15 Feb 2007, Posted by Lance in General, No Comments.

Shiver My Timbers

I tell you, it has been busy around here and I have been
getting behind in my writing. Oh well…

A month ago we had our Son’s 8th birthday party here. Usually he invites his whole class and we end
up having some 40 kids, parents and siblings running around our house. I was relived this year when Chancellor
proclaimed he wanted a simple “Boys only sleepover”

At first I was relived, “Ah, a few boys at the house,
simple.” Wait a minute 7 Eight year old
boys running around my house full of energy and hopped up on cake and
soda???

I quickly devised my “Legacy Dad” plan…

Our son has been really into pirates and the whole Jack
Sparrow/Pirates of the
Caribbean thing, so he
wanted a pirate birthday. My thought was
great, let’s have a treasure hunt. Where
we live in Italy is out on farm land, we are on a one lane road that is flanked by fields on all
sides. We also have a river running
through our yard and around our neighborhood.

So I devised a plan to have the boys run around in the night
with a compass and flash lights going from point to point (lit by chemlights)
and then ultimately finding the treasure (A large box wrapped in Gold and
filled with candy and prizes)

To add to the aura, the fog is thick in Italy at
night and this would create a spooky look that would keep a bunch of 8 year
olds a little paranoid and also make them feel adventurous.

So at about 8:00 PM, after watching Pirates of the Caribbean 2, the boys grabbed a pile of fake swords and
sabers and ventured out into the foggy Italian night. I gave a quick class on shooting azimuths on
a compass and walking a pace count and off we went. After about 45 minutes of running through the
Italian countryside, the boys found the chest buried under a pile of leaves and
wood.

They hoisted it on their shoulders
and carried the “booty” back to their Pirate Ship. They ran in the house and ate candy and
played with the prizes until all hours of the night.

The best part was as the boys were leaving the next morning,
many told my son that this was the best party ever and the treasure hunt was
awesome. A proud Legacy Dad just drank
his coffee and smiled smugly.

Mission accomplished.