October 15, 2010
The day called for a stroll in the zoo.
Learning about Gorrillas.
And other creatures.
Even at the zoo, A- can find pretty shoes she wants to buy.
Posing at every opportunity.
And feeding some hungry birds that are "so nice."
October 9, 2010
In Eat Mor Chikin: Inspire More People, Truett Cathy's first chapter explains how his life was shaped by what he calls unexpected opportunities. He enjoys blessing people when he has the opportunity. Well, our family has been blessed with the opportunity to hang out at his ranch one Saturday each fall. We all look forward to it and reminisce about it all year. Thank you to Mr. Cathy for looking for opportunities and for providing a place for families to enjoy one another and create incredible memories.
***
This year we rented Bonfire #8 which gave us a comfortable place to hang out, drop our stuff, roast some marshmallows and watch the train go by.
Most of the time we were found exploring all the activities on the property.
The Jumping Pillow
Playing in the Corn Bin
Growing Fat in the Corn Bin.
Having Corn removed from the ear canal by the corn bin.
***
The Slide that Goes Underground
Creative Play in the Tiny Town Firehouse
A- decides she wants a pony.
But Settles for a Pony Ride.
Never bored together, L&L wait for a train ride.
Manning the campfire with friends, at a safe distance from the heat, C- waves to the train riders.
Grilling our Experimental Tortilla Pizzas for Dinner.
Ready to Enter the Corn Maze.
One of the Teams Sticking Together as They Weave Through the Tall Stalks.
Shhhh.... We're Hiding.
An Evening Ending With S'mores
And Filthy Feet.
September 28, 2010
Since we missed the chocolate exhibit and the poison dart frogs last week, we headed back to Atlanta Botanical Gardens for an afternoon of exploring. "Chocolate does NOT grow on trees!," M declared as he envisioned being able to pluck his favorite candy off nearby limbs. He was ok with the idea of making chocolate from the cocoa bean though and learned a lot about the process from bean to chocolate.
***amusing scarecrows were a new addition to the gardens this week
Last week we brought home a venus fly trap plant. It has sparked a lot of interest in these bug eating plants. Here A- checks out a White Topped Pitcher Plant native to our Georgia bogs. Her conclusion?
It STINKS!
We enjoyed more beautiful flowers,
saw more creatures,
checked out the children's section of the library,
and ended with a frolic in the sprinklers.
September 21, 2010
Today's escapade involved a mom, 2 students, many creatures and a children's garden.
The creature count: 1 baby praying mantis, 3 tiger swallowtails, 2 squirrels, lots of little yellow butterflies, 2 spicebush swallowtails, lots of bumblebees wallowing in pollen, honeybees in and out of a hive, 1 big spider, 1 bullfrog, too many ants, a captive black rat snake and several moths.
M added to his leaf book from last year,
and gave an enthusiastic retelling of the story of Peter Rabbit.
We found so much fuel for the imagination at Atlanta Botanical Gardens.
September 6, 2010
Friends of ours asked us to join in their church's unique Labor Day tradition. Those of us who were not battling the fall crud got up early ready to join in the fun. A morning full of seining, an afternoon of hanging out with friends followed later in the evening by a Catfish Fry Picnic.
***C got the middle of the pond where he sunk knee deep in muck
*** The catfish are corralled
*** Catfish!
*** Cleaning has begun
*** Observing M has some opinions. Can you guess what they were?
*** The Photographer
(Tally: 150 photos of the Seining, 85 photos of himself)
A memorable Labor Day for 2010.
April 15, 2010
The streets of Tyrone were lined today in honor of 1st Lt. Robert W. Collins who died April 7 serving our country in Mosul, Iraq, when enemy forces attacked his vehicle with an improvised explosive device. May God give grace and comfort to his family and friends.
April 4, 2010
In keeping with a tradition we started last year, C and I planned a hike for Easter afternoon. We wanted something a bit out of the ordinary than our usual hike through the woods so we headed up to North Georgia to hike into see Keown Falls in the Chattahoochee National Forest.
**M heads out
The trail is very steep and rocky for the first half into the falls with a lot of switch backs.
I think I struggled more than A- did even though she was hiking in her crocs and often finding interesting surfaces to slow her gait.
The trail led up to an overlook with gorgeous views of the Johns Mountain area or down to a trail that goes behind the largest of the falls. L&M were the only daring ones to go in and they reported that ...
... the water is COLD!
This is as close as A- would go - trying to catch some water on her tongue.
The crew - some happy and some not so happy - to be on a family hike, but willing to cooperate for a photo.
**Under the rock ledge behind the falls.
The trail from the falls leads by some pretty streams and more rocky paths. This time we were going down fairly steep paths - a bit less taxing on the respiratory system but more trying to the ankles.
This is definitely a great place to go hiking with the kids, esp in the spring when the falls are probably at their best.
April 3, 2010
**collecting newspaper for packing
Yesterday, N, J and I filled a seatless van with almost all of his earthly possessions. The comment, "I'm too young to have this much stuff" was made once or twice. As the day went on, our muscles were saying the same thing! After we loaded up on fresh fruit and vegetables at the farmer's market, I left him with a big job of unpacking and settling in.
Today I returned with a few more big items that didn't fit in the first run and he treated me to a fun lunch at a Vietnamese restaurant and to my first taste of bubble tea. I can't say I'm a fan of bubble tea but the General Tso's Chicken was yummy.
N starts a new job this week which is what brought on the move.
February 14, 2010: Happy Valentine's Day!
We awoke this morning to sunshine! On our way out of the park we stopped at the outside portion of the US Veteran's Museum.
***A doesn't think an outfit is complete without a skirt so she slipped one over her sweatsuit.
Crossing the border we stopped at the Florida rest stop. Refueling with samples of Florida Orange Juice, we explored all the pamphlets looking for information for L to add to her State Notebook.
February 13, 2010
Location: onward to Georgia Veterans State Park - an easy to get in and out of park heading south on 75 in GA.
Weather: Who would have thought - three inches of snow?!
audio book: Ten P's in A Pod: A Million-Mile Journal of the Arnold Pent Family by Arnold Pent III. The story of a Christian family who travels all over the United States in the 40s and 50s sharing their love of God's word. It is full of humorous stories of the logistics of traveling as a family of ten as well as testimony to God's faithfulness to their family.
9 p.m. Sigh! We are settled in with full bellies listening to J's guitar & chatter over games of Guess Who and Scratch as well as the delighted giggles of A- as she and M enjoy their newly assigned bed in the camper. Today we have overcome several obstacles - learning to pack without K, three inches of snow (should we even go?), several plan changes, head colds and once we arrived at the campground - the discovery of frozen pipes. But anxiously desiring a break from the normal routine we successfully did what we needed to get on our way to Florida.
