Dirt and the Watermelon Rumble

Friday evening and all day Saturday were family time at Boy Scout Camp so we were able to go watch the boys receive their awards and rank advancements. They were so dirty, it was hard to tell who was who after a week spent outdoors living in tents. I just assumed that the boys who went up when they called Josh and Ben's names were actually them. Couldn't testify to it in court, though.

Ben was happy to see his big brother

Pot rack for the outdoor kitchen

Josh receiving an award

The girls and I had spent the week in the lap of luxury in our travel trailer at the state park, relative to where the boys had been. Dirt and bugs and all, they would still be there if we hadn't pried them loose with a crowbar. I thought about piling them and all their gear in the bed of the pickup and driving through a car wash before heading home, but decided those signs that warn against debris in the beds of trucks probably included Boy Scouts. 

Trying to wrestle the watermelon into a canoe

One of the highlights of the family days at Boy Scout Camp is the famous Watermelon Rumble. The ranch has a mile frontage of the South Llano River and so combatants and spectators converge for the commencement of festivities. The boys are divided into teams and a group of guys stand on either side of the river holding onto a canoe, which serves as the "goal" for each team. When the Scoutmaster says "go", the teams head toward the center of the river where he has the watermelon. Each team tries to wrestle the watermelon into the canoe opposite their starting position. It is hilarious to watch. They wrestle and struggle and almost score a point only to have the watermelon slip out and get lost momentarily before someone finds it and the wrestling match starts over. Stealth is usually the best strategy because it is almost impossible to work the watermelon toward the canoe if everyone knows who has it. There were four teams of scouts who competed in a single elimination series of contests. 

The old married guys win!

Then the finale began. That is when the married men take on the unmarried men. Oh my! It was an epic battle. Their contest was best two of three and the "old married men" actually won. They were so excited! Caleb said his team, the unmarried men, had more muscle, but Kregg's team had more mass and that is why they won. He said once that "mass" started moving, it was impossible to stop it. Kregg just grins. :) Victory is sweet.


We hung around as long as possible and then drove home, because we had to leave town again today. Pulling into our driveway in the wee hours of the morning, showers were our top priority. Wet wipes will only remove so much dirt, and after spending the last two days tromping around the Boy Scout camp watching all the manly pursuits, the dirt had sifted into everything. EVERYTHING! I cannot tell you how wonderful it is to be CLEAN!