Goldy is my stuffed animal dog that I sleep with at night. I’ve had Goldy since I  was two years old. Goldy is 8 years old. I am 10 years old. Goldy is two years younger than me. My  sister has a dog that  she got  when she was two just like me. My dog is a yellow lab that I got from  my  Aunt  Jen.  Ada, my sister, got hers  from ‘Santa Claus’ . The type of dog that she got is a brown lab and her name is Brownie. Brownie  is 4 years old  which is half of Goldy’s age.  Ada is two years older than Brownie.   

       We  have  a special day called Dog’s Day Out. The date is August 20 because  it’s usually a nice sunny day to have a picnic . I love to go to  TOY’S R  US because there are a lot of stuffed  animals there. The first thing I like to do there is go to the stuffed animal section. But sometimes  we are only there for  my sister Ada and I have to wait to get to the stuffed animal section.  Sometimes we go to TOYS R US only for me.  Anyway, we should get back to focusing on my dog Goldy because I’ve  been wanting to tell you about Dog’s Day Out.     First we get up with them and get  them all dressed up in some of Ada’s  dresses. Then we go down stairs and then we do our morning routine. When we are done with that we usually  go outside  and play with them. [Goldy loves to ride bikes.] But my mom says that we can’t do that anymore because they are getting old and  easy to tear when there  in the wash. So I think we will have to stay inside with them down stairs. But it will still be fun. I’m pretty sure that Goldy is my best friend ever! I love her a lot.

     When I was younger I loved going to carwashes. Well, I still do like them. “Swish, swash, swish, swash, mmm… click!” That’s the sound of the carwash running. But on one peculiar day when I was about seven years old, those were not the sounds that I heard.

         “I’ll be back in about twenty-five minutes! I have to go to the carwash!” my dad shouted down the stairs to my big sister, Alicia and me.

         “I want to go! I want to go! I want to go!” I shouted as annoying as any other normal 6-8 year old would do.

         “Okay. Now hurry up. Alicia are you going?”

         “No I have some homework to finish,” Alicia replied.

         “Okay!” my dad shouted back down the stairs.

         I ran up the stairs with a smile as big as a banana on my face. I whipped on my jacket and I headed for our green Volvo. It took about 10 minutes to get the carwash in Portland from my dad’s house in Cape Elizabeth.

         It was a rather small carwash but it worked just as well as any other. We pulled into the entrance of the carwash and slid our money into the box like machine. “Clink! Clink! Zzz!” It sucked in the money like it had never seen it before, as my mom would say.

          My dad drove our car into the carwash. The carwash started up. “Swish, swash, swish, swash! Mmm…” It went on like that for a while just as it’s supposed to.

         The bubbles of soap surrounded the outside of the car like little robbers with the metal roof playing the role of the security guard keeping the bubbles from coming into the car.

         The carwash suddenly slowed down. “Ssss…sss…sss…” The machines stopped.

         “Click, click, click, thunk!” the garage doors closed. We were locked in the carwash. Me and my dad. In a small green Volvo. My heart was pounding faster than a cheetah when prey is lurking around.

         “Oh no! What are we going to do?!?” I thought.

         “Uhhh…what’s happening? I asked my dad even though I was pretty sure what was happening. It was simple: me and my dad got stuck in a carwash and we have no clue what to do. It happened just like that! In a snap!

“ I know just as much as you about what’s happening. No more, no less,” my dad replied.

         The garage was dark now, with soapy water spread across the hard cement floor. My dad opened his door and stepped out. There was still a faint buzz from the complicated machines around us, but no water was spraying and no soap was bubbling out of a machine.

         My dad looked around and rested his forehead in his palm as his face pointed at the ground and shook his head.

         “Oh no,” he said.

         “Call someone,” I offered. “Like Grampie or Aunt Jean-Marie!” I thought it was a brilliant idea but apparently my dad didn’t.

         “What is that going to do? We are stuck in a carwash. We can’t get out and they can’t get in. All we can do is wait.”

         I could feel my hands tremble as I fiddled with my thumbs. Goosebumps were rising from my arms one by one, two by two. More and more I wondered what would happen. What would happen if we were stuck in here forever? Would we starve to death? Would I have to drink that soapy water from that dirty cement floor? How long would it take to brake through those metal doors. So many thoughts ran through my head.

         “Thump! Thump! Thump!”  A loud sound interrupted dreadful thoughts. The horrible sound seemed like it was coming from the outside of the garage door. My dad walked over to the door. There was no way to open that heavy garage door so he just pounded back on the door in reply.

         “Hello! Is anybody out there?”

         “Thump! Thump! Thump!”

         “Is anybody out there?”

         It kept going on like that for a while with the only reply being more thumps on the other side of the door.

         My dad didn’t appear to be frightened at all. But he must have been. I mean, who wouldn’t? But it must have been very clear that I was scared half to death.

         “Zzzz. Zzzz. Zzzz.” The machines slid back in place. It started to mist inside the shut doors. My dad ran back to the car and got in and clicked on his seat belt.

         The garage doors opened ever so slowly. A drip of light leaked in through where the garage doors had already opened. Then a half a glass of sunlight poured in until a whole glass dumped in through the doors. My dad started up the car and drove out. We both sighed with relief.

     One windy day me and my mom  were pedal-pedal-pedaling to my friend Sula’s house. I was going over there for a playdate.  As we were going to Sula’s house we went down a steep hill.  As we were going down the hill a big gust of wind came and pushed me into the middle of the road.  A car was coming and almost ran me over.  My mom also almost ran me over because she was coming down the hill really fast and she had to put on her brakes. I crawled to the side of the road. I was in a panic so my mom stopped, picked up my bike and went home to get the car. She drove to me because I couldn’t move and picked me up and then we went in the car to pick up Sula.

     On  the way to Sula’s I noticed that I was bleeding on my knees.  We went home and called my doctor and my doctor said to wrap a wet paper towel around my knees and put some medicine on to soothe my knees then put a bandaid on them.  Sula and I watched a little bit of a movie until my knees felt a little better.  For the rest of the day I had a good time even though I was hurt.

     My mom and dad and little brother and I went to Funtown Splashtown this summer. My dad and I went on the Dragon.  It is a ride that goes up and then when it gets to the top it shoots down like a rocket.  My mom did not go on because Caleb is four years old.  He was too young to go on the ride so my mom said she would stay with him.  Afterwards we went to get lunch.  We had hot dogs, pizza, cheeseburgers and French fries. It was awesome, especially the cheeseburgers!

     After lunch we went on the car ride.  You actually got to steer and give it gas.  It was like we were actually driving on the road.  Next we went on a big blue waterslide.  It was the kind of waterslide where you had to use a tube and it could fit six people.  My mom and dad and little brother Caleb and I went on the waterslide together.  It was dark in the waterslide.  It was like someone turned off the nightlight.

      We went on the pirate ship next where there were three waterslides hooked up to this ship.  There is a bucket that fills up with water then it dumps out on everybody. It felt like it was raining and it pricked my back.  It felt good because it was really hot out.  The water was really cold!

      Right before we left the wind was blowing the table umbrellas and it was really cold.  The raindrops were big and we saw steam from the pavement because the rain was cold and the pavement was hot. There were big huge puddles about and foot and a half deep.  You had to step in them because it was filling up all the walkway.  They shut the water park down and we left.  It was a fun day and I was tired after.  I fell asleep in the car.

My uncle’s friend got a moose permit so we helped him get moose. My mom, dad, Uncle Steve, and I rode down a dirt road. I heard the pop and crackle of pebbles.  I smelled the smell of dry dust. I smelled the big green evergreen trees.  But then out of the dark woods came one of the biggest moose I ever saw.  After that everything was silent. My heart was pumping as fast as a bullet. The adrenaline was like the speed  of a finger pulling the trigger.  The dogs were whining like the screech of howler monkey and then BANG!!!! BANG!!!! All the tension stopped. The moose ran, then with a smap of dead wood the moose dropped like 2,672 pounds of meat.  That night we enjoyed nice tender juicy moose meat.

     Bump! Bump! Click! I got my bike from the backyard of the cozy light blue cottage I stay in every summer on Peaks Island. I got in the front yard and snapped on my helmet trying hard not to pinch myself.

             “Are you ready to go on a bike ride?” my dad asked my big sister and me.

             “Sure but where are we going?” I asked curiously.

             “Around the island,” he replied.

             “All the way around the island!?!”  I said surprised.

             “Oh that’s right! This is your first time around the Island isn’t it?” my sister Alicia asked.

             “Yes! Now let’s go!” I said with a grin on my face.

             I was only six or seven at the time so riding all the way around Peaks Island was a pretty big deal. Though this happened three or four years ago, the movie that keeps replaying in my mind makes me remember it so well and makes it feel as if it was just yesterday that this happened.

             Seeing the dirty black tires roll along the rough black tar with that dash of silver that your eyes only see at a certain distance away made me feel certain I was going one hundred miles per hour. I felt the warm wind blowing through my hair. It felt like my hair were pieces of yarn, like I was a little Raggedy-Ann doll. I smelt the scent of the cool ocean spray and I heard the sound of the waves crashing among the rocks of backshore. Backshore, everybody’s ought to like backshore. The beautiful scenery. Big rocks getting a shower from the cold misty waves coming in from big boats out to sea.

             Of course I had rode my bike out to backshore before for it was only a minute away from our cottage. But this time I felt more powerful.

             Hearing all of my cousins, most of them older than I am, say that they had rode around the Island made me feel even better. This was an adventure for me. Some of the places we say that day I had never saw even though I had been going to Peaks Island ever since I was born. It felt like I was somewhere else.

             We went over lots of hills, some little and some big. But Ice pond hill, that big Ice pond hill, I just couldn’t make my legs get my body up and over that big Ice pond hill.

             As I was admiring the scenery I saw something up ahead on the road. I wanted to stop but I just decided it was a stick. The stick like object was only about five feet away from me now. That’s when I saw it. It was slithering across the road. It was no stick for sure. It was a snake! My hands were frozen. They could not move to pull the brakes. I hit the snake with my front tire smoothly going over it. “Brump”. I heard the faint bump of the snake going under my front tire. I did not know what to do. My heart was beating as fast as a racecar going full speed at the finish line. Now the snake was under my pedals. My whole body was frozen now. It jumped up mouth wide open going for my ankle. “What if it does bite me?” I thought. I squeezed my eyes closed; I sealed them like a zip lock bag. “Brump”. Another faint sound of the snake going under my back tire. I was as startled as the snake must have been.

   The rest of the bike ride was fine. Now I laugh about it. Right after that scene I was almost too scared to talk. But about ten minutes after the snake I just started to laugh. And because this happened on the first bike ride around the Island it makes a whole different story to me.

            “Katelyn!”  called Coach  Ann. 

         “Okay here I go.”  It’s my first cheer practice and they are teaching us how to do a prep.  So I grab Tori and Devon’s shoulders.  My elbows are out.  I step one foot into Tori’s hands.  Behind me Coach Ann has my waist.  My other foot goes into Devon’s hands, my hands still on their shoulders.  My knees are locked.  As they lift me higher and higher, my hands can no longer touch their shoulders unless I arch forward.  I lift my arms into a high V.  The eyes staring at me makes my heart drop to the ground.  My knees wobbly, I try to lock them again.  Nervous and excited, I hug myself and drop down.  My first prep felt better than soaring through the air.  It was exactly the second time I ever flew.  Smiling, I walk over to the rest of the girls and sit down on the blue mat.

     My family has a dog named Honey. She is an Australian Shepard. She has epilepsy. She loves to play. She also gives Isabel[our hamster] little kisses. I have known her for most of her life. My step brothers, Dustin,Derek ,Alex and step Mom knew her for 5 years. My Dad,sister and I knew her for  4 and a half years. Her eyes are as blue as the ocean. Her fur is white,brown and light brown. I usually lay with her, my head on her stomach. I pet her a lot.      

          My family plays soccer with her and she actually kicks the ball with her paws”Ha ha. We bring her to the barn sometimes. One time we brought her to the barn and she got butted by one of the goats. I loved to play with her.

            On Monday my step Mom Lori had her put Honey to sleep. At my house I have been bored without her. My Dad dug a grave in the pasture near our house and my step brother put a soccer ball and some flowers on top. We put notes in the bag she came home in. I also got to keep a lock of her hair. My family bought her a bed she would sleep on in the house. We buried her with the bed. She is my favorite dog I’ve ever had! Although I haven’t had her as a puppy I still love her a lot. I miss her a lot because she is the only dog I would play with at that time.

     I went to Cathance River with Ms Bryant,  Ms Goodwin and other teachers from 4th grade.  We went for ten hours last October.  I liked catching frogs. I went to lunch there after we went for a walk.  I had a ham and cheese sandwich from home.  It was fun eating on a big rock.  Ms. Bryant, Kelsey, Jacob and I ate lunch together on a perfect day. 

            A little bridge was flooded with water and a whole bunch of water was going over it.  We saw this big bridge that was torn down because 4 wheelers kept going on it.  I wished I could see the other side, but I could not get across because it was torn down. I saw hunting gloves on the ground when we were a ways up away from the building. I think somebody was hunting there and lost them, but the sign said “NO Hunting”.  When we were in the building I saw stuffed beaver,  turkey, mountain lion, cougar and coyote. The Cathance River is awesome  because it has frogs.  I saw a river  I saw trees, I saw  water.   I didn’t see any animals 

     I have a living alarm clock and it usually wakes me up at 4:30 in the morning and I can’t change it.  One day my kittens woke me up at 4:22 in the morning!  They wake me up by purring, licking and biting which annoys me because when they bite it somewhat hurts and they bite pretty much everywhere.  The only way I can shut if off is to shut my door before they come in my room.  That or hide under my covers and tuck the covers under me.  If I just pulled the blanket over me they’ll find a way under my covers. 

      The kitten that wakes me up is gray with white stripes and his name is Marley.  My brother named his kitten Duchess and she’s all black. A couple of years ago I asked my mom if we could get kittens.  She didn’t say if we were going to get them or not but I think she waited until now so we’re more responsible.  We got him from this person that has four cats and her cats had kittens so she was trying to get rid of them.  So we visited her to see when we could get the kittens and I got to hold one of them.  A couple of weeks later my mom took us to get the kittens but my mom wanted to keep it a secret from us so she didn’t tell us where we were going.  I figured it out when I saw the box with a blanket inside it in the kitchen. When we got there we took the box out of the van, went into the garage because that’s where she had the kittens and we met her there.  We put the kittens in the box and she helped.  They turned out to be really heavy for something that small. On our way back to our house they kept trying to get out of the box.  They kept crying but Duchess cried more than Marley. As soon as we got home and let them roam in the house they shot off out of sight and we didn’t see them until the next day.

     And now they don’t wake me up as much but they’re still energetic. They keep finding new places to hide. Two days ago we actually were clueless of where they’d gone.  If you have cats, be sure you don’t put the litter box where you spend a lot of time.  We put ours in the laundry room which is right next to a computer. And don’t try switching their food brands because they won’t eat it!