Summer is over and school’s back in session . I know, sad isn’t it?
I did lots of fun things this summer. On 4th of July I rode my bike outside of my neighborhood for the first time ever. My family and I rode bikes on a trail that was about an hour away. I rode 4 miles with a little help from my family. The trail went around a lake, with a forest on the other side of it. We brought my service dog, Hartmann, too. It was a little too hot for him, and we got worried towards the end when he didn’t seem to be able to cool down. But overall I think he enjoyed walking somewhere other than our neighborhood. I know I enjoyed biking somewhere new!
There were a bunch of Amish families on the trails and by the lake. Some rode old fashion bikes, but some rode these scooter type things. A lot didn’t wear shoes. It was interesting to see how different their lifestyle is from ours.
My family and I found a nice area by the lake to eat our picnic lunch. Some guys were fishing there, but left soon after we sat down. They said they didn’t catch anything. It was really peaceful eating on that grassy area by the lake.
It was really hot that whole day, but we all had a great time. I’m glad I got to ride my bike on a path and I would love to do it again sometime.
Anther cool thing I did was go to music camp, like I do every summer. I really enjoyed it, like always.
The classes were super cool and fun. I feel like I learned a lot, even though it was supposed to just be fun. In music appreciation we learned all about composers, both from back in the day and the modern day. We talked about how music has changed throughout the years and how it has stayed the same.
In band and chorus the teachers picked out some song for us to perform at at the concert at the end of the week. I love hearing all the instruments together in band. We practiced both the chorus and band songs all week.
The past couple years I’ve been writing songs. For those of you who don’t know, I write a lot of poetry. One of the instructors at camp takes some of my poems and composes music to go with them. This year I had a little writers block. I finally finished a poem the night before camp started and sent it to the instructor. The instructor was really excited and told me that it was the one. Someone sings my words at the concert, in an operatic style, after I introduce it on my Dynavox.
The night of the concert every camper had to wear back and white. They called our names and every camper got a moment to wave when their name was called at the end of the show, while the audience claps for them. My friends and family came to watch and support me. That made me feel really excited because they got to see what I’ve been working on all week. Sometimes my aunt and grandma come but unfortunately they were on vacation so they couldn’t make. Afterwards we all went out for ice cream to celebrate. I really enjoy music camp and I look forward to going there every summer.
I also went to the beach in August. I was really excited to go because my family and I haven’t been there in a couple years. We rented a house a few blocks down from the beach. It was really nice because we had our own pool. We usually went down to the beach in the morning and then chilled at the pool in the afternoon.
I always like to sit at the edge of the ocean with my dad.
The water was cold but it felt really good because it was super hot. One day my sister and my dad took me out in the deep. When we went in the water I put my life jacket that I wear in the pool on to help me float.The water was very clear that day so I could see my feet at the bottom. My mom was very nervous while we were out there! She was standing at the waters edge the whole time we were out in the waves, her hands on her hips, but I knew we were going to be okay. We were out past where the waves broke and just rode them as they rose up, going past us to the shore. It was super fun.
I would also like to relax under the umbrella up on the beach and read my book. I read books on an app on my iPad that reads it to me. Sometimes we would bring lunch to the beach and eat it there or we would eat something back at the house before we went swimming. The pool was really nice, and they had some rafts already at the house to float on. My sisters and I liked to float around on them for hours, just relaxing and enjoying the water. So did my sister's boyfriend, who came with us on this vacation.
Within the first couple days we were at the beach, my family and I went kayaking. It was my first ever time really kayaking! We had a couple of tour guides who gave us about a two hour tour. My sister was being very annoying and kept splashing me throughout the tour but don’t worry, someday I’ll get her back. My dad and I had a double since I couldn’t do it by myself. The owner and the workers were very accommodating; they put some pads in the kayak to help me sit up better. While everyone else was getting their kayak and paddle lesson, the workers got my dad and I set up and in the water. We were one of the first boats in the water. My aunt and uncle came down for the weekend to hang out with us and they also went kayaking. My uncle is really outdoorsy and active so he was really good and was zooming everywhere. My mom and my aunt were chatting a lot so sometimes they were a little behind. Our group was the last group out of the water but oh well, save the best for last right? I’m so glad I got this opportunity to experience kayaking!
I’m sad summer is over but I’m ready for the new school year and lots of exciting things. I’m excited to see what this year brings.