....the abc finish line....

V = Vacation Bible School (VBS) This annual week in the life of a local church is held in summer and is the culmination of a lot of work and preparation. In my experience, it didn't matter whether we scheduled the VBS Week in June or July, in the morning or the evening...whenever...it was always the hottest week of the year. Seriously. For me, VBS was a week of Sweating with Jesus. Yet, the standards of crafts and snacks and themes that ranged from camping to the beach to athletics always provided the basis for a good week with the kids. In my years of doing this, the best comment ever was when I asked 3-year old Karrington what she learned at VBS and she responded, "I learned a whole lotta' love!" Mission accomplished.

W = Weenie Roasts There is something about eating a pork/beef tube of meat that has been roasted to a charcoal-streaked and cracked texture on a raging campfire --- I love it! For me, it's the best way to enjoy a hot dog (of course, a close second is at a baseball game). The Weenie Roast and the accompanying baskets of chips and pretzels and jars of Kool-Aid were a frequent summer meal and I still regard it as fine dining.

X = X-Games: The Snyder Version There are many benefits to being the youngest in the family and to having older brothers. Namely, there is always something going on and some craziness for one to be involved. My brothers were creative sorts and developed entire games and contests to pass the time of our summer season. Two favorites were: "The Hellacious Hill Climb" that involved riding your bike as far as you could up a steep wooded hill without stopping. Of course competitiveness kicks in and one tends to do more than intelligent afterthought would support. My one experience with this sport resulted in a trip to the hospital for stitches.
The other memorable Snyder X-Game Summer Sport was "Hawaiian Creek Jumping" which took place at the local Buffalo Creek (our version of the islands) and involved running full speed down a large rock that sloped directly into the creek and at the opportune time launching one's self into the creek seeking maximum distance. For me, this resulted in a large gash in my knee as I added a tumbling element to my jumping. Come to think of it, the Snyder X-Games could easily add another "x" --- x-ray.

Y = Youth Maybe it's the sun, or, the fact that school is out and the kids are around, yet, summer is the season of youth and feeling young again.

Z = Zucchini THE vegetable of summer, it seems as if anyone is capable of growing this gourd-like veggie as evidenced by the fact that people are always giving you zucchini! Early in my teenage years, my family experienced the "Summer of the Zucchini." Along, with what we grew, we also received many, many, many zucchinis and my mother took it upon herself to use each and every one. We had zucchini at every meal. We had it pickled, we had it in salads, we had it fried, we had it once in lasagna, we had it in cakes, and we had it in bread. Had my mother not been opposed to strong drink, I'm quite sure we would have figured out how to ferment it and then bottle it.