BSA Summer Camp 2026

My youngest son went on his first summer camp with his Scouting BSA troop. I went as an adult leader to help supervise and keep things organized (and have a little bit of fun too). We went to Broadcreek Memorial Scout Reservation. The reservation is divided into three different camps. Ours was Camp Saffran, also home of one of the lodges for the Order of the Arrow.

Camp Saffran welcomes you!

We had a typical camp site with a bunch of tents. The site (called "Conowingo") also has a cabin with a kitchen, tables, and bunk beds. The scouts all slept in tents. The adults had the choice of tent or cabin. I opted for the cabin. 

View of tents from cabin

The cabin had a little more temperature control than the tents. The first night's temperatures fell into the 50s so the tent people woke up cold. The cabin didn't get as chilly. Later in the week the daytime temperatures skyrocketed into the high 90s and low 100s, turn the tents and cabin into ovens. The tents cooled off more quickly at night. I never slept inside my sleeping bag (on the bunk bed) after the first night. The cabin retained too much heat! One ceiling fan and open windows did not provide enough circulation to make it comfortable for sleeping.

The camp ran the usual schedule. Morning and evening flag ceremonies were followed by breakfast and dinner, respectively. Announcements were made after the flag ceremonies and after lunch. Our scouts participated in one of the evening flag ceremonies, retiring the colors for the night. That happened later in the week, so the scouts were not required to wear Class A uniforms--the brown shirts and green pants that can get warm. Class B involves wearing a more casual Scout shirt, typically a t-shirt with the troop information or from a summer camp or other Scout activity. 

Refreshing on what to do for the flags

About to lower the flags

The flags were at half-mast while we were there to commemorate the death of U. S. Senator Lindsey Graham. 

The troop usually brought its own flag to the ceremonies. A scout then had to carry it to the meal. Hopefully someone would remember to take it back to the camp site at night.

My son with his troop flag

The camp director presided at the flag ceremonies, though she was open enough to allow for troops to do silly things when they reported their status. The typical report would be, "Troop 1250, Conwingo, reporting all present and accounted for, ma'am." A humorous one would substitute something, like "...reporting all present and happy as ducks," with the scouts quacking like ducks. Once, our Senior Patrol Leader (the scout in charge of the troop) traded duties with the camp director, leaving the director holding our flag while the SPL finished the roll call.

Promotion or demotion?

One of the big things at summer camp is working on merit badges. My son took the classes for First Aid, Communications, and Camping. The Communications badge requires participation in a debate, which happened after dinner one night, so I attended. They debated whether the water front or the pool was a better location for aquatic activities.

My son makes a point in favor of the water front

The camp grounds includes a climbing tower, a rifle range, an archery range, and a shotgun range so scouts can work on badges which they may not have the resources for back at the troop's sponsoring organization.

Climbing tower

Those locations also had "open hours" during the week where anybody could come, though priority was given to scouts working on merit badges who needed to make certain achievements that they didn't have time or the practice to complete during class. I went to the archery range to try it out. Archery is fun but not a core skill of mine. 

Bow and quiver of arrows

My first set five arrows (only 4 hit the target)

My second set of arrows (still only 4 in the target!)

I also did the "polar plunge" at the pool. A couple of mornings the pool was open before breakfast for early risers. Morning flags were at 7:45 and the pool was open from 6 to 7 a.m. The pool water was already quite warm, like high 70s or low 80s, so the morning air temperature the first morning was colder than the water! Maybe it was more of a "safari swim" than a "polar plunge."

The food was typical for camp. That's not the focus of the week, so they provided just the basics. The camp counselors would form up by the lines of waiting diners (sometimes long lines) and sing camp songs while the campers waited to get their food. 

Pasta and meatballs with sauce only on the meatballs!

Pulled pork sandwich with 4 fries (but also ice cream)

The camp didn't restrict its activities to the scouts. Some classes were offered for adults. I took IOLS, Introduction to Outdoor Leadership Skills. First Aid was also available. Two social events happened too. First was a "beer and brats" afternoon gathering where the chief executive for Broadcreek gave us a pitch to come help out or donate. He also asked for feedback on the campgrounds and the program. 

The beer they served with the brats

Later in the week, they had an root beer float social which was supposed to be followed by a belly flop contest at the pool. By that point the temperature had gotten too high and the smoke from Canadian wildfires had come too far south for the contest to be held.

The other beer on offer

Thursday, the smoke from Canada descended on the camp, making the sky hazy and the air less than ideal. The early sun looked red in the sky, almost as if we were camping on Krypton. A lot of scouts left early to avoid the hazardous heat and air, including about half our troop.

The haze over another campground

I was lucky enough (or vigilant enough with bug spray) not to get any ticks on me. I did catch one crawling up my leg before it put the bite on me. I plucked it off and tossed it away. I guess I should have killed it. Our campground had a lot of insect visitors, including this lunar moth. 

On the white board

The campout was a great experience and I would definitely go again, though the troop tends to rotate through other campgrounds. Look forward to a report from next year, dear reader!

Book Review: Magnifica Humanitas by Pope Leo XIV

Magnifica Humanitas: On Safeguarding the Human Person in the Time of Artificial Intelligence by Pope Leo XIV

Pope Leo XIV's first encyclical teaches on a very timely topic--how to understand and incorporate Artificial Intelligence into human living. Like many technological inventions (dating back at least to the printing press), new challenges and opportunities arise as culture changes. The Catholic Church has a font of wisdom two thousand years old. While Catholics naturally take notice of what Leo has to say, other Christians, people of good will, and people from other faith traditions can benefit from the teachings of the Bishop of Rome.

Leo makes two moves immediately. First, he situates the problem in the social teaching tradition of the Church, which started explicitly with Pope Leo XIII's Rerum Novarum, an encyclical from 1891 dealing with the relationships between labor and capital as well as between governments and citizens. Leo XIV identifies five principles of Catholic social teaching to apply to the current situation: the common good, the universal destination of goods, subsidiarity, solidarity, and social justice. The common good is, put simply, the well-being of society in general, providing an environment for human moral flourishing. The universal destination of goods is the idea that all material goods are for the benefit of all humans, though the principle does not specify the mode for distributing those goods. Subsidiarity is the idea that a social problem should be dealt with at the lowest social level possible--for example, a pot hole should be taken care of by the city or town government, not the national government. Solidarity is the brotherhood of people, specifically workers or "labor." They should not look on each other as competitors but as co-workers, thus engendering mutual support. Social justice is a subdivision of the virtue of justice, focused on obligations to our fellow men and women.

Second, he draws a comparison with two human construction efforts in the Bible: the construction of the Towel of Babel (Gen 11: 1-19) and the rebuilding of the walls of Jerusalem after the Babylonian Captivity (Neh 2-6). The Tower of Babel was a project of human egotism designed to show how great man is, practically an equal with God. By contrast, the Jews returning to Jerusalem worked together to restore the city's wall, each family being assigned a portion of it and everyone working together to provide materials and construction. Clearly Leo wants people to follow the latter example.

He then applies these principles to common problems generated by the latest technology. Vigilance is required to defend human dignity and truth. We have tools that can present almost anything imaginable, regardless of its relationship with reality. The goals of transhumanism and posthumanism assume that human nature is malleable or a limit that can and ought to be surpassed by technological achievements. These underlying philosophical assumptions lead one up the Tower of Babel, hoping to be creators or remakers of the natural world rather than the caretakers of it. Decision-making also becomes accelerated to a point where human judgment is disregarded or too late to guide the evaluation of the choices. 

One especially controversial claim that Pope Leo makes is the assertion that just war theory is now outdated. In paragraph 192, he says, "Today, more than ever, without prejudice to the right to self-defense in the strictest sense, it is important to reaffirm that the 'just war' theory, which has all too often been used to justify any kind of war, is now outdated." The principles of just war theory are too broadly applied, legitimizing most aggressions. Leo emphasizes the use of "dialogue, diplomacy and forgiveness" [para. 192] to resolve conflicts rather than going straight to war. He subsequently recommends criteria for the use of force in paragraph 199: personal responsibility for the overall decision to go to war and for individual acts of force; having an adequate time frame to make moral decisions, a problem exacerbated by technology's ability to deliver a partial picture very quickly; identifying and protecting civilians. His ideas about just war are more complicated than a clickbait headline reveals and are easily paralleled to the principles of just war theory.

The encyclical makes for interesting and timely reading. I felt at points that Leo was straying more into sociology than theology but the discussion regularly came back around to the deeper theological understanding implied by the Church's social teaching. It's challenging in a good way, an opportunity to grow in love with God and with your neighbors. Even your cyber-neighbors.

Recommended, highly for Catholics. 

Cute Kid Pix August 2026

More photos that didn't make their own post...

We went downtown to Washington just before the Fourth of July weekend and saw a bit of the Great American State Fair festivities without actually going into any venues indoors or outdoors. We went to see the National Museum of African American History and Culture (part of the Smithsonian museums that we are working our way through). That will get its own post later, but we did see some cool stuff downtown.

Washington Monument

A mobile museum

A concert stage by the Metro entrance

Following a subway system on social media seems pathetic

We celebrated the Fourth at home with an American Flag pancake for breakfast and a cookout for dinner.

Pretty big flippin' problem

Obviously the back of the flag

Plate of meat with corn cakes and white wine

A few days later, I went geocaching at Montpelier Mansion, a house dating back to the War for Independence. George Washington visited several times!

By the back door

I went geocaching Frederick, Maryland, where Francis Scott Key is buried. It was fun for a cemetery!

Francis Scott Key Memorial

World War II Memorial

Nearby, on the campus of the Maryland School for the Deaf is the Hessian Barracks. The building dates back to the War for Independence. Captured Hessian mercenaries were imprisoned here. The building went through various other uses over the years. Right by the interpretive signs is "The Great Baby Waker," a cannon that burst in 1844 and killed its gunner. 

Hessian Barracks

Don't wake the baby!

Book Review: Daredevil vs. Bullseye by M. Wolfman et al.

Daredevil vs. Bullseye written by Marv Wolfman, Jim Shooter, and Frank Miller and pencils by Bob Brown, Gil Kane, and Frank Miller

This book has separate stories of Daredevil fighting one of his iconic villains, Bullseye.

In the first story, Bullseye makes his first appearance. He show up killing a rich man who won't pay a ransom to be spared. Prepared for this, Bullseye starts a media campaign to support his extortion/murder campaign in the hopes that future victims will pay up immediately rather than face his infallible aim. Bullseye is an expert marksman using virtually anything--guns are okay, but he can use bricks, pens, trash, virtually anything, as a lethal weapon. Daredevil has enough enhanced abilities to dodge the attacks, but can he take down a ranged enemy when he (Daredevil) is more of a melee guy? Bullseye goes for the jugular and the exposure when he fights Daredevil at Madison Square Garden while the circus is in town. The story is exciting but the dialogue is voluminous and slows down the action a bit. Also, it was clearly written in the late 1970s, with a lot of the hip and trendy lingo of yesteryear. It was an entertaining introduction for the iconic character.

In the next story, Daredevil is trailing an incognito Bullseye, hoping to corner him and find out who hired him to assassinate Matt Murdock and Foggy Nelson a few issues back (and not in this volume). Daredevil switches to street clothes and follows Bullseye into a gun store. He foils the robbery but gets beaned when Bullseye throws a golf ball at him. The injury causes Daredevil to lose his radar sense. Daredevil is called out by Bullseye to a TV studio for a duel to the death on air. If Daredevil doesn't show, he'll kill the three daytime talk show hosts. Even without his radar sense, Matt heads off to the confrontation. The battle features a lot of on-again-off-again moments of Daredevil's radar sense, which seems more tied to making the fight more dramatic than to any actual physical cause. I found this less interesting than the first story.

The next story has Bullseye on the verge of a surgery to remove a brain tumor. When the tumor becomes painful, he sees everyone as Daredevil and wants to slaughter them all. He kills the hospital staff and wanders Manhattan, vacillating between trying to keep control and trying to take down Daredevil. Daredevil shows up and has a chance to kill Bullseye but his better nature kicks in.

After the surgery happens, Bullseye is in prison planning to kill Daredevil. Bullseye finds out that he's been replaced as Kingpin's main assassin by Elektra, so Bullseye targets her too. When he makes his escape, lots of fighting ensues. Bullseye's inner monologue is fascinating (Frank Miller wrote it) as he works his way through all his problems. More problems happen as he fights Daredevil, who has a very hard time not killing Bullseye.

The final story has Daredevil giving the extended monologue while he plays Russian Roulette with Bullseye, who is completely paralyzed in a hospital bed. Daredevil is pulling the trigger for his enemy as he tries to make sense of the situation, especially after dealing with a legal case where the son of his client is obsessed with Daredevil. It's another poignant moment in the narrative.

This is a mixed bag of stories, some being more interesting than others.

Mildly recommended, though more strongly if you are a Daredevil fan.

Movie Review: The Super Mario Galaxy Movie (2026)

The Super Mario Galaxy Movie (2026) directed by Aaron Horvath, Michael Jelenic, and Pierre Leduc

Mario (Christ Pratt) and Luigi (Charlie Day) do their usual plumbing heroics in the Mushroom Kingdom, soon discovering the cute dinosaur Yoshi (Donald Glover). They are all invited to Princess Peach's (Anya Taylor-Joy) birthday party at her castle. During the party, Peach discovers that her sister Rosalina (Brie Larson) has been kidnapped by Bowser Junior (Benny Safdie), who wants to free his dad (Jack Black) and rule, or maybe destroy, the universe. Bowser is a shrunken prisoner of Mario and Luigi. They take him on the rescue mission where they have many strange adventures on many odd planets in their galaxy.

Even at home on a television, this movie is visually amazing, with a bright color palette and a lot of the details from various Mario games thrown in. The plot is mostly a structure to hang on the visuals and the gags, which do come at a fast pace. I enjoyed it on that level, though I imagine I won't retain much of it a week later. 

Mildly recommended--your knowledge of the Mario games will go a long way in your appreciation of the movie.

Ohiopyle, Pennsylvania

On our way home from Pittsburgh, we stopped at Ohiopyle, Pennsylvania. That is not a made-up name. It is from the Lanape/Delaware language words for "it is turned white." That description is apt for the Youghiogheny River that winds through the area. Many falls and cascades turning the river white. The area is a state park with a visitor center and several private companies that sell or rent kayaks, rafts, bicycles, etc. A few restaurants are sprinkled in. We went straight to the visitor center and saw the 20-foot Ohiopyle Falls.

Namesake falls

Our main interest was the natural waterslides not far up the road from the visitor center. We had seen a video online of people going down the slides and thought it would be fun. Then we got to the site and the adults in our group changed our mind about how safe it was. Sure, some stretches are just sluicing down flat rocks, but a lot of spots have adventurers bashing back and forth in narrow channels. The kids wanted to do the whole slide but we only let them do the bottom third.

Looks ok?

The slide is on the far side of the river here

Less okay part of the slide

Down river from the end

Our daughter and son climbed out through the freezing water to their launch point, consulting about the best way to get into trouble the slide. 

Plotting

Our daughter takes the first run

At the end

Next customer

On his way

Two exits

On his second ride

Getting help getting out

The area has a lot of fossils, old growth forests, hiking trails, water falls, and biking along the Great Allegheny Passage, a longer trail that runs through here. Maybe we'll come back to do more of the other stuff, spending more than an hour or so at Ohiopyle.

Movie Review: Spider-Man: Brand New Day (2026)

Spider-Man: Brand New Day (2026) directed by Destin Daniel Cretton

Spider-Man (Tom Holland) is back on the friendly neighborhood beat, helping the police to catch criminals, especially organized crime and super-powered types like The Hand, Scorpion, and Tombstone. Peter Parker is on his own, holed up in a rundown apartment where he builds new equipment and scans the police radio for more action. His friends )who don't remember him after Doctor Strange's spell at the end of Spider-Man: No Way Home) have gone off to MIT. Ned (Jacob Batalon) is vlogging their academic adventures. Peter watches the videos winsomely, especially for the chance to see the love of his life that he abandoned, MJ (Zendaya). Bigger trouble starts brewing as an unknown assailant keeps attacking Damage Control, a government department that imprisons super-criminals (like The Hand, Scorpion, and Tombstone) and uses the bad guys' technology to make advancements for the good guys. The assailant can jump from person to person, almost as if possessing them. Spider-Man faces off against this new foe, though he has a hard time tracking the villain back to his or her own body. Frank Castle aka The Punisher (Jon Bernthal) helps out with one break-in attempt, providing Spider-Man with a buddy/mentor who is a bit of neither. Spider-Man also has the phone number of a police officer (Liza Colon-Zayas), so he coordinates efforts on that side of the law too.

The plot gets more complicated as it moves on, but describing it would spoil some of the surprises and nice twists. The movie does a masterful job of switching from action set-pieces to plot exposition to character development without any of the moves being jarring or out of place. The movie really shines in the interpersonal relationships. Peter struggles with his desire to reconnect with MJ and Ned. He also struggles with his partnership with The Punisher, whose modus operandi does not fit with Spider-Man's no-kill attitude. But they still have a camaraderie that is believable and interesting, even in the middle of set-piece action sequences. The actors are uniformly great in their roles (which they have been playing for years, so they've had plenty of experience). Usually, by the fourth movie in a franchise, things have gotten stale or they just run on autopilot. This is an exciting story that sets up more to come.

Recommended, highly for Spidey fans.