Issue 11

Girl's Camp by Whitney

Last week I went to a five day long, Stake Girl's Camp. We drove out about two hours to a sage brushy canyon. We were on a ranch. We set up our tents different sites during the day. We woke up, ate breakfast, and went to flag ceremony. Then we were with our groups until 1:00. then we had free time until dinner. Every ward was a super hero. We were Wonder Woman. Each tent was a different Wonder Woman weapon.

Each ward had a different activity at the pavilion. On the last day, the Bishops visited us. It was cool, except for three hours in the middle of the day, then it was miserably hot, and everyone (leaders included) was left panting under their pavilions, and there was an infestation of grass hoppers in the field by the zip line. Our campsite


The Buzz Lightyear zip line

To infinity and beyond!

At the Robin Hood archery range. (I don't think Robin's bow was this good.)

Book Review by Steve L.

I have made a goal to read all the Childhood of Famous Americans series books. I started about a month ago and here is a list of the ones I’ve read so far:

Daniel Boone
Davy Crockett
Harry Houdini
Abraham Lincoln
Annie Oakley
Molly Pitcher
Pocahontas
George Washington
Laura Ingalls Wilder

This series tells you all about their childhood. Harry Houdini is my favorite. If you don’t know who he was, he was a famous escape artist. This book series is great. I highly recommend it.

Water Fun by Daniel

We went to my Mom’s Cousin’s house for a pizza/pool party on Saturday. They have a big pool and I swam across it. They also have a water slide and it was the first water slide I ever went down. First I went down with floating noodles and then I could go down by myself and swim across the pool. I liked the pizza and the Root beer and they have a cool hot tub.

Today (Aug. 8th) I earned my Cub Scout swimming belt loop and pin! I had to dive in the deep part of the pool and swim across the pool 3 times and do a lot of other requirements. It wasn’t easy and I felt horribly tired after I was done, but I liked earning it and it’s my first belt loop and pin that I have ever earned in my life.

Raindrops and Turtle Shells by Ellie age 3

Rainbow by Janey

Moeraki Boulders by Noreen

Have you ever had the satisfaction of achieving one of your childhood dreams? I had the chance on our drive from Oamaru to Potuwi.

My Dad has a New Zealand photo book with beautiful pictures of the Moeraki Boulders. They look just like giant soccer balls lying on the beach. That picture intrigued me as a child and I had always wanted to see them. It is amazing to me that you can travel thousands of miles and arrive at a specific location that you have always wanted to visit.

Some phenomenon happened naturally in the nearby cliffs that formed these almost perfect spheres, and as the dirt has eroded away it has left them on the beach. You can still see some emerging from the cliffs, and I wonder how many hundreds of years it will be before they join their companions in the water. I was just giddy to be there, and even I got wet, fully dressed.

To see a map of the places we traveled so far in this series, click on this link: <http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?msa=0&ie=UTF8&ll=-40.359103,172.875366&spn=8.067848,12.128906&z=6&msid=116765397961150020384.000451b63510a46db34d4>

End of Issue 11

Volume 10

Saturday by Janey

On Saturday I went on a bike ride, then we drove to a fishing spot. Then we decided to go to Grandma's house and get our cousins to go fishing with us after dinner.

We went fishing and as soon as we put our fishing poles in the water it started raining and thundering and lighting. It made me kind of scared. We stayed a long time (3 hours) and got really wet. We saw some fish jumping but we only caught seaweed. I liked fishing, but next time I want to go to a different lake.


When we got back to Grandma and Grandpa's house and got ready for fireworks, but they ended up cancelling the fireworks because there was too much wind. We still had a good time!

Getting wet at Grandma's house, before getting wet fishing.

Glow sticks were as close as we got to the big fireworks show.

Same glow stick picture, with the flash on!

The Glen by Whitney

Dark, and silent.
But in a way so loud you can not bear it.
Trying to imagine what is happening,
that you have not been blessed with the ability to hear.
Close-set and foreboding. Jealously guarding its secrets.

The learned one makes it his path.
The predator, his hunting ground, the prey, its shelter.

So hostile, yet somewhat tame.
So mysterious. Not knowing, knowing all.
From it, nothing is hidden. Yet it willingly hides,
all.

(Note by Mom: Whitney is away at our Ward's Girls' Camp this week, but I have included this poem of hers that she wrote in New Zealand. She said the "learned one" made her think of Bro. Solomon, a man in our ward that was a talented bushman and taught Whitney how to catch eels.)

Americone Dream by Steve

After committing myself to testing only top ten flavors listed on the B&J website, Noreen brought this flavor home. I read the label and thought to myself, what could a vanilla ice cream based, caramel swirled, and chocolate covered waffle cone bits ice cream possibly hold for me. Seemed too plain, too simple.

I cracked the scriptures and began reading the story of David and Goliath as I ate my ice cream. Five smooth bites later I realized that I had a David on my hands, a real fighter. The vanilla base was pure and simple. The caramel stream was flavorful and creamy. The legion of chocolate covered chocolate waffle stones I slung into my mouth defied my expectations and nearly conquered me. I had found a contender.

This is the only ice cream pint I have completed and enjoyed to the last bite as much as NYSFC. In fact I would have to say that this crunchy last bite might have even been a better than the last bite I took of NYSFC. Hard to recollect at, oh my aching head. Let's call it a draw, for now.

Tree House Museum by Daniel

We went to the Tree House museum. It had a tree house slide that was very dark. It was really fun because there were lots of different things to do at the museum. There was a Tepee, a fire engine, lots of activities, dress-ups and crafts. They had a medieval section and it had a giant chess board and they had a puppet stage and thrones and dress ups. They had a cool knights action figure set. My favorite part was probably the giant tree house slide.

Daniel - Future firefighting, US President?

Steve - Hanging out in Central Utah

Ellie - A little Spanish senorita

Janey - Helped put on a puppet show at the museum.

Jurassic Encounters by Steve L.

On Wednesday we went to a Dinosaur Park. First we went and saw the indoor museum where they had a lot of dinosaur skeletons, a section on minerals and they even had a robotic mother triceratops protecting her young from a juvenile T-rex. Then we went outside and looked at a ton of dinosaur statues including: a T-rex standing triumphantly over his kill, a dinosaur being attacked by velociraptors, a Triceratops that bit Daniel's hand, a group of large amphibians, and dozens of other dinosaurs. I definitely recommend this park to anybody who likes dinosaurs. (Bring a water bottle, because the park is BIG! It even has a playground for littler kids.) Dinosaurs rule! (Or at least they used too!)

Photos also by Steve L. A T-Rex

Ouch!

Imagine THAT thing lunging at you!

A baby triceritops

If this guy was still around giraffs would have have someone to look up to.

Look behind you!

(Note by Mom: We got to spend the afternoon with my good friend Alesha and her children. What a treat!)

Beautiful Butterfly by Janey