This was perhaps the 15th of 18 songs the kids did. The entire show was great.

This is the 2nd grade class performing to Little St. Nick by the Beach Boys… with a parachute of course.

Leaving home around 7:00 a.m., we headed south to the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport (CVG) in order to get my wife on a plane bound for Corpus Christi, Tx. Her plane was leaving at 10:00 a.m. and due to some pretty nasty rain and the Friday rush hour traffic the 40 mile trip took close to 90 minutes. Thankfully, the weather cleared up shortly after we left CVG and the remainder of the trip was made in windy but otherwise respectable weather. One interesting thing to note was that when we left the house that morning the temperature was 38 degrees. Within 4 hours the temperature had reached 68 degrees. It was truly like driving to another climate.

The trip to Hardin, Ky. from Middletown Oh. takes us right down I65 and past an exit for the Patton Museum located near Ft. Knox. From the airport to the museum was about three and a half hour drive so we arrived in town during the lunch hour. More traffic. The Patton Museum was little changed since our last visit two years earlier. There were, I think, about two new tanks on display and the gift shop appeared a lot larger than I remembered. The trip through the museum took about an hour with Nate being especially fascinated with a few battlefield dioramas they had on display. After some coaxing, he also enjoyed the Abrahams M1 exhibit where you can actually get in a tank simulator. (Non-operational but still fascinating)

My personal favorite was a WWII German King Tiger whose left hand side had been opened up and its armor replaced with plexiglass. The size of the King Tiger was in itself amazing but to see inside was to get a real glimpse at what life in a tank must have been like. I could only wonder what sort of world this might have been had the Germans had been able to produce these amazing machines in greater numbers.

Also, I enjoyed seeing Patton’s Colt .45 Model 1873 Single Action Revolver which is on display at the museum. It was interesting to read about Patton in the 1912 Summer Olympics in Stockholm where he was in the first-ever modern pentathlon. The display at the museum also touched on his Olympic Pistol shooting controversy.

As we were not pressed for time, and it was just the two of us, I gave the ok to actually do the whole thing again. With just the two of us I figured, why not. What I should have figured on though was the amount of time he would want to spend in the gift shop.

The gift shop was actually three rooms full of books, posters, clothing, collectibles, and die-cast army toys. Not that I have anything against die-cast army toys, and this was the largest collection I had ever seen in one place in my life, but over half of these toys, 1/32 scale tanks and military vehicles, were selling for $60 each. Unfortunately, I had to explain to Nate that these toys were out of our budget. Although he understood this, each toy still had to be looked at, and each one questioned to make sure he was not mistaken in his belief that we were not going to spend that much money.

Lucky for me there was a good number of the 1/32 scale toys from a manufacturer that were “only” selling for $30 something each. (Still about $10 over-priced) So after about 40 minutes of shopping we left with a nice German 88mm flack gun and crew.

By 3:00 p.m. were on the road again and shortly after nightfall we arrived at my dad’s house in Hardin. Overall the trip was very nice and it was great to see dad before Christmas. I expect we will be back when the threat of bad weather has passed and with any luck we will again be making a stop at the Patton Museum.

We met up in the parking lot at 6:30 and from memory only 5 of the scouts and their parents made the journey. Which I am not at all surprised because this was a walking visit of Light Up Middletown and like your average December night in Ohio the temps were in the 30’s.

So with five first grade scouts and about ten parents we took off for our walk around the pond, which is the core of the park, and the shortest path to see the lights. It had been a while since I had taken a walk at night. To my surprise even with the lights from the display the park was rather dark and something about getting older is not working out so well with the walking, or driving, at night anymore.

But a good time was had by all and it was nice to chat with the adults while on a nice walk. I hope we get that chance again soon. Or perhaps in a few months when it’s a bit warmer!

Cub Scout Pack 28 in Madison Township of Butler County Ohio had their monthly pack meeting last night (12/15/2008) at the Madison Primary School where my son Nathan Wendt received his Bobcat badge in a traditional “turn the scout upside down” ceremony.

Our tour guide arrived around 6:40 and things got under way with a visit to the briefing room. The officer explained that every day for a police officer starts with a meeting in the briefing room and that it’s there of course that the officers discuss the goals for the day and chat about any bad guys they might be trying to catch.

Next we went down the hall to the dispatch area. There were 3 dispatchers on duty at the time and with all the high tech hardware in that room the boys were all filled with questions. The senior dispatcher gave a brief overview of the job they do there and the officer showed the boys some of the fancy hardware at their disposal. For example we were shown a very large display monitor with a map of Middletown. That monitor is apparently used with the computer based 911 system to help locate the exact house where a 911 call might originate from. Also located in the dispatch area is the emergency early warning system. This is the system that controls the tornado sirens that have been installed all over town. This was also a computer based system but with a traditional sized and much less eye catching monitor.

Following the dispatch area was a brief chat in the records department. The officer explained how officers on patrol dictate reports onto cassette tapes and turn them in each night along with any tickets they have written. The tapes are of course processed by the staff in the records department and transcribed into the computer system for further processing.

Next was a stop in the weight room. From memory I think there were two to three treadmills and about eight other machines for weight training. The kids of course loved that room, but for us adults were pretty much thinking it looked like a weight room and smelled one too.

The last stop was the police garage where the boys met Ajax the police dog. Ajax is a two year old German Sheppard who has been on the force for about a year. We learned the police dogs work for around six years before they retire. Ajax was obviously well trained and his handler let a few of the boys throw his chew rope for a quick game of fetch. Click here to see a YouTube Vide of Ajax the Police Dog.

After Ajax went back to work the tour finished up with the boys being shown the inside of a police cruiser. Luckily were told that this particular curser was one that was not used to transport any bad guys and whose back seat had never been thrown up in. Yep it’s the small things in life that make parents happy.

When we arrived home Nate, as is his tradition, hid his Cub Scouts leaf collecting project behind his back as he walked in the door. As he always likes to surprise mom with everything he has. Mom gave the usual sighs of approval but it was instantly noticeable that something was wrong. Knowing mom had just gotten off the treadmill I had for a second hoped that I was mistaken.  Perhaps I thought mom was just perspiring and tired from the exercise.  But a look right into her eyes told me otherwise.

With Nate standing there with his leaf project still in hand I asked what was wrong, and the reply and the tears came very quickly. Nate’s Great Grandmother, Wanda Marie Wells at age 84, had passed away only moments earlier.

I gave mom a big hug and what was only seconds felt like an eternity of sadness.  Agreeing between ourselves as we broke the hug that Grandma was in a much better place we turned around to see Nate standing there watching us. With tears in his eyes he hung his head the moment we looked his way. He then ran right over and gave mom a big hug.

Mom did her best to explain that Grandma was with Jesus now and that we would see her again in Heaven. As Nate was well aware Grandma had not been well for month’s and mom’s explanation about how it was the natural order of things that our bodies grow old and wear out was easily accepted.  In this case that was certainly true. Grandma had suffered for a long time from COPD, or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and as Nate and I were on our way home from Cub Scouts, while napping at home on her couch she fell into an eternal sleep that called her home.

This is the first loss in the family that Nate has been exposed to. I hope we have done the right things so far to prepare him for this day, and or to whatever extent possible, ease the pain of the loss. Within minutes of our return to the house mom was off to be with her Grandfather and parents. While I got Nate ready for bed I asked if he had any questions and as expected he said no. I explained again that Grandma was with Jesus now and not suffering any more. I explained that she was no longer stuck in that old body, but free of pain and in a heavenly body that would never wear out. Nate promised he understood but I cannot help but feel guilty for not having had Nate more involved with the Church even at this young age, because it is there, along with guidance from ones family, where lifelong beliefs on the fundamentals of faith are learned.

I know the next time I put Nate to bed and we say our prayers, that even his simple prayer of “Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray The Lord my soul to keep, and should I die before I wake, I pray The Lord my soul to take.” will have an even greater meaning to both of us.

The birthday party was great fun and filled with lots of happy shouts from the birthday boy as he unwrapped present after present. I think the big hit this year was a Star Wars Lego kit from his Grandma and Grandpa French. The kit was so big it included two very lengthy assembly guides and I would imagine it will take several days to put together. Of course Nate could not wait to get started.

One funny gift unwrapping scene concurred with a computer game I gave Nate. The tile of the game was “Theatre of War”. When Nate opened it the graphics on the box were enough to make him smile and proclaim his approval with the cry of “Cool!”. However when he read that title nothing even close to the word “Theatre” came out of his mouth. After hearing this 10 year old cousin asked “What’s in there?”, and Nate responded with a shrug, to which the cousin suggested “Well I bet it’s full of a whole bunch of war”. This made them both happy.

After some great cake and ice cream Nate was asked to take his now traditional stand in front of his bedroom door to have his height marked. He had grown another three inches since last year. Even this prompted the memory of how it just seemed like days ago when the poor little fellow had no legs at all and 75% of his little body was upper torso. Now our little boy is a well proportioned “long legged galoot”. To be exact on his 7th birthday the “little guy” is a ginormious 4 foot and 4-1/2 inches tall.

Happy birthday buddy – We love you so much!

Of course they sold all sorts of Halloween things there, such as pumpkins, gourds, and other nick knacks. The setting sun made for a few god shots of the produce with the old digital camera we bought when Nate was born.

After getting our tickets from Elizabeth we walked on back to the camp site the pack had reserved. There a dozen or so scouts and parents were gathered around a camp fire roasting marshmallows and hot dogs. After a few hot dogs and marshmallows were finished off we headed to the maze.

The maze itself consists of roughly 3 miles of trials cut out of an 8 acre corn felid. The point of the maze was not simply to find your way in and out, but rather to find 12 camouflaged mail boxes set in with the corn. Each mailbox contained a piece of a map. Once all the pieces were collected you then had a complete map of the maze. Simple, fun, and only about 30 minute’s worth of walking.

Also worth mentioning is the “pumpkin gun” they fire off every hour. To picture this you need to start out by imagining an old fire truck from the 60’s. Then imagine its got a 16 foot 8 inch pipe for a cannon on top of it. The cannon was operated from an air compressor that filled a giant tank on the back of the truck. Once the thing was under full pressure it could launch a pumpkin about 1/2 a mile. Which I most certainly believe as I quickly lost sight of the pumpkin as it headed skyward. From the sounds of the crowd it took about a full 5 seconds or more to make impact. At night I am told they use a “glow in the dark pumkin” for an extra special crowd pleasing effect.

Not sure if a corn maze is worth a visit every year, but Toms Maze was very nice and well kept, and certainly worth the visit this year. Should the pack go back next year I would gladly take Nathan.

While our working subtitle for the Blog is “Growing up in Ohio” I do hope to talk about the activities and issues that face all young people throughout our country and of course focus on those involving Ohio and my son Nathan Wendt.