Seattle's Child

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Perfect summer day Chris Ballew

Musician Chris Ballew (aka Casper Babypants) and his brother Tim loved a summer day with friends. Photo courtesy of Chris Ballew.

A perfect summer day: Exploding hotdogs and friends

Casper Babypants shares childhood summer memory

My brother Tim and I were best friends with our neighbors, Steve and Dave. From the moment we woke up, we couldn’t wait to hang out with them.Ā 

The day would start with a giant bowl of cereal, and if it were a Saturday, we would watch cartoons on the black-and-white television. Tim and I would go down to Steve and Dave’s house for a while and climb the trees in their backyard or swing from a swing in their basement. If you timed the swing just right, you could fly through the air and land on the big dentist chair they had down there for some strange reason.Ā 

Steve and Dave had hotdogs which were a big no-no in our house, so we would microwave a hotdog and watch it explode. Then we would move outside and ride our bikes all over the neighborhood, looking for adventure.Ā 

There was a dog (we called it Scream Face) on the street parallel to ours who would yell at us every time we went by. Then we would ride our bikes down to the public beach and swim in the cool waters of Lake Washington.Ā 

In a perfect world, we would cross paths with the ice cream truck at that point and get our favorite treats. Eventually, we’d end up back at our house playing football in the yard. We would dive for catches and slide on the grass while feeling the day slip away. We would play outside until no amount of squinting would reveal the football, and finally, we would hear the familiar birdsong of our mother telling us it was time to come in and get ready for bed.Ā 

Exhausted from all the fun and exercise, we would fall asleep instantly.

Perfect summer day Chris Ballew

Chris Ballew today. Photo courtesy babypantsmusic.com

Chris Ballew (aka Caspar Babypants) isnā€™t just any childrenā€™s music star. Babies stop crying when his music plays in the car. Toddlers rush the stage when he performs a live concert. A father of two (now grown) kids with his artist wife Kate Endle, Ballew was the lead singer of popular band The Presidents of the United States. Is it possible your child has never heard Casper Babypants? Fix that! Go to babypantsmusic.com.

More at Seattle’s Child:

66 days of FREE Summer fun!

A perfect summer day: How to cook your brother

A perfect summer day: A baseball game to remember

A perfect summer day: A world of fun at the playground

A perfect summer day: Time with Grandma

 

About the Author

Chris Ballew