Late Summer
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No Cavities
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At my visit to the dentist today, I was very happy to make it without any cavities!
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Flooding
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This year, South Dakota has broken the rainfall record for June and July by over two inches, topping off at over twenty inches total. This has caused a lot of water problems throughout the city, and thursday night, I awoke at one thirty, hearing a gurgling sound in my room. A minute later, water was running into the basement for the second time in two weeks. Thankfully, nothing was damaged as the carpet had already been ruined and torn out by the first flooding. Everyone slept upstairs for the rest of the night while it was drying out. Now the house is starting to get back to normal, although we are quite cramped with the contents of the basement moved to our upstairs living room. I am looking forward to getting my room fixed, and being able to resume life as usual. In the meantime, we’re all doing our best to maneuver throughout the house.
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First Bird Sale
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After many inquiries, we sold our first sun conure baby last week to a family with an autistic son. They just called us to let us know that everything was going well, and that they had DNA’d the chick to find out that it was a girl. They named it Stevie, are very happy with their purchase. Hurray!
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Lightening Bolt
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This picture was taken during our early 4th of July celebration at my grandparent’s farm, while it stormed off in the distance. I’ve tried many times before to catch lightening on camera, and this time I didn’t even realize I had done it until after I loaded the pictures onto the comupter!
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More Shakespeare Photos
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- This is our entire cast and director, with twenty actors.
- Going on a little picnic.
- A masquerade party.
- I figured out who this person was in the play, but she is trying to convince me I’m wrong..
Playing our trick on Beatrice. Notice how she is hidden in the bushes listening to the conversation.
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Joseph’s New Skill
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Two days before his fourth birthday, he mounted the bike without training wheels and took off.
Without any practice at all, he rode immediately. It has been the same way for the last two boys, who have all been experts on their scooters. So, we’re pretty sure that the scooters must build up their balance really well, and makes a much easier transition to a two wheeled bike.
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From the Garden
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A white balloon flower. I also have some blue ones, but it only has buds on it right now.
This is why they are called 'balloon flowers.'
The first baby pumpkin.
Raspberries. We got to eat a handful today, and another handful is still ripening. Really good, since you aren't supposed to get any the first year you plant them.
Lovely lily.
This is bee balm. I didn't notice the ant until after I took the picture.
A shasta Daisy.
A purple coneflower.
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Summer Shakespeare Camp 2010
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This week I’ve been practicing for yet another drama production, the last of the summer. This time, we were putting on an unabridged Much Ado About Nothing. The, story, set in Spain in the 1500’s, revolves around Count Claudio and the lady Hero, recently engaged. They trick their friends, Benedick and Beatrice (who constantly argue with each other), into falling in love with each other by letting them overhear talking about how much they secretly love each other. Meanwhile, evil Don John nearly ruins Hero and Claudio’s marriage by convincing Claudio that Hero loves someone else. But in the end, everything ends well, and the two couples are happily married.
I played Ursula, one of Hero’s attendants, and I took part in the scheme to bring Beatrice and Benedick together. I loved my costume, and two other girls in the play did my hair in three braids again braided together.
Our performance was Saturday night, and we narrowly avoided being rained on. We could hear faint thunder the entire play, and it started raining about fifteen minutes as we finished. Very close!
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Annie
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Posting has been pretty neglected lately, because for the last two weeks of june I was spending the whole day at a broadway camp, where we were putting on the musical Annie. My main part was Annette, a head made in the billionaire’s mansion. We had two performances on July 1, and they were both nearly sell out shows.
I don’t have any pictures of me as a maid, but here’s one of the number N. Y. C., where I’m a New York Citizen.
I'm on the right
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Drama Camp 2010
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For Drama Camp this year, we performed a play called The Capricious Pearls, about some robbers who hide a string of pearls in an abandoned house before going to jail. When they finally return, they find that the house is now an old ladies home, and that the owner of the home, thinking the owners of the pearls are dead, has sold all but five to take care of the ladies’ needs. The robbers take the pearls, but then return them in order to buy the women a garden, air conditioning, and other commodities.
I played Maude, a grumpy employee who mops the floors and serves tea.
Our Cast
Landon was also in this play, as the son of the owner of the home.
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Chicago-Part 2
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We still had a whole afternoon of free time left after the museums, so we explored downtown Chicago on foot. I got a T-shirt, keychain, and a mug as souvenirs, and Landon made a purchase at a big Lego store (funny, that’s where he went in Downtown Disney in FL too). There was even an Apple store for Dad and specialty teas for Mom.
Landon and a Lego Darth Vader
The quiz bowl took place on Saturday, May 29, and even though we only won two out of ten games, it was a lot of fun.
I love our matching shirts. Each of us has a nickname on our backs. Mine is Degas (de-GAH) Dancer. Degas was a French artist who painted ballerinas, like these ones here we saw at the art institute:
After the Quiz Bowl, we put on a little cheer as a thank you the quiz bowl team coach, who holds lots of practice sessions to prepare for the quiz bowl.
He was very surprised.
On Sunday, we went exploring a little bit more before we went to Mass, and then from there to home.
Our hotel was in a suburb of Chicago called Rosemont, and the water tower was very pretty.
There was a dance supply store that had neat costumes on display. This is for Swan Lake.
The Church was really beautiful.
The Resurrection
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Chicago-Part 1
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Our trip went very smoothly, and we had a great time. There was a lot of new things to see, and you almost spent more time looking upwards at the buildings than in front of you.
Downtown Chicago and Lake Michigan
Dad, Landon and I in front of the Willis (used to be Sears) Tower.
While we were there, we went to science, art, and history museums. The neatest thing at the science museum was this German U-boat captured in WWII:
The art institute was really nice also, and 70% of the paintings were religious.
Mary, Jesus, and their court of Virgin saints
The Annunciation
At the history museum, we saw precious stones, a large t-rex skeleton (discovered in South Dakota), and Egyptian mummies:
“Sue”
Carving of a Pharaoh from an Egyptian tomb.
Real Mummy
More pictures coming!
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See You Monday!
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Dad, Landon, and I are taking off to Chicago for that national NAQT quiz bowl, and too see some museums as well! I’m really excited, and we aren’t going to be back till Sunday night! I’ll take lot’s of pictures to post here afterwards!
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