The Tiger Salamander Pictures
J+M+J
Another window-well beauty. These always fall in our wells in the fall.
Alex enjoys this.
Read about the salamander here.
A+M+D+G
Landon
The Keebler
J+M+J
Thursday night, I dreamed about hot air balloons. Noon Friday, I learned Dad was going to take Landon, Maria, Johnathan, and I along in his friend Mr. Wilson’s pick-up truck while he chased the hot air ballon Mr. Wilson was flying with his instructor and helped him inflate and deflate the balloon. Maria said she wasn’t going to come because she had seen hot air balloons on television.
When Dad arrived at three, we piled in his truck and went to a park in Brandon. Soon Mr. Wilson arrived and we began to help him set up the balloon. First we got the balloon bag out of the car. The boys helped roll it a little way from the car. Then we got out the basket and put it upright.
Next we tipped the basket on it’s side and Dad and I began to take the 200 and some pound balloon out of it’s bag. It was like a magician’s scarf trick in that it kept coming and coming. Meanwhile, Mr. Wilson’s instructor arrived.
Now we turned on the fan and began to inflate the balloon with cold air. Mr. Wilson informed me that I was to help him buckle down the top of the air balloon’s vents so the heat, when it was applied, would not escape. I passed off the camera to Landon.
Filling up!
Buckling down.
This is why it’s called ‘The Keebler’
Beginning to rise!
The inside.
After the vents were closed, Mr. Wilson gave me a rope attached to the top of the balloon and told me how to ease up the balloon into the air as the burner heated up the air inside the balloon. This was hard as the balloon was EXTREMELY HEAVY!
Getting directions. I have to wrap the rope around my waist but not tie it and pull. I am told to let go if I have to. Then Mr. Wilson demonstrates what he does not want to happen by cupping his hand to his mouth and calling into the sky, “Let go of the rope, Sarah!”
The balloon is not very heavy in this picture yet. For now I am able to smile and wave.
Now the balloon is big and it takes all my strength to hold on. I ease it up.
Going up!
All the way up.
Dad loves this picture.
When the balloon was completely in the air, I rushed in and added my weight to help keep the basket down. Mr. Wilson had me step up into the basket on a side that was trying to escape into the air. This was a lot of fun. It was similar to those rides in the entrance to the grocery store where you are rocked back and forth. The wind pushed the balloon up. Sometimes the basket would lift. I leaned to this sneaky side trying to go up, and then to that side, trying to keep my balance. I called to Landon to take pictures of me in the balloon.
When the basket was level and everything was ready for the take off, I heard Mr. Wilson say to his instructor, “Can we take her along?” I held my breath. The instructor’s answer was yes, if Dad would consent. She went over to talk to him, and Dad nodded his head. The instructor had only been giving him directions on how to cast off the rope, which was tied to the pick-up. THen Mr. Wilson asked, and Dad said: YES! We lifted off. I wished I could have had the camera, but Dad was getting into the truck and, “I can’t come back! I don’t know how it works!”
sarah.frederes.com/wp-
Wheeee!!
Mr. Wilson’s touch-and-go.
We flew low over the country. We saw many pheasants, deer, rabbits, and cows. I even saw a fish jump out of Beaver Creek we were flying above. The bottom of the creek was visible, as the water was transparent. The sun was out and there were no clouds. The ride was smooth and the air was fresh, cool, and crisp. However, it was not too cold. The only shivers I had were from excitement. The ride was smooth and gentle, except when Mr. Wilson practiced landing with a touch-and-go. I was instructed to bend my knees, face the direction we were going, and grab the basket in two places while we landed. It wasn’t quite as bumpy as I thought it would be. After we touched ground, Mr. Wilson squeezed the fire on and we rose into the air.
When we gained speed and height, Mr. Wilson let me squeeze the handle that controls the fire. I could just reach it by standing on the balls of my feet and reaching my arm high above my head. At first, Mr. Wilson told me when to use the fire, then the instructor told me she wanted to try something new. She squeezed my hand whenever it was time to use the fire. She helped me land the ballon very gently with almost no hard bumps. We touched ground, then lifted off a couple of feet and glided along the ground, and alighted again. This was repeated several times, like a stone skipping across water. Finally we came to a halt behind a car racing track that was not in use at that time.
Mr. Wilson took over and we again gained speed and height. He did not quite get that it was actually the instructor who had made the landing and he said, “Now you can’t make me look that bad.” We didn’t tell him what was actually going on until we had landed for good.
All too soon, it would be sunset, and Mr. Wilson landed the balloon. This time it was much bumpier, and I was smashed between Mr. Wilson and the instructor, who took turns falling on me. It didn’t hurt that bad. Dad pulled up in his Mr. Wilson’s truck and all together we began to put the balloon away.
First Dad pulled the air balloon onto the ground. Then Mr. Wilson and his instructor squeezed the air out of the balloon. Then everyone helped put the balloon into the bag. When the balloon was in, Johnathan jumped on the bag to get the air out. Finally, everything was loaded into the back of the pick-up truck.
Squeezing out the air.
Stuffing the balloon into the bag.
We returned too the park, had a few snacks, and then we went home. I had not expected to have ridden in the balloon that day.
A+M+D+G
Hot Chocolate
J+M+J
I was sitting at a little table outside with Landon, John, Alexander, and Joseph drinking hot chocolate. Before we drank any, we all howled at the full moon that was just rising, even Joseph. I had to help him drink his. He was sure it was going to be too hot, even when I had tested it to be sure it wasn’t. He flinched when he took a drink, yet he really wanted to. He kept coming back for more.
I think I have finally gotten the recipe just about right. It took quite a while. The biggest thing was that for three years I have been adding cinnamon to hot chocolate. When I do, I have to stir it a lot because the cinamon separates itself from the mixture. I have just realized that cinnamon adds a gritty texture and a bad taste to hot chocolate. What I confused with a missing ingredient was really one ingredient to many. I want to put the recipe here, but Landon thinks it should be secret, so I will leave a couple ingredients out for now. Maybe I will put them on later.
1/2 cup boiling water
2 T butter
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 cup white sugar
1 pinch of salt
5-1/4 cups milk (Whole if you want a scrumptiously creamy treat.)
1 T vanilla extract
3/4 cup half-and-half cream (Only if you don’t use whole or two percent milk.)
Bring water and butter to boil in a saucepan. Combine the cocoa, sugar and pinch of salt. Bring this mixture to an easy boil while you stir. Simmer and stir for about 2 minutes. Watch that it doesn’t scorch. Stir in 3 1/2 cups of milk and heat until very hot, but not boiling. Remove from heat and add vanilla. Divide between 6 mugs. Add the cream to the mugs of cocoa to cool it to drinking temperature. (optional)
A+M+D+G
HuHot Mongolian Grill
J+M+J
Dad took our family to HuHot on Landon’s birthday. At HuHot, you get to make your own food. Here is the account of my trip to HuHot, starting from after I had arrived at the buffet line.
I grabbed a bowl from the pile and decided wich meat I wanted. There was Krab, pork, chicken, beef, and several types of seafood. I chose a mixture of chicken and Krab. Then I selected from a large variety of vegetables. Next I poured a combination of the many sauses over my raw food, then I watched a cook stirfry my food over a large fire. when he took it off and gave my food back to me, I took it to our table and voila!
A+M+D+G
Landon’s 11th Birthday
J+M+J
Landon turned eleven today!
A+M+D+G
The Fair
J+M+J
Dad took us to the fair, not in Sioux Falls but in a town thirty minutes away, Parker. Some of our friends reccomended it to us It was ten times cleaner than the Sioux Falls fair, with much less immodesty and tattooes. We saw sheep, rabbits pigs, cow, camels, alpacas, turkeys, geese, and more! I got to bury my hand in the prize-winning wool, still on the body of the sheep!
I went on four rides. All of them, except the ferris wheel, were spinning rides. They were extrememly fun. One you twirled and went over little hills on the ground while going in cirlces. Maria and I went on that one. The other you went in a big circle in the air annd made yourself twirl with a little wheel. Landon and I went on that one. Then there was another that you spun while going in a slanted circle in the air, so at the top you were at an eighy-five degree angle to the ground, and you were laying on your back with you feet in the air. Maria, landon, and I all went on that one. in the beggining of the ride, after we were all on and buckled in, Maria decided she didn’t want to go on the ride. But there was nothing she could do about it. By the middle of the ride, however, she didn’t want it to stop! In the ferris wheel, the same thing happened with both her and John Paul. Landon and I had to reassure them, in the very start, and they loved it when we got going. There where mud races going on, and when we went to the top of the ferris wheel we could see them. They were boring.
Then we ate a delicous roast beef sandwich, then we watched the fireworks. They were big, and the grand finalle was beautiful, a golden fan streched out below little golden corkscrews, which were below the BIG fireworks.
And that wrapped up our trip to the fair.
A+M+D+G
Tennis Tournament
J+M+J
Friday marked the end of tennis lessons. We had a tournament, hosted by Weber (whatever that is.) I lost the first match three games to four. Landon got matched up with a bad server and that he says made him win the first match. Again he went on to win the second match and finally, in the last match, placed second in the tournament. He got a bronze-colored medal.
A+M+D+G
First Day of Tennis
J+M+J
Landin and I were at Mcennan Park. In one hand I held Dad’s tennis racket, in the other a large water jug. A loud voice came booming over a speacker. “Would all the children for the junior team tennis lessons please enter court one? Thank You.” We went into cout one, along with the other seventy or so chilren ranging in age from 10-18. All of us were devided into groups of 8-12. In my group were Landon and a girl i slightly know from the Dance Gallery called Ellen. We practiced four-hand, (hitting the ball when it comes to your right), back hand, (hitting the ball when it comes to your left), and some other things. Then we were marked with blue, (meaning beginner) or red, (Meaning intermediate.) Landon, Ellen and I were blue. Then we played a game called ‘See Ya’ basicly tennis four square. After we had finished, it was twelve thirty and the first day of two hour tennis lessons was over. After the fist week of every day tennis lessons, the lessons will be twice a week.
A+M+D+G
Our 911 Episode
It was a gorgeous Saturday afternoon. Maria was teasing Landon with the phone. “I am going to dial 911, Landon. I am going to call the police.” Landon grabbed the phone from her, and someway or another the button to call was pushed, then the button to hang up.
Ring-a-ling-a-ling! My dad answered. “Hello… No it must have been one of the kids… That’s fine… OK, sorry about that… Bye.” Turning around to Landon and I he said, “That was the police! They’re coming over here to make sure we are all right.”
When the Police car finally pulled up, Maria was nowhere to be seen. The policeman who came to the doors name was Officer Bill. “So, who was on the phone?” he asked promptly. “I think she is hiding.” my Dad replied. “I will go down and try to dig her out.” Dad did not succeed in getting her out. So Of. Bill came downstairs to Maria, who was crying hysterically. Despite all persuasions, Maria would not come out from the covers of her bed. Eventually we returned upstairs, where Of. Bill gave John Paul, whom the officer had named “his buddy,” stickers for himself, Alex (who was at the docter,) and Maria.
Five minutes after Of. Bill departed, Landon and John Paul were patroling the basement with belts on, toy guns in their belts, and their junior officer stickers on their shirts, pretending to be policemen.
This is the true account of our 911 episode.
Landon
It may seem I am writing twice in one day, but you would view it differently if you looked at the time at which I wrote earlier. Either way, I am writing a little about Landon
Landon is 10, the eldest of four boys, second eldest child in the family. His favorite color is green and he enjoys archery, shooting guns, legos, video\computer games, (trying to) snowboard, games (all sorts), and television. His favorite singer is Steve Green, and the Star Wars collection are his favorite movies (he has seen 4, 5, and 6.) He likes Mexican type food, especially enchiladas
Landon asks me to play games with him often, and can make quite a competitor in chess, Monopoly, and many other board games, though I am better at Scrabble.