Man of the Hour

Man of the Hour
Originally uploaded by Jagrap

Reading and writing are emphasized on in the Dublin Schools, and Michael's teacher took advantage of the completion of his thirty fifth issue of Kool Kid to honor Michael. I would guess this would be to inspire his classmates to create, but no matter the reason, Michael was very happy to celebrate this milestone.

It had the trappings of a great party; Jenny made gluten-free cookies shaped like Kool Kid's skateboard, there was chocolate milk for all, and Alex was excused from his class so he could attend. Essentially, the kids ate and listened to a reading; after Michael completed his oration, it even became hands on, as the kids broke off in pairs and consumed them. During this time you could hear kids shouting across the room things such as, "Who has issue 14?" To which Michael turned to his mother, and with a smile said, "Wow. This is amazing. I can't believe they're so interested."
RAP (4.14.2008)

Storyteller

Storyteller
Originally uploaded by Jagrap

Michael's teacher, Mrs. Givens, wants him to write a poem and enter it in a Scholastic writing contest. She has been going on and on about how she loves how he thinks, how it is so out of the box and how it is so creative and different than the other children she has had; if she only knew!

Tomorrow she is throwing a class party in honor of the completion of his 35th issue of Kool Kid. That reward has motivated him, but I believe with his enthusiasm he would have made it eventually, just at a slightly slower pace. With her admiration and encouragement, I think that he has been very fortunate to have had her this year.
RAP (4.10.2008)

Lava!

Lava is cooler when your eyes are open
Originally uploaded by Jagrap

Lava; it is the stuff of myth, the lifeblood of the earth. It is what children imagine as they play pretend and hop from couch to chair. It is something that we all know of, but few have seen.

In our finals days on the island of Hawaii we descended to where the lava had covered the road on it's march to the ocean. We parked our cars, backing into our spots so as to allow a quick evacuation if needed, and then marched over a recently cooled lava field towards the Pacific. Right before the sea, there were a few trees where you could hear crickets and birds, making you realize how quiet and desolate our hike over the black igneous rocks had been. The final leg was difficult, having to cross over uneven terrain, but the reward was impressive; three separate streams of lava flowing into the ocean, creating billowing plumes of steam. As magnificent as it was during the late afternoon, watching these rivers of creation illuminate the night was breathtaking.
RAP (4.8.2008)

Kilauea Eruption

Wow
Originally uploaded by Jagrap

Something we were fortunate to witness in Hawaii was the continuing eruption of Kilauea on the big island of Hawaii. The explosion (first explosion in 84 years) that kicked it all off preceded our arrival by a few days, but as you can see the volcano was still actively venting; it was emitting sulfur dioxide at toxic levels and as such part of the park was forbidden, but we still saw more than most people ever will.
RAP (4.7.2008)

DolphinQuest (sounds like a bad TV Show)

Cool Trick
Originally uploaded by Jagrap

There were many wonderful things Michael and Alex experienced in Hawaii; from the erupting volcano to the black sand beaches to the Caribbean blue ocean on Oahu's northeast shore they saw many things that I hope will stay with them. Of the things they saw and did the item at the top would have had to have been swimming with the dolphins at the Hilton Hawaiian Village.

It was truly an engaging experience that I would recommend to any parent for their children. It consisted of an hour in a classroom and 45 minutes in the water. They fed them, pet them and were the "victims" of some pranks executed by these clever creatures. The gags were all in good fun, usually involved a splash and invariably created a smile that I hope will last for years.
RAP (4.3.2008)

At the end of the Road

Good Looking Kids
Originally uploaded by Jagrap

When we explored the north coast, we really weren't going anywhere, just exploring a new place. It is lush, green and beautiful with a charming little village. We were content with our sojourn, but then we saw this. It was amazing. We had seen pictures of it, but we did not know that was what was awaited us at the end of the road. It was absolutely stunning. We caputured many photographs, not realizing that we would get closer. Where the road ends, there is a hiking path down to a black sand beach. It was a long way down, but well worth it. The hike up took some exertion, but was not too excessive.

I motivated the boys to give their best effort by offering Hawaiian Ice or ice cream if they made it to the top without complaint. Michael started slow, but by the end he was like a mountain goat, sprinting the last sections. As Alex was huffing the last 400 yards up, between pants you could hear him say "ice cream." In the last 100 feet between pants he switched to "water." Don't be too hard on him; the three of us beat his mother and grandfather up by a good 10 minutes.
RAP (4.2.2008)

The Kindness of Strangers

We did it (what, I have no idea)!
Originally uploaded by Jagrap

On our way back from the lava flows, a stranger helped us by lighting our way with his flashlight. This was very much appreciated because Nana should have never have attempted to walk on the uneven dry lava in the wake of her recent knee replacements; it took effort by both my father and me to keep her from harming her new parts.

Everyone was grateful and surprised by his generosity of spirit, but I also pointed out that I bought a lady a book the day before, on the return from the black sand beach. It was not a big deal; she was short and wanted to return to get it. I think I came off as me- too-ish, but I was trying to make a point that while kindness should never be expected, it should also not take you by surprise.
RAP (4.1.2008)