The kids will still hold my hands, and that's good enough for me.

We could not hang out in Hershey, PA for as long as we have without making a trip to Hersheypark. After getting up and at 'em this morning, we caught the shuttle to the theme park and made our way in with the throngs. It was a hot and humid day, reaching 89 degrees in the mid-afternoon, and Jll and I were worried that the kids would wilt and wither. We kept them properly hydrated and we had a great day in the park. After the lack of success trying to get the older kids onto big roller coaster and thrill rides at Cedar Point, I adjusted my expectations and stuck with the family, riding a few wooden roller coasters, log rides, and the ride where the kids drive the cars, bouncing back and forth against the metal rail in the center of the lane. Dagny had a hard time staying off of that rail. One highlight of the day was the Tilt-a-Whirl. No matter where we are, or how fabulous the newest attractions may be, I will never turn down an opportunity to ride a Tilt-A-Whirl. Upon reading the sign, Dagny pointed out that she previously believed, incorrectly, that the name of the ride is Tilt-a-World. At one point, we rode it three times in a row, with Jll watching from the nearest bench. We tried different configurations to see which one would produce the fastest spinning. As it turns out, if I was on the right-most seat, we would spin the fastest.

Our day at the park ended with the Jasen Magic show. He picked Alastair to participate in one of the illusions and Alastair did a fine job standing on stage letting the audience stare at his nose. At the end of the show, for his last trick, Jasen asked for a small child to volunteer. Magnolia quickly shot up her hand and was crushed when she was passed over in favor of a blond haired boy. As the boy was laid out on a board between two folding chairs about to be levitated, Jasen made a big show of showing him a thumbs-up, indicating the trick was about to begin. The blond haired boy quickly shook his head, and looked towards his parents. As Jasen let him down on the ground and began to explain that he needed another volunteer, Magnolia ran onto stage without having been invited and without missing a beat. Jasen approved of her can do attitude and rewarded her by levitating her. She is not much of a magician, though, because after getting tucked in for bed tonight, I asked her how she levitated and she informed me that she was actually laying on a small board, and when the big board got pulled away, she was still on the small one. She also relayed the instructions she had been given, to lay on the board very rigidly with her feet slightly lifted.

As we headed out of the park, we stopped by the Tilt-a-Whirl again but the line was just too long. We decided we'd head back to Chocolate World, take the factory tour ride, and end the night with another free sample of Hershey's chocolate.

All in all is was a good day, and I noticed that as we walked through the park, one child or another would walk up and take my hand. I took great pleasure in walking with my children hand in hand. With Adelaide being ten, I don't know how long this will continue, so I will enjoy it as long as I can.

- Dave