August Busy-ness & Relaxation

With the start of the public school year things always shift-- lesson times change back to accommodate public school schedules, activities on hiatus through the summer start back up, not-back-to-school celebrations abound, our favorite spots become empty during the day again, and homeschool group co-ops get into gear.  It's always an adjustment of trying things out to see what we'll keep and what we don't, and how busy is too busy.  There have been several days over the past few weeks we've been gone from 10 in the morning until 8 or 9 at night.  I was so tired I nearly brushed my teeth with the disposable razor sitting beside the toothpaste.  I think that qualifies as too busy.  'Home' school during times like these is a misnomer.  We do more work in the car or the nearest library, park, mall, bookstore, etc than we do at home.  It makes the days at home very, very nice.

Teaching 'lessons' to beginning skaters.

Science lab.  The baby rats weren't part of the lesson, they have an animal area in the lab and were trying to find homes for them.  Tough to walk away from, very cute.

More science lab.  Fusbol is physics, right?

We also went kayaking again!  A whole day with the family, a trip down the river, and a delicious meal out.  The restaurant's entire dessert menu was even safe for the peanut allergic kiddo; so we all ordered and she got to choose anything she wanted, a very rare treat.  Her excitement was the icing on my birthday cake.  It was a wonderful way to end a day well spent.

Fresh water so there were alligators.  The man at the rental station told us a mama gator had a nest through one section of the river and had been bumping boats to warn them off.  We never saw her.  But the canoe crew crashed into a bank and startled a sleeping alligator.  It made everyone jump, including the gator. :)  We saw a couple of little juveniles in the water too!

The water is clear, but tea colored, and shallow.  You can see along the banks how low it is.

A little way down the river the kids noticed this lizard on my head and named him 'Captain Lookout', must have fallen out of a tree.  He rode all the way down with us.

The ramps in the background are to pull the boats over when there are spillways or little dams.

This river trail was wonderful; shaded most of the way down, lots of diverse greenery and wildlife, and the smell of campfire drifting in now and then.  Heaven.

Good day! :)