This is Philip with his age group counselor and other kids in his age group at Family Camp in July 2007.
This was the rocket launch from Family Camp. Derek is in the gray swim trunks and blue t-shirt at the fourth rocket from the right.
The next three photos are from the water slide at Camp Hebron. The counsellors take a large sheet of plastic and spread it out on the hill between the gymnasium and the pool. Then they squirt it with dish soap and spray water on it and the kids (and some adults) have a blast sliding down it. Derek has on the orange flower swimming trunks.
Not long after this slide, Derek hit his backside on a rock. He didn't slide much after that.
One of the evening activities was a Celtic Games. The counselors dressed in "kilts" and we played around with some fun games -- like the caber toss. Here's the slingshot. Philip is waiting his turn with the glasses and blue t-shirt.
There's a cool Nature Hut at Camp Hebron. Derek went as often as it was open. There were some small kittens there last summer, and, as usual, Tickles the red corn snake (or rat snake) was in residence. She really is beautiful. We tried getting a picture of her with Evan, but Evan kept pushing her off. Usually he lets her crawl on him.
Williamsburg and Virginia Beach
Other visits
We decided the cash in a few reward points on a couple of credit cards this past summer. Terry, Susie, Philip and Derek went to Colonial Williamsburg and Virginia Beach for a few days in early August. No, Evan did not go. He stayed at a local nursing home for the week while we were gone. Not ideal, but it was fun for the boys to be able to go anywhere without being restricted by what Evan could or
could not do. Here, "the
boys" are on the lawn in
front of the Governor's
Mansion in Wiliamsburg.
Philip and Derek posed in the stocks. Don't they just look like they belong there!
This was close to the end of our first day. We'd been up since 3 a.m. to catch our early flight, so we were pretty much done in. We look like it, don't we?
We also visited Yorktown and Jamestown. Here Terry is on one of the three ships that settlers first traveled on to settle at Jamestown. It was amazing how small these ships are and then to realize the settlers rode across the Atlantic Ocean -- it was amazing.
Philip and Derek pose on another of the three ships at Jamestown.
Artisans demonstrated period crafts and skills. Don't Philip and Derek look enthralled?
There were even replicas of Native American dwellings. The boys loved these pelt beds.
One of our side trips was a dolphin-watching cruise one evening. This is a great photo of Terry on the upper deck of the boat we were on.
We DID see dolphins, but couldn't get any good photos of them. Here, you can barely see one as it jumps from the water on the left in this photo.
One day we cruised the bay area in Norfolk on a sailing ship, but there wasn't much wind, so we only had the sails unfurled for a few minutes. The rest of the cruise was by motor. One of our fellow passengers took this photo for us.
The Boys
Derek and Philip are getting their sea legs.
The captain let them get at the helm of the ship for a few minutes.
What a sand castle!
No, Philip and Derek did NOT build this wonderous sand castle on Virginia Beach. There were all kinds of sculptures along the boardwalk. Terry is sitting in the four-person bike behind the boys. It was fun to ride one, but not very easy to maneuver. Glad we tried it, though.
Philip and Derek became part of the show for a sidewalk performing juggler.
Here are most of the Taylors from the reunion we had in August 2007 at Richwood Park. In front are Evan, Philip, Jeremy, Gary and Omaira Taylor. Back row is Susie, Terry, Ruth, Bill and Derek Taylor. Blake was at football practice.
We saw Steven Curtis Chapman at the Ohio State Fair in August 2006. All of us were able to go, but only one of us could sit in the handicapped area with Evan. So, Philip, Derek and Susie sat one section over from Terry and Evan, who were in the front row. How ironic that the one of us who couldn't see anything at all got to be in the front row!
