Woosh! That’s the sound that the water makes as the boat soars over it. I look out at the lake as it shimmers in the sun. I take a deep breath and continue paddling. Would you believe that there is a dragon boating team that practices in the middle of the desert?

Dragon boating is a remarkable sport. It’s fun, and you get to make friends. It is a team building activity. You get to paddle with the rest of the team in rhythm. Dragon boating is also beneficial exercise: it helps build upper body strength, core muscles and stamina. It is a superb way to stay fit!

 From July 30 through Aug. 10, the Arizona Cardinals had their 2022 open practices. I had the opportunity to be there to interview the team’s president, cheerleaders and fans. I also met Big Red, their mascot, and enjoyed The Kids Interactive Zone.

It was exciting to see the gigantic State Farm stadium from the freeway. Inside was even better...I received a Cardinals flag, a Cardinals key holder and a State Farm towel. The concierge shared stickers with me, and the cheerleaders gave me a poster.

 This spring, I watched the movie ”The Bad Guys” at the cinema. Originally a book series written by Aaron Blabey and made up of 16 books, The Bad Guys have been put onto the big screen! The film was released on April 22, 2022. The movie is now available on digital, Blu-ray and DVD.

Watching the movie will not spoil anything if you want to read the book after you watch the movie—or the other way around—as the movie does not follow many of the book’s plot points.

 This July is going to be plastic free. Plastic Free July started in 2011. It means that this July we should be using less plastic. This can help stop the amount of pollution. Anyone can do the challenge of Plastic Free July.

Nine percent of plastic has been recycled. The other 91% is in landfills and oceans. Plastic Free July was invented by Rebecca Prince-Ruiz. According to plasticfreejuly.org,  “Rebecca believes that as individuals, by changing our relationship with plastic and challenging our consumption, together we can work towards a world without plastic waste.”

 “In the Desert Every Drop Counts” is the City of Phoenix phrase to invite us to be more careful in the ways we use water.

What things can you do to not waste water?

For example, each time you brush your teeth, you should turn off the faucet while brushing. This way, you don’t waste about 16 liters of water a minute. I just learned this from the City of Phoenix website.

 Did you know that at your local Lowe’s and Home Depot stores you can obtain a wood project every month? And best of all, it’s free! Find someone at Customer Service who will give you a kid’s workshop kit to make at home. You will need your own hammer, Phillips screwdriver, and paint. The stores will provide everything else including instructions.

 Ciao! Have you ever been to Europe? My family went to Italy for a whole month this spring! We had so much fun and went to many different places including Florence, Tuscany, San Gimignano, the Cinque Terre and Venice.

 I recently read the book “One Moment in Time” by Ben Lerwill and Alette Straathof. It is fun! It is like going around the globe, from USA to Australia and from Scotland to India.

Did you know that morning, afternoon, and evening happen at different times in every part of the world? This book explains that children at one moment in time are doing different activities because each of them lives in a different time zone. For example, while it is morning in Brazil, and a child is in math class, in Turkey, a child is borrowing a book from the library in the afternoon.

 Most people think of Arizona as a hot desert landscape, but there’s snow in our state if you know where to look. Recently I went to Snowbowl in Flagstaff to go skiing. I had so much fun!

My family skied for four days on the amazing Mount Humphreys, the tallest point in the state with a base elevation of 9200 feet. I started practicing skiing on the very short beginner slopes. It’s important to learn how to stop and how to have your skis in a pizza shape to control speed.

 Every year the U.S. Mint produces about 13 billion coins! That’s a lot, right? It recently announced that there will be a new picture on the quarter! The first woman on the quarter is…Maya Angelou! Angelou is a poet who read “On the Pulse of the Morning” when President Bill Clinton was being inaugurated. She is also known for many of her books like: “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings,” and “And Still I Rise.” She will be the first African American printed on a coin. Each year for the next five years, they’ll print a new trailblazer.