Summer Vacation, a great time in the life of kids, no school, no homework, just fun things every day. Dylan is now 10 and Kaya is 6, she will be 7 on September 21.
It all starts with the last day of school, saying goodbye to your teachers, wishing each other a happy summer. The last time they will see some of their friends until the dreaded end of vacation, the first day of school next year.
At High Point Elementary, the last day is a fun day. Games are brought in and everyone gets to play each game. Pedaling a tricycle or a four-wheeled vehicle is always fun.
How many soaking wet potholders can your friends pile on top of your head?
Wow, any other day a squirt gun would be big trouble. Today they let us use these giant cannons.
Okay, it's loaded, who do I shoot at?
Bouncing around the playground is lots of fun.
A final hug from the Kindergarten teacher, Mrs. Hunt.
And getting ready to walk out of the fourth grade into the fifth grade.
A pat on the back from his fourth grade teacher, Mrs. Griffith, gets a big smile from Dylan.
Kaya has learned to ride a two-wheeler without training wheels.
Mommy is having a garage sale, and Kaya is selling the brownies. Gee, they sure taste good!!
Dylan "The Monkey" likes to climb trees.
Basketball with his friends is a frequent activity for Dylan.
And of course what is summer without a little baseball?
What better way to stay cool during these hot months than a trip to the pool. Dylan and Kaya are both really good swimmers, and the quickest way in is via the diving board.
For Dylan, the big highlight of the summer is Basketball camp at Ohio State. And after four days of playing and learning basketball, the final ceremony with the family watching. Everyone gets his name on the scoreboard in the Schottenstein Center.
There are several hundred campers, and they all sit on the floor of the Schott.
Most of the OSU players are on hand to provide autographs. Here is Dylan getting Jon Diebler to sign his tablet. Jon will be a Junior this year. He holds the record for most points by an Ohio High School player in a year.
Kaya is not left out of the action. Here she gets Kyle Matsen's autograph.
P.J. Hill is a point guard who started several games last year. He will also be a junior and is a very popular player with the crowd. He brings a lot of energy to the game. Here Dylan has recruited him for a quick game.
Here they are with their opponents for a two on two game. Unfortunately, before they got started they announced that the arena was closed, it was time to go.
Here, Dylan gets an autograph from David Lighty, one of Dylan's favorite players. Last year David broke a bone in his foot very early in the season. He will be back this year.
Kaya is not to be outdone. She gets David's autograph too.
Finally, the autograph of Thad Matta, OSU's coach.
Every summer since Dylan was two, Grandma and Grandpa have taken them to Marietta, Ohio, for a boat ride. The boat is the Valley Gem, and it goes down the Muskingham River to the Ohio River, and up the Ohio for several miles. The boat can be seen in the background.
Uh Oh, it looks like there has been a mutiny! Look who is driving the boat.
A little miniature golf is always fun.
Another way to cool off, the fountains at Easton Shopping Center.
Kaya is six, and what happens to six year olds? They start losing their baby teeth, of course.
COSI, the Center of Science and Industry, is a great place to go on rainy days. This summer they had a feature called "Lost Egypt." They had mummies and other items from thousands of years ago. Here the kids got to build their own pyramid.
Grandma took the kids to the Olentangy Caverns, which has activities in addition to the caverns. Dylan will high five with anyone.
They also have a climbing wall, which Dylan easily mastered.
They have a few animals around. Dylan was a bit sheepish about this one.
They do have the caverns, and of course they took the tour.
Dylan found an Indian Chief.
In case anyone is wondering, this is NOT Dylan's Grandpa!
A little later in the summer, the Ohio State Fair comes to Columbus. Grandpa and Grandma always take them for a day. When we arrive we rent a wagon to provide transportation for the day. Unfortunately wagons have to be pulled.
Kaya loves to visit the "Guess your weight, age or birth month" stand. Here the man is guessing her weight, but he missed, and she won a stuffed animal.
Of course, Dylan has to shoot basketballs. He is really good at shooting, but the hoops are smaller than normal, so making a basket is hard.
Smokey the Bear is also always at the fair, and he always remembers Dylan and Kaya.
Last year they added a Kayaking area. Here Kaya gets some instruction to start.
Dylan can move the kayak around where he wants it.
The Ferris Wheel always stops at the top.
The kids usually go on rides together, but sometimes Kaya gets to go by herself.
They have a climbing wall, actually called a "Corn Wall." Kaya tries, but the steps are a little too far apart for her. Maybe next year.
Dylan is headed for the top.
And he gets there. There is a button up there which sounds a horn when you push it. Dylan blew the horn. He told me later that it was easy, anyone could do it.
Both kids always like the fun houses, and several of them always end with a slide.
Dylan always likes to shoot basketballs. Normally they are too high for Kaya. This year they found one which was a lower, shorter shot. Dylan tried and missed. Kaya saw that this one was in her size range, so she tried and made it. Dylan tried again and made it, but he was not happy that Kaya made one before him. In this picture they are holding their prizes.
Slides are always fun, and this miniature giant slide is no exception.
The rides they went on were mostly so-called Kiddie Rides, but they did go on the Tilt-a-Whirl.
Ah, the real Giant Slide. Grandpa went on that one a long time ago, and hurt his elbow in the process. He hasn't tried it since.
Another fun house, this one ends with a cylinder to walk through.
Back in the wagon with their prizes. Kaya is holding the animal she won from the weight guesser.
It has been a long day and it is a long way back across the fairgrounds to the parking lot. But the sky ride makes it easier. Of course, someone has to pull the wagon, so Grandpa gets to walk anyway.
A massage for tired feet only costs a quarter.
The shuttle from the gate around the parking lot makes it much easier to get to the car. This is the end of the fair for this year, but it will be back next year.
Grove City has a new business called the "World of Bounce." It has all kinds of inflated contraptions. Mommy and Daddy went to California on a business trip. Dylan and Kaya got to stay with Grandma and Grandpa for four days. One day they went to the World of Bounce.
Dylan and Kaya's next door neighbor had a bonfire for a few neighborhood kids, and Dylan got to roast marshmallows. He noted that someone ate them raw.
It has been four days, and Mommy and Daddy are due home any minute. The kids are waiting anxiously on their front porch.
Kaya loves her animals, and she has a lot of them.
Summer is almost over, they spend the last day at the pool.
All good things must come to an end. Here they are at school, Kaya's first day as a First Grader, her first time to go all day. Dylan is starting fifth grade, his last year of elementary. This is the last year they will both be at the same school.
