Seems to be more contingent neckerchiefs this year than I can ever remember. For the councils using them, it seems every troop has their own. Most are one per person but there isn’t much collecting interest.

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This time there seem to be a lot more jambo neckerchiefs than I recall. Not much trading interest and most only have one. Will try to pick some up though.

Also seeing jambo patrol medallions for the first time I can recall.

Also tons of back patches. Since most folks don’t wear coats during Washington, DC summer days with 115 heat index, you’ve got to figure most of these are never going to be worn. A few did appear on back packs but basically these were made for the collecting community. In talking with Kelly Williams of Krelman Co., he said he must have had 25 councils call up planning to order one all thinking they were the first to come up with the next new, great thing. He then pointed out to them that Otetiana did it in 2001. He burst a lot of bubbles. What does it say though about the hobby where folks are trying to come up with things not because they’re going to be used as a recognition or delegation item but instead to have the ‘hot item’ at the jamboree? Ominous.

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Let’s see – 40,000 jambo participants at 10 patches each means 400,000 patches. At 20 per it comes to 800,000. Yowser, that’s a lot of patches.

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It might not strike you how these two topics are related but they are. The national gallery has as special display that started July 4 for artist Winslow Homer. Wonderful art that is easy to connect with and stands the test of time.

In the museum store they had lots of printed items relating to this special exhibit. Books, calendars, note pads. You name it. Although these were all high quality printing, especially the books, the color replication wasn’t the same as the real thing. Close but still different. One would not know this without having experienced the real painting but the differences were real.

Now, how is this related to patches? Well, people are collecting digital images of patches. For example, see oaimages.com The pictures and color quality of these patches are good but its not the same as seeing and having the real things. I recently broke up my Wab issue collection and although I have color copies, seeing the Winslow Homer exhibit reminded me it will not be the same as the real item.

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Started out at midnight. Washington, DC is an 8 hour drive from Ann Arbor. The only real pain is the PA turnpike and the downtown Washington traffic. Taking the PA turnpike at night is a lot easier. Clear sailing. I wonder what was the political connection that created Breezewood? It seems to be in the middle of nowhere and you have the intersection of two major Interstate highways. It has realy grown up over the years.

Coming into DC, there were cops everywhere. Although they wouldn’t say we heard later that a small plane had violated the Capitol’s air space restrictions. They had to scramble the F-18s. There is a bill in Congress to assess the cost on to these pilots. Makes sense to me rather than pay it out of taxpayer money. Also, the “terms of engagement” are changing so that there is one warning flare only. The next one takes the plane out. Not enough time otherwise. Also makes sense. People dumb enough to violate the Capitol’s air space should not be allowed to fly.

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