Trev said something the other day about "I'm pretty sure we're the Worlds Great Explorers."
:)
We enjoy our unschooling lifestyle, that's for sure. (I say "unschooling" because believing as we do we see it as our duty to explore and expand and discover our way through life.)
Today we are headed out -with Daddy!- (I begin this post sitting in the backseat of our new truck) to Huntington Reservoir. It's about two hours away from home. We're eager for a sandy beach and swimming and hunting for crawdads.
Our adventure packs are packed, we have enough food -as well as other tools and supplies- for probably a week. As usual!
So far we've identified Mount Rushmore from a picture (a truck or a sign, I didn't see it), and had a great conversation about Teddy Roosevelt. And we've begun the alphabet game. And have discussed republicans and democrats. And have talked about alternatives to war.
And have spotted a red-tailed hawk.
And drove past a windfarm.
And onto the country's most dangerous highway.
And past a huge mudslide from the flood of '83.
And saw where the road used to go, and how the road had to be redirected, and a mountain taken out to make the road.
And the traintrack that went tunneling deep into the huge mountain.
The scenic byway (the long way) we chose took us through over the mountain, instead of around it.
Pretty soon we came across Crandall Canyon - the home of its infamous mine.
An interesting site, that.
A huge mine shaft, a few other buildings and tools, and no people. No cars, no sign of life, no noises or humming... nothing.
That was strange.
Pretty spooky. (My camera quit working then and there, and has refused to work since. sigh)
Finally we arrived at the lake for our funning.
There was swimming, wading, and playing in the sand. A picnic, a walk, and an attempt to catch Fresh Water Lobsters, as Trevelyn calls them. No luck there.
The beach wasn't the greatest - not nearly as nice as Delta, but oh well.
When the sun fell the the babes were dressed, we had dinner, and packed up.
We stopped at the top of the mountain on the way home to try to spot constellations (I had been studying our constellations book all day, and taking notes of what we should be able to spot), and to watch the Perseid meteor shower.
We found a spot close to the top of the mountain, got out our folding chaises, and snuggled in. It was cold!!
Trev was able as soon as it started getting dark (in the car) to spot the big dipper, though the rest the lights in The Big Bear were too faded. I was able to spot The Little Bear, and while I did try to look for Leo, the sky was just too light from the city lights, still, even though we were over an hour away from the closest city.
We might have (seasonally) also been able to spot Berenice's Comb, Perseus, and Cygnus, but they were to the north, and the last star we could see to the north was Polaris, due to lights again.
Ah well.
Trev spotted a couple of meteors, and made wishes. (He was lying face down on his daddy's chest). Maddie slept in the car.
We stayed for a while, maybe a half hour or forty minutes, til Maddie woke up and was tired of being in her seat, and wanted to get home.
So we loaded back up, and made the two hour drive home.
The destination -the beach- was not so great, but the journey was all we could hope for.
Our time together learning, laughing and loving is what we enjoy the most.
We enjoy our unschooling lifestyle, that's for sure. (I say "unschooling" because believing as we do we see it as our duty to explore and expand and discover our way through life.)
Today we are headed out -with Daddy!- (I begin this post sitting in the backseat of our new truck) to Huntington Reservoir. It's about two hours away from home. We're eager for a sandy beach and swimming and hunting for crawdads.
Our adventure packs are packed, we have enough food -as well as other tools and supplies- for probably a week. As usual!
So far we've identified Mount Rushmore from a picture (a truck or a sign, I didn't see it), and had a great conversation about Teddy Roosevelt. And we've begun the alphabet game. And have discussed republicans and democrats. And have talked about alternatives to war.
And have spotted a red-tailed hawk.
And drove past a windfarm.
And onto the country's most dangerous highway.And past a huge mudslide from the flood of '83.
And saw where the road used to go, and how the road had to be redirected, and a mountain taken out to make the road.
And the traintrack that went tunneling deep into the huge mountain.
The scenic byway (the long way) we chose took us through over the mountain, instead of around it.
Pretty soon we came across Crandall Canyon - the home of its infamous mine.
An interesting site, that.
A huge mine shaft, a few other buildings and tools, and no people. No cars, no sign of life, no noises or humming... nothing.
That was strange.
Pretty spooky. (My camera quit working then and there, and has refused to work since. sigh)
Finally we arrived at the lake for our funning.
There was swimming, wading, and playing in the sand. A picnic, a walk, and an attempt to catch Fresh Water Lobsters, as Trevelyn calls them. No luck there.
The beach wasn't the greatest - not nearly as nice as Delta, but oh well.
When the sun fell the the babes were dressed, we had dinner, and packed up.
We stopped at the top of the mountain on the way home to try to spot constellations (I had been studying our constellations book all day, and taking notes of what we should be able to spot), and to watch the Perseid meteor shower.
We found a spot close to the top of the mountain, got out our folding chaises, and snuggled in. It was cold!!
Trev was able as soon as it started getting dark (in the car) to spot the big dipper, though the rest the lights in The Big Bear were too faded. I was able to spot The Little Bear, and while I did try to look for Leo, the sky was just too light from the city lights, still, even though we were over an hour away from the closest city.
We might have (seasonally) also been able to spot Berenice's Comb, Perseus, and Cygnus, but they were to the north, and the last star we could see to the north was Polaris, due to lights again.
Ah well.
Trev spotted a couple of meteors, and made wishes. (He was lying face down on his daddy's chest). Maddie slept in the car.
We stayed for a while, maybe a half hour or forty minutes, til Maddie woke up and was tired of being in her seat, and wanted to get home.
So we loaded back up, and made the two hour drive home.
The destination -the beach- was not so great, but the journey was all we could hope for.
Our time together learning, laughing and loving is what we enjoy the most.
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