day in a tiny classroom. Heh.
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Posted in Mr. Boy, Rancho Roly Poly, Texana
Mr. B. and I leave tomorrow, after his youth basketball game at noon, for his Cub Scout Pack’s overnight camping at Inks Lake State Park. Weather looks good, so far, seventies daytime and fifties at night, just cool enough to make sleeping easy. I should have plenty of time to photograph this spring’s glorious crop of wildflowers. One more year of cubs and he will be a Boy Scout, when parents are discouraged from attending such trips. The older scouts manage themselves and the younger ones.
UPDATE: Back Sunday afternoon: I’m sore as can be, mainly from getting in and out of the little 7X7 dome tent. But sleeping was good, thanks to the air mattress and the temperature. Just cool enough. Mr. B. contrived to get his shoes wet in the first few hours, but Mrs. C. fortunately had sent along a pair of crocks. So he got by.
Did not photograph a single bluebonnet, but the wide fields of them were incredible on 71 from Oak Hill to 281 north and again through Marble Falls to Burnet, also on 29 west from Burnet to Park Road 4 and the park road crop was glorious, a few feet high marching right up to the edge of the road. Coming back on 29 east to Austin I meant to stop for pictures, but it started raining, which discouraged me.
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Posted in Mr. Boy, Texana, Weather/Climate
Tagged Boy Scouts, Cub Scouts, Inks Lake State Park, youth basketball
Not Mr. B.’s teacher, I do assure you. Nor one of mine from the Dark Ages, alas. It would have been sweeter than what I actually got.
THE TEXAS SCRIBBLER 