Cliff Gandis

5-D
Clifford John Gandis the Ninth
 My name has a very long story behind it, but I am going to try to make it short. I am
Clifford John Gandis the ninth. My Dad is John Clifford Gandis, because with every
generation, we switch the first and middle names. There is a ring that goes down
through the Clifford Johns made of bloodstone that my Grandfather has. I will inherit it
someday. There is a ruby ring in the shape of a lion’s head that the John Clifford's have,
and currently my Dad has it. The first Gandis we believe came from the 1400s.
 How we got Cliff is a funny story. My real name is pronounced tree-foo-nas. I got
my name from my Great Grandfather when he sailed across the ocean from Greece to
America. He was really poor; all he had was a few dollars. When he went to Ellis Island,
where all the immigrants coming to America go, the attendant there asked him what his
name is. When they realized that he was Greek, they brought in a translator. When my
Great Grandfather told the translator his name, the translator told the attendant that
there was no translation for his name. So the attendant said that he was to be called
Cliff. That’s the story of how I got my name.
  
 Grand Canyon
 
 The Grand Canyon is by far my most favorite place to be. I have already been
three times, and I can’t wait to go again. There is an unnatural quiet that is always there,
and you can’t imagine how weird it feels to be in something so big but for it to be so
quiet. It’s absolutely breathtakingly beautiful. It’s also kind of weird though.
 At the top, it is freezing (25 degrees Fahrenheit). But at the bottom, it’s
uncomfortably hot (100-110 degrees Fahrenheit).Inside the canyon is the Colorado River.
The second trip was to go rafting down the river. My cousin came, along with my
grandfather. I love that place.
 Zoe
 When my sister was born, we were all anxious to see if she was a boy or a girl. We were all in the
hospital (except me, I was at home with someone, although I can’t quite remember who). I was just
playing with my action figures or watching TV. When I got to see my mom, she was holding my baby
sister. I didn’t know who it was. “Who’s that,” I asked my mom. She explained to me how I had a
new baby sister. Oh boy.
 At first I didn’t understand. Who was this miniature person in the back of the car making
gurgling noises? I didn’t know. So I asked my dad. He gave me the same answer as my mom. I was
stuck with this little gurgling monster forever. For the first few months, I was jealous because she got
far more attention than I did (no fair!). But then when she was old enough, she would play with me.
We would crawl on the floor, and we would pretend that each room was a new adventure (for the
most part, she just looked around and cried). I love my baby sister.
 Sedona
 
 After hiking the Grand Canyon twice, my dad and I decided to
try hiking someplace new. We tried to hike Sedona. Sedona is a mix
between a mountain and a canyon. It had very nice trails and good
scenery. It was very beautiful and serene. The first night in our hike,
we had dinner (freeze-dried), and then dessert (also freeze-dried). We
had too much dessert and got sick.
 The next morning, we packed up all of our stuff and started to
head out of Sedona. Then we got lost!!! We took a wrong turn, and
tried to wander back to the trail for about an hour. It was at about
that time that we ran out of water and had very little provisions. We
might’ve died, but fortunately, an old couple found us and gave us a
lift to the trail. Let’s just say that it felt good to be back in civilization
when we got out (and dad had a lot of explaining to do to mom).
 A Bloody Nose
 We’ve all had our fair share of bloody noses, but I had the worst of all.
We were in the Grand Canyon. I was asleep in my sleeping bag, under
the tree that I had claimed before my dad. All of a sudden, I woke up.
I was dreadfully tired and bleary-eyed, but something kept me from
going back to sleep. My whole sleeping bag was sticky. It was pitch
black, except for a crescent moon, and I couldn’t see.
 So I roused my dad from sleep. He turned on his flashlight and
shined it in my face. He looked at me for a second and scrambled up
on his feet. “Are you okay” he asked me. I told him I was, but I
complained that my sleeping bag was sticky. Then I looked at my
hands and arms. They were covered in blood. I was grossed out. I was
scared. Blood was all over my face. My dad took me to the Colorado
River to clean up, and afterwards, everything was okay. I look back at
it and laugh, because that night, I slept in a sticky sleeping bag.
 West Palm Beach
After Labor Day of 10’, we took a few days off from school. We were at the beach,
and were with all of our cousins. We didn’t know where we were going at first, but then
they told us. We were going to see the Jonas Brothers and Demi Lavato live in concert.
The only problem was a nine hour drive.
 The whole way to West Palm Beach, where the concert was being set up, we
played video games, read books, or simply enjoyed the spectacular scenery. We got in a
hotel around midnight that was right beside the beach, and got into bed. The next
morning, we woke up and ate breakfast. The rest of the day, we stayed in the hotel’s
pool and scoured the beach for shells.
 That night, we went to check in for the concert. I promise you, when we went to
the stage, the world was rumbling because of the volume. It was so loud, we couldn’t
enjoy the concert. Then we got pictures with the Jonas Brothers!!!! It was a good concert
all in all, but I wasn’t looking forward to the eleven hour drive ahead of me.
Reflection
I had to put a lot of thought into this project, and it got
me thinking about how old I am becoming. When I
think back to these things, it seems like only yesterday.
I had a lot of fun with this project because it brought up
deep memories that I would have otherwise forgotten. I
probably enjoyed peer editing with Cara and Emily the
most, because it helped me know that I am not the only
one with the craziest stories. I loved this project, even
though it got on my nerves sometimes.