Snakes, High Wire Acts, & Indians!

What a fun campout!

In spite of the fact that this campout almost didn't happen, it turned out just fine. Not quite as many activities as in the past, but that's not necessarily bad! I read one email yesterday from one of the other Federations, happy that this campout wasn't like coming to a carnival or Disney World - just enough activity without detracting from the beauty of the site. Maybe less is more!

The snake show was a hit with everyone. I was not only shocked that my wife actually came along on this campout, but even more so to find she had her picture taken with a snake around her neck!

Many in our tribe did the high wire act, otherwise known as the ropes course. I know it was challenging for them and it was fun to watch.

And how about the war games - shooting soaking wet sponges at human targets with a big slingshot! Gotta love it - unless you are the one getting hit!

Choose one: (A) That ropes course was scary! (B) A well-placed shot by Abbey Smith (C) Too much ice tea for lunch!

My favorite activity was seeing, and participating in, the Broken Arrow ceremony put on by the Timucuan Federation at the Saturday night campfire. I found it to be a great ritual, that reminded both me and my kids what this whole Indian Guide/Princess program is about - spending good, quality time together without a lot of interference from our normal routines. I was so impressed that I have already contacted Chief Golden Bear, the Timucuan Federation Chief, and obtained a copy of both the Broken Arrow and Acorn ceremonies so that we might do these ourselves on future campouts.

Broken Arrow

So thankful she completed the ropes course, she re-enacts the Last Supper!

Next up is Camp Joy in April!

Yatahey!

Chief Bald Eagle

Random Thoughts

A couple of random thoughts...

.....From the time I first created this blog, my goal has always been twofold: (1) inform everyone - hopefully in an entertaining manner - as to what's going on with The Mighty Kiowa, and (2) from time to time, say something about that which is near and dear to all of us - our families - without injecting too much of my personal views. I set out to write an Easter message, and found very quickly, that it was not possible for me to touch this topic without violating principle (2). Nevertheless, I believe that Easter is an important holiday, so I wanted to write something about it. To resolve this dilemma, I created another blog that I named A Man and 3 Nails. At this time, the sole purpose of this alternative site is to post the Easter message that was originally planned for this blog. If you are interested, I have placed a link to that blog on the right side of this page.

.....The weather has sure been nice the past week - the temperature is warming up and the yard is starting to green up, and we're into the homestretch of campouts for this year! I've really enjoyed our campouts this year, and look forward to finishing strong and having fun.

.....I've been giving some thought to how we might do a couple of things differently for next year, and I'll share those ideas with you soon. In the meantime, I hope you will help out with ideas of your own as well.

Yatahey!

Chief Bald Eagle