Sea Brook Island or ( My Time in Paradise) Day #1

It was going to be fun, I could see that. It was going to be tough at times, I could see that. It was going to be an adventure, I could taste that! Mom and I were going to go to Sea Brook island, of the coast of the lower part of SC. We were staying at the Saint Christopher camp. The camp was very Eco oriented, and a nature haven. Mom and I would take classes with other groups for three days, sleeping in lodges or cabins. We got the lodge, a two story hotel-like building on sturdy, elevated poles. (Flood proofing) The lodge overlooked the estuary, the place where fresh water meets the sea. We often would take walks along the beach, seeing dolphins, jellyfish, shells and even horseshoe crab tests! The classes were awesome! One neat one was animal tracking! Our guide, Lucy, showed us how to track, deer, raccoons, squirrels, ext. Deer are very easy, because of their big foot prints, and the marks they make on trees. She told and helped us find ant lions. They live in a little tiny indention in the sand. The ant lion waits for an ant or other bug to fall in, and he will eat them up! While tracking, we saw a little green rough snake in a bush. Rough snakes aren't poisonous, so she let us pet it. But that wasn't all of our reptile adventures!

One of my favorite classes was an Amphibians and Reptile class. I personally thought that the corn snakes were absolutely awesome. Have you ever held a snake? How about a big one? If you have, and you naturally love snakes, you can explain the wonderful feeling, of it gripping close to your arms, plopping its head against your chest; what a experience! The salamander was my second favorite. It has a covering of mucus on its skin, so that way it won't dry out. However, the salamander didn't choose me as his favorite. Oh, no. He scampered all over my hands, (slowly) until I had to pass it on so that way someone else could have the little beast try to escape them too. :) They also brought out an alligator and a pair of turtles. (Hate those turtles, they kept urinating all over the place!! ) The alligator cried practically the whole time he was out of his enclosure. You maybe are wondering how can alligators cry. They make a noise like "Ennn Ennn" and according to Lucy, that is how alligators cry. I have to include a picture of Lucy and the alligator . WARNING: The picture looks terrifying for people who don't like baby alligators. Yes, it was a baby. But still, if you use flash, and a face recognition setting, it will look rather scary. Oh, I touched it. :)

Cats and Tigers

As any perceptive eye can plainly see, there are many similarities and differences between cats and tigers. Let's start off with some common ground. Both of them love to hunt and catch fish, which is common in felines small or large. Cats and tigers also have the same favorite resting spots. After a hefty meal of meat or fish, they both like to take siestas on top of high places. Besides that, they are great at hiding, climbing, jumping, sneaking, and stalking.

But, before you fly to Africa to exchange Kitty for a tiger, you might want to hear this. You need to know that these two are NOT alike in a ton of ways. One thing that is very different is their sizes. You will never be able to tolerate a five foot long, tiger laying on your bed, unless you sleep on the floor. Oh, and please buy a swimming pool, or a lake, or a beach house, for a tiger loves swimming! Yes, Kitty only liked the water in her dish, but your new tiger friend loves water so much, its feet are webbed. (Although I don't think you want to check up on this. They are rather fussy about their paws.) Another difference is food proportions. Unless you want to drop your bank account on pounds of gazelle meat , I suggest you send your tiger back to Africa ASAP.

My No-labor Labor day!

My morning started out with a jar of fish. The fish came from the Middle Tyger River which flows behind my yard. Armed only with some string ,a long stick, a canning jar, and my sister's bug net, I headed through the woods and to the river. The mosquitoes hadn't been awakened yet, so I had an hour or so till the nasty things awoke so I knew I would have to hurry unless I would like to be eaten alive. I attached the string to the stick, and the string to the net's handle. I waited until I could reach the "fish". Specks really. I finally saw one worthy enough to catch and plopped it into my jar. After a while, I added four more to my catch. I happily head to the house with my new pets.
"Are you sure they aren't tadpoles?" Dad asked after observing them for a few seconds. "Tadpoles are bigger. And they don't have fins. What do you want for breakfast?" she said busily searching in the kitchen closet.
"Muffins!" I exclaimed showing mom some muffin mix. "Could we have a picnic by the river?"I asked showing Livia the fish .
After mom agreed, Livia and I played marbles upstairs. She loves small things and marbles are especially attractive. Maybe it's because of the variate of colors. Maybe it's the smoothness! All I know is she loves marbles.We played the old-school method, The ones you hit are the ones you keep. Livia hates to throw the shooter hard , so in the process she loses because she barely touches any at all. I was doing beautifully when my friend Skyler came over. Livia is good to leave me alone when friends are here , so I had Skyler to myself. Mom called Skyler and me down for breakfast, when I remembered we were going to have a picnic. Skyler liked the idea, so Livia, Skyler and I trooped outside. After we ate, (A Pina Colada shake, blueberry muffins) we explored for a bit outside until the mosquitoes drove us over to Skyler's house. Wii gets boring, if you play all the easy levels, so we went back to my house where we set up a Playmobil village. We used lime green poster board for grass, brown construction paper for mud and my own hand-painted pictures for scenery!
By then , we had to go eat and Skyler had to go home. Dad took me to Frankies fun park and did a few laps on the go karts. Livia and dad shared a car, but I drove alone. Luckily for me, I had driven before so I was able to withstand (and beat!) dad's fancy driving. As for Livia, to put it in Dad's words "The faster I went the happier she was!" I wish Labor day rolled around more often don't you?

Grandma is here! YEA!

My Grandma from Kentucky has come to visit us. Last night we divided perfume samples and had an ice cream cone! Today, we are starting the morning by making a big peach pie! YUM! I love my Grandma!

The Beacon, the Best Fast Food Place in South Carolina!

An old Beacon sign glowing brightly, a man with a loud voice calling orders, two ice cream scoops (counted as one) - this you find, only at The Beacon.
The Beacon is located on John B. White road in Spartanburg, South Carolina. When you first drive up, you see the familiar sign, a large parking lot, and a long ,long restaurant. Army flags are displayed patriotically along the sides of the building, and a greasy smell comes from it. You enter into a long hallway, displaying pictures of the notable heroes of the Beacon: John B. White Jr. himself working the counter, an employee who hasn't skipped a day of work in forty years, another guy working at the restaurant at the age of ninety, and last but definitely not least, C.J, the famous "caller" who is blind, but certainly not disabled by any means. He sits by the counter, listening patiently to your order, and then with a loud voice he calls out your order.

The food is certainly not healthy , but it is good! I was also amazed to see how much food is slopped on the floor! A man regularly comes through with a giant shovel, scooping up the food. Even though the restaurant may not be sanitary, it still has plenty of customers!

The ice cream is absolutely delicious! It is soft and creamy, and they have many flavors: Cookies and Cream, Super Duper, Birthday Cake, and many more!
So the next time you want to go to Sonic, go to The Beacon. You will be glad you did!

On a rock I climbed part 2

"I made it!" I cried happily at the top of the mountain. "Go around here." said one of the leaders. Then I saw why. "Whoa!!" I whispered and grabbed my camera out to snap a few pictures of the view. We could see trees down below a long ways with fog spreading everywhere. I sighed, wishing I could go closer. Soon though, the leader showed us the equipment and let us peek over the edge. Then he let us go with Pastor Ryan to start climbing. We had to put on itchy harnesses. I was the first to help my friend Arinne climb . She began to climb, while I held her up with a rope. It took a long while because she got really scared. But I got scared worse.
When I began to climb I went pretty fast. Then I got to a hard spot. It took me awhile to be able to start again. I found a little lizard up there too. I soon started to get really stuck. I was 60 feet off the ground, and then I totally freaked out. I started to cry, then I noticed a leader up a few feet ahead of me. He helped me up and helped me calm down.Then I started to go down again. It was sorta scary, but I soon got used to it. I tried to go up another cliff but I couldn't do it. So instead I helped my friends rock climb and Rapieled mostly. It started to be scorching hot. I was so so tired, but soon we began to pack up. I am glad I went rock climbing, because this is a experience I will not forget!

On a rock I climbed part 1

"So, are we all ready? OK let's go!" said Mr. Allen as we left the church at 6:54. The Pathfinder Club was going rock-climbing and one of those Pathfinders was me!
For four weeks , we Pathfinders had learned all the stuff to know about rock climbing. We had learned dozens of knots, methods and so now it was about to be for real!
On the bus up to North Carolina , we practiced our knots one more time so Miss Carie could check us off for our rock climbing honor. When we finally got there, we began to check our stuff over. Then we slipped some equipment on our backs and headed up the trail. I was hoping the trail would slope slowly, but boy was I mistaken. It went upward fast. The two helmets Miss Carie had placed on my back was driving me crazy. The trail seemed to last forever, but finally we started up some stairs to the top of the rocks.. "OK guys you are now climbing the Great Wall of China." I joked. I was correct, almost. The stairs in China however are steeper and made of rock. Would we ever get there?