[philmont] It's been a good ride

Ref: REI Membership Number
   
  Yeah, I am older than dirt. I was born on the second day.
   
  To satiate your appetite for what brought this up abot the REI membership number? It's the recent posting of the REI sale and the rememberance of finding out that big Jim Whitaker, the first American to summit Mt Eerest and long time pres of REI spoke to the staff at Philmont a few years back. 2002 I think it was. I only wish I could ave heard him.
   
  OK,a few years before that I was on a rather large Houston Canoe Club Labor Day canoe trip. It was my oldest daughter's 21st birthday and I threw her a birthday party on the river. I cooked and served a Coleman stove version of Philmont Cobbler to about 250 people in celebration of the event. She still talks about it and has a birthday card signed by everyone who came through the line.
   
  Anyway, the next night was Margarita night and they were made in 10 gal Igloo industrial construction site water coolers, Igloo being home base i Houston.
   
  Well, they were pretty good and canoeist, like they ually do, got to bragging. One guy who was actually older than me popped down his REI card and bragged "I'll bet you my card is older than anybody's here".
   
  For some reason that group is a bunch of "card carying REI members" for whatever that means.
   
  Well, it spilled over to the email list and one thing lead to another and the next meeting a lot of hopefuls showed up with their pocket worn cards. By then the pot ha grown to about $75.00.
   
  I had kept quiet until that point (can you believe that?) and I produced my card that I did get at age 15 in 1960. I took home the money that nigh.
   
  When I went to Philmont way back in 1959, one of the advisors had some pretty neat camping gear and in a campfire discussion one evening he revealed where he got it. "From a co-op I belong to". I listened and wondered what a co-op was. I found out and joined and have been very satisfied with buying from them ever since.
   
  There is a REI store in Housto and I go there about twice a year. When the clerk asks if I know my membership number I tell them and they usually tell me "thats not enough digits". I simply tell them "try it". They do and I usually get the response "wow, I've never seen a number that low".
   
  Yeah, I'm older than dirt and so is my REI card. For whatever that's worth.
   
  Speaking of of which. Thinking of the 100th anniversary of Scouting comming up in 2010. I was a Scout when the 50th anniversary came around and have the big thick book "50 Years of Scouting" my parents gae me for Christmas.
   
  To think that I have been a member of Scouting for more than half it's lifetime is quite a nice thought.
   
  It's ben a good year ride.
   
  John LeBlanc
   
   
   

       
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Received on Thu Feb 28 15:49:08 2008