THE BIG TEN--PART ONE

It's been awhile since I've written so I'm going to cover ten happenings from the last month.

 Fishing--Labor Day weekend,  we went out on our boat and the motor broke down. We (really, Daddy) had to row.  While we were fishing, we saw this huge fish jump.  Ella had her worm on a lily pad.  Daddy thought she was caught on the lily pad when she said she had something.  But, it turned out it was a large-mouthed bass.  Ella (with some of Daddy's help) reeled it in and Daddy was about to put it on a stringer and he had Mommy look at the NYS Fishing Guidebook to decide if we could keep it up.  She said it had to be bigger.  So we threw it back.  Then, Daddy realized she was looking at the trophy section and the fish was way beyond the required length.


School--My teacher is Mrs. Page and she has me working hard.  Right now, I'm running for Student Council, starting intramurals again, and practicing my trumpet.  I'm really excited to do my State in the Box project and I also am looking forward to in the winter having a Civil War snowball fight--with real snowballs.  At the end of the year, there will be an auction for a huge dragon named Fred.  I'm saving all of my Scottie bucks so I can win him.

Anika's birthday--Anika turned 7 on September 19th.  We went to her party on September 15th.  Her dad put up a tightrope.  I made it across the first time without using my hands.  After we ate, we went back out and the tightrope had been moved so the distance you walked was longer.  It was a lot more difficult to walk across.  When it got dark out, we sat on the trampoline, watching the wish lanterns launch.  Ankie also put a stick in the bonfire that changed the color of the fire to greens and blues.  While we were there, we built a fort, rode the zipline and tried to scare each other in the dark. 


STAY TUNED AND I WILL WRITE ABOUT THE OTHER 7 TOPICS THIS WEEK!  I'm off to have dessert, read and go to bed. 

Star Wars with Uncle Wayne

On Saturday night, I watched The Return of the Jedi and my favorite characters were the Ewoks.  They were so cute and funny.  One of my favorite scenes was when Darth Vader is staring at Luke Skywalker getting zapped and then after a while decides maybe he should push the emperor and save his son. 

What did Holden learn today?

Ewoks are smart. 

What would Holden do?

Respect the force.

Back to School Blues

School shopping is stressful because there is so much stuff to choose from and you can't get everything.
Another downer is that I might not get to go to the Cock'n'Bull guitar circle again until November.

What did Holden learn today?

There are such things as RangeRovers.

What would Holden do?

Spend his time wisely in the next week. 

"Uncle" Dave

Dave plays the mandolin in the guitar circle.  He is a funny guy.  One of my favorite things he does is that he always wants to have me stay longer and he says my parents can leave me there.  He is also funny when I wear paste in my hair and he calls me Justin Bieber.  Also, he isn't afraid to tell me I wear too much cologne!  He gives me good advice about who to tip and what to own when I'm older.  Cars and guitars! 

What did Holden learn today?

The Hartford Whalers were a hockey team.

What would Holden do?

Tip his barber, his waitress and his bartender. 

Skimboarding on State Beach

Can you do a moondoggie or a Scoldin' Holden on your skimboard?  When I was in Martha's Vineyard, my Uncle Jim helped me practice and came up with different names for skimboarding tricks.  A moondoggie is a 180 and Scoldin' Holden is a 360.

What did Holden learn?

There are lots of things to do at the beach.

What would Holden do?

 Keep practicing. 

Tuesday on the vineyard

I went to the flea market and Nana bought me a leather wallet. I bought a Swiss army knife for only four dollars from the same man who sold me a knife last year.  We also went to Menemsha and I got splinters on the dock before checking out the lobsters.


We spent Monday on South Beach and I got knocked over by the waves.

Taller!

The ducks are getting so big.  It's so surprising how fast they grow.  We've had them two weeks and just 14 days ago, their whole body fit in your hand.  Now, their bills are bigger.  Their feet are bigger. I would call them plump but I don't want to hurt their feelings.  Each one has a light purple mark at the end of their bill that wasn't there when they first came or now shows up because they're bigger.  Three of the seven are bigger than the other four.  We are wondering if those three are males, not working out, or hogging (or would it be ducking?) all the food.  

The bunnies are also growing.  We fed them apples tonight and they liked them.

It is hard to all the chores and still have time to play with them.

What did Holden learn?

 The ducks don't rush out of the pool when there's thunder and lightning.  

But when they finally get out, they're smart enough to go under their house.

What would Holden do?

Enjoy this time with the ducks and bunnies. 

*This entry was written around 8/10.  Photos were taken today 8/19.