Well camping certainly has changed since I was a kid. There were no tents or mess halls at this camp which was held Mon thru Thurs for 5 weeks in the summer (July & Aug Months). Each week had a different theme and the kids got to not only go on road trips but also had interesting people come to them such as karate demo’s and ice skaters. Turns out James likes to skate so we plan on sending him to skating school in the winter. The complex has four rinks so if the weather outside was not appropriate they simply went inside to play their games. James made lots of friends and created some really nice craftwork. Our highest compliments to the staff for their fine work this summer.

James said he will miss his friends, hopefully some can attend his Halloween party (James posted a little flier he made promoting his party and inviting everyone, I do not know if anyone will remember since Halloween is currently 3 months away). James plans on attending next year and we cannot think of a better place for James to grow with his social skills than this summer camp.

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James has a blast with his inflatable pool in the backyard!

James has been counting the days till summer vacation begins and he has many things planned. He plans to relax when thinking about his plans though, that is his first plan.

For about the last two weeks we have had a heatwave across the midwest and USA, so James had to find a variety of ways to stay cool this summer. The following pictures were taken (in no particular order) at the Colon Park, Colon Moving Dock, Trenton Festival (after a visit to Aunt Peg in wyandotte hospital), and of course James own back yard and basement.

During the heatwave of 2012 we were very fortunate not to lose power or air conditioning capabilities (although I am a bit terrified of the huge electric bill we will get running the AC so hard).

Continue reading “Summer Fun So Far In 2012” →

Our neighbors had a graduation party for their son Eric and James and his family were invited. Dad saw many of his “little friends” (a nick name for friends who went to first grade together) and Sammy’s parents were there as well. Dad remembers when Eric was about two years old he was hitting whiffle balls over the fence at Swapka field. A very athletic kid for sure!

The party was awesome and everyone really enjoyed themselves. Dad said it was nice to have a few drinks and relax since the party was only two doors away.

We wish Eric the best and are sure he will be a success at whatever he decides to do.

James and Dad visited Grandma’s house while Mary stayed home working a garage sale. Grandma showed us her garden which is on the tenth floor of the Garden City Tower. You can see the garden from ground level outside (as the last picture shows). Grandma has several different plants growing including peppers and tomatoes and does not have any worries about squirrels or chipmunks getting into her garden since she is so high up.

The first few pictures in this gallery are of the entrance to where Grandma lives, a real nice lobby with fireplace and water fountain.

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We got a real big surprise today when James came home with an honor roll certificate for the fourth quarter. This is Jame’s second honor roll this year so like we did when he got his first one we took him out to celebrate. He had a chocolate/vanilla swirl dipped in chocolate at the Dairy Queen, and got a Wii point card for his Nintendo Wii system. We know James had to work hard to earn the certificate this quarter and we are all so very proud of his achievement(s).

James last day of school is Thursday and we do have a few surprises for him on that day as well.

Below are some pictures sent by James’ teacher of him playing at the annual school picnic.

James and Mom got to go on a two hour tour of the Soo Locks. This was James first time going through the locks and also the first time he got to go to Canada (that he remembered, we took him a couple times to Kingsville and Windsor while he was in a stroller). James has been wanting to go to Canada since studying about it at school and online. Going on the boat tour not only did he get to understand the workings of the Soo Locks, but also the boat took him to Canada without the headache of going through customs.

After the boat tour we went by the other museums and finished off the day shopping in the tourist trap area.

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James had a blast at Mackinaw City, perhaps his favorite is throwing rocks into Lake Huron right underneath the bridge, especially at night. We made sure to make time for his activity and also took him to Mackinaw Crossings earlier in the evening to shop for toys. Other activities he enjoyed were two trips over the Mackinaw bridge, which is the largest suspension bridge in the Western hemisphere (I think, people keep making newer and bigger bridges each year). It spans 5 miles between the lower and upper peninsula’s which is a larger span than the Golden Gate bridge. This time we tried to get some pics crossing the bridge as Mom worked the camera while Dad drove. As in past years, we ended the visit with a trip to Mackinaw Island and a visit to Sea Shell City.

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The highlight of our Northern Michigan adventure is always the trip to Mackinaw Island. Arriving at the island on the earliest ferry is our general routine, by 8:30am we are deep in the State park where we visit Skull Cave, the 3 graveyards, and Arch rock. There are many other great spots on the island but these three we always do first, then go and search the island for other adventure.

After spending the morning in the woods we then move toward the city for lunch. This year there was a tour of the Governors mansion which we attended so now we can say we were inside the Governors mansion, if only for a few minutes. After shopping for a bit James and I went through the haunted house and Mary shopped for T-shirts. On the boat ride home we sat on the upper level and enjoyed the high speed “breeze” created by the boat and the beautiful day.

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