Mini Vacation: Branson

     Partly due to the trip my mother and I took to the Czech Republic, our family did not go on a family vacation this summer. So, we freed up a weekend in the middle of September to go have fun as a family. That just happened to be last weekend.

     We woke up deathly early (5 a.m. to be exact) Friday morning and hit the road at 6. We arrived at Silver Dollar City just in time for lunch. After eating we began to explore the amusement park. For some of the more wild rides, Mom and I stepped aside and let the boys have their fun. However, I did spark up the courage to ride Powder Keg at the very end of our trip.

     Something my mother was really looking forward to was seeing Marvel cave. I must say that it was quite marvelous. However, I have no pictures to record the event.

     The park closes at 6, but there is a free show to visitors after closing time. On a spur-of-the-moment decision, we ended up sitting in on half of the show before heading out to get supper. The show included dog tricks and multiple singing groups.

     The next day, instead of heading back to Silver Dollar City as originally planned, we ventured into the city of Branson. As we passed Silver Dollar City we were glad that we had made a change of plans; a long line of cars stretched out from the entrance!

     Our main goal in Branson was to visit the Titanic museum. At the beginning of the tour each person is given a 'boarding ticket' with the name and information of one of the people who were on board the Titanic. At the end of the museum you could see if your person had survived. I am pleased to say that all but one of our family lived!

     Unfortunately, I have no pictures. Due to copyright issues pictures are not allowed inside the museum.

     Despite all that, it was a very enjoyable weekend for our family!

Where I'm From

(Note of Explanation: This is a poem that I wrote for school. I am fairly proud of it, so I thought I would share it with you. It wasn't too hard to write because we used a template. Then again, that was what made it difficult as well. I hope you enjoy!)

I am from notebooks,
From tennis shoes and Microsoft.
I am from the stair rail banister
(brown, sturdy,
worn smooth from many hands)
I am from the rose bush,
The spruce tree,
Which tries to encompass the porch.

I am from signing grace and brown hair,
From Mary Beth and Ken.
I'm from the hard workers
And the domestic artists.
From Walk straight! and Sit down!
I'm from Amazing grace how sweet the sound of dusty piano keys.

I'm from Wichita and 213 Pine St.
Zwiebach and spaghetti.
From the cancer that took my grandmother's life, the hearing my brother lost when he was three.
My background is building the stage on which I live my life. From dust I came from and to dust I shall return, but during this spark in between I will live for the glory of my Creator.

Art Problems (instead of math problems)

     "What does it mean?" asked a professor walking by.
     I looked up from my sketch of a nearby sculpture.
     "That's what I am trying to figure out," I replied.

     I was working to complete an assignment - to draw 13 of the 70+ sculptures located on campus. In addition to drawing them from at least three angles, we also had to take notes on their formal qualities. Now, I am not talking about how the sculptures would look if we dressed them in a suit and tie (although that would be pretty funny!). Each artists takes certain factors into consideration when he (or she) is creating art. These factors are called Elements of Design. This includes things like line, shape, mass, texture, color, and scale. Think of these as the building blocks of design. How you implement these 'blocks' is through the Principles of Design (for example: balance, direction, harmony, proportion, and unity).

     By keeping these in mind the viewer (in this case me) can attempt to determine the meaning behind the artwork. Let me tell you, it is not always easy! However, this assignment gives us practice drawing and forces us to study the sculptures for long enough to get at least some idea of what they might be protraying.