Washington D.C. Here we come !

[chiefalen]

So i'm sitting and minding my own business, at the first Boy Scout meeting of the new year.

Sorta dozing, it's held at the ungodly hour of 7:30 pm on a school night and goes sometimes to 10 pm.

My son is assistant senior patrol leader, and will be senior patrol leader in 2-3 weeks. How it goes you have to be of certain rank to hold the position and be ELECTED, by the whole troop.

Then it's a year of learning the top job as assistant. The senior patrol leader is sorta the field general all orders given by a adult is put thru him never directly to the troop. So in short the senior patrol leader is top dog for the year.

Anyway it's a friendly group of adults, and we know each other pretty good, and i never turn anything down if asked.

So the the guy in charge of trips shakes me awake, maybe i was snoring who knows.

I say Ivande he's Norweigan i probably spelled it wrong, whats up, was i snoring.

He says i need a favor, i said write me a letter and i'll get back to ya in a month or so.

Were laughing, and he gets to the point real quick, like i bet you people are wishing i do here in this thread.

The troop is going to D.C, we need to get in the Capital Building, and the White house. May 16 th.

I said now you tell me takes 6 months to get toilet paper delivered in D.C.

How am i gonna get them in. He says your son is gonna be top dog makes you daddy of the top dog.

I said i'll sleep on it wake me when it's time to go home. Nest day.I call Rush Holt who is a Dem. and guess what, a Dem. just made it to be the Pres. so i'm thinking maybe, just maybe.

I did work for him, time to time, and he's always saying you need a favor call. Local political stuff.

So he calls me back and says , how many for the Capital building up to 50 no problem. White house is tougher but lets see what i can do he says to me.

Sends me via email the passes that quick maybe 15 minutes and i print them out guided tour the works lunch in the basement, nice, for the Capital Building.

Yesterday i'm posting and looking here online and the phone rings says white house, secret service something like that on the phone id.

I pick it up a little nervous you know cause i sorta forgot, i want to get the boy's in to tour the White house.

The guy asks me if i'm me ,and he got a special request from Rush that wants Boy Scouts to tour the white house.

They need every ss # of everybody thats coming gives me the time, to be there and gives me the email to send everything to him.

So i didn't vote for him for Pres. but The Dems. are in, that got us in. Ha

Next step getting us on The Naval academy property to camp in their primitive camping grounds, and taking meals in the mess.

Keep you people abreast on the developments with that, might be the hardest part of the whole thing.

 

[KurtG]

Re: Washington D.C. Here we come !

I work ~two blocks from the White House but we live on the water out near Annapolis. When my boys (5 & 7) come to visit me at work, they always say they don't want to be President, because he lives in a prison with a fence all around his House and he can't come out ,lol.

The older one (3 at the time) got away from us and ran smack into Sen. McCain when we were touring the Capital. He was nice, kneeled down and talked to him for a bit.

Enjoy your visit, I'm making sure I'm nowhere near the place on inaugeration day, can't deal with the crowds. If it is warm enough, I hope to be working on the boat.

You should try to line up the Washington Monument tickets too. Not sure how far in advance you can do that, but they run out of daily tickets about 5 minutes after opening each morning.

 

[oddjob]

Re: Washington D.C. Here we come !

You guys should ask for a bailout when you get there. If they will let the boy scouts IN the white house that is. Good luck.

 

[chiefalen]

Re: Washington D.C. Here we come !

My favorite spot in sitting on Abes steps and gazing across the water.

Gonna be tough getting the camp out on the naval base just got off the phone with them , have to get a waiver cause no ones active duty in the troop.

Sent the email see what happens. Weekend we want is empty. Oh well.

 

[KurtG]

Re: Washington D.C. Here we come !

If the Naval space doesn't work, I'm sure you'll turn up something better since they're scouts, but there is always Greenbelt National Park and the private Cherry Hill RV Park. Before we moved out to Annapolis, we used to live nearby both (both near the Greenbelt Metro station). I think there is a mile path to the metro from Greenbelt National Park. Cherry Hill is better equipped (pool, electric sites, etc.), more pricey, and a little further from the metro.

I don't know any others that are in close to DC

http://www.nps.gov/gree/
http://www.cherryhillpark.com/

Just remembered one more around the corner from us on the water (near Annapolis): Camp Letts, they rent outsidethe YMCA charter-

http://www.campletts.org/EducationalRetreat.htm

 

[mphy98]

Re: Washington D.C. Here we come !

going there as well with our school group. i am chaperoning. we are going to white house, ford theater,smithsonian, arlington national cemetery. I strongly urge you to go to that one and watch the changing of the guard. Last time we were there it was august, the Temp was 98* and the guards did not flinch. some of the kids complained that it was so hot and they wanted to go. I said look around you, before you lay 1000's of solders who died for you to to have the right to complain, the guards are out here for an hour at a time wearing wool dress blues. you can stand 20 minutes. the kids are all 13 to 14 by the way. It is a great trip, many thing to do.

 

[chiefalen]

Re: Washington D.C. Here we come !

Thanks Kurt, and guys.

 

[mthieme]

Re: Washington D.C. Here we come !

Don't forget the plethora of museums if you have time.

My grandson's other grandfather was Secret Service (now retired) during Bush Jr. Grandson got to go to a party at the White House once.

 

[chiefalen]

Re: Washington D.C. Here we come !

It turns out if i get a retired military or active duty person to sponsor us then were in the naval academy, still no reply for a waiver.

Gonna call on monday got the number thru a different source for the waiver person.

Turns out me being service related disabled VA counts for nothing.

Didn't help i'm Air Force and its Navy. Ha.

We'll see. Ain't giving up.

Last time the troop stayed on the naval academy, i came thru the gate and the person in charged asked my social security number so i rattled it right off.

He asked if i was in the military and what was my clearance i said a 6 back then.

So he looked it up and said i can upgrade you to a 7 i said what?

They keep track of everybody nowadays i guess.

But they still going thru this rigamarole so i'm gonna see what happens.

 

[mthieme]

Re: Washington D.C. Here we come !

It's gotten much tighter at the gate after 9/11.
If you have trouble finding a sponsor, pm me. I live 9 miles from the USNA and have two Navy neighbors, one active, one recently opted not to re-up after 10 years.

 

[chiefalen]

Re: Washington D.C. Here we come !

Ok sitting outside minding my own business again, at the weekly Boy Scout meeting, no boards of review last night so, was quite, i thought.

We meet in a building, in Old Tenet church, in Englishtown NJ. Englishtown is rich in history, Molly pitcher drew the water from the well here. Solders were brought to the church during the revolutionary war, and the blood stains are still visible on the pews.

A very large battle during the Civil war took place not far from the church and those solders were treated in the very same building, and those blood stains are still visible on the pews and floor.

The church is surrounded by a cemetery, and the dates on the headstones go back to before the country was founded. It is actually a very peaceful place, and i have sat for many hours on warm and cold evenings pondering this and that. Waiting for my sons who are inside attending the meeting.

Why i bring this up, bet, people are starting to wonder if the Chief has finally lost it, and needs a pass to the nearest rubber room.

I watched the parade and the swearing in, most of the day, and saw this young president, and his wife walking down the street, waving and smiling.

And last night i sat outside thinking about how far we have come, and how far we have to go.

Ok update, we are staying in the Greenbelt national park it was decided last night, after they dragged me into a meeting with all the big shot planners, with maps on the wall of D.C, and computations of how long it would take by train from the Naval academy, and various points of this and that.

Jeez you would have thought we were planning a invasion of a country not going to D.C. I swear ( quite a lot actually in real life ) but have been working on that little personality quirk, and never in front of the kids.

I swear, some of these gentlemen, if it were not for our kids being in the same troop, i could not stand to be in their company.

They have a little power, and must think who or what they are.

One guy says this one guy says that , and i sit back and let them fight it out.

All is said and done and they turn to me and ask do i have anything to say.

I said no, you said it all guys, why would i want to make myself out to be a a-----e also.

Let the kids have fun, we will for sure make the tours, and and have the group lunch, in the basement of the capital, thats already set up. And everything else the kids can walk to we will do.

But to think you can plan every second from the time we leave to the time we get back is crazy. And why we got to get back so early, lets get back say 4-5 pm. That set off another flurry of talk. But they agreed to that, so now we have most of Sunday also.

Imagine what the founding fathers had to go thru, to get those people to agree on anything.

 

[mthieme]

Re: Washington D.C. Here we come !

There no train anywhere near USNA.
DC itself has a good Metro train system, but stops at the DC beltway to the east - 20+ miles short of Annapolis.

 

[chiefalen]

Re: Washington D.C. Here we come !

We stayed at both the Beltway and USNA But it would have added to the trip to stay on the navy property and more secure.

It's decided thanks anyway, we also go to the Navy game at the Naval academy some years, Boy Scout day last home game.

So we will try to get on the base then.