Travelin' With The Kid

What I Did on My Summer Vacation: College Visits

2009-08-20T06:48:00.001-07:00

If you have a teen, who is a Junior in high school, then you are thinking about college.

As a homeschooler, not only do you get to be the parent and the teacher, but magically, when your student gets to be high school age, you also get to be the guidance counselor too. About a year ago, almost to date, I wrote Not Back to School: A Dancer With Many Hats in a Thankless and Undervalued Job in The Eclectic Telegraph. It addressed this idea of counseling from one perspective, and though humor can get you through Junior year, your day timer will do a far better job.

Junior year, I told my student, is probably the most important year there is, and that is thanks to the schooled kids. Senior year has practically become irrelevant because students are expected to take college entrance tests in their Junior year that assess topics that many years ago would have been addressed Senior year. I am talking about the higher maths and more complicated Sciences and literature. Also, many college applications are available as early as August 1, the summer between Junior and Senior year. So this means, you hit the road to visit the lucky institutions that made it to your students "top 10" list to determine which one will receive $140,000.00(all costs: $35,000 per year) of your money, spread over four years, $175,000.00, over five if you have a budding Engineer student.

This can be a fun outing if you let it. While junior may be stressing, you can be the tourist. That's what I did when we were in Philadelphia over the summer. One of the key questions you, as the ever-wise mentor needs to ask your student is "Can you live in this city for four years?" While the tour of the campus is informative, the tour of the surrounding digs is far more important, unless you have one that plans to hang at the library on campus for the duration.

Whether junior recognizes it or not, sifting through a list of colleges can have some order if you the mentor can be stealth about it. Generally, after academics, location is important. You want your student to think about the idea of small town or a big city.

The list we were working with over the summer had schools in small towns and big cities. None in between. So feeling pretty sure a big city was not going to fly with The Kid, we headed to Philadelphia to visit two of the schools on our list Drexel University and Rutgers School of Engineering in New Jersey. Also, I have never seen Independence Hall, so that was also on our to-do list as well.

Impressing the idea on The Kid that Freshman are generally not allowed to have cars on campus, we decided to travel in the mode he would need to if he went to the big city for school. This of course in Philly means the subway. The subway system in most cities is generally pretty easy, though to a kid who prefers daylight to cave dwelling, the subway is a gloomy scary place with really weird people lurking about.

On the Subway line was Drexel, The Kid's destination, Independence Hall, my destination and the Hard Rock Cafe - The Kid collects the traditional tee shirts from Hard Rock. Has them from all over the world now.

The tour of Drexel was like many of the other college tours we have taken. It is an old campus in the middle of a giant city. When you are in the campus buildings you really have no idea you are practically in the middle of one of America's oldest and most historic cities. Not to mention Penn State is right up the street, so Drexel remains on the list of "schools to apply to".

The Kid got to drive our rented vehicle from Philadelphia to New Brunswick. Sort of a mean trick I suppose to get The Kid to drive in big city traffic, but a practical one. If you are going to live in a big city, you need to be able to deal with one. He did beautifully.

The Rutgers Campus is spread over three areas, with the Engineering and Science geeks cloistered in one beautiful area. Rutgers is a huge school, and the facilities are intimidating, but it looks like some serious work could be done on this campus. One plus is that the campus is bike friendly and the icing on the cake, Amtrak rolls into and out of town regularly - a straight 3 day shot home!

So The Kid surprised me, big cities are OK, as are small towns, with big colleges. Our list of 10. We're working on the applications, as I write this. That is why I haven't updated these blog pages in a while.

See ya soon!

Okie Noodling - Kid Rolls Eyes

2009-03-25T13:14:00.000-07:00

Well we thought we would go to Grenada to meet friends, but that didn't happen. Between taking the SAT and ACT and the Kid's job, hitting the road has been a no-go. Months ago we gave up on cable and satellite TV and got the HD converter box. We have a total of 14 channels, mostly PBS stuff. This small amusement lets us "travel". Sometimes we'll encounter Rick Steves, sometimes Mario Batali and Gwyneth Paltrow traveling in Spain but the other night was the prize of all prizes Okie Noodling.

I was fascinated, The Kid went to bed.

If Only We Were Books - What a Story We Could Tell

2008-11-30T09:41:00.000-08:00

A book registered on BookCrossing is ready for adventure.

I like to read travel magazines, every now and then I find a really good bit of advice. Did you know that Cipro is becoming resistant to T.D. in Southeast Asia and that Zithromax (or a Z-Pac) is a better choice for the duffel to that destination?

Stuck at home because of a slumping stock market and crazy schedules, it seems easier to read about traveling these days. I am in the middle of reading An Embarrassment of Mangoes: A Caribbean Interlude by Ann Vanderhoof recommended by some friends who like to travel the way The Kid and I do. Until recently I've never really thought about the books I leave behind for others to read. Friends who are going to Grenada at the end of January are intentionally taking books that are suitable for the Grenada Library in St. Georges. The library there was devastated by hurricane(s). They are also donating all kinds of goodies to local schools. We asked American Airlines to drop the charge for extra baggage, so book schlepping wouldn't be totally painful, but they couldn't. Times are tough for everyone I suppose.

Aside from intrepid travelers who leave books behind, there is one group - I think is still around and doing good in bringing books to the Caribbean is Boaters for Books.

But back to thinking about the books one leaves behind, it seems there was an entrepreneur a few years back who thought about this too. He started a fun website called BookCrossing where you assign a number to a book and give it away. From the BookCrossing FAQ:

I'm looking at your site here, and I can't believe what I'm reading. Do you actually want me to give away my books?
Ummm, yes. Trust us on this one. Registering your books with BookCrossing.com, then giving them to a friend, a charity, or otherwise releasing them "into the wild" and following their progress and travels, is infinitely more fulfilling than the small satisfaction you'll get by looking at your books in your bookcase every day.
As Austin Powers would say, "It's karma, baybee!"

When you give the book away, it's "released". In releasing a book, you make an entry (journal the book) at BookCrossing indicating that it's been released. When someone "captures" or finds a book with a BookCrossing label and number, they add an entry at BookCrossing. The bookcrosser who released the book - in this case that's you - receives an email telling them it has been found and from then on, everyone in the chain who held/read the book will receive an email every time somebody journals the book. Each person will also be able to see the book's journey you just look at it on your bookshelf at the website. (Please note email address and journals are sent in the form of a PM (personal message) directly from the BookCrossing site.)

Seems like a lot of fun and an interesting journey - if you're a book.

It's Bad When You Tell Your Kid to Take the Shop Vac to His Room

2008-10-23T06:37:00.000-07:00

It's fun to watch currency rates change as our economy tanks.

First the Euro: 0.7814 U.S.1.00
Next the Canadian Dollar: 1.2636 U.S.1.00
Then the East Caribbean Dollar: 2.6705 U.S.1.00

Where would you head this time of year?

Changes in Latitudes, Changes in Attitudes
Jimmy Buffett 1977

I took off for a weekend last month
Just to try and recall the whole year
All of the faces and all of the places
Wonderin' where they all disappeared
I didn't ponder the question too long
I was hungry and went out for a bite
Ran into a chum with a bottle of rum
And we wound up drinkin' all night

Chorus:
Its these changes in latitudes, changes in attitudes
Nothing remains quite the same
With all of our running and all of our cunning
If we couldnt laugh we would all go insane

Reading departure signs in some big airport
Reminds me of the places Ive been
Visions of good times that brought so much pleasure
Makes me want to go back again
If it suddenly ended tomorrow
I could somehow adjust to the fall
Good times and riches and son of a bitches
Ive seen more than I can recall

Chorus:
These changes in latitudes, changes in attitudes
Nothing remains quite the same
Through all of the islands and all of the highlands
If we couldn't laugh we would all go insane

I think about Paris when I'm high on red wine
I wish I could jump on a plane
So many nights I just dream of the ocean
God I wish I was sailin' again
Oh, yesterdays over my shoulder
So I cant look back for too long
Theres just too much to see waiting in front of me
And I know that I just cant go wrong

Chorus:
With these changes in latitudes, changes in attitudes
Nothing remains quite the same
With all of my running and all of my cunning
If I couldn't laugh I just would go insane
If we couldn't laugh we just would go insane
If we weren't all crazy we would go insane

I have a brilliant, disorganized teenager.

In each room is a twisted pile of amazing stuff that lays as a tribute to the disorganization and randomness of a teenager. The Tasmanian Devil.

The Kid's travels and mine will vary greatly in the future, but right now, we're traveling the same path. His path to launching into the adult world. I can push him along, I can drag him along or we can walk side by side. Some days I do all three with him.

My job is to get him to study and put education first, but also to to nag him to get organized, get things done, to do the things he is supposed to do in order to become an adult, an adult that can take care of himself .

I am The Nagger, he is Taz. That's life at my house.

Above The Kid's desk is a sign I made that says:

TODAY IS ABOUT TOMORROW

Above my desk is another sign I made that says:

WHEN YOU GET TO MY AGE YOU CAN GOOF AROUND TODAY

We have a group of friends who are meeting up in the Caribbean. These are friends we met sailing on the S.V. Mandalay and traveled again with on the S.V. Polynesia. We'll probably hook up with them as we need a break from being The Nagger and Taz. We're also looking at an immersion language class. Maybe we can do that in the Caribbean too. We'll see. Anyway, travelin' feet are moving again!

Not Back to School: Camping With Eating Machines

2008-08-26T07:51:00.000-07:00

The thing about going camping with two teenage boys is that you begin to realize that there is a thin line between sanity and insanity. Tea Lake campground at Algonquin Provincial park is a quiet place to get away for that last week of summer, just before you don't go back to school. It was there I spent 5 nights with The Kid and his cousin.

It's a 12 hour drive from Cincinnati to Algonquin, and for once I was grateful for iPods. Not being into the sort of tunage that teenage boys are, I didn't drive them crazy with Jimmy Buffett, and they didn't drive me crazy with the likes of White Stripes.

The funny thing about teens is that they can find stuff to do no matter where they are. My nephew was absolutely sure he was going to catch a fish while we were there and to honor that hope, I brought along three sticks of butter that we were going to use to fry them up over an open fire. Needless to say, the fish eluded us all week.

The first time we went to Algonquin, The Kid bailed on a camping trip that involved paddling. We of course had to take our cousin to show him the wonders of camping from a kayak at the ranger station. It seems kayakers are required to take toilette "kits", not the kind you're thinking about, along on the boats. They were both glad we had vault toilets in the campground. It's the simple things in life.

WARNING: One cooler and three crates of food is not enough for two teenage boys who have played hard all day. Why do boys eat so much?

With that idea I'll leave you with an eating machine food hit.

Campground Nachos
In the following order place these ingredients on a large square of foil:

A mix of Mild Cheddar, Monterrey Jack, Pepper Jack
Sliced Black Olives
Canned Salsa
Corn Chips, Tostitos work best
Another large square of foil

then

Crimp foil edges together to form a foil package.
Place foil package on the open fire, provided you got the fire started in the first place.
Wait until you hear sizzling.
When you hear sizzling, remove from fire.
Flip foil package over on large platter so the cheese is now on the top.
Peel back foil.
Feed eating machines.
Start next batch.

On The Steps to the Launch Pad

2008-07-22T11:59:00.000-07:00

Well. I have finally recovered from that rite-of-passage all teenage males go through.

Driving the family car, alone.

Right now The Kid is at the car dealer, on an errand for mom. The driver seat in the car has to be adjusted one way for me, another way for The Kid. Unfortunately, when that adjusting mechanism broke, it was in The Kid's setting, so off he had to go to the car dealer to have it fixed.

It was hard for me to drive the car with my head sticking out through the sunroof.

Actually, The Kid has been an excellent driver and on his own in the driver seat for a couple of months now. Between his volunteer work and now his part time job, he uses the car as much as I do, though we've managed to work out a decent schedule of sharing a single car.

The steps to the launch pad. It's been fun getting The Kid ready to launch as an adult. He took a part time summer job because he wanted to help pay for that young-male-insurance-heart-attack-sized premium that comes with the rite of passage.

In the fall he'll be driving to two classes at the local community college, another step to the launch pad....what's next?

Student Driver: Feel Sorry for Me

2008-05-27T08:46:00.000-07:00

There was a time when I would look at a slow moving vehicle on the highway, the one with the "Student Driver" sign taped to the back window and feel irritated, today, I have a different sentiment. That sign should say "Student Driver: Feel Sorry for Me".

The legislators of Ohio must have been really sadistic bunch when they signed into law the condition that new drivers must be accompanied by a licensed driver for at least 50 hours. 50 hours is a lot of hours, especially if you're a single mom. In general I think our lawmakers think about families as ones that include two married adults, thus 25 hours isn't too bad if mom and dad do some of the passenger seat time.

The Kid is basically a good driver, obeys the speed limit to the letter, holds the wheel at 10 o-clock and 2 o-clock, leaves the car seat raised just high enough that I bang my head when I have to get in and drive. We decided that cell phones and radio were too much of a distraction, so neither are on when we drive, and boy, 50 hours is a lot of hours.

The funny think about a 16 year old is that if they think they can get away with something, they will. The Kid was afraid of a moving violation thanks to his driver's ed class at AAA. So after that announcement, it was just too easy for The Kid to let mom drive him everywhere, 5 days a week, so the 50 hours weren't getting done - at all.

Just as I thought I was going to lose my mind with all the driving I was having to do, I realized I needed to get The Kid in the driver seat for 50 hours, and thus the term "Mom's taxi" became a reality. After that revelation, each time The Kid got into the car for a ride to one of his "things", the following conversation would take place.

"Do you have ten dollars?"

"For what?"

"The ride you are about to take."

"I'm tired."

"So. Do you have ten dollars?"

I haven't made one dollar yet and The Kid is a few hours short of the 50 hours he needs to satisfy the requirements for the State of Ohio.....

© 2005-2008. Amy Cortez. All Rights Reserved.

Travels in Your Own Backyard, Happy Birthday to the Kid

2008-04-29T16:09:00.000-07:00

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.

The Caine Mutiny and Other Snowbird Pursuits - Florida 2008

2008-02-23T14:54:00.000-08:00

I guess it would be appropriate to elaborate on the title I chose for these three previous entries.

As a Sophomore, The Kid has been reading some books that require a little more thought than usual. Herman Wouk, another one of my favorite authors is a great story weaver and this trip to Florida we took 2 Herman Wouk books with us. One The Kid was reading, The Caine Mutiny: A Novel, is a story about an incident that happened during WWII. The Kid, in a conclusion essay, had decided to focus on an interesting character in the story, Captain Queeg, (a YouTube Video) and on the classic question one always asks about this novel, was Queeg's sanity questionable? I had my all time favorite Herman Wouk story with me, Don't Stop the Carnival: A Novel. This is a story about changes in attitudes and changes in latitudes, a theme I am rather fond of.

Rarely do we travel without purpose, and this year our trip to Florida was to kayak, but also to read these great books.

Our Kayak adventures in Southern Florida included a passage across the intracostal waterway to Don Pedro Island. This island is only accessible by boat and worth the effort.

A quite paddle on Red Lake near Caspersen beach. Red Lake is a home to abundant wildlife and if you're not careful, can dump you out into a very busy Florida intercostal waterway!

And after all the reading and paddling, we took time to walk the famous "sharktooth" beach.

Caspersen beach is where you can find sharks teeth on the beach. It used to be that you could find thousands in a walk, now you're lucky to find one. The word is out!

The Caine Mutiny and Other Snowbird Pursuits - The Venice Beach Mooch

2008-02-09T14:28:00.000-08:00

Florida 2008

Carl Hiassen is one of my favorite authors. He writes about all kinds of characters that can only be found in Florida and one of our favorite studies in Florida is people. The Kid and I love to watch people and the pier at Venice Beach seemed like just the place to do that.

It was 96 degrees, really hot for winter in Florida and the pier was a refreshing break from the heat of the sand. Generally the pier is crowded with tourists, but this day the fishermen were out enforce, including the Pelicans and Snowy Egrets. I am always amazed at the way critters manage to score a meal.

The Caine Mutiny and Other Snowbird Pursuits - The Wakulla Kid

2008-02-07T13:45:00.000-08:00

Florida 2008

A friend sent an email with just one link: A Hotel Built of Ice and Snow

Just for grins I nibbled and landed on:

ICEHOTEL (YouTube video) is situated in the village Jukkasjärvi, 200 kilometres north of the Arctic Circle in Sweden. The heart and backbone is the River Torne flowing freely through the unspoilt wilderness. Covered with a meter thick ice layer winter time the river is the source of all our art, architecture and design. The pure water and the steady movement of the river creates the clearest ice possible.

I have only been in Sweden twice. Once in Stockholm and that was basically civilized and the other time was in Lulea, in Northern Sweden, about 70 miles from the Arctic circle. That was a party. I went in June when it was daylight all day.

My friend has a warped sense of humor I suppose, especially since I had sent Valentines greetings from the sunny state of Florida...

The Kid and I have been kayaking in Florida, while temperatures in Ohio dipped to the teens and below. One of my good friends moved to Tallahassee and invited us down with the lure of a Manatee sighting in the Wakulla river. The Wakulla is situated near Tallhasse and is an intersting place. There is an awesome lodge that is on the National Register of Historic Places, a spring and a river that are crystal clear and an assortment of wildlife I thought was only reserved for the Everglades.

We launched kayaks in 90 degree weather with the hopes of seeing Manatees and after an hour paddle upriver, saw incredible birds, plantlife and alligators, each one bigger than the last one and no Manatees. Now as gators go, they really don't mess with you much because they'd rather sit in the sun - like us snowbirds, but this big fella was one I'd have tossed a beer as a peace offering if I had had one. Instead I told him if he posed real nice, I'd get him on Hollywood squares(a tale I reserve for really big gators).

Needeless to say The Kid didn't stick around for the photo opportunity.

Travelin' With The Kid in 2008

2008-01-21T15:58:00.001-08:00

With the state of the American stock market and the economy in general, it's very difficult to think about actually planning a real trip this year, but it can be done. Recently friends of ours did a traditional Windjammer trip, not on a tallship, but out of backpacks and on local ferrys and mailboats! These folks aren't teenagers either!

Grenadine Ferrys & Mailboats

It's possible to to travel and see all kinds of wonderful sites, even with the current strength of the American dollar! So here's to hitting the road in 2008!

Cheers!

Vehicle Theme: Bungee Cords to Keep Orifices Closed

2007-12-29T13:50:00.000-08:00

Well Happy New Year.

This year has been an interesting one for The Kid & I. Huge events in our travels, though most of the huge events occurred at home. Yes our travelin' feet got to hit the trail a couple of times in 2007, but it was the things at home that really shaped our year.

In June my brothers house burned to the ground, a frightening thing, to have everything in the your world consumed totally by fire. It makes you wonder what really matters. Wedding, pictures, baby pictures, that knick-knack from Aunt Flossie. My brother being the incredibly brave individual he is and no stranger to tragic events in his life has shown me incredible character and an important lesson, you don't need all the crap you think you do to live a happy life. He has lived the last 6 months in a rental while they rebuild his home with mainly the "stuff" they had the night of the fire and few things friends and family have loaned to them. His shopping list for the new house was rather Spartan and I am in awe at how this has changed how he and his family live.

In August, just before our school year began our beloved guinea pig Daphne went to the great grape bowl in the sky. She was known to many on the web as Daphne the Science Guinea Pig. Daphne answered Math and Science questions from other other homeschoolers and even had her own FAQ page. But to us she was our special pet. In August we learned a lot about Guinea pig physiology. Daphne passed on from heart failure and we learned that guinea pig heart patients get put on the same medicines that human heart patients are on. We learned that they do have intensive care for heart patients that small and how wonderful those veterinarians are and how much they know about these very small patients.

In September, feeling the need to have yet another little furry critter around we got another guinea pig. Named that one Elvis as it was the only name we thought fit. Elvis was a wild-man. He loved being held and was crazy for just about any fresh leafy green you could give him. He could hear when we walked in the front door and chirped for us to come pick him up. As bad luck would have it we were not allowed to have Elvis long. As he was a very young guinea pig, apparently his immune system was not developed enough and he died from an unknown infection about six weeks after we brought him home.

Daphne

Elvis

Oliver

Two weeks ago we got Oliver. We have high hopes for Oliver as he is an older guinea pig and is very healthy. When he went to the vet, she told us he seemed very healthy and weighs 1.9 pounds. A healthy boy and a good eater.

Back at the end of October, to the day, The Kid turned 15 1/2 and in Ohio that means eligible for a temporary driver license, and god-help-me, got one. As I wrote in my last entry, that has been fun. Only 45 more hours of driving experience and class time to go.

In late fall we learned that one of our favorite things to do was coming to an end. The end of an era - Windjammer - the company that has provided tall ship adventures for years was having financial troubles and had stranded ships and crew in various ports around the Caribbean. I tried to set up links to the message boards where this unfolding event is being discussed, but those boards are gone or not working today. Its a good thing this wasn't on our to-do list for this winter!

Also this summer my neighbor moved away leaving her house to her son. An interesting hermit-like bloke who keeps to himself yet continues to add to the fine collection of vehicles in the driveway. This collection has been a constant source of interesting observations and inspiration for The Kid to utter some very funny things that sometimes end up as titles for blog entries. The obvious is so uninteresting.

So Happy New Year to you! All the best for the New Year!

Me & The Kid

You May Know Everything Some Day But Today Is Not The Day

2007-11-20T12:46:00.000-08:00

In Ohio, in order for a teen to receive a "probationary" driver license they must take 8 hours of driving instruction in a classroom and then have 50 hours driving experience (10 at night) that a parent or other licensed driver will attest to in a signed affidavit. There are other requirements too, but as a homeschooler, these are the biggies.

Traveling in a car with a new driver is, well, interesting.

It has been suggested that beginner drivers start in a large parking lot and the biggest parking lot I could think of was the one near the raging Ohio river where we sometimes launch our kayaks. Needless to say that first day when The Kid was going to start driving. he was not amused when I appeared as the driving coach wearing a ski helmet and a snorkel. I wonder if the driver's ed instructors at the schools get to have as much fun.

It is amazing how the transformation from child to teen enables them to feel that they now know it all - until they sit in your car for the first time.

Not Back to School: September 2007

2007-09-26T10:53:00.000-07:00

Well as predicted, mother ocean called us back to visit and I couldn’t think of a better place than the Outer Banks in North Carolina. There are some awesome learning opportunities here.

Our studies this year include Aerospace Engineering, and what better place than the state that was “First in Flight”? Our trip included an afternoon flying kites on the very grounds where Orville and Wilbur Wright launched man into the space-age at Kitty Hawk, well really it is Kill Devil Hills, near Jockey's Ridge State Park, but who’s nitpicking on what we remember from our history? Before we left we studied the plane and the kites that were used at the Wright Brothers Aerospace Museum in Dayton, Ohio, but there's nothing like actually going to the place where flight began!

The Currituck Beach Lighthouse is an interesting step back into maritime history as are all the lighthouses in the area. The Whalehead Club has an interesting. It has been restored and is a fun place to visit, as well as the village that surrounds it. It isn’t as bustling as Roanoke or Williamsburg, as it tells a different story. It is a place where you can launch a kayak, have a picnic, catch a Blue Crab.

Also The Outer Banks Center for Wildlife Education, located in Corolla between the historic Whalehead Club and the Currituck Beach Lighthouse had some awesome daily, free programs. There was a class on crabbing, kayaking on the Currituck sound and other items of interest to homeschoolers of all ages.

Hatteras Lighthouse

Bodie Island Lighthouse

The Cape Hatteras National Seashore is an awesome example of maritime life long ago. The Cape Hatteras Lighthouse is just one aspect you;ll find in this area. Cape Hatteras National Seashore preserves the portion of the Outer Banks of North Carolina from Bodie Island to Ocracoke Island, stretching over 70 miles. Included within this section of barrier islands along N.C. Route 12, but outside the National Seashore boundaries, are Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge and several privatecommunities.

The Outer Banks area was once dubbed the "Graveyard of the Atlantic" for its treacherous currents, shoals, and storms and Cape Hatteras has a wealth of history relating to shipwrecks, lighthouses, and the US Lifesaving Service. We went in search of the wreck of the Altoona, a fun outing, but kind of a snipe hunt...next time we'll go better prepared with exact locations and a better map. The Outer Banks folklore is fun to read about and the idea that we were standing on the same beach as Blackbeard was pretty neat seeing how we fancy ourselves as pirates when we go Windjammering....

Currituck Sound Paddlin'

Alligator River Paddlin'

There are many kayaking opportunities at the Outer Banks. We paddled on the Currituck Sound, near the The Outer Banks Center for Wildlife Education and saw mainly marshy terrain. The Alligator River refuge, about an hour inland offered soem pretty interesting paddling as well, thought there was not an alligator to be found! We were treated to three brown bears munching on something in the middle off a grassy field. I think if we ever go back to the Outer Banks , we'll paddle around the Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge. It seemed like an interesting place.

Another bit of local lore I was determined to discover this trip to the Outer Banks was the Wild Horses of Corolla. Locally they are known as Banker Horses and are they something to see running out of the dunes. You need 4 wheel drive vehicle to get to the place where the horses live these days, but it is worth that effort.

So all in all, our celebration of "not" back to school was good. The kid got to try out some Aerospace basics learning to fly a stunt kite at Kitty Hawk and he started reading "Walden" by Henry David Thoureau. He says it's a great book about checkin' out. I agree.

Windjammer Ships and Pirate Adventures: Anguilla

2007-08-05T12:33:00.000-07:00

Day 7: Anguilla February 23, 2007
The Best Beach in the World & The Diver Kid

I’ve been so busy reviewing books for our upcoming school year, I forgot to conclude the story of our trip on the S.V. Polynesia.
Anguilla has the best beach I have ever seen.

There is one stop light on this island and lots of goats. There’s also an Ace Hardware, in the middle of nowhere - no where near the stop light.

Anguilla is a place I’d like to explore more.

Shoal beach is an incredible stretch of land that I hope not too many people ever find. It is the real Caribbean. Desolate to the point that you can still find a patch of pink sand all your own, but populated just enough that you can get a decent cheeseburger if you really wanted one.

We rode on one of the local school buses to get to Shoal Beach, that’s the thing about Windjammer, you really do get to feel like your part of the island culture. We spent several hours strolling the beach, but as luck would have it, we had to find our own way back to the ship as we were leaving the beach earlier than the rest of our shipmates. The Kid was going to try scuba for the first time.

The taxi ride back from the beach was an interesting one. We shared the cab with one of the other three beginner scuba students and boy did we have a ball with the cab driver. He was very proud of his island, he said he would take us the best way back to the ship -- and he did. Apparently, Brittany Spears did one of her rehabs on this island and this was a big stop for the cab drivers to show non-locals. Our cab driver was no different. He also showed us many interesting places, that weren’t on paved roads and we eventually ended up in close proximity of the Polynesia.

The Kid had a rare opportunity presented to him earlier in the week. Windjammer had 3 dive masters on this ship, one was the resident dive master and the other two were new to Windjammer and were learning where all the great dive spots were from Tomas, the dive master on the Polynesia. There were three beginner divers. An interesting and rare ratio, so The Kid decided it was time. Floored the heck out of me because this is a kid who doesn’t like to swim, has had every swim lesson under the sun, but won’t swim. But I remembered this was also the kid who snorkeled with Nurse sharks at Hol Chan in Belize (that story for another day), so I signed the consent papers and let him have his adventure. The class was 4 hours, preceded with a safety video. It was an awesome opportunity in an amazing place. The Kid got to do a 20-40 foot dive in some of the clearest water in the Caribbean, an adventure he won’t soon forget. I wrote “He was all smiles when he got back from his dive” in my journal.

Anguilla is another place in the Caribbean that I would like to explore more. I think if I had to settle on a place today where I'd check-out in the Caribbean, Anguilla would be on my short list. Bequia is at the top, followed by Anguilla, then Mayreau. St. Vincent, Guadeloupe, Nevis, Statia, Dominica and several of the Grenadines are also places I’d explore further if I had the time and the sailboat.

Our Windjammer adventure ended in St. Marten, where it began. It was a great trip and I would recommend a Windjammer adventure to anyone taking their homeschool on the road. We’ll do it again.

And now it’s time to plan our Not-Back-To-School-Trip....we’re thinking the beach in September....

Windjammer Ships and Pirate Adventures: Statia - The Real Caribbean

2007-06-06T10:41:00.000-07:00

Day 6: Statia (Saint Eustatius) - February 22, 2007
The Real Caribbean and Crab Number 3

The real Caribbean is one you won't ever see from a cruise ship. The Windjammer fleet is rare and so are the attitudes aboard. Shipmates are just as interested in the real Caribbean as we are and that's what I like about sailing like this. You are on a huge, beautiful antique sailing ship with other sailing nuts going places only sailors - and - pirates know about.

Saint Eustatius, or Statia, as the locals call it, was my favorite place on this trip. It is also what you would call the "real Caribbean".

	So What is the "real" Caribbean? Well, it's awesome people, black beaches, dormant volcanoes, history, hidden beaches all untouched by commercialism. No cruise ships..... The journal entry I wrote in my diary: "Statia is my favorite stop so far. It is what the Caribbean is really like for a traveler. The people are friendly. The buildings are old, historical and tidy. Black beaches and a dormant volcano. Blue beads once could be found on the beaches. The first country to acknowledge the new American flag after the [North] American revolution."

The blue beads of Statia were fun. Many of the locals had them, and the bartenders had the best ones, and the best tales. It was hot in Statia, remember it was February, and we snowbirds were very happy to be there. In the morning, I got to explore by myself, a rare treat. The Kid was interested in the book he was reading...I suppose that's what I get for raising a bookworm...sigh. But it gave me the opportunity to get to know the island on my own. There is a museum on Statia that is filled with very awesome artifacts and documents of the long and colorful history of this island. The day we were on the island, one of the local schools was having a bake sale...good, good, good - if you like coconut. It wasn't until afternoon, and it was well into the 100's that The Kid actually came ashore. Needless to say, I dragged him to the museum, past the bake sale [that was cleaning up to head to the beach] and The Kid got to see the famed blue beads [though later that day, the bartender had better ones than the museum!].
	Though as remote as Statia might seem, it was there I had camera malfunction. Call it bad planning, bad Karma, or an invitation to really discover this island. I have a Nikkon that is far more complicated than I ever imagined and it went "haywire" tha day on Statia. The batteries died. Amazing as it might seem, we found in a small local shop, much like what you might find in Mayberry, batteries and a photographer who knew just what I needed. He also told me how to find the film I needed as well. That was an interesting walk through the "suburbs" to a local superette, run by an old Chinese guy who was happy to see us and very helpful as well....

	The film was very important that day as that was the evening of the famous Windjammer Crab races [no crabs are harmed or treated badly!]. many of the crabs are celebrities on board. We won $16USD on crab #3. You'll just have to go on a Windjammer adventure to find out what that is all about! Next Stop: Anguilla

Windjammer Ships and Pirate Adventures: Nevis

2007-05-17T11:12:00.000-07:00

Day 5: Nevis -- February 21, 2007

Imitation is the Best Form of Flattery

As we saw in St. Barths, with the Mick Jagger imitator, a mirror image of something great is just that, or is it? Nevis, though in the French West Indies, is British, and looked to us anyway - a lot like Dominica. There was a rain forest, few people and the people were incredibly friendly - the ones we met anyway...Like Dominica, it teased us to explore further. It seemed to be a place where nature prevails and commercialism is prohibited.

Twenty years ago in St. Maarten a guy named Rainbow gave me a pair of bracelets he made of beads from natural plants on the island. He told me that they would bring me luck. They have. It wasn’t until a medicine walk in Nevis this year that I discovered this is true and what the name of the beads are. The bracelet has brown beads and red beads, both of native plants, the red beads are called Jumbie beads and are used in a tea to calm colic, or just about anything else that ails you.After our morning Medicine walk, a three hour moderate hike up the dromant volcano on Nevis, we relaxed on the deck of the Polynesia all afternoon. Normally we travel with our Teva sandles, but were told that Chaco's were far superior. Well let me tell you, I'll take the Teva's anyday up the side of a volcano!

Nevis is an Island I would return to. We didn’t get to spend enough time there and I really liked what I saw. There is a Four Seasons there that looked wonderful along with a few bars and restaurants. It is the kind of place to homeshool for a few weeks in the winter to be sure! The Travelin’ homeschooler and The Kid will return to this place for sure!

Next Stop: Statia

Windjammer Ships and Pirate Adventures: St. Barts

2007-04-07T10:49:00.000-07:00

Day 3: St. Bart's (Saint-Barthélemy)-- February 19-20, 2007
Carnival in St. Barts, Beach Au Natural & Mick Jagger Came to Town
The thing about traveling with The Kid is that you just never know what is going to happen once you are on the road.

After we left St. Maarten, we headed to St. Barths. It’s always so awesome when a huge sailing ship raises sails and the SV Polynesia is no exception. It was a beautiful clear day, 80 degrees and perfect weather for sailing. I didn't for a minute think about our hometown where temperatures dipped to below freezing...

St. Barths is a short sail from St. Maarten, so we accomplished this trip in no time. I have read St. Barts is a pretty nice place. Jimmy Buffet sings about “Old St. Barths”, but from our trip I can’t really tell what that might be all about. A squall came up out of nowhere and it was momentarily rainy when we arrived in St. Barths, but it was still hot so we headed ashore to Gustavia. Gustavia was a typical Caribbean town flanked by mountains, water and huge boats.

We went into town with with sailing mates from our Mandalay trip Judy, Palmer, Nell, Claude, Shary & Chris. In town, we all had different ideas about what to do so we split up. That’s what I like about those guys, they’re fun and share the same adventurous spirit that The Kid and I have.

The two Windjammer trips we have enjoyed have had very different sites, sounds, people but both have required “island work” in at least one of the ports. In St. Barths we were tasked with the very stressful job of finding a French bottle of wine. Now, being that this was a French island, this task was easy. However our first task was to find Shell Beach as it was rumored that it was loaded with shells.

The harbor in Gustavia

"Ghost Ship" Off the Coast -St Bart's

We thought it would be fun to rent a scooter for the day, but found out that wasn’t going to be possible as it was Fat Tuesday. Again, as it was a French Island, this promised to be a fun time. A parade was scheduled and The Kid just loves a parade, so with this news and a map, we headed on foot to Shell Beach. St. Barths was hot and all The Kid wanted to do was swim. Good thing he wasn’t in the mood to read French this day, but I saw the sign that included the words “Beach Au Natural”, once we hit the beach, the look on the Kid’s face was classic, but the water was nice. The captain had allowed us to jump from the ship to swim the day before, but that idea didn’t sit very well with The Kid as heights are not his first choice for fun, so this really was the first time in 2 days that we were able to swim. The beach really was loaded with tons of shells and the water was very nice, despite the "bare-naked" French ladies.

Shell Beach

After our swim at the beach, we did manage to find a great wine shop. The Kid isn’t a big fan of wine shops or of having to speak French to wine shop owners, so he waited outside. I managed to find a great red French wine and had a pretty good conversation with the owner, once we realized English was the better language for both of us. It turned out the owner was a Canadian who decided to check out in St. Barths. I have a list of good places to go the next time we are on this island courtesy of a wonderful retired Canadian.

As we headed back into town, it was clear that the Fat Tuesday parade was a bigger deal than we imagined. many of the streets in Gustavia were closed off and the crowds were really thick. We decided that even though it was raining, we were going to stay and see the parade. It was a big deal. Kids, Adults, floats, dancers, colors, beads and even Mick Jagger. Earlier in our trip, I spent a week with a friend at North Captiva. We spent many of those days laying on the beach watching small planes fly over, commenting that Mick Jagger has an island somewhere in that part of the world and that was most likely him in the small plane. Drove my friend nuts. As we discovered on that day in St. Barths, that island could be very near St. Barths....

Next Stop: Nevis

Windjammer Ships and Pirate Adventures: St. Maarten

2007-03-20T10:01:00.000-07:00

Days 1-3: St. Maarten/St. Martin -- February 16-18, 2007

What can you say about a month out of the cold? We’re good at being snowbirds? How about we went sailing on a big boat, err, ship in the French West Indies?

I think everyone has a little bit of a pirate spirit in them and sailing on a Windjammer ship is a good way to bring that out! One thing Windjammer employees will tell you is that “this ain’t no foo foo ship”...I am guessing it’s a jab at those huge floating cities we see invade tiny Caribbean islands...I’ve never been on a cruiseship....but being barefoot for a week on a beautiful antique ship is such a thrill. It’s also a good way to homeschool. You get culture,geography, history and even math and Science.

Just to start our adventure off early, we flew to St. Maarten 3 days prior to getting on the SV Polynesia. The last time I was in St. Maarten was almost 20 years ago and boy have things changed. The airport is no longer an open air shack on an airstrip (even going to St. Maarten they verify that you have your sun tan lotion squirreled away in 3.5 ounce bottles now).

St. Maarten in it’s heyday, was quite the hot spot, but those spots are gone now taken by hurricanes and better ideas, though some places remain. We stayed out at Cupecoy beach which is known for sandstone beaches and they still are quite beautiful, despite the obvious increase in tourism. There always was a charm to most spots in St. Maarten, the restaurants and inns and Hotels. The beaches still are great, and some are still clothing optional -- as always in places other than the US. The experience of a 14 year old boy and that of a “geezer” on one of these kinds of beaches is remarkably different as I found out. Enough on that topic The Kid says...

We rented a car in St. Maarten because The Kid just didn’t understand why I thought it was one of the more beautiful places I had been. Our plan for that day was to drive around the island and have lunch at Captain Oliver’s, and that’s what we did. With a map that we should have saved as a collectors item, we started out. “How can we get lost on and island?” The Kid wanted to know. “I don’t want to drive by the cool stuff, so pay attention to the map.” My attempt to get a map reading lesson in for the day.

St. Maarten is an island that is ruled by two different nations. One side is French and the other side is Dutch. Both sides are distinctively different and this was also part of the study. Marigot, on the French side is as bustling as ever, but far more cosmopolitan than we were looking for. We drove through Marigot and headed for Anse Marcel, a little off the beaten path and more like the St. Martin I remembered. We also headed to Orient Beach, the one all the cruise ships go to for the “beach au natural”, as the Kid read Our French lesson for the day. The beach was crowded, so we headed for Oyster Pond and Captain Oliver’s. This place was as good as ever and is still right out of a Buffett song.

Front Street in Philipsburg is quite different from 20 years ago. I think there are more diamonds and emeralds on this Island than anywhere else. It was also on Front Street three days later that we met up with sailing mates from our Mandalay trip Judy, Palmer, Nell, Claude, Shary & Chris...

Next Stop: St. Barts

It's Good to Be Sunburnt and Greek

2007-02-13T09:55:00.000-08:00

One of the really wonderful things about homeschooling and travel is that you get all that great socialization, especially if you are willing to participate in local cultural events.

We went to the Greek Festival in Sarasota, Florida over the weekend. More precisely it was called the Greek Glendi - A Greek Festival hosted by St. Barbara Greek Orthodox Church. According to the program brochure we received, they were celebrating the music of Greece, which fits perfectly with our recent music studies.

There was a lot of music and dancing, with explanations of many of the dances.The St. Barbara Hellenic Dancers were in colorful costumes that showed authentic Greek history and culture. Every Greek costume is an interesting combination of garment and accessories that is characteristic of a group of people who live in a particular region of Greece. According to the narrator at the festival, there are songs for washing sowing, harvesting - there are love songs, lullabies and laments.

The Greek Orthodox Church evolved in the era of the Great Byzantine Empire, for those of you not up on the middle ages. Byzantine chanting is where a lot of the songs we heard came from. These songs were full of melody and harmony. The folk music of Greece claims a history that is long and checkered and worthy of every homeschoolers attention. Popular music commonly known as Bouzouki music possesses unique characteristics that existed in parts of Greece, yesterday and today. The emotions of the Greek people show through in the dances and and in the music we saw and heard.

Greek architecture is a study in itself. Some say the Greeks invented architecture. Anybody who saw the movie "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" understands that sort of enthusiasm for anything Greek. But most Greek Orthodox Churches I have seen so far in our travels are pretty interesting structures and this building in Sarasota is no different. A beautiful dome amidst Palms and Banyon trees adorned with Spanish Moss. If you're interested, you can go inside these churches and see many beautiful icons, lots of candles and gold ornamentation.

Though the music and the architecture are part of the "study" of local culture, at a Greek festival, in our book, the food is always the attraction. Greek pastries and food are the best "fast food" you can get in my opinion. There's nothing better than a Gyro and Baklava and a stroll through the other food and crafts booths. Church festivals always seem to guarantee that homemade touch and the little old Greek Florida ladies were out in force at this one for sure....though none of them had key lime pies on hand...

At the Greek Market

Greek Jewelry

Greek Shaws

Journeys in My Own Backyard: Teach Your Children Well

2007-01-17T09:16:00.000-08:00

Me: “How would you like to go see the Rolling Stones movie at the OmniMax?”

The Kid: “ We see documentaries at the OmniMax. We learn stuff there. Why would I want to go see Mick Jagger 1,000 feet tall? Their logo came from somewhere.”

Me: “Sigh.” “How would you like to learn about how your mom spent, wait, misspent some of her youth?”

This was the deal sealer. The Kid was very interested in this idea.

It wasn’t Mick I wanted to see, anyway. I wanted to see Keith Richards 1,000 feet tall. I have always been a fan of Keith Richards.

Our local OmniMax has just been renovated and they were having special showings of The Rolling Stones, during their Steel Wheels/Urban Jungle Tour, shot on location in Turin, Berlin and London. The show was pretty good and a great introduction to what a concert was like for mom when she was a teen. The performance included such classics as “Satisfaction,” “Ruby Tuesday” and “Start Me Up.” The showing was very loud and there was much eye-rolling from The Kid. His tolerance of “my music” was greatly enhanced when I told him to focus real intensely on Mr. Richards and think “Pirates of the Caribbean - Dead Man’s Chest”, Boostrap-Bill. The light went on and the rest is history. We had common ground for the moment, though I have to admit, I borrowed the Kid’s iPod once and there were some Stones on it. I guess the Music History classes are sinking in.

And he thinks he wants to go to a Buffett concert....

I Voted Today

2006-11-09T07:18:00.000-08:00

The place where I vote is a Catholic church situated on the Ohio River. I have never really understood how they got such great real estate, and it is beautiful, but there it is on the mighty Ohio river, up high, yet right on the banks, away from flooding. It is a beautiful building, and for a country that believes in separating church from state, quite a statement to The Kid who is currently studying the US constitution in depth.

Voting Tuesday in Southern Ohio was rainy, so we weren’’t assaulted by the usual mob of campaigners, who by the way I am sick and tired of.

As we approached the Gothic structure, The Kid reminded me of The Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom co-authored by founding fathers, Jefferson and Madison, where “No man shall be compelled to frequent or support any religious worship, place, or ministry whatsoever...”. I often wonder why he can’t remember his multiplication tables. I told him it was actually the bingo hall that was our destination, so it really wasn’t a religious worship place. The Kid continued, he wanted to know why the rest of us had to vote on gambling and slot machines but this place was allowed to have bingo...sigh... the trials of mentoring this sort of human being.

The Kid is in general very Liberal in his politics -- who wasn’t when they didn’t have any money to call their own? The Kid takes great delight in harassing his Grandfather and anyone else who speaks of anything conservative. A friend recently shared this story:

Subject: A FATHER DAUGHTER TALK

A young woman was about to finish her first year of college. Like so many others her age she considered herself to be a very liberal Democrat and was for distribution of all wealth. She felt deeply ashamed that her father was a rather staunch Republican which she expressed openly.

One day she was challenging her father on his beliefs and his opposition to higher taxes on the rich and more welfare programs. In the middle of her heartfelt diatribe based upon the lecture she had from her far left professors at her school, he stopped her and asked her point blank, how she was doing in school.

She answered rather haughtily that she had a 4.0 GPA, and let him know that it was tough to maintain. That she had to study all the time, never had time to go out and party like other people she knew. She did not even have time for a boyfriend and did not really have many college friends because of spending all her time studying. Furthermore, that she was taking a more difficult curriculum.

Her father listened and then asked, "How is your friend Mary?"

She replied, "Mary is barely getting by,"

she continued, "all she has is barely a 2.0 GPA"

adding, "and all she takes are easy classes and she never studies."

But to explain further she continued emotionally,

"But Mary is so very popular on campus, college for her is a blast, she goes to all the parties all the time and very often does not even show up for classes because she is too hung over. "

Her father then asked his daughter, "Why don't you go to the Dean's office and ask him to deduct a 1.0 off your 4.0 GPA and give it to your friend who only had a 2.0."

He continued, "That way you will both have a 3.0 GPA and certainly that would be a fair equal distribution of GPA."

The daughter visibly shocked by the father's suggestion angrily fired back, "That would not be fair! I worked really hard for mine, I did without and Mary has done little or nothing, she played while I worked real hard!"

The father smile and said, "Welcome to the Republican Party."

The look on The Kid’s face was classic and the backpedalling was interesting.

But to get back to our adventure, in general I take The Kid with me when I vote so he can see what goes on and understand the process a little. This day, The Kid accompanied me because I was certain he would be able to figure out how to use the electronic voting machine even without reading the instructions. These kinds of things escape me and frustrate me to no end and that’s why we make such a great pair.

Later that day in TaeKwonDo, The Kid’s Master told me that she was so proud of him, she continued “it’s so cool to see kids excited about politics, he said he couldn’t wait until he was old enough to vote.”...If she only knew...

Who Knew Adams County Was so Beautiful?

2006-11-01T13:47:00.000-08:00

It’s been a while since we’ve written. Our “school” year started and we have been wrapped up in many new courses of study. We always have time to think and plan new adventures of course. Once we have our study topics for the year the “field trips” get easier to think about. We’ve enjoyed the theater as part of our travels in our own back yard so far this“school year”. We saw the Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park production of Nobel Prize-winner John Steinbeck’s “Of Mice and Men”. It was an excellent production. We also saw “Spamalot” a “musical lovingly ripped off from the motion picture 'Monty Python and the Holy Grail'. Also a great production.

As usual as part of our Autumn studies, we go to the Ohio Renaissance Festival in Harveysburg, OH. There’s really not much in Harveysburg, OH, I suppose you could check out the Caesar Creek flea market if you really wanted to make a day of it, but we go for the Renaissance Festival. At the Renaissance Festival you can always catch a sword fight, but being the theater animals we are, our favorite is naturally the “Theater in the Ground” where one may just luck in and see a great production of Beowulf. The actors perform in a mudpit, yes, hard to imagine, but nonetheless, worth the trip to Harveysburg, OH.

As civilized as all the theater talks sounds, we just can’t help ourselves, we’d rather be paddling. As our luck would have it, we were fortunate enough ot get to Adams County, Ohio. Near the Ohio River yet far enough away from the city to be able to see thousands of stars at night. The kid and I got the opportunity to paddle Brush Creek in early fall and boy was it beautiful. An unspoiled creek that has the occasional cabin perched on the hills and home to that illusive Kingfisher I have been trying to photograph all summer. Brush Creek dumps into the Ohio, but instead of that treat, we paddled up river. The Kid stopped to fish and I explored with a camera. No fish but great pictures - though no pictures of the Kingfisher...maybe next year.

In our future we are planning a trip to Southern Europe and soon we are heading to the Caribbean for some sailing in the French West Indies. We are in the process of planning other trips as part of our homeschool so stay tuned! When you take your homeschool on the road, life is an adventure!

Not Back to School

2006-08-23T17:55:00.000-07:00

Every homeschooling family celebrates a “Not Back to School Day”, at least that is what I like to believe. Our day to celebrate was Mondaythis week. The plan was to go to our local coffee house to catch up onthe latest news with the coffee-house-posse, to go to Staples to not-buy back to school supplies, to go to Morgan’s Livery one last time to kayak our favorite river and then to Eat at Joe’s (Joe’s Crab Shack) on the river for dinner.

You always see a flurry of noteworthy news regarding the idea of students returning to school:

Parents Clueless on Drugs
Surveys show teens, folks out of synch, out of touch...
BY PEGGY O'FARRELL | ENQUIRER STAFF WRITER
A comparison of two recent surveys shows parents apparently don't have a clue about their teenagers' use of drugs and alcohol....[Read on]

Goal is Grads, Not Dropouts
Schools put emphasis on getting to finish line
BY DENISE SMITH AMOS | ENQUIRER STAFF WRITER
Glen Este High School in West Clermont missed its graduation goal last year by four-tenths of a percentage point, the equivalent of one student dropping out, says Superintendent Gary Brooks...[Read on]

No Cheating, Kids Pledge
BY SARAH HARDEE | ENQUIRER CONTRIBUTOR
When Villa Madonna Academy senior Sean Spille turns in his schoolwork, you can be sure it's his own - he even put it in writing.

Spille is one of the high school's 180 students who signed a new honor code this year that calls for honesty and academic integrity....[Read on]

Just once I’d like to see for example, the Literature reading lists that returning students are required to read, the lists of texts being used and perhaps a syllabi or two of some of the more enlightening classes offered in our schools. This might make me wonder what we are missing by “not-going-back-to-school”.

On our "Not Back to School Day", Staple’s is always a fun stop. As we walked the crowded rows, we saw parents and kids pouring over lists of items required for learning at school. The bulging baskets made me wonder if I had missed something in our planning. There really isn’t much “stuff” a homeschool needs, though I have to admit to replacing our 7 year old laptop this year.

Published in Today’s local paper:

How much we spend (selected items)
Clothing and accessories - $230
Shoes - $98
School supplies - $86
Electronics (lower grades) - $114
Average total spending (lower grades) - $527
Source: Bigresearch

What I spent
Clothing and accessories - $0
Shoes - $0
School supplies - $61.60
Electronics (lower grades) -- $19.98
Average total spending (lower grades) - $81.58
Source: My Staples Receipt

Though, if I really wanted to start totalling my dollars that go toward education, including the property taxes I pay to fund what our local public school system does, we’d be in the thousands...though I am not going there today. (I generally have that number ready for when they start the cries for more taxes to pay for the schools in November.)

We did have a glorious day on the Little Miami River. The leaves on the trees were that green, showing a golden glow that Autum is just around the corner. All the turtles we saw in the early spring were back lazing in the sun on the logs. Several large fish jumped for us and the ducks and herons were all there to celebrate our "Not Back to School" day on the river.

Sunburnt, and tired, we finished our day at "Joe's Crab Shack".

It was a good "Not Back to School" day.

What I Did on My Summer Vacation

2006-08-07T10:51:00.000-07:00

Sometimes you can find the best things right in your own back yard! We spent the summer discovering the local waters in our kayaks and boy do we have some good stuff here in the midwest!

Licking River, Kentucky

The Morgan Family pioneered the canoeing industry in the Southwestern Ohio and Southeastern Indiana regions nearly 50 years Morgan's has 3 locations and we chose the Little Miami for most of our summer adventures. Every Wednesday this summer, until the river got really, really slow, we went to Morgan's Ft. Ancient to paddle six miles. The river is generally a Class I and mellow is just what we wanted each week! They also provide a shuttle service for those with their own boats, and we like that! What's fun about this place is the campground stop. There's a snack bar, good conversation and a frisbee dog that doesn't stop. We like Morgan's because it really is a feel good place. You can tell there is a family pride there as you will encounter many of the Morgan family involved in every aspect, from running the grill at the snack bar to giving paddle lessons in the parking lot to driving the shuttle bus. So far Morgan's Ft. Ancient is our favorite locally. We definitely want to check out Morgan's in Costa Rica, but we'll save that for another day...


Paddlefest - Cincinnati, Ohio

A unique events happens locally in the early part of summer. Last year we attended this event to try out kayaks, this year we were volunteers at Paddlefest. Paddlefest is a huge event where Tevas and Chackos are the footwear of choice and language like "Perception", "Dagger", "good shuttle bunnies" and "Class IV" is spoken. If you paddle, this event is for you. Two days of events, booths, waterhounds and fun. The "float" down the Ohio river to the Public Landing in the city is awesome, almost 1,000 kayaks and canoes in the water floating by River boats and docks hosting a variety of bands playing music for the paddlers. The best part about volunteering aside from meeting other paddlers are the Ohio Riverway water maps you get to keep. Though my back was stiff for a day or two after helping to launch paddlers into the Ohio River for 3 hours, it was one of the best volunteer gigs I ever participated in.

Licking River, Kentucky

Even though we are finding riverways in Ohio to be awesome, Kentucky has some great places too and The Kid and I find ourselves traveling over the Ohio River bridges to the Bluegrass state as often as we head for Ohio water. Once the Little Miami got a little bit lower, we wanted to find moving water, and the Licking River was it. The Licking River is one of the few rivers in the world that flows North and it is right here in our own back yard.The day we were there showed us that it is Class I [where we were] and perfect for a hot July day! Thaxton’s South Fork Canoe Trails, Inc. and Paddlers’ Inn is located on the Northwest side of the US 27 bridge on the banks of the Licking River is where we put in and found shuttle service. Thaxton's is also a family business and you will find family members operating most of the facilities here. Generally The Kid is pretty agile when we have to launch from a dock and that's what you do at Thaxton's, but it was here that I successfully learned how to get into my kayak from the dock without getting wet, and I'll always remember this place for that knowledge. My grand kayak accomplishment for the summer. Now all I need to do is practice what I learned.

Laurel River Lake, Kentucky

We chose to do our big kayak trip for the summer during one of the several midwest heatwaves. Ever slept in a tent with freezer ice packs? Yep. That's what we did, though the water was great! Rockcastle River and Laurel River Lake, both in Daniel Boone National Forest were the places where we spent more time in the water than on it. The Rockcastle River got its name from the majestic cliffs that tower above the river and it is a beautiful place. The Upper Rockcastle is normally suitable for the less experienced paddlers and the Lower Rockcastle should be attempted only by experienced, well-equipped paddlers. I read that Rockcastle can be Class IV, but when we were there seemed like a "pussycat". [links: Nature Conservancy Rockcastle River watershed ] The Rockacastle campground was a very scenic place and camping spots are on a first come basis. Next time we'll probably stay there, but this trip we stayed at Holly Bay campground on the Laurel River. The boat launch was easy, the marina was fun and the scenery was great.

And now it is time for us to get back to schooling but we're planning another sailing trip, so stay tuned......

WHITEWATER RATING SYSTEM

Rivers are classified based on the International Scale of River Difficulty. Skill level needed is based on both the general fitness and strength of a paddler, plus paddling skill, judgment, and expertise.

CLASS I
SKILL: Beginner, easy.
DESCRIPTION: Moving water with few riffles and small waves. Few or no obstructions.
CLASS II
Intermediate, requires care and some knowledge of paddling and reading of the river. Easy rapids with waves up to 3 feet and wide, clear channels that are obvious without scouting. Some maneuvering is required.
CLASS III
SKILL: Experienced, difficult.
DESCRIPTION: Rapids with high, irregular waves often capable of swamping an open canoe. Narrow passages that often require complex maneuvering. May require scouting from shore.
CLASS IV
SKILL: Highly skilled, very difficult.
DESCRIPTION: Long, difficult rapids with constricted passages that often require maneuvering in very turbulent waters. Scouting from shore is often necessary, and conditions make rescue difficult. Generally not possible for open canoes. Boaters in covered canoes and kayaks should be able to Eskimo roll.
CLASS V
SKILL: Team of experts, exceedingly difficult.
DESCRIPTION: Extremely difficult, long, and very violent rapids with highly congested routes which nearly always must be scouted from from shore. Rescue conditions are difficult and there is significant hazard to life in event of a mishap. Ability to Eskimo roll is essential for kayaks and canoes.
CLASS VI
SKILL: Team of experts with every precaution. Utmost difficulty, near limit of navigability.
DESCRIPTION: Difficulties of Class V carried to the extreme of navigability. Nearly impossible and very dangerous. For teams of experts only, after close study and all precautions taken.

Traveling the Road of Life: Happy Mothers Day!

2006-05-14T09:25:00.000-07:00

Many of my girlfriends have daughters and tell me that it is my job to teach The Kid how to be a good husband...

I guess that could a subject in Life Skills, "Husbanding 101". Being a single mom, my opinions on what a good husband is may be very different, though I do pay close attention to this development in The Kid!

Part of our Mother’s Day Tradition is that The Kid makes mom a pot of coffee, brings in the paper and we have a special “mom outing”. The Kid thought bringing in the paper sounded more like the job of our faithful dog than a teenage son, so this year it was breakfast. I still got to be the mentor to this event. Egg in the Nest , sausage and coffee. There are skills that need to be taught in breaking an egg into a slice of thick French Bread, it is tricky business....

Recently, I went with a new friend to a Jerry Garcia Art show and I thought The Kid might enjoy it as well so I suggested it as our outing. He had remembered that I had gone, so he asked if there was any place else. I suggested the Marvels of Maiolica at the Cincinnati Taft Museum. It’s an Italian Renaissance Ceramics collection, from the Corcoran Gallery. That was not a huge hit, though we’ll still go. The kid thought a day of Italian Pottery and Hippie Art was the perfect thing for mom!

Happy Birthday to The Kid

2006-04-27T09:40:00.000-07:00

We celebrate a birthday at our house for a week. Often the celebration includes some sort of trip or a series of outings, often a chocolate cake with raspberry sauce and always some laughs. This week is a birthday week for us.

So far our week has included our annual trip to Amish country for a checkers set. I have an agreement with the Kid that when he can beat his mom at checkers, he’ll be ready to leave home. That agreement can contain a lot of symbolism if you know the rules of checkers. People generally react to the idea of this simple pleasure that it is an easy way for The Kid to stay at home forever, or they’ll say “what if he never beats you”. (Those folks do not understand the true nature of a homeschooler or The Kid!) Our outings in this week of celebration in addition to Amish country include a trip to the Cincinnati Flower show , a golf outing to maybe beat Grandpa this year, a trip to Montgomery Inn for world famous ribs. There will also be Birthday cupcakes from Grandma, hamburgers on the grill and of course, a game of checkers.

Visit our archives to read about a year of our adventures!

Celtic Music, Bockwurst and a Pint of Guinness®

2006-03-06T08:27:00.000-08:00

Quite often travel can involve not leaving your own backyard. You can tour the world in your mind through the study of music. Music study doesn’t need to involve the Symphony or Opera, it can involve World Music too. World Music is one of the best ways I know to travel when travel isn’t an option....

Recently I had 2 tickets to see a popular musical group that has been around for 40 years and always sells out when they come to our town. The Chieftains have had 19 grammy nominations and have won six grammys and have collaborated with Jackson Brown, Elvis Costello, The Rolling Stones, Sting, Sinead O’Connor, Emyylou Harris, Ricky Scaggs, Willie Nelson, Lyle Lovett, Earl Scruggs and others I am sure I have missed. Paddy Moloney and The Chieftains were nominated for the 2006 Grammy Awards for Best Traditional Folk Album- Live From Dublin - A Tribute to Derek BellThe thing about this group is that they always surprise you and you don’t need to travel far to see them, especially if they come to your town.

Though The Chieftains still invite you to enjoy the finest Celtic music around, they also invite your mind to venture into listening to sounds and songs from other places in the world. In concert with The Chieftains was The Cottars, a group from Nova Scotia also incredible musicians and capable of some pretty interesting music.

The sounds you hear when you listen World Music inspire you to recall imagery from your own travels. If you are unable to conjour up the imagery yourself, enjoy the poetry of the stories that come with the music. This particular form of World Music has drawn many cultures and age groups together. The Vice Mayor of our town, Jim Tarbell, was on hand to make that observation and to present the key to the town to Paddy Maloney of The Chieftains.

And speaking of our Vice Mayor, as luck of the Irish would have it, I was able to tie the whole evening together for "The Kid". Earlier for dinner we went to Arnold's Bar & Grill, Cincinnati's oldest tavern, was owned by Jim Tarbell from 1976 to 1999. (Owner Ronda Androski bought Arnold’s from Jim Tarbell in 1999 [history].) So that appearance by the Vice Mayor was really perfect for me as I was able to string that Cincinnati history together with the culture of the food we ate.

At Arnold’s we ordered 2 Bockwurst Plates, a pint of Guinness® and a soda. Even though we were going to listen to Celtic Music, but being in a German town and having dinner at Arnold’s the oldest Bar and Grill in town, we naturally ecountered the Springtime tradition of a Bock Festival. Bock is a style of lager beer which originated in Germany. It is traditionally brewed in the fall, at the end of the growing season, when barley and hops are at their peak. It is "lagered" all winter and enjoyed in the spring at the beginning of the new brewing season. Bocks can be pale (helles) or dark (dunkles) and there are double (doppel) bocks which are extra strong. Even though I do appreciate a good Bock, I definately prefer Guinness®, it’s a better dark beer and just the ticket for the evening! Typically eaten with bockbeer is Bockwurst is a german kind of sausages. Bockwurst is one of the most favourite sausages eaten in Germany, but tonight we ate it with Guinness® and Soda in honor of the Celtic culture we were about to absorb.

Our study of Music and the culture of the world continues! We’re thinking about Southern Europe next!

The Travelin' Homeschooler Takes a Break

2006-02-12T17:24:00.000-08:00

I have an acquaintance who scuba dives. To hear him describe the activity and characters that live beneath the sea is true poetry.

After our trip to the Everglades, we went to Captiva and then on to Key West, a grueling schedule as I am sure you can imagine. Once that leg of our journey was completed, I traveled to see my friend in Grand Cayman. Everyone should travel to the Cayman Islands!

You don’t go to Grand Cayman to see the architecture, the landscape or the tourist attractions. In fact, hurricane Ivan destroyed much of this beautiful Caribbean Island. Grand Cayman, just like much of the British West Indies in the Caribbean, has remarkably recovered from this natural disaster and the original beauty of the island is still apparant and is as vibrant as ever. There is new building going on all over the place, and many of the places that were damaged have been restored. It was difficult for me to imagine what Ivan did. There is a very moving book called “Paradise Interrupted“ by artist and photographer Courtney Platt that illustrates the devastating effects this hurricane had on Grand Cayman in September, 2004. A good book to choose for visual learning about Mother Nature's power.

You go to Grand Cayman to explore a world that most people forget exists on our planet. That world is the one that only Neptune himself and those crazy people who don scuba gear and jump out of boats into the dark and mysterious sea below know. I am not a diver, but the folks I spent 4 days with were as fanatical about diving as I am about travel. Yes, the Travelin' Homeschooler enjoyed 2 days reading on the beach while these crazy folks explored places called “Babylon”, “Snapper Hole” and “The Maze”. According to my host who has been diving for many years, the best place to go diving in the Caymans is in the East End out of a place called “Ocean Frontiers“ Situated in a pretty cool resort area called "Compass Point Dive Resort" . Compass Point is a place for divers, comfortable, beautiful, right on the beach, in view of the reef. Away from the busy Seven Mile Beach and the tourists there, Compass Point and the folks at Ocean Frontiers will take care of the travelers in our homeschooling community. This place is truly a place to learn; where, if you are brave - you can learn about reef life by diving, by snorkeling or by simply swimming off the beach at Compass Point. My friend took me snorkeling each day I was there and it was truly a memory I will have forever. The first day the reef revealed amazing residents. [You can check out photos of some of the colorful reef residents at the photo gallery at the Ocean Frontiers website.] The second day the reef residents were out entertaining the divers and I got to take in the beauty of the colors of the coral. There were so many colors that you wouldn't ever imagine existed under the water. It was the most beautiful natural wonder I have ever seen - so far!

Grand Cayman is also a place where there is some pretty good food if you are so inclined to indulge in local cuisine. Portofinos, a favorite of my host, offered pretty incredible Italian food and a decent wine list. The Lighthouse Restaurant at Breakers in Grand Cayman also offered a pretty amazing menu. They even had grappa on the menu! One place I wanted to visit and hope to go the next time is Vivine's Kitchen, a place for local cuisine, is located only 500 yards East of Ocean Frontiers at Compass Point.

For more dive information contact [Ocean Frontiers]. For information about staying on the beach near the reef contact[Compass Point Dive Resort].

Beef Jerky, Hells Bay and the River of Grass

2006-02-12T10:22:00.000-08:00

"Everglades has no single feature, no prominent point of interest now or ever. It is a mosaic of many things seen, smelled, heard and endured."

Daniel Beard - first superintendent of Everglades National Park

You start out in a midwest snowstorm and end up in Florida packing nothing but beef jerky, cut-offs, sunscreen, red and yellow kayaks. Travel is great when you do it this way. Homeschooling on the road. Beef jerky at it’s finest, "Catcher in the Rye" for reading and the thoughts of a new adventure.

A drive on the single road through Everglades National Park does not reveal the beauty and magic you can find there. We spent 2 days kayaking in this amazing place and left feeling like we explored only a very small bit of this river of grass.

The Everglades offer some pretty good kayaking spots like “Hells Bay” , “Noble Hammock”, “Nine Mile Loop”, “Mud Lake Loop”, “Bear Lake Canal”, “West Lake”. All come with the caution: “Tides and winds can significantly affect your trip. Do Not overestimate your abilities”. They ought to add “Don’t worry about the alligators - they don’t bite.”

The Native Americans named this place “The River of Grass”. We chose three trails, Hells Bay was one of tightly woven mangroves, West Lake was rough and wavey and a lot of “Need for Speed” fun, but the Nine Mile Loop is where you understand why the original inhabitants named this place the “River of Grass”. The description for this trail reads: “A scenic trail through a shallow sawgrass marsh with scattered islands of mangroves. Watch for alligators, wading birds, and an occasional eagle. Trail marked with numbered white poles. Motors prohibited.” It’s 5.2 miles and takes roughtly 5 1/2 hours to paddle - leisurely. There are 116 trail markers to be exact and it is one of the neatest paddles we have done yet.

Florida Everglades Information

Alligators That Eat Boney Teenagers

2005-12-17T08:31:00.000-08:00

“Let’s go kayaking in the Everglades.”
“ The alligators will eat us. “

“When I wanted to camp at Yellowstone you told me that the bears would get us. When I wanted to go kayaking in Canada you told me that the wolves would get us. As you can see we are still here, one of us very skinny, the other one of us a healthy middle ager. Besides, alligators wouldn’t mess with you, there’s not enough meat on your bones.”

“Sigh.”

I think our trip to the Everglades will happen. We have been talking about going back to Cabbage key with our kayaks, the Everglades are just a bit further South -why not?

"Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results." -Albert Einstein

I'm Pretty Sure It's Not Poison Ivy - The Whole Story

2005-11-08T09:35:00.000-08:00

We often take our schooling on the road. Last February we went to Cabbage Key, Florida to study Botany and Conservation. We're thinking about a return engagement, this time we'l take the kayaks.

My journal from that week...
I'm Pretty Sure It's Not Poison Ivy
Cabbage Key, Florida - February 2005

Does This Kayak Make Me Look Fat?

2005-10-26T20:03:00.000-07:00

Ask your 13 year old that question sometime. When you camp you tend to eat bad food, really bad food. Even in Canada. The fact that people are speaking French all around you doesn’t change that either. It is very difficult to make any kind of sauce over a camp fire - at least this chef hasn’t learned that trick yet. So after days of sausages and granola, one tends to worry about the waistline. We have a guinea pig that gets fat eating lettuce and timothy hay, so I thought the concern over sausage and goodies from HENRIETTA'S PINE BAKERY (Dwight, ON) was legitimate.

Back in August at this very web log I recorded our top 10 paddler tips from our trip to Canada. Since then I've lost those pounds that I worried about. They probably weren't there in the first place but as a person who used to run 5 miles and butterfly the aquatic part of triathlons, I know better than to load up on junk. It was also one of the last times I fretted over such nonsense.

Last night we went to listen to Mikhail Gorbachev speak at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. It was a weighty talk, while we’re on that topic. He described how disappointed he was in globalization and described that the world today needs a little perestroika. I agree. Some of us try to introduce the concept of new thinking for the new world to our kids. As homeschoolers, we’ve already demonstrated the concept of thinking outside the box - or new thinking for the new world - by not accepting mediocre schooling for our kids. But that’s as political as I’ll get here. There are other ways to introduce new thinking. How about taking your kid kayaking just when the leaves are changing colors in a place so rugged it’s just you and God and Elmer Fudd?

We went to Grayson Lake in Northeastern Kentucky two weekends ago. We wanted to go one last cool place before we put the kayaks away for the winter and this was the place we chose. Little did we know it was hunting season. Posted at the very spot we wanted to launch our boats was a sign that said “WARNING: Stay away from Clifty Creek South shore, across from the boat launch area between September 1 and October 1. Dove hunting in progress.” As it was October 8, we launched our boats and I introduced Daffy Duck’s Hunter song, you know the one: “hunters to the left of me, hunters to the right of me, bang, bang, bang.” Made for an interesting paddle for my student. I suppose I could have told him about the movie "Deliverance" and hummed that tune instead, but I was trying to think outside the box.

We sometimes “car-camp” because it adds variety to our travel. Lately we have been camping a lot because we like taking the kayaks with us. The kayaks permit us to explore places you would never otherwise see in some of these places. In some campgrounds we are just amazed at what we see. The campground at Grayson Lake was very interesting needless to say, especially as it was hunting season. Now I always thought hunters were the hearty types, but that shows how inside the box I was thinking. Hunters these days camp in luxury yachts, or “Hilton on Wheels” as my student describes it. Our entire camping experience is set up in under 10 minutes, including the tent and the campfire. And as we sat cooking our hot-dogs over an open fire, we watched these rugged hunters unfurl their awnings and put up their confederate flags, haul out the Barco loungers and set up the satellite dishes for the two day weekend. While all the activity was progressing, we were entertained by a simple example of homeschooler-out-of-the-box thinking. A small boy stopped by our campsite while he was waiting for his parents to set up their camp site. We offered him a hot-dog and between bites in the best Kentucky accent I have ever heard, he asked us if our RV was broken down. My student asked him why he thought that and he replied that “ain’t no one he ever knew that slept in a tent that little” My student replied “Kind of hard to stow an RV in a kayak”.

The secret of education lies in respecting the pupil. It is not for you to choose what he shall know, what he shall do. It is chosen and foreordained and he only holds the key to his own secret.

--Ralph Waldo Emerson

Visit our website at: www.brightkidsathome.com
Visit our GEEK GEAR SHOP at: Daphne's Emporium

Top 10 Paddler Tips

2005-08-24T18:19:00.000-07:00

My student and I have been out on the Kayaks in Algonquin Provincial Park. Boy did we have a ball! I have a lot to write about, but right now we are busy getting ready to start another “school year”. In the meantime have a look at our list of top 10 paddler tips, devised from our experiences at Algonquin and along the way!

1. It is inappropriate sit on the bow of the he Maid of the Mist with your kayak paddles and shout “bring it on” at Niagara falls.

2. Algonquin Provincial park wolves really do exist and will visit your campsite, so don’t worry about the bears.

3. Some of the biggest frogs you have ever seen live at Costello Creek south of Lake Opeongo, in Algonquin Provincial park Ontario. Don’t let them hop into your kayak. The water is cold.

4. No matter what anyone says, vault toilettes were not a good invention.

5. Always wear sunscreen on the lake, especially if you are in a bright yellow kayak.

6. It is not a good idea to run towards a heavily armed ranger hunting a wounded wolf yelling “it wasn’t me, it wasn’t me” at night, in Canada.

7. Half-n-half for coffee does not keep very well in a thermos in the hatch of a touring Kayak.

8. Bilge sponges are not supposed to be used for bathing.

9. No matter how hard you paddle you cannot get your kayaks to fly over a half submerged tree.

10. If the culvert is big enough you can certainly paddle through it. Send the kid in first. Why portage if you don’t have to?

Visit our website at: www.brightkidsathome.com

Paddling and Swatting, Wet Entries, Impossible Boatdocks

2005-07-20T09:30:00.000-07:00

As I wrote last time, for kayaking, a paddle and a fly swatter are necessary in Canada this time of year. The campground we booked in Algonquin sent us a coupon for “OFF”, our suspicions have been confirmed. My student's comment “think this is a hint of things to come mom?” My reply “we’ll be too in to paddling it to notice.”

One thing I have noticed is how interesting people are when they are so into what they do. I know my Guinea Pig is a fascinating creature, she’s very into her plate of lettuce right now. But seriously, yesterday as we got to know our new kayaks on a local lake I noticed how into watersports everyone around me seemed to be. They were interesting to me. There were sailors very intent on catching wind, anglers, well intent on whatever they get intent on, boaters very into speed and dragging people behind their craft, jet skiers, yes I had forgotten about jet skiers, the snowmobilers of the water sports. Even jet skiers are into what they do. My student was so worried that we’d look dumb trying the techniques we were taught in our classes and clinics. I pointed out to him how intent everyone else was around on their floating craft of choice. No one would notice our antics. I suppose it was that thing we all go through as teenagers, not wanting to look dumb in front of anyone. I imagine we were amusing for those into their sunbathing on the beach as we intentionally tossed ourselves from our boats in a variety of amusing ways.

Of all the techniques we have been exposed to, climbing into a kayak from the water (wet entries) and getting out of a kayak at a dock are the two I would consider the “test” for graduation for any new paddler. These are impossible tasks requiring the “doer of the deed” to bend in ways they didn’t even remember that their bodies could. Unless of course one weighs under 100 pounds and don’t care about grace, composure, scrapes and bruises. I am sure the whitewater kayakers have a few moves they’d consider graduation maneuvers, but right now we’re into the touring aspect of this sport, so we’ll save the Snake River for another outing and look forward to our “graduation day”.

Paddling and Swatting

2005-07-14T09:28:00.000-07:00

Well Daphne the Science Guinea Pig is much better thanks to constant “basting” with Betadine. We’ve acquired those new day touring kayaks, Perception Carolina 13.5 and Carolina 14.5 and we chose not to go with Hully Rollers but Yakima Kayak stackers and boat loaders. Our days of renting water craft are over. Had to keep my student away from the trolling motors, we’re going to work on upper body strength and character.

Paddlefest 2005 sealed the deal on the Kayaks. A map of Canada and conversations with other paddlers landed us in Algonquin Provincial Park in Ontario, Canada for our first major adventure. We are currently reading: “A Paddler's Guide to Algonquin Park (Paddler's Guide)” and “Frommer's Algonquin Provincial Park” and awaiting our Algonquin Canoe Routes Map from the “Friends of Algonquin” bookstore. We’ll probably go to some local lakes to practice what we’ve learned in our clinics and classes. From what we understand, a paddle and a fly swatter are necessary in Canada this time of year. Our kayaks are of the “tippy” nature for beginners, so paddling and swatting seem like a skill that needs to be learned and practiced. I suppose we could invest in some Deet.

Now all we have to do is get the rest of the overgrown boxwoods out of the backyard and we are good to go....

The Twenty Five Thousand Dollar Pig, Nerd Parties and Crazy Expectations

2005-07-05T09:24:00.000-07:00

I am writing this blog just moments after I basted the pig. “Excuse me?”you say. Daphne the Science Guinea Pig had surgery last week. We’re down to only having to baste her once a day. I chose nighttime because it’s quiet and she’s half asleep(I am posting this AM however!). We’ve had to irrigate her 7 incisions three times a day for several days, and got to giggling about it one night calling it basting the pig. The surgery was to remove three large tumors in her chest region. My family usually rolls their eyes when I tell them of our antics with Daphne. But when it’s just you and another who’s 13, you do what your reality dictates! My very busy brother who used to call her “the rat” even phoned to inquire about her well being. Daphne charmed him when he was here for Father’s day. We sometimes “pass the pig”, she’s such a social creature. One person snuggles with her and she charms them with a gurgle or a yawn as they scratch her soft back. She managed to charm my brother with a kiss. I had no idea Guinea Pigs gave kisses, until I met Daphne. Needless to say he phoned about her health this week. She’s no longer “the rat”. It was a huge week for us - me. What we do for our kids.

While we were at the veterinarians office for the third time we ran into a friend with whom we’ve discussed the possibility of our owning alpacas and boarding them near her. As we joked about how much it would cost to buy and care for an Alpaca, we guessed $25,000 just to buy a healthy Alpaca, it occurred to me that with all the procedures I have had to have done with Daphne, she may as well be an Alpaca. We have a lady in our homeschool group who actually raises Alpacas for sale and for the wool. She teaches knitting classes at The Farm at Brushy Fork in Owensville, Ohio where you can also meet her Alpacas. I am still considering Alpacas as a hobby. Seems like a mellow way to go as I get further over the hill. Perhaps I’ll travel to Peru before I commit to these more expensive animals.

I love the journey to Owensville to see my friend and the Alpaca lady, though I’ve never taken a knitting class I have considered starting a “Stitch 'n Bitch” in our neighborhood just to get to know my new neighbors better. Stitch-n-Bitch is a new phenomenon in the under 30s age group, (I think the over 40s enjoy it as well) where a group of women meet, learn how to knit and well, bitch. Politics, Religion, men. Nothing is sacred. What better way to get to know my neighbors? Though, I may reconsider this deal because of a flyer that was in our mailbox yesterday. The flyer read:

“Nerd Party - join your neighbors as they celebrate the halfway point of their med school careers. Beer music and entertainment provided. No need to RSVP, but if you choose not to come and feel our shenanigans have become too rowdy, please contact us rather than the local constabulary.”

Seems like these boys have some high expectations and that the Historic District will be rocking Saturday night. Maybe I’ll send them a pizza.

Speaking of crazy expectations, I recently met a person in the cyber-neighborhood who is planning an intimate around the world trip with a complete stranger. They are apparently going to pay all expenses, but it seems those who line up to go must also pay an admission price to get invited to the ball. In order to be included on the dance ticket they have to send a biography and a video of themself so they can be considered. Being the kind of person I am, I asked this person in so many kind words, if they were insane. They replied that they appreciated my honesty and that they were not crazy. We’ve kept in loose contact ever since as this quest has mushroomed. I love to follow the adventures of other travelin’ fools. I hang at TravelBlog some days. The writers there are doing what I did in my youth and what I hope my student will do one day. But back to my cyber-acquaintance, imagine the process one might go through to choose a stranger to travel extensively with. What can one really learn from a crafted biography and a video? When I travel intimately, meaning that the other person has at least seen my toothbrush before, I know going into the deal that we’re at least going to get along and be able to cope cohesively if adverse conditions arise in our journey. What’s so interesting to me about this is the idea of going with a complete stranger with the crazy expectation that the companionship will make the travel more fulfilling. I don’t understand how that might work out. Seems like an incredible personal gamble. I used to travel to some pretty intense places with some pretty intense strangers for business and in those circumstances I found that I was more of an accidental tourist and not the traveler I am. I think that when you want to travel with a companion, it’s to explore another dimension of the person you already know, in another setting away from your “ordinary”, otherwise, I afraid you end up being more of an accidental tourist. I wonder if this is what my cyber-acquaintance’s experience will be like. On the upside, imagine getting to witness the world through the eyes of complete strange who hasn’t seen the stops along the way. It’s a fascinating opportunity to study human nature and human qualities. I can’t wait to see how my cyber-acquaintance’s adventure turns out.

People find adventure in all sorts of ways and travel doesn’t necessarily need to involve geography and it sometimes doesn't turn out the way you thought it would. But that's what makes it an adventure. A lesson I continue to share with my student, especially as we head into yet another week of great adventures.

Journeys in My Own Backyard: The Maiden Voyage Was Flawless....

2005-07-02T09:22:00.000-07:00

I had always hoped I would write that about a great sailboat that I had comsissioned. Haven’t gotten that far in the master plan yet. Have one going to college in a few years, so that plan is in a holding pattern for now. No this maiden voyage was of the antique tub I restored. I refinished it, I hooked up the plumbing, I hung the shower curtain surround. All the maiden voyage needed was a screwdriver. It seemed I neglected to screw down the faucet handles as the hot was running more than cold.

DoWackers that Play Giant Cds and Ed the Scorpion

2005-06-28T12:03:00.000-07:00

Staying on course to travel this summer has been tough. My student and I would much rather play than get this house together. We’ve been spending our time going through boxes in the basement, mainly to stay out of the midwest humidity, but also so we have a place to stow our kayaks. There aren’t many boxes left to survey, but there were 2 two that were fun. They were simply labeled “33LPs - Good Stuff”.

It was the first time my student ever saw an “album”. Man were there some classics: The Who, Stones, Aerosmith, Heart, Bob Marley, Jimmy Cliff, Cat Stevens, Marshall Tucker, Almann Brothers. I had some classic Jazz and Blues too and always the Jimmy Buffett albums, only on these covers Jimmy was skinnier and had more hair. My student wanted to know what the device was called that we played “albums” on. “Oh!” I said.
“The dowacker that plays those giant CDs is called a turntable.”
“That’s dumb. Ebay mom” he said and moved on to another box with dead bugs in it and asked if I remembered Ed the scorpion.

Now Ed was an interesting creature, may he rest in peace. Ed was the brown scorpion that stowed away in our duffle from when we stayed in the High country in Guatemala ,
in the Atitlian region. Scorpions are hardy little beasts. After 2 weeks of the total darkness of the duffle, Ed screamed “sanctuary” from the bottom of the empty bag on my bedroom floor. There I was with a scorpion in my luggage and my then seven year old wide-eyed watching to see what I’d do. Instinct dictated that I swat the tar out of the scorpion with my shoe and scoop him up in the dust-bin, but the terror in my student’s eyes demanded that I take another approach. I scooped the animal up in a jar and called the Zoo. We named the scorpion Ed and drove him to the Zoo where for several years my student believed he lived with the other insects in the insect house. Needless to say, I think Ed ended up at the end of one of the pins in the display cases in the insect house. Poor thing.

Maybe one of these days I will put my albums up for sale at Ebay, but for now these boxes are stowed next to the one box labeled "chuck this in the hole with me when I die".

Journeys in My Own Backyard: Dowackers that Play Giant Cds and Ed the Scorpion

2005-06-28T09:19:00.000-07:00

Once, Daphne the Science Guinea Pig Wanted a Tattoo

2005-06-22T17:27:00.000-07:00

I sat down this morning to plan our trip to Canada. We just got back from a trip in North East Ohio. We went to COSI and then to Ohio Amish country. It was our “end of 7th grade” trip. My student got to pick a place and I got to pick a place. My student chose Science and industry, I chose peace, quiet and a Morris Chair.

We have been traveling to Amish country for years for serenity. Many people who travel in this area come away remembering the Amish people for their quilts and buggies, backward life style and strange dress. I don’t. In fact, I have never seen it that way. As a matter of fact, I think the Amish have the right idea. A simple life. In my opinion, they live much like the Native Americans did/do, taking only what they need from the land. I admire both groups, as I sit here at my computer.

Canada. How does one plan a trip through Eastern Canada? Last year at this time we started our journey across country. We were moving from Utah to Ohio and decided to make journey out of this chore. We had Daphne the Science Guinea Pig with us. We took her camping at Yellowstone National Park where it snowed two of the three nights we camped. That is an interesting tale, Daphne writes about it her FAQ page at our website. You can find her description of her Scientific break through under the topic of "hand warmers".

We also took Daphne to some historic hotels in Wyoming and South Dakota. We stayed at Buffalo Bill’s Irma Hotel in Cody, Wyoming and at the Historic Hotel Alex Johnson in Rapid City South Dakota. At the Alex Johnson, Daphne rode to our room in style on the old time brass luggage carrier, atop our duffel the duffles of several bikers. When we pulled up in front of this hotel there were about 50 classic motorcycles parked in front, many of them Harleys, some were Indians. It seems there was a very large group of bikers staying for the night as well. A great group of wandering souls. Now you are probably imagining bikers and Guinea Pigs and thinking that this is a good place to stay away from. Well, let me tell you, those bikers were some of the most interesing people I’ve ever met and Daphne the Science Guinea pig was the most interesting creature they had ever met. It was a memorable expirience, one I should have photographed but didn’t. Daphne came away with a bandana and a desire for a red and green tattoo.

Maybe I’ll plan our trip to Canada like I planned the trek across country....

Visit our entire storyline at: blog.brightkidsathome.com
Visit our website at: www.brightkidsathome.com

Once, Daphne the Science Guinea Pig Wanted a Tattoo

2005-06-22T09:16:00.000-07:00

I sat down this morning to plan our trip to Canada. We just got back from a trip in North East Ohio. We went to COSI and then to Ohio Amish country. It was our “end of 7th grade” trip. My student got to pick a place and I got to pick a place. My student chose Science and industry, I chose peace, quiet and a Morris Chair.

We have been traveling to Amish country for years for serenity. Many people who travel in this area come away remembering the Amish people for their quilts and buggies, backward life style and strange dress. I don’t. In fact, I have never seen it that way. As a matter of fact, I think the Amish have the right idea. A simple life. In my opinion, they live much like the Native Americans did/do, taking only what they need from the land. I admire both groups, as I sit here at my computer.

Canada. How does one plan a trip through Eastern Canada? Last year at this time we started our journey across country. We were moving from Utah to Ohio and decided to make journey out of this chore. We had Daphne the Science Guinea Pig with us. We took her camping at Yellowstone National Park where it snowed two of the three nights we camped. That is an interesting tale, Daphne writes about it her FAQ page at our website. You can find her description of her Scientific break through under the topic of "hand warmers".

We also took Daphne to some historic hotels in Wyoming and South Dakota. We stayed at Buffalo Bill’s Irma Hotel ” in Cody, Wyoming and at the Historic Hotel Alex Johnson in Rapid City South Dakota. At the Alex Johnson, Daphne rode to our room in style on the old time brass luggage carrier, atop our duffel the duffles of several bikers. When we pulled up in front of this hotel there were about 50 classic motorcycles parked in front, many of them Harleys, some were Indians. It seems there was a very large group of bikers staying for the night as well. A great group of wandering souls. Now you are probably imagining bikers and Guinea Pigs and thinking that this is a good place to stay away from. Well, let me tell you, those bikers were some of the most interesing people I’ve ever met and Daphne the Science Guinea pig was the most interesting creature they had ever met. It was a memorable expirience, one I should have photographed but didn’t. Daphne came away with a bandana and a desire for a red and green tattoo.

Maybe I’ll plan our trip to Canada like I planned the trek across country....

Journeys in My Own Back Yard: Ferocious Wolves and Pizza Eating Yogis

2005-06-09T09:15:00.000-07:00

Recently we moved into the city. We have a park nearby. This morning t 6 AM, I decided to start power walking again. I headed up the hill - straight up the hill. At the top of the hill where the path through the woods to the park begins, I saw a wild animal. Well, I saw his (or her) hindquarters and a fluffy tail resembling that of a wolf.

I froze. I waited. I turned off my Jimmy Cliff CD and hoped this creature would disappear. I braved the path slowly remembering the Dimple Dell Canyon in Utah I used to walk where they warned of lions, tigers and bears - oh my (no really, it was coyotes, wolves and mountain lions). I completed this wild city path without another sighting of the ferocious wolf. Once I was actually in the park, I passed a person peacefully practicing yoga. I figured a wolf of all creatures would respect a yogi. I sighted another power walker and asked them if they had ever encountered a wolf in the park. She said there were no wolves and that she was glad I saw the local fox.

When I returned home from my walk, my garden was populated with a lizard, a snake and a hummingbird. A good day was beginning for sure.

When my student got up, for what I hoped was one of our last days of school work, I told him about the wolf-fox. He laughed. He wanted to know where the path came out because we tried to find it the other night from the park-side. When we went for coffee and croissants, I drove to the park to show him. The yogi was the only other person in the park I observed, still peaceful as the time of day. I showed my student where the path came out. As we left the park a Dominos pizza delivery truck was entering the park. My student said “20 bucks says the yogi ordered a pizza.” “It’s like you and your Twinkies ”. We giggled.

Book Burners and a Rare White Buffalo

2005-06-08T09:13:00.000-07:00

There are days when my email is just loaded with all kinds of goodies. I can join in a debate going on between left and right-wing homeschoolers about a list of books that should not be read, I can get directions to go see a rare white buffalo , I can track those items I ordered from LL Bean.

The living gets easy when I’m winding down the school year. Well, I never actually ring the “dismissal” bell at our school, we just switch gears from being bookworms to traveling fools.

We have our list for this summer. COSI is at the top, followed closely by Niagara Falls , Quebec City , Prince Edward Island. We also want to buy those kayaks and spend a few days at a lake, maybe near the white buffalo's farm, learning all the “stuff” we’ll need to know to take them to Cabbage Key this winter. Yep, our summer is planned. Now if we could just finish the work in the Algebra book!

Sleeping on a rock under a hankie, continued

2005-06-01T09:08:00.000-07:00

So here we are in the wee hours, Daphne the Science Guinea Pig is chewing on her timothy hay and one of my neighbors is either drunk or really upset with his dog because he’s been outside for the last 20 minutes calling somebody’s name.

May is great sleeping weather, you don’t need the furnace and you don’t need the air conditioner either because you can sleep with the windows open. This time of year is also great for camping, that’s why we went last weekend. We beat the Memorial Day crowds and the muggy humidity that the midwest is sometimes known for.

We camped at Daniel Boone National forest in the Zilpo Campground. I can honestly recommend campsite H17, H18, H19 as the choice spots. On the lake, private and just far enough away from the bathrooms. At night you can hear the muskies jumping in the lake, the raccoons looking for goodies and my student crunching on crackers - all accompanied by darkness.

The one thing I can say about camping is that in the woods with all of the creatures I can possibly imagine, I’m always dog-tired, and I typically manage to find the one unlevel spot for my Kelty mummy bag. Every time I camp I tell myself I should have gone for the LL Bean Burrito Bag because the mummy bag isn’t very good for mommies. For whatever reason this sleeping bag manages to transform me into a real stiff mummy by morning. Maybe I should have paid attention to the name. However this time, I decided it was time for my student to enjoy the privilege of an “adult” sleeping bag and I would take the one that unzips completely leaving me plenty of room to toss, turn and easily grab crackers away from crunchers in the dark.

Just as I got settled in under the unzipped hankie and the crackers stowed, my student asked me to recall the time we slept at Alta in the snow. I was just getting started on envisioning tucking myself in at the Four Seasons Hotel in Boston, then I traveled in my mind to the The Ritz-Carlton at Amelia Island Florida and then on to Le Meridien Etoile in Paris and the New Otani in Tokyo and I was being asked to revisit this camping trip to 10 below zero weather. Sigh. I decided it would be more fun to remember the Hotel Atitlan, Guatemala and the brown scorpion we accidentally brought back from the lake country in Guatemala. We named the scorpion Ed and donated him to the local zoo but that’s a story for another day.

Also as part of our “little getaway” we took a kayak lesson with the Cave Run Bicycle and Outdoor Center . April was a great instructor and managed to get us seriously thinking about a bigger kayak adventure. As I have written before after we get our new house settled, we intend to go to Niagara Falls, though no kayaking will be involved. I read that you can stay at a lighthouse on Prince Edward Island , Canada so that is on our list to do.

The kayak instruction went beautifully and we now feel we can at least intelligently try out a variety of water craft for our future adventures. My student ended up taking the lesson, mainly because tiddlywinks are difficult to find in Kentucky, but also, kayaking it seems, is a sequential activity. Our instructor went through the concepts step by step, instead of tiddlywinks, my student went "tilt, tilt, tilt" on the dock. It seemed the visual instruction in his head and the steps presented weren't quite lining up and he was eventually forced to join us on the water to actually learn the strokes and moves. I knew I'd love this sport!

With this entry we have joined a group of other intrepid travelers over at travelblog.org . We're dual blogging now!

Sleeping on a rock under a hankie

2005-05-26T09:06:00.000-07:00

Between the appliance guy and the foreman on the Painted Teenagers gas line project, it's 1:43 PM and I still haven't gotten down to writing about our kayak lesson from this past weekend. As many ideas as I have to describe and share this story, I just can't get to it and it will probably have to wait until next week or until the wee hours one of these days. Living in a Painted Teenager and homeschooling teenager who doesn't like to write just doesn't leave any time for me to write! Perhaps things will slow down tomorrow and I can tell you the tale of sleeping on a rock under a hankie!

Traveling Feet and No Curb for the Garbage

2005-05-15T09:04:00.000-07:00

When you homeschool, it’s pretty easy to get moved into a new house. Or is it? My mother just can’t understand why I haven’t got all the boxes unpacked yet being at home all day. Allow me to explain.

My student is a visual spatial learner, so that involves a high level of discussion on most topics. I would imagine that by the time I die or my student goes off to college (which ever comes first) I will have uttered trillions of words. This year we started Latin, Philosophy, Algebra and for fun, Sacred Geometry. Sure I use books, videos, other people and travel, but the fact remains that my student feeds his brain verbally and through pictures. Reading is a godsend. My student is a sponge when fed appropriately. This learning style however puts quite the damper on honing writing skills. I remind my middle school age student constantly that the SAT now requires a written essay. We painfully work on writing. We immensely enjoy the Jim Borgman cartoon named “Just Shoot Me Now” that hangs in our “classroom”, and use it as our inspiration imagery. We work on Grammar.

This morning in the New York Times was an article that leads one to believe that the essay portion of the SAT is not going to be considered seriously by some of the top Universities because critical thinking cannot be measured in a brief essay. Can critical thinking be measured in the interview instead? We would happily skip writing and go back to reading and unpacking boxes. Perhaps I’ll put the “Times” out on the curb before my teenager comes down for breakfast. Wait, there is no curb today.

I told my student that when we got our house all settled, we’d go see Niagara Falls. Little did I know that the City had other plans for us. The day we moved into our house there was a sign on the street that said “No Parking between 8 AM and 5 PM”. This range didn’t leave much of a window to unload a moving truck. The Historic District is having the original gas lines replaced, I was informed. The Painted Teenagers were moving into the 21st Century. Needless to say I got to know the foreman on the project very well. He allowed the moving truck access to my door for the two days it took us to move in. Logistically our move could have been a nightmare. I was moving stuff from an apartment and from a storage bin to this house without a driveway in the city, in the Historic District. The nightmare started when it was our turn to have our curb, sidewalk and front lawn removed. Where does one put 2 moving trucks worth of packing material and today’s New York Times when the City decides to remove your curb?

Painted lady or painted teenager?

2005-05-10T09:03:00.000-07:00

Well, I’ve taken a few days off. I recently bought a house that was built in 1880 and we’re in the process of moving in. If you’re an “old house person” I probably don’t need to say anything more, but for those who live in the ‘burbs allow me.

A house that was built in 1880 definitely has “character”, one all it’s own. This house is one of “the painted ladies” in the historic district of our city so we have a lot of “tourists” so we keep the houses looking nice. The color palette I see out my window is better than a Caribbean rainbow. Now typically when you hear “painted lady” you think of the huge Victorians with lots of gingerbread and colors. Many of the houses in our neighborhood are “Folk Victorian” (painted teenagers?). When you look at the color on the houses you can’t help but wonder how much fun the people who live in them must be. There’s a lot of whimsy in the color palette here. The houses are tucked into the hillside and have a view of the river. Many sit on stone foundations, but that’s a story for another day.

A house that is over 100 years old always offers you a project or two and that’s what I have been doing. What does this have to do with our kayak trip? Before I can go , I have to restore the bathroom. It has a bear claw tub and an older pedestal sink and a stained glass window, painted or rusted shut. Need I say more? I did get a break to make our reservations. We’re going to go to Daniel Boone National Forrest The kayak lesson I hope will be on Cave Run Lake. We decided that camping was in order as it is Spring and our camping gear is one of the boxes we have managed to unpack. We’ll be dining on camp food, pondering the sequential paddling instructions we’ll receive and one of us might be playing tiddly winks, or reading Watership Down

Poison Ivy (continued)

2005-05-06T09:01:00.000-07:00

A JOURNAL ENTRY: Day 3 - Cabbage Key
At Cabbage Key we leased the Tarpon Research station. The original buildings on Cabbage Key were built in 1929, by Alan Rinehart and Grace Houghton Rinehart as their winter estate. The Rineharts financed the research lab in 1940. It’s a rustic place and a good place to study Botany. Even though it was clear the effect of hurricane Charley remained, the island was managing to recover...

Well I am pretty sure it isn’t poison ivy

2005-05-03T13:36:00.000-07:00

A JOURNAL ENTRY:
The whole point of Cabbage Key was to study Botany and do nothing. That’s what we did for seven days. Cabbage Key is directly across from marker 60 on the Florida Intercoastal Waterway. That’s due west form Pine Island, Florida, USA. . Sanibel and Captiva islands are 8 miles to the south. The high point of this morning so far was watching Chip the dockmaster at Cabbage Key replace the Channel Mark signs stolen away by hurricane Charley. This high point however was soon replaced by our sighting a lone dolphin scoot by the dock.

We debated if reading "A Farewell to Arms" by Ernest Hemingway is considered doing nothing. But we decided reading was an activity, especially when it’s Hemingway, so we went back to watching the dolphins and the Osprey. My student was learning that it was very difficult to do nothing.....

Our “school days” on Cabbage key begin on our dock reading. Along with studying Botany, we’re finishing "A Farewell to Arms" and “Sophie’s World” by Jostein Gaarder. When you travel to an Island that you can only get to by boat you choose your school materials carefully. We thought Botany, Philosophy and Hemingway made an interesting accompaniment to learning the art of doing nothing.

News Flash - Homeschooler plays tiddlywinks

2005-05-02T13:34:00.000-07:00

So I asked my student today if he was going to participate in our kayak lesson. He wants to stay on the dock and watch. He apparently has the whole kayak thing worked out. I asked him if he was going to read or play tiddlywinks. After the giggle, he asked what tiddlywinks were. I told him we would go to the toy store to get a set so he would be prepared for his wait while I enjoyed my kayak lesson.

Unfortunately the toy store did not have a set of tiddlywinks, so I did the next best thing. I googled “tiddlywinks”. You can get a set at a place called www.sillyasstoys.com and there is an entire website dedicated to the sport: www.tiddlywinks.org. We read about the sport, we read the strategies and the history. I think my student will giggle too much to actually get down to a real game of tiddlywinks on the boat dock.

One of the things I have found that is very important to an education is how to fine tune your skills at doing absolutely nothing. In our busy, schedule driven world, the art of doing nothing has disappeared. A while ago, I told my student that doing nothing really is a lost art. We spend so much time fussing over our Math lessons, our Science projects running here and there and planning our next trip that doing nothing never happens. So, this past February I decided it was time for my student to learn how to do nothing, but not just to learn how to do nothing, get good at doing nothing - in style! And that's what we did.

I wrote earlier about Cabbage Key and this was the place where my student perfected his art of doing nothing. To refresh your geography, Cabbage Key is accessible only by boat, helicopter or seaplane and is located 20 miles northwest of Ft. Myers and 5 miles south of Boca Grande. (For sailors, Cabbage Key is directly across from marker 60 on the Florida Intercoastal Waterway. Sanibel and Captiva islands are 8 miles to the south.) There are no cars on the island, not even a paved road. You find winding nature trails, picturesque views and relaxation.

On Cabbage Key, I have to admit we did nothing - most of the time and there were no tiddlywinks involved - really. As homeschoolers it really is hard not to turn events into teaching moments. One good thing I have found with homeschooling is that your student eventually turns his own events into teaching moments without you and that's one of the fringe benefits you get with homeschooling. Your student learns how to educate himself. When we weren't doing nothing, we were studying the plants on the island because apparently there are mangroves (and other plants) there that aren't many other places in Florida. Unfortunately, the hurricane did a pretty good number on the island and much of the nature was disturbed, but not destroyed. Mother nature truely is amazing in how she repairs herself.

Kayaking on the Blue Nile and the Nile

2005-04-30T13:31:00.000-07:00

A MOVIE DESCRIPTION:
“Mystery of the Nile
On Christmas day of 2003, world famous adventurer Pasquale Scaturro and a team of explorers and filmmakers set out on an epic quest to become the first to complete a full descent of the world's greatest rivers—the Blue Nile and the Nile—from source to sea. Four months later, on April 28 at 7:01 a.m., Scaturro and his expedition partner Gordon Brown, completed this 3,250-mile dream when they reached the mouth of the Nile at the Mediterranean Sea.

Their remarkable expedition is the basis for Mystery of the Nile, a brand new, extraordinary OMNIMAX® film. Audiences will take a rugged journey through crocodile-infested waters, enormous waterfalls, giant rapids and breathtaking lakes.....”

In my mind it wasn’t the Blue Nile that was the star of this film, it was Gordon Brown, intrepid kayak-guy who was the safety guide for the journey we witnessed. No I don’t ever fancy myself a white water kayaker, I’ll be happy with touring the shores of Prince Edward Island, but some of the things Gordon could do with maneuvering his water craft was really amazing.

My student cannot imagine why we need paddle lessons. As a homeschooler, he is rather fond of books and believes that we can get what we need about kayaking from the diagrams in our kayak instruction book, but that’s the difference between a visual learner and a sequential learner. This sequential learner needs step by step instructions for safety and comfort. This sequential learner needs a person to show them how to get into the kayak at the dock!

We plan to take our school on the road this summer to Canada. I read that you can stay in a lighthouse on Prince Edward Island and that’s what we intend to do. We want to go to Maine to kayak. We hear it's great there, but we're still researching that idea. We also plan to see Niagara Falls, although, kayaks will NOT be involved.

Mount a trolling motor on your kayak

2005-04-29T13:28:00.000-07:00

Hi,
I saw at your website that you were going to host a “Beginners Kayak/Canoe Clinic” on May 22. Is this information current? Do I need a reservation?
-Amy

"Yes the dates are current. I prefer for people to pre-register for the clinics. Just give John a call at the shop and he will take your information."
Thanks, April

When we were at Cabbage Key, Florida in February, we wished for a kayak many of the days. Cabbage Key is accessible only by boat, helicopter or seaplane and is located 20 miles northwest of Ft. Myers and 5 miles south of Boca Grande. (For sailors, Cabbage Key is directly across from marker 60 on the Florida Intercoastal Waterway.

Sanibel and Captiva islands are 8 miles to the south.) There are no cars on the island, not even a paved road. You find winding nature trails, picturesque views and relaxation. And after our school days were done, that’s what we did, relax.

On about the 6th day of our stay we saw the ultimate kayak. It was a touring kayak that had a fishing boat trolling motor attached. I couldn’t believe it. These two people had taken relaxing to the ultimate level. They were in the middle of the bay sporting fishing hats, in motorized touring kayaks stalking snooks. If they hadn’t been so far away from shore I would have inquired about the idea of cup holder on board the kayak. As part of my research into a kayak purchase, I “googled” “Mount a trolling motor on your kayak”. The search actually yielded interactions to accomplish this feat.

I have decided that a motorized kayak is not the thing to do. We are going to learn how to kayak the old fashioned way with a paddle. Apparently this requires instruction, we’re scheduling a lesson in May.

Do we really need a "hully roller"?

2005-04-28T13:24:00.000-07:00

“Should we get the kayak stacker or the boat loader”?

You never know what kind of answer you’re going to get from a preteen in a sporting goods store.

“The boat loader mom, or you can get the hully rollers and the mako-saddles.”

I needed an explanation of the “hully roller”, because I had a different image in my head than what was actually being presented. Ahh, communication, isn’t it wonderful? You just never know what new bit of information you’re going to get from a homeschooler. It’s not that homeschoolers are any different than anyone else, it’s just that we intentionally take more time to actually think about things, at least that’s what I like to believe. I know that when I get an answer like this, it will have been thoroughly researched and the confidence behind the one sentence answer could yield a rather lengthy explanation should I require it.

I love being on the water, in the water, near the water. I thought a kayak would be a great way to do all of the above. There’s a lot of history to water transportation like this. Some people believe that the ancients traveled extensively using this mode of transportation, or something similar. I just believe it will be a great way to get to some of those places we may never get to see otherwise. The history lessons, the physics, the science, the math, the navigation will all be the great "amenities" that will come with this acquisition. But a kayak is also going to be another great excuse to take our homeschool on the road - or on the water in this case.

Making an addition to the family like this requires research. It seems it might be another lifestyle change of sorts, similar to the decision to homeschool but with different questions. Where does one store a kayak? How does one get a kayak from the top of the car to the water? How does one get into a kayak without rolling it over into the water? Can you really stow camping gear in one without getting your only source of nighttime comfort wet? Is there a cup holder on board? All burning questions we’ll need to answer before we invest in this new family member.

Log Book: Cabbage Key, Florida USA

2005-02-14T13:25:00.000-08:00

Cabbage Key, Florida - February 2005 I'm Pretty Sure It's Not Poison Ivy

DAY 1 & 2
The whole point of Cabbage Key was to study Botany and do nothing. That’s what we did for seven days. Cabbage Key is directly across from marker 60 on the Florida Intercoastal Waterway. That’s due west form Pine Island, Florida, USA. . Sanibel and Captiva islands are 8 miles to the south. The high point of this morning so far was watching Chip the dockmaster at Cabbage Key replace the Channel Mark signs stolen away by hurricane Charley. This high point however was soon replaced by our sighting a lone dolphin scoot by the dock.

We debated if reading "A Farewell to Arms" by Ernest Hemingway is considered doing nothing. But we decided reading was an activity, especially when it’s Hemingway, so we went back to watching the dolphins and the Osprey. My student was learning that it was very difficult to do nothing.

Our “school days” on Cabbage key begin on our dock reading. Along with studying Botany, we’re finishing "A Farewell to Arms" and “Sophie’s World” by Jostein Gaarder. When you travel to an Island that you can only get to by boat you choose your school materials carefully. We thought Botany, Philosophy and Hemingway made an interesting accompaniment to learning the art of doing nothing.

DAY 3
At Cabbage Key we leased the Tarpon Research station. The original buildings on Cabbage Key were built in 1929, by Alan Rinehart and Grace Houghton Rinehart as their winter estate. The Rineharts financed the research lab in 1940. It’s a rustic place and a good place to study Botany. Even though it was clear the effect of hurricane Charley remained, the island was managing to recover. Our study of Botany involves photographing and identifying 40 vascular and 5 non-vascular plants. Cabbage Key is a great place to do just that. So was a neighboring island Cayo Costa.

DAY 4
Cayo Costa is a Florida State park where you can find and abundance of wild life and plant life. We saw osprey, sharks and sea urchins. We also photographed many different plant species. Cayo Costa is another island you can only access by boat but it is well worth the effort. There are secret lagoons, miles of unspoiled beach and acres of wild Florida. This place allows you to imagine what Native Floridians lived like. You can camp at Cayo Costa and there are primitive cabins you can rent, but we chose to stay at cabbage Key.

DAY 5
There are some very good nature trails at Cabbage Key, there is also something very good at the restaurant here. Magically, between the hours of 11 & 2 PM hoards of boats bringing people for lunch ascend on this island. We ate dinner up at the main building but then there is no parade for dinner, so one of these days we’ll meander over there at lunch, but today we’re content watching the boats come and in enjoying our studies on the dock.

They say Jimmy Buffett wrote his song “Cheeseburger in Paradise” at Cabbage Key. There’s a nice photo of him in the bar here. In fact the the bar and the entire main building walls are lines with dollar bills stapled and taped up. There are thousands of them and Mr. Buffet's is framed along with his photo. Today is the day we’re going to go for Cheeseburgers. In fact, that’s the big plan for today, but we’ll see. It is cloudy today, so we don’t expect the parade of boats. At dawn there was a parade of birds at our boatdock however. It might indicate the front they predicted is really going to arrive. Each day I watch the osprey dive for fish at around 4 PM. Today is the first day they’ve been at it this early.

Taking the learning on the road is one of the great things about homeschooing. It can be done rather inexpensively if you choose do it that way, or you can spend a royal fortune; fun, but not really necessary. There isn‘t a tuition paid anywhere that can bring your student what they can learn traveling. We generally travel to a place for a specific reason. In the case of Cabbage Key we wanted to study plants. We took the books: Botany in a Day: The Patterns Method of Plant Identification by Thomas J. Elpel, Guide to the Vascular Plants of Florida by Richard P. Wunderlin, Bruce Hansen, Bruce F. Hansen, Florida Wild Flowers and Roadside Plants by Ritchie C. Bell, Bryan J. Taylor and several rolls of film to photograph plant life so we could assemble a presentation of our study and identify the plants later at home. We always come away from a place with more experience and knowledge than we expect. For example, on this trip my student learned how to navigate a small water craft through oyster beds and mangrove keys.

My student also learned how to “almost catch” a fish as big as himself - or so it looked. Fishing is a big deal here. Many people have large fishing poles on their boats and we can see boats sitting for hours in shallow water fishing. I always imagine what it is like for the fish. It would be like if my cup of coffee here was the bait and when I drank it I would be ripped out of this chair from the face of existence as I know it. Wow.

DAY 6
Today I am going to have another cheeseburger. The main activity yesterday was to find out what the attraction was at the main building at lunchtime, and now I know, it was the burgers. Boy were they good. The other big thing scheduled for today is to talk to the captain who will be taking us back to the mainland. The big decision is to go on Saturday morning or on Sunday morning. The front they predicted arrived, there’s no rain but there are tremendous winds. The temperature dropped from the high 70’s to the mid 50’s, so it’s difficult to do nothing on the dock today. Even a hike on the island’s trails would be difficult because the sand is blowing. We met a man yesterday on the dock that was going camping at Cayo Costa. I thought about him this morning as I made my coffee in semi warmth. He didn’t have a sleeping bag, so I imagine he was pretty chilly. Today is also the first day I had trouble getting my student to do his reading. I suppose everyone who chooses to home school hits difficult days. I think back to the days when I was in a classroom and remember how I longed to be anywhere else but in that classroom and I look at my student being stubborn about reading this morning in this beautiful place. I wonder how many other homeschooling moms play with the idea of sending their students to a school just so they understand how the many of their peers are being educated.

Log Book: West Indies, Caribbean

2004-02-14T13:16:00.000-08:00

West Indies, Caribbean 2004

A Little Bit About Irie
How do you describe the Caribbean to someone who hasn't experienced it? That's what I tried to do with my student. You can't describe it - well not really. The pictures you'll see on these pages will not color the sea the right shades of blue, will not allow you to feel the salt air, will not allow you to know the culture of the Caribbean. You'll have to go there to enjoy that! These web pages are intended to introduce you to 12 beautiful islands in the Caribbean. The photographs on these pages will allow you to preview some of the sites and people you'll find in the West Indies. These pages will also introduce you to some of the "pirates" you may find there sailing on Windjammer ships.

Taking your homeschool on the road is always an experience. Many people have heard of homeschooling but still ask a lot of questions anyway. Once they find out they are in the middle of your "classroom", they share a wealth of information with your student - especially if he is willing to ask questions.

We sailed for 13 days on the S/V Mandalay, one of the prettiest ships I have ever seen. We met some of the most interesting people on this trip, and the best part was that these interesting people were also great pirates! So in part this web site is for them, but it is also our class review of the 13 days we spent in the Caribbean.

Ship Facts: Mandalay

They say the Mandalay is the queen of the Windjammer fleet. Here's why. It is a 236 foot Barquentine commissioned by E.F. Hutton in 1923.

A Barquentine is a vessel with at least three masts, all of them fore-and-aft rigged, except for the foremost one, which is square rigged. Three-masted barquentines were very common in the Baltic and the North Sea, and three- and four-masted barquentines also sailed on deep-water trades. A number of five-masted barquentines were built, and even some six-masted ones in America. It can be argued that the barquentine belongs to the family of schooners; indeed, in Scandinavian languages the barquentine is referred to as a "schooner ship".

E.F. Hutton sold this beautiful ship in the 1930's because his wife didn't like the size of it and he built a sister ship called the "Sea Cloud", which we saw in Antigua. What's not to like about the Mandalay?

It has a crew of 30, it has 72 berths and a Draft of 15 ft. It's the kind of ship you only see in the movies, but I got to sail on it to some really neat remote Islands.

Grenada
From Grenada's first sighting by Christopher Columbus in 1498 all the way up to 1650 when French settlement began the indigenous Caribs greatly resisted European settlement on Grenada.

For me Grenada was the perfect "intro" to the sights, smells, sounds and the people of the Caribbean. We had a cab driver nicknamed "One Time" he pointed out all different kinds of plants like Cocoa, Nutmeg and this one plant with flowers that had 37 different colors on them! He also showed us the Dasheen plant that Callaloo is made of. He took us to Concord falls and Dougaldston Spice Estate. At the spice estate we saw drying Cocoa Beans, Cinnamon bark and Nutmeg pods. Then we went to Concord falls for a swim and after that we went back to the ship.

Carriacou - "Land of Many Reefs"

The island of Carriacou has awesome beaches and a pace of life that can only be described as slow motion. There are about 12,000 residents on Carriacou, and half of them are goats! Carriacou has great views of the neighboring Grenadines and a couple of near shore islets of its own that can be visited for picnicking and snorkeling like Sandy Island.

When we were in Carriacou we took the island tour we saw hand made boats, sugar mills and the Carriacou museum that had Carib Indian artifacts. It also housed the artwork of Canute Caliste. His style is "folk art" and feature Island people and local scenery. One of his paintings hangs in the White house. We also learned that there's no local lakes or rivers and that people have to catch the rainwater in their own cisterns to have water for their family and gardens. Carriacou once had sugar cane plantations, but they are now farming fields with a variety of plants for food. One of the sugar cane plantations now hosts a Jazz festival every year. The other beautiful tree that grows here is the Mahogany tree which furniture is made from.

I also learned about more that 100 rum shops in less than 3 sq miles. These rum shops will sell different rums as well as Jack Iron rum. Jack Iron rum I learned can be used as lighter fluid as I learned from Tuck! Tuck also told me that Jack Iron rum is made in Trinidad and sold throughout the Caribbean. It's the same stuff that Windjammer buys, in Trinidad, for Swizzles. On the Mandalay, they keep the Jack Iron rum on deck in huge barrels. Tuck has a great collection of information about rum if you want to learn more: "Rums of the Caribbean" - about halfway down the page.

After the tour we spent the rest of the day goofing off and snorkeling at Sandy Island (it's really a Sand Spit island!)

Union Island
Tour Book description of St. Vincent and Grenadines: A multi-island nation well known to wintering yachties, aristocrats and rock stars but off the beaten path for most other visitors. St Vincent is a refreshingly rugged and raw-edged backwater, while the 30 islands and cays that comprise the Grenadines are among the most popular cruising grounds in the Caribbean. The Grenadines reach like stepping stones between St Vincent and Grenada and are surrounded by coral reefs and clear blue waters ideal for diving, snorkeling and boating. Fewer than a dozen are inhabited, and even these are lightly populated and barely developed. Although some of the Grenadines, like Mustique and Palm Island, cater to the rich and famous, others, like Bequia and Union Island, attract an international crew of sea salts and beachcombers and offer decent places to stay and eat.

Union Island was a beach day for us. We walked along the beach and snorkeled a little bit (that's where we saw the flying fish but my web picture is from a book called "Coral Reefs of the Caribbean, The Bahamas and Florida" by Alfonso Silva Lee and Roger E. Dooley I bought in Bequia). It was a rainy day so we basically hung out. My friend Spice and I took on a crab with an attitude. While we were skipping rocks, he came out of the ocean with his pinchers armed! He was not happy that we had invaded his beach! He chased us, then we chased him and we tried to fool him, but he was a smart crab! He eventually retreated to the ocean, quite proud that he had kept his beach free from humans.

I also learned about knot tying along the way. In Bequia, I bought a book called" Knots and Splices" by Cyrus L. Day and I practiced tying knots. Between, Duane, the First Mate, Kevin one of the deckhands and Captain Matt, I learned quite a few really useful knots. If you are interested in seamanship and knots, Tuck sent me some really good links: Boy's Manual Of Seamanship And Gunnery & BOY'S MANUAL OF SEAMANSHIP AND GUNNERY: SECOND I NSTRUCTION SECOND INSTRUCTION

Mayreau

On Mayreau we hiked to the top of the island and visited the only school on the island where we watched Crystal, the Activities Mate from the Mandalay, play hopscotch with the kids. The School on Mayreau is Mandalay's adopted school. They bring school supplies donated by Windjammer and passengers and other items to the school. We sent some school supplies to the school too.

We also encountered some high school students who were aboard the sailing vessel Spirit of Massachusetts while we were at the school on Mayreau. The Spirit of Massachusetts is a ship used by Outward Bound Hurricane Island School where high school age students can test their mettle sailing in the Caribbean for 90 days. The ship itself is similar to sailing ships that came to the Americas and West Indies in the 1700 & 1800s.

After our stop at the school of Mayreau, we hiked to the other side of the island to Saltwhistle Bay and got something to drink. We saw the cemetry on Mayreau on our hike to Salt Whistle Bay. People live a long time it seems here on Mayreau. Tuck sent me some really good photos of the cemetary and he said I could post them here.

After some pineapple juice and feeling rather lazy we took a water taxi back around the island to where the Mandalay was anchored. For lunch we had a picnic on the beach. The crew went to a lot of trouble to make this picnic happen. They hauled food and grills and tables from the ship to the beach. They were really hard workers. After lunch we went sea kayaking. We got sunburned!

Some things I learned about Mayreau was that it had just gotten electricity within the last two years and that it was a private island owned by the Eustace family until 1915. Eventually it became part of St. Vincent but is still governed by Eustace family heirs. It's a really good place to just get away from it all!!

Tobago Cays

We got into Tobago Cays early in the morning and went ashore before it got crowded. We hiked around a bit and found the fisherman's conch shell depository and found some really cool shells. Then we went to the other side of the island and hiked up to the top of the island and we could see really far! Around eleven o'clock the private yachts started to come in and destroy the calm and peace of the island. Before going back to the ship we walked the beach which was becoming more and more crowed. We saw coral fragments lying on the beach that I decided were broken off by all the boats coming in and not caring about destroying this beautiful place. I think it's good that countries are reserving more and more land for national parks.

Bequia

We got in to Bequia around dinner-time. Earlier that morning I stumped captain Matt with the question "does Mac's pizza deliver to the ship?" I had the whole ship rocking in laughter but it was a honest question! Apparently they didn't so we went ashore to enjoy some of the best darn pizza on Bequia at Mac's. Right as the pizza was set in front of me Clunk! I fell asleep right in my pizza. We boxed up the best darn pizza with the imprint of my face on it and headed back to the ship. The next morning it was kind of raining but we went to model boat builder shops and to a street festival. After that we went back to the ship for lunch and to get ready for our trip to Moonhole on the southern point of the island.

The trip to Moonhole wasn't a paved road. Most of the way we were bouncing around and watching out for chickens on the road. When we got there it started to rain again but we still had fun. Moonhole is a private house made entirely of rock and into the hillside. But Moonhole is also a sea side arch that during some parts of the year the moon can be seen through it.The original house was right under the arch but a rock fell from the bottom of the arch and fell through the house so they moved up the hill 100 or so feet. You can see the ocean 360 degrees around you. Frigate birds hover around you and the ocean breeze hits you in the face and you know this is bliss. We stopped at the open kitchen and the adults had rum punch and I had fresh limeade. I go to feed the giant turtles who lived there. Our time finally came to an end like all good things do but when I left there I had a new definition of bliss.

St. Vincent

We got into St. Vincent early in the morning after we dropped anchor we had breakfast. The sail to St. Vincent was a rough all night sail. Captain Matt did a great job despite a blown out foresail. The speedboats came to take us to Baleine falls just after breakfast. It was a hour long boat ride. We stopped at some pretty good places. One stop was at a "bat cave" which was a cave that has some interesting formations. Another one of our stops was at the Pirates of the Caribbean set. That was a great movie!

"The biggest DVD in film history was shot in St.Vincent and the Grenadines.The Ministry of Tourism and Culture of St.Vincent and the Grenadines played host to Disney Films in 2002/2003 for the filming of the box office smash PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN. The movie set was built locally at the Ottley Hall Marina and Shipyard and at Wallilabou on the Leeward side of the island.More than half the film was actually shot in SVG".

Along the way was also saw LaSoufriere, St. Vincent's active volcano.

The waves near the stop for Baleine falls were pretty intense, some of the people on our boat though they were maybe 10 foot waves. It made for an interesting landing. After we landed we hiked up to the falls. It wasn't a paved trail, it was a real jungle hike. We waded though deep pools and streams to get to the actual falls. When we got to the falls, we went swimming and a couple of people in my opinon, who were half crazy, climbed half way up the falls and jumped into the pool below.

After the falls we went to where the actors stayed during the filming of Pirates of the Caribbean at Wallilobou Bay. We had a really good West Indian Lunch. After lunch our speed boat captain took us to a black beach for a swim. The landing was in really deep water and the sand really was black! I brought back a bag of black sand that Tim scooped up for me. The beach was really pretty. It was bordered by Sea Almond Trees that were just starting to bloom pink. After our swim and on our way back to the Mandalay, we were treated to a siting of rare Osprey. (Birds in St. Vincent)

The Osprey, a bird of prey is related to the Hawk and the New World vulture, it is found near water in most parts of the world. American Osprey, or fish hawk, has white underparts and a wingspan of 5 to 6 ft.. It feeds and solely exclusively on all live fish and is usually seen hovering over the water, into which it plunges feet first to grasp its prey.

After our day long adventure to Baleine falls we went back to the ship. Dinner and bed felt really good!

St. Lucia

When we got into Castries bay in the morning, there was a slight drizzle of rain but even still Captain Matt still moved Mandalay up to the dock perfectly. Since Castries had dock that the Mandalay could pull straight up to, we took on fresh water. While Mandalay was busy with that we went on an 4x4 jeep tour through a banana plantation and a water fall. It might have been drizzling but we still had a great time! While we where on the jeep tour the Mandalay sailed out of Castries to Rodney Bay and at about one o'clock we meet them there and had a late lunch. then the rest of the day we spent messing around in the Rodney bay area.

Martinique

Martinique is a small Island in the Caribbean : about 1100 km2, its largest side is 40km and its longest side is 80 km ! It is part of the French West Indies (FWI) with Saint Martin and La Guadeloupe. There are 32 "towns", but the main city is Fort de France, on the east side of the island.

The highest point is at 1397 m (the Pelée Mountain), in the north. About 390, 000 people live in the Island. The main language is French (and creole which is the local language), but they understand very well English.

Our day in Martinique was a "town day" we just goofed around town looked in shops. We saw the Martinique library it was very neat inside. There were a lot of old books high up on shelves. I imagined them to be the old leather kind, because we couldn't really pick them up to look. They probably were written in French. I am learning French and my mom reads some French, mostly technical stuff - and food and cookbooks! We think we can get by in French towns!!!

We also saw the Cathedral of St. Louis. It was huge. It was lit by candles and there was singing. It was a peaceful place, more stately than the church we saw on Mayreau, but equal in tranquility.

Our day wasn't with out a mission we had to get French wine for the French wine and Cheese party on the Mandalay. My mom said that the interesting part about that was that when she looked at the selections made by the other passengers, there really weren't many duplicates. That can say that Martinique really had a lot of wine, or each person on the Mandalay was really that unique!!! Mom also bought some Art, Pastis, Chicory and Oh yeah, French Pringles.

Pastis - anise-flavored liqueurs (liqueurs d'anis): This is a category of liqueurs that are flavored with either anise, star anise, or licorice. Examples include anisette and pastis from France, ouzo and mistra from Greece, anesone and sambuca from Italy, anis and ojen from Spain, and kasra from Libya. This is a licorice-flavored liqueur that the French like to serve with water. It's higher in alcohol than anis or anisette.

Beignets and Cafe au Lait (from Emeril) - Cafe au lait is brewed coffee, preferably dark French roast with chicory, with half scalded -- NOT steamed -- milk, poured together from two pots: 6 rounded tablespoons dark roast New Orleans coffee with chicory (Community, French Market, CDM, Union, etc.), 6 cups water, 6 cups milk

Dominica
Dominica was the last of the Caribbean islands to be colonized by Europeans, due chiefly to the fierce resistance of the native Caribs. France ceded possession to Great Britain in 1763, which made the island a colony in 1805. In 1980, two years after independence, Dominica's fortunes improved when a corrupt and tyrannical administration was replaced by that of Mary Eugenia CHARLES, the first female prime minister in the Caribbean, who remained in office for 15 years.

Economy - overview: The economy depends on agriculture and is highly vulnerable to climatic conditions, notably tropical storms. Agriculture, primarily bananas, accounts for 21% of GDP and employs 40% of the labor force. Development of the tourist industry remains difficult because of the rugged coastline, lack of beaches, and the lack of an international airport. Hurricane Luis devastated the country's banana crop in September 1995; tropical storms had wiped out one-quarter of the crop in 1994 as well. The subsequent recovery has been fueled by increases in construction, soap production, and tourist arrivals. The government is attempting to develop an offshore financial industry in order to diversify the island's production base.

We decided to go on a whale watch, but there was another hike you could take to boiling lake. It was an 8 mile strenuous hike, so we'll save that for next time!. I found this link at Google about the boiling lake. It has pictures and stories: http://www.avirtualdominica.com/thelake.htm

Our morning in Dominica started with a bus ride to town where we spent hal the day the shops were interesting. That afternoon was awesome. We went on a whale watching trip on the way out to the whale migration route we saw 300 to 500 dolphins swimming around our boat we only saw two sperm whales but they and the dolphins made the day one of the best on the trip in my opinion.

Iles de Saints

Guadeloupe is an archipelago of nine inhabited islands, including Basse-Terre, Grande-Terre, Marie-Galante, La Desirade, Iles des Saintes (2), Saint-Barthelemy, Iles de la Petite Terre, and Saint-Martin (French part of the island of Saint Martin)

Iles de Saints was another French island so of course it had a fort only this one was at the highest point on the island. It was a steep hike and about half way up people started to hitch hike. But our little group (mom, Diane, Tim, Tuck, and me) hiked all the way up. The fort is now a museum so we looked around for about an hour then we went back to town. We got some excellent ice cream then we went shopping. We looked at what felt like every shop on the island then we went back to the ship to goof around. Later that day as we left I went on the widows net off the bowsprit.

Antigua

Antigua was our last island (bummer) so we took the island tour. We saw English Harbor and Nelson's dockyard. In English Harbor we had a tour of the harbor we saw the sail mending loft, the officers' quarters, and the barracks. Today the harbor is home to hundreds of locals boats although the old buildings aren't being used as they once were. The officers' quarters is a museum of the harbor over the years. The barracks, which are now roofless due to a fire years ago, are now a bar and picnic tables. The day was very warm and calm but I sad because I knew it was the last day of being around the wonderful people on the ship and that we would have to say goodbye.

We also saw the Sea Cloud the Mandalay's sister ship. The Mandalay in my opinion looks far superior with her wood decks and her charm.

Antigua was the perfect wrap up for a perfect trip and I can't wait to go on the Mandalay again!

Log Book: Memphis, Tennessee USA

2003-06-10T13:09:00.000-07:00

Memphis, Tennessee USA - June 2003
It’s Not the Heat, It’s the Humidity

Memphis Tennessee in June. It’s not the heat that gets you , it’s the humidity. You walk into the parking lot loaded with buses that announce they are from Oak Ridge Missionary Baptist Church, Huffman Baptist Church- Birmingham Alabama, First Baptist Church - Madison Mississippi and Baptist Missionary Association - Picayune Mississippi. You quickly notice that you are the only white person present with the exception of your 11 year old companion and 2 others you notice from a far. You realize that the next part of your journey will be about the color of your skin. You see the 1950’s style motel, the name “Lorraine Motel” and remember this was the place that the Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated.

The National Civil Rights Museum is truly an American treasure. It is housed partly in the old Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee. Room 206 is where Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated, it is the last stop in the museum’s first building .

You start your journey in an air conditioned room where you view a video presentation about the American Civil Rights movement. You begin your museum tour viewing “Slave Art”, paintings, sculpture and prints from African American artists, authors and poets. You are given a radio and headset so that James Earl Jones and other well know African Americans may narrate about each exhibit, at your own pace. Because of this, your tour becomes a very personal tour. You quickly go through the exhibit on slavery, because you know that subject very well. At least you think you do. You turn the corner and see the Ku Klux Klan “get-up” and see photos of lynchings. You stop at the exhibit that describes about why the NAACP was formed and you bring your hasty tour to snail’s pace. You return to the slave exhibit and start over.

It takes about 3 hours to tour The National Civil Rights Museum, but the time you spend will greatly broaden your knowledge of American History. How much does the average American know about the American Civil Rights movement? About the World Civil Rights movement? Who is Maya Angelou? Sojourner Truth? Sarah C. Roberts? Dred Scott? Nelson Mandella? Malcom X? Think you know? You probably don’t, but a wealth of information exists about these people and others at the National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis, Tennessee.

Our ultimate destination was Space Camp in Huntsville, Alabama. Space Camp is an immensely anticipated part of the Science program in our homeschool. This year we decided to make it a bigger adventure. We toured part of the South too.

Graceland isn’t what you expect. It is like going through your neighbor’s house only on a larger scale in a way that only Elvis Presley could do it. I thought Graceland would be something quite different, but as you tour, you realize that this was a real person who had a refrigerator in his kitchen, a swing set in his back yard, slot cars in his basement and trained in the martial art of Tae Kwon Do. You find out that Elvis did great humanitarian works in Memphis, Tupelo and worldwide. You get to see all the great “outfits” he wore, all the awards he won. You leave the estate with a sense of loss and wonder what would have happened had this man lived longer.

The South is an interesting place. Like many other places in America, it is a place where you can conjure history, learn about our future, experience American music in the form of Gospel, Rock-A-Billy, Blues and Soul. Beale Street in Memphis is a great place to learn about the soul of American Music. It’s also a great place to find Southern style barbecue! And if you’re not up for Blues and barbecue, there’s a Hard Rock Cafe!

In the heart of Memphis is the world famous Peabody Hotel. Not only is the architecture and interior interesting, it contains a good collection of Memphis/Southern memorabilia. It also is home to the Peabody fountain where the world famous Peabody ducks live. Well they don’t really live in the fountain, they just “work” there from 11-5 each day. They live in a penthouse on the top floor of the hotel. Every day at 11 AM the Peabody ducks come down on the elevator, walk down a red carpet to “work “ in the fountain for the day. Then at 5PM, the ducks retreat back down the red carpet, to the elevator and go back up to their penthouse for the evening. Really!

Adding travel to your curriculum is a great way to reinforce what you study. Travel makes history come alive, Science seem more real, Art and Music exist within reach. Travel makes the world seem like a familiar place. For information on the National Civil Right Museum go to: www.civilrightsmuseum.org. For information on Graceland go to: www.elvis.com. For information on the Peabody hotel go to: www.peabodymemphis.com.

Log Book: Key West Florida, USA

2001-12-27T12:55:00.000-08:00

Key West Florida, USA - December, 2001
Snow Birds Like to Study Coral in the Winter

One of things homeschoolers can do with ease is to add travel to our school schedules. At the beginning of the year I look at what sort of topics we plan to explore during the school year, and then my student and I plan our field trips.

One of the subjects we have studied, in December and January in the past is coral reefs. Coral reefs in themselves can be fascinating, but think of the possibilities as far as travel goes! We have one of the best reefs in the world to study right here in the United States. The Florida Keys can be studied for one or two days or for an entire week (that depends on the level of snow in your area!) Our agenda included a glass bottom boat ride to view reef life, a dolphin encounter, a sunset and sunrise walk at the shore (there are no beaches, as it is all reef in the Florida keys).

We stayed at a place called Hawks Cay Resort (90 miles (145 km) south of Miami and 60 miles (98 km) north of Key West) on Duck Key. We chose this place because it was situated in the heart of the keys. It also offered the glass bottom boat rides and the dolphin encounter. It is also near the Florida Dolphin Research Center .

Hawks Cay offered a glass bottom boat ride out to view the reef. Before we went we determined what animals we might see on the reef at that time of year. Before we set out on the boat ride we made a check list of the animals and checked them off as we viewed them in their natural habitat.

The Dolphin Encounter at Hawks Cay helped us to learn about the Florida Keys’ sensitive Eco-system and marine life in an up-close encounter with Atlantic bottlenose dolphins. There were three programs we chose from, one activity was an actual swim with the dolphins, but that was too scary for my student! We chose the dockside encounter where we got to meet the dolphins and interact with them.

Our sunset adventure(s) at the shore proved to be more interesting than our sunrise walks. At sunset we saw many crabs, jellyfish, pelicans and other creatures doing what they do on the reef at sunset. We drew pictures, took notes and photographs.

We also stopped at the The Dolphin Research Center (DRC). The Dolphin Research Center, is a not-for-profit education and research facility, home to a family of Atlantic bottle nose dolphins and California sea lions. They are located on Grassy Key. This facility was also very interesting.

The Heart Of The Florida Keys was an educational and good escape in the winter. When we returned home, we wrote a report did some more study on the things we saw and we grew our own coral!

Log Book: Utah, USA

2001-10-10T07:55:00.000-07:00

Vernal, Utah - October 2001
(Fossils - Utah Style)

We took our first field trip this year to Vernal, Utah to visit Dinosaur National Monument’s Dinosaur Quarry and Dinosaur National Monument. The Dinosaur Quarry is very interesting. It houses a formation that looks like a wave of fossils. The museum exhibits at the quarry are informative as well regarding the formation of fossils. In the museum shop there is a Junior Ranger program booklet that you can obtain to use as a workbook as you explore the two parks spread over Utah and Colorado. If your student completes the booklet and can answer a few questions that the ranger asks, your student can earn a certificate, a Junior Ranger pin and a very cool Junior Ranger patch. The workbook is far better than the text book we planned to use for our fossil studies. It covers topics like dinosaurs, natural communities, ecosystems, fossils, dinosaur ecology, food chains, webs of life, petroglyphs, arrowheads, settler cabins, wildlife. Our student used the workbook over the two days to be our tour guide, to complete the learning activities and to earn the patch. He interviewed with a Park Ranger who asked him a series of questions and discussed with him the items he was unclear on. The personal interview with the Ranger was the best part of the trip!

As a second part of the trip we stopped in Vernal at the Dinosaur museum where we picked up a guide called “Wildlife Through the Ages - Flaming Gorge-Uintas National Scenic Byway”. You use this guide when you drive US191 from Vernal to Flaming Gorge as a geological and ecosystem guide. The byway is marked with signs along the way that tell you what geological formation you have arrived at. Once you get to the sign, you can read about the ecosystems, the kind of ancient life that once lived there, the plants and animals that currently live in that ecosystem. As part of this drive, we were fortunate to get to see the kokanee salmon spawning in one of the many creeks along the Sheep Creek National Geological Area loop. It was an amazing site to see all of these beautiful red fish struggling to get upstream! It was a good field trip!

Last fall we studied fossils and I wrote of our trip to Dinosaur National Park as a field trip for our homeschool. The other field trip we took when we studied fossils was to U-Dig Fossils west of Delta, Utah.

U-DIG Fossils is a private quarry west of Delta, Utah, that contains one of the world's richest deposits of trilobites. What is a trilobite? A trilobites is form of invertebrate marine life that lived more than 500 million years ago, but are now extinct. These hard-shelled prehistoric critters roamed the sea floor and coral reefs in search of food.

We found at 30 trilobites if not more. The fossils are found in a limestone shale. This shale splits easily into flat sheets, revealing the trilobites fossils. Fossilized trilobites lay nearly flat along the splitting planes of the shale.

U-DIG Fossils can provide a hammer or you can bring your own.. They will provide you with a bucket for collecting, but you will need to bring you own container(big) to transport your treasures home. U-DIG Fossils recommends a pair of gloves to protect your hands. Consider wearing sturdy shoes to protect your feet from dust and sharp rock. You will need to provide your own eye protection.

Log Book: Guatemala, Central America

1999-06-06T14:01:00.000-07:00

Log Book: Guatemala, Central America, 1999
One of things homeschoolers can do with ease is to add travel to school schedules. At the beginning of the year I look at what sort of topics we plan to explore during the school year, and then my student and I plan our “field trips”. We’ve used field trips for Art, World Culture, Foreign language, Science, Engineering, Geography and History.

One of the best field trips we’ve added to our curriculum was an excursion to Guatemala, Central America. The plan was to visit and learn about the modern and ancient Maya and to practice our Spanish. Before we departed, we made a map of Guatemala and located the places we were going to visit. On the agenda was Antigua, Lake Atitlan, Santiago, Chichicastenango, Tikal and Guatemala City.

We chose March for our visit because we knew there would be many colorful fiestas as this is the most festive time of the year in Guatemala. Antigua was especially colorful as it was once the capital of Guatemala. Antigua has returned to small town status but has a lot of “big city” architecture that survived the years of earthquake activity that caused the capital to be moved to Guatemala City. There are a few “Americanized” places to stay as well as authentic posadas and guest casas.

The high country in Guatemala is not for the accidental tourist. To be a true traveler, you must remember to take the culture as it is and to not compare it to American standards. The rural Mayan live very well and are accustomed to hard work, hard play and a dedication to traditional ways. Spanish is a requirement in the high country, as well as a knowledge of local customs. It is not unusual to see armed military personnel in places like banks and pharmacies. It is also not unusual to see the traditional Mayan walking along the road in the same sort of garb, worn for thousands of years. The latter is more common.

Market day is a colorful event where locals meet and greet each other to buy and sell wares from the different villages. Each village or town has their own color weave and pattern in the garments they wear. Santiago Atitlan, a village that is located on Lake Atitlan, at the base of two volcanoes, is the is the largest, most traditional lake town and is the capital of the Tzutuhil Indians. This village is famous for the quality of weaving and most people still wear the striking traditional costume. Chichicastenango holds one of the largest markets in the high country. Market Days are Thursdays and Sundays, and this has been tradition for hundreds of years.

El Peten Itza, home to the famed wood carvers of EL Remate, is also a good base for an outing to Tikal, an excavation in progress. Tikal is the most famous and impressive of the Mayan ruins. 50,000 - 100,000 Mayan lived there at it’s height in 600 AD. Archeologists have recovered 226 square miles of structures and monuments so far. Tikal is an excellent site for observing how these detectives of the ancient world go about their work.

When we returned we built a website to journal our trip: MayaWeb

Welcome to our weB LOG - BLOG!

1999-06-06T13:21:00.000-07:00

How you feelin?
"Irie!"

We learned the meaning of this word in the West Indies. It means nice, right, cool in Patois. Patois is a Jamaican language but it is spoken all over the Caribbean. Irie is one of our favorite words.

At our house it starts with an idea from a book, a video, junk mail, a movie a photo. It goes something like this.

"Let's go to the Amazon."

The look.

"Well, how about a remote island that you can only get to by boat?"

Google is our friend. I have a travel budget and I fund that pot early in the year, so if this sort of request comes early enough in the year, we may end up in the Amazon or Bora Bora. If this suggestion comes when the pot is almost empty, we may end up on a local lake. We have travelin' feet and it doesn't take much to get us on the road.....

Welcome to our blog spot at www.brightkidsathome.com. Travel is an important element of our homeschool, it adds the depth to the extensive reading we enjoy. Travel also adds to our knowledge of society and culture, here in the USA and abroad. With each new advance in technology, the world becomes a more manageable, intimate place. The kids we are homeschooling today are the leaders, entrepreneurs and inventors of tomorrow. They need to be comfortable in the world, they need to recognize that people are basically the same everywhere and what better way to help that along than to make the world your classroom!

Happy Trails!