Cats DO Climb

Mark your calendars!!

February 17th, our tribal meeting will be held at On the Edge Rock Climbing in Melbourne (see link for website) This is a DO NOT MISS meeting guys!! See you there at 1400. link: http://www.ontheedgerockclimbing.com/

Directions:Directions Distance
Total Est. Time: 19 minutes Total Est. Distance: 11.83 miles

1: Start out going SOUTH on US-1 S / FL-5 S toward ROBERTS RD. 5.6 miles

2: Turn RIGHT onto EAU GALLIE BLVD W / FL-518 W. 4.4 miles

3: Turn LEFT onto CR-511 / N JOHN RODES BLVD. 0.9 miles

4: Turn LEFT onto DOW RD. 0.5 miles

5: Turn RIGHT onto WEST DR. 0.2 miles

6: End at On the Edge Rock Climbing Gym:
200 West Dr, Melbourne, FL 32904, US
Total Est. Time: 19 minutesTotal Est. Distance: 11.83 miles

Creek Tribe Hike!!

Sunday Feburary 10th at 10 am Ulumay Park in Merritt Island.

The tribe will be conducting a 3 mile hike next weekend. This will satisfy the requirements for the Purple Feather, and the Purple Beads (2nd Order of the Eagle Feather). Bob Cat, Wild Cat, Rattlesnake, and Fire Lizard will be earning the purple beads towards their 2nd Eagle Feather!! The plan is to meet at Ulumay at 10, do the car shuttle to 528, then do a one way hike for the 3 miles.

Equipment List:

Water bottle (1 each brave)
Comfortable shoes for hiking
Hat
Sunscreen
Insect repellent

More info on the Park, including directions:
Ulumay Wildlife Sanctuary
805 Sykes Creek Parkway, Merritt IslandFROM US Hwy 1 go 2.9 miles east on SR-520, turn left and go about 0.5 miles on Sykes Creek Parkway. The park entrance is on the left.
Open after 7:00 a.m. until dark.
Historic & Orthinological InterestThis 436.53-acre bird reservation and sanctuary offers a wilderness escape in an urban environment and is an international attraction for bird-watchers. Historically documented as a village of the Ais Indians who disappeared around 1720, it is a natural lagoon and bird rookery linked with canals created for mosquito control and surrounded by a manmade dike. A trail on the dike provides access to the waterways for the fisherman, birdwatchers, and paddlers. A birdwatching tower offers a scenic overlook of the lagoon. Projecting into Sykes Creek at the southwest corner of the park is a fishing pier commonly known as the Old Humpbacked Troll Bridge. Although troll sightings are rumored, visitors are likely to view dolphin and birds such as the wood stork, belted kingfisher, and white or brown pelican. Alligator dormant season is October through May, however, visitors are advised to be cautious year-round.
Further information at the following link— Historic & Orthinological Interest
WATCHABLE WILDLIFE: Dolphin, Wood Stork, Belted Kingfisher, Heron, Egret, White or Brown Pelican, AlligatorADA ACCESSIBLE: Fishing PierACTIVITY FEATURES• Canoe Launch• Bicycling & Hiking (approx. 7-mile trail on dike)• Bird Watching• Fishing (20x100 pier, shoreline)• Trails (Hiking & Paddling)DOS & DON’TS: 1) Service animals only. 2) Alcoholic beverages in designated areas only. 3) Other restrictions as posted.

January Smoke Signals and Meeting Recap



Guys,

Just wanted to touch base on a couple of items we discussed at the Dad’s meeting.

In order to more evenly distribute camping responsibilities, we are assigning Camp jobs, the description and sign up is one of the attachments to this email.

A hats off and a huzzah to the Tom Tom club for their year of fine cooking cuisine. As part of the new camp jobs, the cooking will be one of the jobs which we will rotate responsibility for. We will discuss the menu at the tribal meeting prior to the campout, and the family in charge shall shop prior to the campout and prepare the meals in accordance with the Weekend Plan, see attachment. Tom Tom has suggested 1.5 hours necessary for meal prep on Saturday evening. If you are camping, we need you as part of the headcount by Wednesday prior to the campout. If you do not commit prior, plan on bringing your own meals.

We feel that the Little Braves can take a more active role in assisting the dads with the camp jobs, so if you have a job for the weekend, get your Little Brave to help out.

One of the jobs is for Fire Chief, and includes overseeing a tidy camp; this is one area where Little Brave participation is encouraged strongly.

The next campout is the Pinewood Derby. If you need a car kit, contact Tom Brophy. He is in Merritt Island, and his phone # is listed on the attachment. I have previously emailed the Nation’s rules, let me know if you need it resent.

We will be conducting a trailer clean out at the campout next month. Near term goal is to organize the trailer we have for ease of use, and a long term goal is to purchase a new trailer for easier ease of use. Department of Redundancy Department. Fund raising is not a problem at Publix, and car washes to gain those funds.

The tribe will purchase one of those “highway, chain gang” water dispensers, orange Igloo. We will use that for our primary water supply, as water bottles around camp are one of the biggest litter problems. Help the Little Braves understand the importance of using the trash receptacles. On a related note, if you want drinks (and snacks) for your kid, please bring them. Of course, it is OK to share, but do not plan on the drinks being provided for you.

April is our last competitive campout. As such, we need a STRONG: War Game, skit, Golden Wing Basket entry, and displays. Suggestions for all of the above, can be found on the attachment.

March meeting is at Bevalacqua’s and April is at Artz. See attachment for the schedule. Please plan on having a craft at these meetings. Also, one of the attachments is for a typical meeting schedule. Did I mention that you are responsible for a craft? There, I said it again.

Skit for April—Yardley ala Harold Keltner
Wings Preparation for April—Artz?? We need you, George!!

New Members—we need them. Especially 5, 6, and 7 year olds. If your son has a friend/dad who may be interested, please direct them to the blog, and have them call me for information.

The State Pow Wow is in March, and it will be GREAT, Please attend. It is a memorable event for your child.

On February 10th, we will be having a tribal hike at Ulumay Park in Merritt Island. It wil be a 3 mile hike, which will satisfy the Feather award for the hike, as well as the Bear Claw award for the hike. Mark your calendars.

Also, I will be planning a guided canoe outing of the Cocoa Beach 1000 Islands. It is going to include flora, fauna, as well as discussion of some of the Native American Indians who lived in this area “back in the day.” Date to follow.

Another outing I have in mind is for a freshwater fishing trip outing on North Merritt Island. I have taken my kids to this “secret spot” and it is a BLAST. Date to follow.

There is more that was discussed, this is all I could fit into my Creek war bonnet. I will be sending more info. as I remember it. I just want to thank all the Big and Little Braves for the contribution you have made this year. If you need some reminders of some of these memorable events, just browse through the blog, and spark your memory of the great momentum the Creek has been gaining. Finally, this tribe is only as successful as YOU make it, and will create lasting bonds and memories with your son. I am always looking for ways to make this tribe better, so if you have some ideas please share them with me.

Pletch

Legend of the KARS Park totem

Legend of the Totem's Eagle Spirit at KARS ParkBack in 1998 Grey Panther (Jeff Arno) and his young brave Blue Panther (Alex) carved a new totem pole and presented it to the Canaveral Nation. It is truely AWESOME! It replaced the original totem carved by George Hall of Titusville 16 years earlier. During an opening ceremony back in 1998, the Canaveral Nation witnessed an event that legends are made of. Just as the Old totem was brought down and laid to rest, a majestic bald eagle swooped down over the sacred site. Surely this was a sign of STRONG MEDICINE. The Eagle Spirit of the Old Totem was released and Tonka reclaimed the Old Totem during the evening ceremony. Make sure to get a close look at this AWESOME Totem Pole site at KARS Park at our next campout!

Kenyan Proverb, stolen from the original Creeks

To quote our Little Brave, Bob Cat, "True Dat"

Authentic Creek Garb

From the Museum of Natural History, NYC. The turban looks like ours

Feather Award IOUs

The following Little Braves earned feathers at the last campout, and were not awarded their feathers, please remind the Chief at the next meeting, hosted by the Snake family at On the Edge Rock Climbing gym!!

Fire Dragon--brown, yellow
Lightning Dragon--brown, yellow
Tiger Teeth--yellow, turquoise, pink
Wild Cat--green (is this the last for your Eagle?)

Broph, can you bring the feather box to the next meeting?

Chief Mighty Lizard