We've had a lot of life lately, sometimes life gets in the way of writing. But I can't forget my annual post to the Kid on his birthday. Usually we plan a big trip and we might still do that, but the Travelin' Homeschooler has had an illness that has effected our ability to fly. You never really recognize how important your sense of hearing is until you lose it to a strep infection that perforates the eardum, but enough of our gore.
Late Winter in the Midwest has been rough, but now we're getting ready to hit the road and it's looking like a good travel season is upon us, starting with a milestone Birthday.
The Kid's 16th Birthday, how could I make it memorable? Sometimes ideas just drop into your lap simply by reading a small local paper.
"Aviation show: helicopter rides".
What an awesome memory.
Especially since earlier in the year The Kid gutted a radio control helicopter to build a lighter than air vehicle (LTAV) for an aerospace course through MIT Open Courseware.
Generally we celebrate a Birthday for a week and thata's what we did, starting with the helicopter ride and ending with a cookout and cake.The Kid is still working on getting his driver's license, the AAA guy is taking him driving soon.
The poor man. I wonder if he'll appreciate the ski helmet and snorkle I plan to hand to him.
Life
as a homeschooler and in constant daily contact with a highly gifted student
brings an energy I can't explain, yet drains me; makes me think about
things in a new way, yet causes me to stick with tried and true methods;
makes me strive for accomplishing all the tasks I need to, yet causes
me to think forward to the time my student will go to bed and I can have
a cup of tea and listen to Jimmy Buffet in peace and quiet. Eclectic.
That's the description of the path I am enjoying on my journey right now.
Eclectic is also our homeschool "style". We do what works. We
dig in the dirt or the beach sand, we kayak on rivers, we read, we travel.....