Bass lake fireworks!!!

On the fourth of July we decided to go to Bass lake to see the fireworks. On the way to the lake, there was heavy traffic. It was difficult to find parking , but after a long and tiring search we finally found a spot! Then we hiked to a spot near the beach & firework platform. We had a relaxing day of swimming, eating & reading! After that we had a great time watching the fireworks!
Ricky

Jr. Black Belt!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This year I tested for my jr. black belt! Only four or five jr. black belts have been promoted in our martial art. I'm very happy about my promotion! Since my last test I have gained both skill & strength! The night I tested I didn't even know I was going to test! So when Appo told me to preform a kata I was confused, he said you're test will depend on how well you do this kata! I was pretty scared; so when I did the kata I froze up & did badly. Appo gave me one more chance & that time I did really well & passed the test!
Ricky

Hetch-Hetchy

We went off in the morning, to go to Yosemite. While we were going through Yosemite a fire started, so we knew wouldn't be going back the same way! As we continued along to Hetch-Hetchy we saw the beautiful sights of Yosemite! We finally got to Hetch-Hetchy , & saw what we could see. Then we went to cascade rest stop & had dinner & went swimming! We exited through the arch gateway!
Ricky

Big Sur camping trip

This is another Congressional award trip that i planned. This is part of the exploration/expedition section of the award. So I planned the food, activities, & schedule of this trip!
Big Sur is a forest on the California coast about an hour from Monteray. It is a staggeringly beautiful place, with huge trees & rugged coastlines along with calmly running streams!
On Sat. we had strawberry pancakes for breakfast! Then we hiked to Mcway falls( a waterfall that runs directly into a beach)! After the tiny fourth mile hike we went on to do a very rugged hike called the Mt. Manuel peak hike. This hike in places was no wider than two feet.It was a very difficult hike! For dinner we had chili cheese dogs, with fire roasted hot dogs!
                                                                                                                                                  Billy :D

Channel Islands Trip

This year I started a program called the congressional award. The basic principles of this award are that the participant needs to set his/her goals & fulfill them. For the fitness section of the award I chose scuba diving! My goal was to get certified. I have fulfilled that goal now.
For my certification trip I went to the channel islands with bobs dive shop. We left Thursday & got there around 8:30. At 9:00 we had orientation which gave us a basic knowledge of what was going to happen and also the rules of the boat. The boat left the dock around three in the morning & arrived at the channel islands around 8:30 in the morning.
On Friday we had pancakes, eggs, sausage, and bacon for breakfast! It was a well made, good tasting breakfast. During the day we went on several dives which was an amazing experience! We saw some urchins the size of a soccer ball!
I saw a lot more life Saturday including a California sea hare ( a type of sea slug ) & a sea cucumber! We also completed the necessary 5 dives for certification & I did one dive without my instructor, which was very exciting!
Billy :D

Westons movie night!!!!!!!!

My friend Weston threw a movie party potluck thingy. The movie we watched was 12th night. So we got there and chatted until everyone showed up. Then we tried to play volleyball.......( not a success)! After our volleyball experience we went inside to eat! When we finished eating we played a few boardgames & then watched the movie!:D
Billy

SCUBA!!!!!!!!

For the past five weeks I have been taking a SCUBA class from Bob's dive shop! I has been amazing! I have had tons of fun! The class is easy to follow and learn from. First we read a chapter in the textbook. Then we go to the class and discuss the material, and finally we practice in the pool. I highly recommend taking SCUBA, it's lots of fun!

Billy:D

A Simple Biosphere

Supplies

• A large jar with a lid ( make sure the lid fits tightly)
• A small plant that can fit inside jar with some room to spare
• An area in your house that gets lots of sun-light
• Water
• Masking tape or a marker

Since plants produce their own food they need not get it from an outside source. Under the right conditions, a plant is self sustaining.

A. Water the plant so the soil is moist
B. Put the potted plant into the jar, so that the plant is enclosed.
C. Mark the height of the plant on the side of your jar. Use the masking tape or a marker.
D. Put it in the sun. Check on its progress from time to time. You can keep it as long as you want
E. DO NOT WATER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ricky Vincent

Drama!!!!!!!!!!!!!

For the past 6 months I've been part of a drama class. I had lots of fun! Drama is just like any of the arts. It takes lots of practice to pull off a performance. In the class we did everything from mimes to a six person spoken skit! For our last performance we met at northpark community church at 1:00 and practiced untill 6:30. Then we finnaly could perform our long practiced skits!
Everyone loved our skits! All our practice paid off! I highly reccommend taking a drama class. It builds cordination and concentration, and it's lots of fun! :D
Billy

Do Hard Things!!!!!!!!!

This is an amazing book! My family read it as a morning devotional. We really liked it! It challenges teens to "rebel" against low expectations. In America we have very low expectations of teens. If a teen does something even "above average" we freak out and call him/her exceptional! What does " exceptional" mean if we use it so easily? We as a country need to raise our expectations! When we do we will see amazing results!!!!! :D
Billy

Everyone should own a dog!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I say this because I love my two dogs & I know you would too! Dogs are protectors, they guard you. Such as my old dog Larry who watched over my brother & I when we were little! He would never leave our side either. Which brings me to my next point. Dogs are loyal; they will always be on your side! Another reason you should own a dog is is because they're funny! Both Eddie my Dalmatian, and Leroy my chocolate lab have they're own personality. They have made me cry from laughing so hard! They may be messy ,or destroy things, but you'll forgive them!!!!!!!!!!!
Ricky

mission fest pref.

I have been practicing a lot. My drumming teacher had me go into Fresno 2 times one week, and three the next!!! Plus the normal practices! It was all for a pref. that the "Bembe worship project"
did for northwest church's "mission fest"! In Bembe we try to take current songs and mix them with traditional African and, Cuban rhythms! For the mission fest pref. we did several well known songs. It was a fun performance, we got to worship God in a way not many people can! By mixing traditional with the new! It was a blast!!!!!! :D
Billy

The Tech Museum

This year for Easter my family & I went to San Jose & visited several museums. One of the museums we went to was the Tech museum. When my parents told me we were going to Tech I was nervous. I thought that it would be row after row of computer parts. I was mistaken. It was one of the coolest museums I've ever been to!
It was very interactive,and fun! It had robots and games that explained in a fun way all the technology stuff. IT had a sound room, an Internet room, a earthquake room,& a astronaut simulation machine!It was a great museum and I highly recommend it! :D

Billy