Getty: Awards, Ordinances, and Inventions

Getty got an "Award of Excellence" from the Technology dept at his middle school (because he's a techno genius)

[Unsigned, so you can't be sure it's legit ;)]

[Back in May] These dirt trails and bike jumps in the green space behind our houses caused a controversy with one older couple who got the police involved several times insisting the dirt trails and mounds were in violation of the city ordinance. 

The kids met with a member of city council in his home to discuss the city ordinance in question. 

This letter in mock legalese from a neighbor of ours to the city councilman sums it right up for me:

“Please let all know that our family cannot understand, sustain, support or agree with any policy or personal inconvenience that should, can or may stand in the way of large groups of adolescents being outside, engineering things, riding bikes, laughing, playing, interacting, and above all having an enormous amount of fun. To do otherwise is saying, 'Hey what are you kids doing outside enjoying your young lives, get back inside to the darkness dimly lit by the glow of your tablets, mobile devices and your computer screens! Get back on the couch with your seemingly endless number of gaming systems, boxes, controllers and waste your life away playing games, because that is what adults and city 'leaders' in [our area] wish for all of you!'"

Turned out, the jumps were not in violation of the ordinance :)

[May] Getty emailed his Foods teacher results of his Oreo shake assignment:

He made this pencil box for Mr. Bass. 

Looks just like him ;)

Getty spent the 4th of July with some of my favorite kids and their families, who all traveled to Gunlock: population 150, most of whom are in their 70's. Which meant ... these young bucks could commandeer the rodeo and light fireworks off the back of their razor blazing down main street. They built a bike ramp and set it at the bottom of a steep mountain to speed down and launch themselves into the lake as they cast the lifejacketed bike aside, and to switch things up, set each other on fire with hand sanitizer before jumping into the lake. 

Testosterone is for real.

Midnight Denny's run, slumber party on the trampoline, boat surfing, and filming scary home movies in an abandoned shack in the woods ...  
booorrrrring.



Ready for church in Gunlock... 

This is what they brought back,...
fixed up,...

 and bombed the neighborhood hill with,

 the "Five Bike"

The "Bike Backpack" was invented out of a necessity to ride the dirtbike but also bring along the dirt jumper bike

 It worked...

 And this contraption is a trampoline bike. Tennis balls are duct-taped to a bike frame and tricks are performed...

This is what remains of the bed frame for their "Bed-sled"

...which busted half-way down the neighborhood hill, so...

they built a more streamlined version...

 Many thanks for the inclusion of a helmet, Boys