I've taken a little training break to make the twenty-hour round trip to Lincolnton, North Carolina, where my nephew, Joel, was awarded the rank of Eagle Scout over the weekend. Becoming an Eagle Scout is a daunting challenge, and a low percentage of Boy Scouts realize the achievement.
Central among the requirements is a substantial community project. Joel's was to conduct interviews with the surviving World War II veterans in Lincoln County. The recorded interviews and their transcripts are now archived in the county library. Four of these veterans made it to Joel's Court of Honor this weekend, and considering that nearly all WWII vets are in their nineties, that's not bad.
Joel is maturing into quite the man. It doesn't seem so long ago that he was this little kid soaking up the awards ceremony after racing with me in Wolf River Harbor in 2007:
2013 has not been a very good year for me up to now. But my life will never be a lost cause as long as I have Joel and his equally-awesome brother and sisters. Here they all are when Joel was several years older--2010 or '11, I think:
That's Ben and Rachel in the front, getting hugged by Ada, with Joel standing. Thank you for humoring me during this sentimental indulgence. I promise to be back on topic within the next two days.
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