The End of my Childhood?

Yes, I want to write more fiction on this blog. There’s some. I even have writing that has really been published due to contests I won.

But now is the time to talk about my childhood, which well in terms of my age it has been over for many years. Too many. But the things we hold onto sometimes stay around.

Sadly in my case they are all gone.

As you may know, I was chief of Aquehongian Lodge #112. That’s Staten Island’s Order of the Arrow (OA) lodge. The OA is an honor society of campers within the Boy Scouts. In April my Lodge is closing down. Well it is not really closing. They are merging the other four NYC lodges with us into one NYC lodge. It is a plan that has been in the works for more years than I’ve been alive. Membership in Scouting is not great. So yes, this will help preserve the OA spirit in the City. But it crushes me.

Some kids grew up in little league. I grew up in the Boy Scouts. That was on Staten Island and in my favorite place in the whole world, Chappegat Hill, Ten Mile River Scout Camps, Narrowsburg, N.Y. I spent all my teen summers there. I was a camper and a member of the staff.

My section of camp was closed in ’88. Other sections remain. But they are not Chappy. Sadly it was closed because the “professional” scout staff was not willing to make the required repairs to our site. I use the term professional loosely. There is not much professional about them.

Repairs were need on the camp’s last tip pan latrine. That precious building is where so many scouts took their first camp showers, scrubbed it down when they were members of the service patrol and got smacked with water balloons. That’s when we staff members gathered everyone around it to yell at them for it being dirty. As we were yelling some of us launched more water balloons than one could counts. We also dumped buckets of ice cold water all over each other. No it was not abuse. The weather was steaming

I miss every last minute of Chappy. I made some of my best friends there. They include “My Leader,” my “Oracle,” “Rodney”, “Booger” and many others.

Now back to Aquehongian Lodge #112. Taking my OA ordeal was one of my favorite things. My dad was chief of the soon to be defunct Shu Shu Gah Lodge # 24, Brooklyn. We are both Vigil Honor members. That’s the highest honor you can get. My Vigil name is Alhaquot Aptonen, Stormy Speaker the namesake of this blog. His is Shattek, Younger Brother. I’m Eagle. He’s not. I won….

After passing my ordeal, I immediately joined the ritual team. Now they call it the ICE (Inductions, Ceremonies and Events) team. They keep getting more and more politically correct.

The ordeals used to be rough. Now it is like spending a weekend at the country club. I didn’t eat on mine. Now the candidates get food. I couldn’t talk. Now kids carry iPads. Enough. Things change.

As ritual team member, I played many parts. We dressed up as Lenni Lenape, Delaware Indians. We wore war paint. I was Meteu, the medicine man of the circle in induction ceremonies. I was Allowat Sakima, mighty chief of the circle in the Brotherhood ceremony. The Vigil inductions remain secretive. But I was in those too.

I became ritual team chairman. I won the Lodge Chief, Netami Sakima election. In my first election my opponent got two votes. I got like 50. The next year, I ran unopposed. I had to be publications chairman at the same time. I admit I was somewhat of a dictator. But I love my Lodge so much. I could not let anything go wrong. I was chief of our 50th Anniversary. Our last meeting as a Lodge will be the 75th Anniversary party in March. I hope we get a good crowd. My meetings were always packed.

I remember the day my friends and I were building the induction fires and went to Berlin Lodge in Pouch Scout Camp to get lunch. The ritual team did not associate with anyone else. We were bound to each other. We were a major clique. We walked down the trail and saw a Cubmaster letting his Cubs swim in Orbach Lake. No swimming was allowed at the time. We yelled at them and made them come out.

We ate and walked back. We saw the Cubmaster, who admitted he couldn’t swim in the lake up to his knees screaming the names of two kids. Naturally, I was wearing a bathing suit. I tossed off my shirt and sneakers. My other ritual team members did the same. We jumped into the lake and led the Lifesaving merit badge lost bathers drill. We pulled one killed out. The ambulance rushed him off to the hospital. Unfortunately, he didn’t survive.

We were told the other kid ran out of the lake. So we set up a massive search all day and night. I did my Vigil induction that night. My dad came. I was so proud. But he pulled me off to the side and said the FDNY pulled the other kid out of the lake. He drowned.

Back to happiness. I spent that summer in camp. It was Chappy’s last summer. Not happy. It was quite memorable. We went to Cooperstown, Action Park and Dorney Park during Super Week. Of course, we hiked to the Delaware and Ten Mile Rivers a lot. I survived Action Park that summer. The year before, I fell off the Alpine Side. The right side of my face was a mess. But it never did break out. I credit my fall for that. It was my fault. I was riding to fast. I got yelled at by the park’s staff. I didn’t listen.

A few days ago my uncle passed away. He was 93.5. I know this doesn’t fit with the aforementioned scouting stuff. But in some ways maybe it fits with the end of my childhood. I am quite upset. I can’t say I knew him superwell. But I always called. I rarely saw him. But sometimes I did. Not often enough. He was one of 7 kids. He’s the last of them.

He and his brothers were pure Brooklyn. Nothing is better than that. They were called the “boys”. They are all gone. I remember hearing so many stories about them growing up. Some were gone before I arrived on Earth.

A few years ago his older brother passed away. I was supposed to go to the funeral. I never made it. Sadly, other things were planned for me the day before. Everyone understands why I missed it. There was no way I could have made it.

At the funeral I went to over the weekend, I saw the grave of the uncle whose funeral I missed. I always felt a little bad for not going to his funeral. Yes, I could have visited the grave anytime. But never did. In some ways this is sort of closure. Of course, I will never have that.

So as I think back about my camp and Lodge, I will always have my memories and friends.

So is my childhood over? Is my adulthood starting? Or neither?

How Staten Island Makes You Stronger?

About two weeks before my eighth birthday, I was taken from Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn to my new home in Arden Heights, Staten Island. I know, leaving Brooklyn is a sin. I had no choice. I left SI many years ago.

Before we knock Staten Island (aka “The Rock”) let’s talk about some cool things. It has an awesome Boy Scout program. I made Eagle on SI. Although, I credit my camp, Chappegat Hill, Ten Mile River Scout Camps, Narrowsburg, N.Y. for being the driving force in my scouting life.

Staten Island has the soon to be gone, Aquehongian Lodge #112. It is not really leaving. But in a few months the Order of the Arrow lodges from each of NYC’s boroughs will be merged into one. The best part of my SI life was being chief of the Lodge. I got my Vigil at Staten Island’s Pouch Scout Camp. My Vigil name is what this blog is named after, Alhaquot Aptonen, translated as “Stormy Speaker”. Sadly two Cub Scouts drowned during my induction weekend. I led the lost bather drill. Maybe, I’ll discuss in a future post.

So yeah, SI has some cool stuff. But then it has Tottenville High School. That place is a total dump. But let’s face it what is there to do on the Rock? Yeah, we have the mall. I was a mall rat. I’m not sure I had as much fun as T.S., Brodie and of course, Jay and Silent Bob.

As much as I was the crowned prince of the Rock, all I wanted to do was leave it. I spent many years working in the borough’s political machine. But I never concentrated on where I was. But always thought about where I wanted to be. My old master always said that was wrong. Not that I listened. I still don’t.

The problem with SI, besides it having nothing to do, is that it takes hours to get to the City, the Bronx or Brooklyn via public transportation. But I never let that stop me. I’d either drive to the Ferry or take the Staten Island Rapid Transit. That train is like an old trolley.

Perhaps this is why so many Islanders stay put. Not me. I would get up at the crack of dawn and take the crazy rides into the other boroughs. Or drive it. That sucked too. If something ended at around 11:00 p.m., I’d be lucky to be home by 2:00 a.m. The Ferry schedule is quite a challenge at night. Then I’d get up at the crack of dawn and start all over again.

It makes you stronger. The other day, I planned a gathering of old friends. Some were coming in from Conn., Jersey and Nassau. Although SI is closer, they have an easier commute midtown. But nevertheless, they all complained. I thought of my old days on the Rock.

I had wanted to go the Lower Eastside or Upper Eastside. I tossed out Brooklyn. They got scared. Not of the locations. But they were afraid of the travel. We settled on midtown Eastside. So we had a few people come in from the New Paltz area, a few from Nassau and East Harlem. A great time was had by all.

Bottom line, growing up on the Rock makes you stronger. You have some great youth activities and when you grow up and are ready to run you can. It just takes a little more to do that.

But life is about struggle and fighting to survive. SI can help you get through it.

Comments and Volunteering

Hi. Well I have a few readers now. I am slowly getting there. Anyway, some of you comment. But you do it to me via EM or on Facebook.
Why not trying commenting on the blog itself? That’s the point of blogging. All you need to do is go to the end of the post and pop something into the comment box. You can join too. This way you will always know when there’s new post. I know it is not as much fun as joining U2.com or other music sites that give you a chance to get tickets before the rest of the world.

Enough.

It is time for today’s post.

How many of you volunteer? I’ve been involved with this since I was a little kid. Well not sure the Cub Scouts was volunteering. I joined because I wanted to copy my fadder (That’s what a former Chappy camper used to call his dad. I think he still does.) I surpassed him. I’m Eagle. He’s not. But from Cubs through the Boy Scouts the emphasis was helping others. We had to do our good turn daily.

I have always given back and been involved as an adult leader. These days I don’t do as much as I used to. I guess because I am no longer a Staten Islander. In my teen days when I was chief of Aquehongian Lodge #112, one thing I noticed was we had a steady group of adult leaders volunteering. My job was to get the youth involved. One of my favorite leaders, used to scream, “We need more boys. We gotta keep this program going”. I miss him. I’m proud to say my meetings usually had about 100 people attending. Most were scouts. These days we are lucky if we get 10 people in the room.

I had my core group of leaders and volunteers. I appointed them all. One once said, “Yeah you had to be nice to him and have lunch with him the Tottenville High School Library and rehearse the ceremonies. Then you got any position.” Of course he is one my closer buddies. Perhaps that was the case. Or perhaps it was not. I sense someone may comment about how many trunks I used to carry in camp? But that’s in another post…

Many of the fun adults are still around. Some left us for the great campsite in the sky. I hope if I ever get there it looks like Chappy Hill. The Hill I remember. That was my summer camp.

I never stopped volunteering. In my frat, Tau Epsilon Phi, I led tons of community service projects on SUNY New Paltz’s campus.

I’m a Trustee on the Ten Mile River Scout Camps’ Museum committee. I do their PR and am now on the editorial committee for our newsletter, “Smoke Signals”. I could do more with the group. They are my camp family. Many of them watched me grow up. Some of these scouuuuts (our camp joke) met me when I was 12.

About a year and half ago, I had my best Thanksgiving. I was in Tel Aviv and worked with the kids from ELEM/Youth in Distress in Israel. ELEM-Entry NY does lots in the U.S. to help these kids. I am part of it.

I‘ve noticed in all my activities is that no matter how hard you try to bring in new blood, it is always the same group. Whenever new people come to help out we usually wine and dine them to the extreme. Offer them cool patches. Whatever it takes? A few come back.

Sadly it usually the same bunch that grinds it out. There’s nothing wrong with that. We all know who will be late? What everyone will drink? And of course, who will complain about something?

We are the ones who will arrive hours before the event and stay hours later. We will be the most stressed and perhaps the dirtiest. But it is us who will have the most fun. So join the party. You won’t be let down.

Imagine if we could double our attendance? Just think of how many more Eagles would soar or kids could get the help they need?

Any thoughts?

Scout Dock Test

Dock Test

If we wanted to swim in Rock Lake, Camp Kunatah we had to pass a dock test. All of the swimming areas of the waterfront were divided up based upon a scout’s ability to swim. We had non-swimmers, beginners and advanced.

On the first day of camp, our Chappy Scoutmaster Rodney would give us a tour of camp. It ended with the dock test. We started going down the muddy steps of the Hill. You can’t beat the Hill. We hiked through camp.

Rodney showed us the nature lodge, we went to the Kunatah Dining Hall, where we might have rocked-n-rolled or discombobulated. We stopped at the trading post for Bon Bons or a Coke.

Eventually, we made it down to Rock Lake. By the way, it rocks.

All of us eager scouts went up to the docks and gave our name to one of the dock guards. One by one we jumped into the lake and we were charged to swim three laps of any stroke. But were forced to conclude with the elementary backstroke. Then we had to tread water for about a minute, while holding the Scout sign and repeating the Scout Oath, Law Motto or some other scouting diatribe. Our dock tester decided what we would do.

Those of us that passed all parts were given a red and blue buddy tag. We needed to check in with it when we went to swim. ‘Ya see you and your buddy would give it to dock guard who was manning the Buddy board. You told him which area of the lake you were jumping into. He attached the tag to the Buddy board’s respective section and you were off for your swim.

Sounds simple and fun, right? Well I was always an advanced swimmer. In fact, the first merit badges I earned as a Chappy scout were Swimming and Rowing. You think I would have an easy time with my dock test.

Well, well, well.

One year, perhaps ’85 or ’86, a man who I call my leader gave me my dock test. He had been a waterfront director in the now closed Kotohke or D-1 section of camp. Sadly, these days Chappy and Kunatah are closed too. During his day he spent a lot of time on the lake and used it for swimming, boating and well? I have nothing more to say.

Back to my dock test, my leader asked me to jump into the lake and begin. I easily did the laps. I do a great elementary backstroke. I learned it as a young Cub Scout in Lake Orbach, Pouch Scout Camp, Staten Island. I figured I was home free. Then came the treading test.

I followed my leader’s orders and held the Scout sign upside down and began repeating the Scout Law no big deal. Oh, I forgot to remind you the esteemed leader is not into it. I will never say what being into it or not into it is.

But for some reason that morning he became into it and made these interesting facial gestures, while I treaded. By the way, he made me tread far longer than it would take to repeat the Scout Law, Oath and Motto. We skipped the OA Obligation. I’m not sure why. Then all of a sudden strange noises stared to emanate from his smiling mouth. I was aghast. Eventually, he said, I could climb out of the lake onto the dock. I speedily did that. He gave me a passing grade.