Washington 2017 - Lake Chelan

During summer break we stayed at Lake Chelan for five nights with the whole Siler Clan. It was yet another vacation within a vacation, and it was lovely. But before we could enjoy the loveliness, we had to drive there first.

Well, when I say "we" I mean I had to drive there. The girls just had to sit in the back seat and sleep. 

The rental house is right on the water, and the view is beautiful. 

But perhaps the most amazing view was that of the snack table... I think I gained ten pounds just by looking at it. 

Fortunately for us, we got a lot of exercise by walking from the house... 

All the way down these stairs... 

To this boat dock... 

And while the girls and their cousins played on the water, I stayed in the shade and wrote like Wade.

Washington 2017 - My Brother on the 4th of July

My brother Shawn paid a visit to my mom's house last July.

My brother is the one with the hat. 

He and my other brother live in Alaska where they run a donut business. It's named after a nickname given to my sister... 

And though I haven't been up to Juneau to try it out, based on the photos it looks popular... 

And delicious!!!

Unfortunately, Shawn didn't make us any donuts during his visit. He did, however, take us to BOOM CITY, the biggest firework-selling set of stores I've ever done seen!

I've been going here for years, but when I buy stuff I like to get some firecrackers and maybe some ground flowers, the kinda stuff that could blow up an army man. Shawn got some fireworks that could blow up an actual ARMY. 

The above image is a small sample of the firepower Shawn purchased. I was unable to record the bigger ones because I was too busy being cowardly. Seriously, I was pathetic. 

Cheri and I were sitting in lawn chairs next to my nephew Cameron, and Shawn lit off the first BIG ONE. It could see it rise up in the darkness because of the sparks flaking off of the missile... and then it seemed to me it was coming back down to the ground... near us!

I thought there was going to be an explosion of professional grade fireworks right in front of our faces... so what did I do? Did I jump on my wife and shield her body with my own? Not quite. Without even thinking, I got up and ran, leaving behind Cheri and Cameron. Luckily, I was wrong about it coming back down... it exploded high in the air (but not too high -- these suckers were blowing up maybe fifty feet or so in the sky). By the time Cheri was done saying OOH and AHH, she realized that I had just instinctively ditched her. 

I didn't even know it myself until I headed back to sit down in the chair and I said something like, "Wow, that was scary how we all jumped away from that firework."

And they said, "Uh, we stayed put. You're the only one who abandoned his lawn chair." 

Good times. Shawn also taught my daughters how to hold a roman candle while it fires into the darkness. I watched with a smile... but inside I was paranoid that they were going to point it the wrong way and send a flare into their gut. It's nice to know I'm still a helicopter parent at heart. 

But Shawn did more than bring explosives into our lives... he also brought down seafood!

Fun was had by all! Well, maybe not everybody. This crab doesn't look too thrilled. 

Mid-Term Prompts

Students will be choosing one of the following prompts. On the day of the Midterm, they will write a six-paragraph essay. (No, you don't need to choose Dr. King's essay, just because it happens to be my favorite.)

A.      In response to “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” evaluate the ways in which Dr. Martin Luther King utilizes pathos, logos, and ethos.  Evaluate whether or not King’s philosophies and strategies are relevant to today’s society. Include specific textual examples to illustrate your points

B.      Considering the ideas mentioned in “The Human Cost of an Illiterate Society” argue whether or not the public and/or the government are doing enough to improve the basic education of the community. What changes, if any, should be made to improve things?

C.      Using some of the ideas offered in “Why Boys Don’t Play With Dolls,” classify and evaluate the different ways in which children learn about gender roles in modern American society. Has very much changed since the essay was written in the 1980s?

D.      What do we learn about the way women are valued in “No Name Woman”? Incorporate outside resources and explore a modern day society which treats women far more harshly than their male counterparts.

Here's an example of a brief outline of a "Letter from Birmingham Jail" response: 

Introduction - hook, topic overview, thesis

Body #1 - Pathos examples

Body #2 - Logos examples

Body #3 - Ethos examples

Body #4 - Relevant to today? 

Conclusion - final emotional impact

Ralph Ellison

“When I was a kid, I read the English novels. I read Russian translations and so on [...] And always, I was the hero. I identified with the hero. Literature is integrated. And I'm not just talking about color, race. I'm talking about the power of literature to make us recognize again and again the wholeness of the human experience." - Ralph Ellison

 

Useful Resources:

Book Give-Away Winners!

Nine hundred and fifty people entered the Book Give-Away contest... so I think I'd call that a success.

Five winners were randomly chosen. They hail from all across the United States:

New York
Michigan
North Carolina
Florida

and coincidentally... someone from my wife's hometown of Everett, Washington!


Now, I've got to get those autographed editions in the mail!

How to Doodle Board

Washington 2017 - Dogs Meet the Neigbbors

When we visit Washington during the summer, this is the road upon which I walk the dogs.

And the road leads down to a house with a HUGE yard... and in that yard are these adorable critters.

Normally we see these alpaca neighbors at least a dozen times. But this summer, we only met them once.

See you in 2018, you beautiful pack of alpaca!