Ann's Blog:
Updated whenever I feel like it!

August 8-14th
This week Tim & I have a week of summer vacation with Dad & Shawn. Dad had bought a new pool for us to use! We set it up on Friday night when we arrived, and started filling it. It took overnight to get enough water to use it on Saturday. We’ve gone swimming everyday since! We also have floats, noodles, beach balls and other toys. The goggles make it a lot easier to play and see underwater too.

12th... We took a day trip to Annapolis today. We saw the harbor and some of the ships. One of them was the Lady Anne! hehehe. We ate lunch in the park by the harbor, then went up the street to a shop where I bought a ring and bracelet. Then we stopped at Ben & Jerry's for some ice cream. Can't wait for the pictures to come off the camera and I'll post a couple! We swam all afternoon when we got back, and had taco salad for dinner!

13th... We the Howard County fair today and rode a lot of the rides. My favorite was the windsurfer. We all went on the super slide and the ferris wheel together. When we got home we went swimming again! Then at night, I won two games of Quiddler. I've finally beaten Shawn and Dad! Yes!!

14th... Today we went to Baltimore. We first took the tour of Oriole Park at Camden Yards. We went up through the ballpark near the bullpens and outfield stands, then into the private "Club Boxes" where people watch the games in air conditioning with waiters and waitresses to bring food and drinks - can you imagine?

We stopped in the television and radio braodcast booths where the Oriole games are announced, and then saw the room where they control the scoreboard videos and music! It was filled with computers and kept at 65 degrees all the time! We also stopped in the press box, where the newspaper and beat writers cover the game and write theie articles. They were some of the best seats in the park! But the seats were open to the stadium (no screens or glass) so the writers could still be hit by foul balls!

We went downstairs then and went through the tunnels. On our way out to the field, we saw an Angels player on his way to the locker room. We passed down the tunnel that comes out right behind home plate, and saw where the umpires room is, as well as the place they keep the line chalk, infield draggers and soil drying stuff. When we got on the field, we went in the Orioles dugout too! We were right where the players are when the games are on! The view was pretty cool!

We took some photos of the stadium when we were by the dugout, and I'll try to post a couple in the gallery soon.

We finished the tour on the flag court and by Boog's Barbeque stand, where all the real long home runs are marked by small brass plaques in the concrete walkway. Only one has hit the warehouse, and that was in the Home Run Derby before the All-Star game held in Camden Yards back in the 90's after it opened.

Since Mom took a nursing job in Virginia, we are all moving (obviously!). We’ll be living right next to my grandmother and grandfather, and my uncle!

Tim & I will both be attending a new elementary school near our new home.