Summer 2005

Friends Celebrate, June

I spent a whole Saturday celebrating a friend's Bat Mitzvah. First I went to a synagogue for the Bat Mitzvah ceremony and lunch. It was the first time I'd ever been in a synagogue, and I had to borrow Dad's tie [right]. Then a few hours later I went to a dinner and dance celebration in my friend's honor. She goes to a different junior high than I do (ICS in Kirkland), but she invited a lot of the kids we went to elementary school with—some I hadn't talked to in over a year—and it was fun to see them.

Summer Camps

I went to three camps this summer. The first, in June, was a tennis camp. It almost got rained out, but we got lucky. I’m going to try out for Kamiakin tennis this school year.

After a week at home and a trip to the Washington Coast with Dad, I went to a week-long jazz camp. It focused on music theory and improvisation. I had a good time and also felt like I learned a lot, so I hope that will help me with Jazz Band in the fall.

Next I flew to Idaho to visit Grandpa Bob, Pat, and my other relatives in Twin Falls for a week, and then Dad, Suzy, and Brennan arrived in the RV to pick me up for a week of camping in Oregon. Another camping trip followed (see below) with Mom, Jan and Sofia. The third day camp I went to was the Boys & Girls Club's Teen Camp. Monday we had a car wash and earned over $100 to spend on an end-of-the-week party. Tuesday we went to Greenlake to work on a public mural (it was freezing), and we watched a movie. Wednesday we went to the mall and then a Mariners game at Safeco Field. Although they haven't been very good this season, that day, playing the Royals, they hit a grand slam and won the game! Thursday we went to a couple of beaches, although it was a little cold. The first one was kind of mucky, but the second one was nice. Friday we went to my favorite summer place, Wild Waves, where I spent a hot, sunny day in the water rides.

Although I was usually pretty busy, I did get to spend a few days home alone for a little R&R!

Week in the Okanogan, August

From August 7th to 13th, Mom, Jan, Sofia and I camped in the RV.

We left Sunday morning, stopping for a picnic lunch and a quick tour of Winthrop. Sofia got bored easily while we drove, and Mom or I had to sit next to her and keep her busy, but it worked out okay. The first night we spent at the Klipchuck campsite in the Okanogan National Forest just outside Winthrop.

The next day we arrived at our destination, the Oro Beach Resort on Lake Osoyoos in Eastern Washington, along the Washington/Canadian border. When we got there, the weather was hot, but a nice breeze coming off the lake kept us cool. However, that “breeze” later became a whipping wind and threatened to carry away our outdoor canopy. That was COOL! One thing disappointed me, and that was that the campground turned out to be sort of non-active, because each spot only had a small 15’X15’ patch of grass; otherwise, it was all gravel. (Also, there wasn't any fire pit, which bummed me out.) It was a good place for water sports, but not other activities.

We spent four days on the beach and in the water. We had a three-man row boat [above], and I spent a lot of time riding the waves on my innertube [left].

It was a lot of fun to introduce Sofia to the water [below left], but sometimes she was very challenging, particularly when it came to sleeping. We quickly learned that whenever Sofia was ready to lay down for a nap, we had to get everything out of the RV that we'd need for the next hour or two (snacks, books, snacks, toys, snacks) because we couldn't go back in once she was asleep. Waking up was also dictated by Sofia's schedule...and it was way too early for vacation.

On the way home we stopped a few times, including at Lake Chelan. Mom and I played a game of miniature golf [below right]; I beat Mom by 1 point. Our last night we stayed at the Tumwater campground in the Wenatchee National Forest near Leavenworth. It was a nice campground, and I rode my bike and skipped rocks in the river. That night, Jan put two Presto logs on the fire to dry them out… … … Yeah, they caught fire, and it was huge!

And then, the next morning, we arrived home again. All in all, I had a pretty good time, but I hope that Sofia will be easier to travel with next year.

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