Tennis time

My backhand needs some work but my forehand should be good enough to challenge Mom and Dad soon. 
 

Japanese garden tour

Our friends Maddie and Emily were in town for a quick visit, so we took them on a quick tour of the local Japanese garden setup near our house. No swimming in the water here, but plenty of turtles to see!
 

Family reunion

What's more fun than hanging out with cousins? Hanging out with cousins you didn't even know you had! 

Rock climbing skills

Is it just me, or is Boulder Field getting smaller? It feels a little easier to get across now that my legs are longer. 

Jonathan prefers steeper challenges, especially if there is a creek to cool off in at the bottom of the rock scramble. 
 

Nap malfunction

Anybody got an instruciton manual for how to sleep? 

Scenes from a lake

Morning canoe rides are always the best, because you can enjoy the outdoors in your pajamas. 

Between the two of us, the fish don't stand a chance. 

If you're not paddling and I'm not paddling, how are we supposed to get back to the dock? 

Knoebels visit

Pop hadn't been to the amusement park for a while, so we decided to take him over to Knoebels for a day to enjoy some of the thrill rides. 

I think the trackless roller coaster was a little more than he and Emma had planned for, but they laughed a lot anyway. 

And the whole park looked very cool from high above in the ferris wheel. The only downside was that temperatures were soaring on the day we visited. 

Luckily, we found a quick way to cool down over by the log flume...
 

Hello, Poconos

It's good to see that Grandmom and Pop's neighbors are still up here, enjoying the peaceful mountain views. 

Dental horrors

Heading to the dentist is always a little stressful. This new mural on the wall is not helping at all. 

Summer camp 2023

My troop headed back to Pipciso Summer Camp this year for a week of outdoor activity and merit badge work. I earned five more badges this time, not bad for five days of work!

The tents were as spacious as always, but I was disappointed to hear they still haven't installed the air conditioning units. Maybe next year. 

The closing campfire was a blast, but I would have been fine without the fire part. It was over 90 degrees every day! 

Luckily there was usually ice cream on hand to help with the heat. We only ate it after full meals, of course. 


 

Firefly hunting

You're never too old to go out and catch a few lightning bugs. How would you know it's summer time if you didn't? 

But I'm not sure Emma needs to name every one of them. They are hard to tell apart. 

Dude!

Mom and Dad surprised us with a trip to see the Dude Perfect guys during a stop in Baltimore. The show had everything -- trick shots, crazy stunts, even a rage monster appearance. And plenty of panda! Too cool.