2012-10 OCT

Garrison Flag project 10 images · 1 video

Salmon Kayak Tour 20 images · 4 videos

Halloween 12 images

1 At Battle Point Park - Ben made it across the monkey bars all on his own for the first time!	2 Last of our paddling excursions - out on Fletcher Bay this time.	3 The tide was coming in, so we talked about gravity and the pull of the moon and the sun working in concert twice a month. He watched the ripples as the water rolled back in.	4 Little man!
5 We just saw a big fish jump! This is a salmon stream, so maybe it was a salmon returning home to spawn!	6	7 Look at the name of this boat!	8
9 This little spit juts out to the the mouth of Fletcher Bay. We're looking back toward the ocean, and across to Brownsville from here, with the Olympics in the distance. The little spit is a bird nesting area.	10 Trying his hand at paddling.	11 So funny! What a neat guy - I found him standing this way, on his own. Just arms crossed, watching me maneuver the huge SUP back to the truck.	12 So funny! What a neat guy - I found him standing this way, on his own. Just arms crossed, watching me maneuver the huge SUP back to the truck.
13 Probably thinking mom is totally insane.	14 Look at the name of this street! Foster! That is Ben's banana slug stuffed toy.	15 Mmmm...BIG pretzel!	16 More road end explorations. This is Agate Pass Bridge, which goes from Bainbridge (which we're on) to the "mainland."
17 See? Found a patch of sand!!!	18 Oh yeah! Making tunnels.	19 Looking across the water to Suquamish. There used to be an Indian trading post in this area.	20
21 So good to see them getting sandy.	22	23	24 Ok - here trying to take a portrait for my business website. Hard to do when you give yourself a crazy haircut! Sam took this one.
25 The winning photo...for now!	26 The next day we were at Fay Bainbridge Park - someone is flying a kite. It was sunny out - so we went out despite being chilly! Gotta take advantage of that sun any time you find it.	27 Looking across the water to Indianola now.	28
29 Big E for Eliza - one of my dear friend's new twin babies!	30 Sprinkling sand in the wind to test direction.	31	32 Dressed up for a half-day at school during which the kids were talking about National Parks.
33 This is an eggplant that NEVER grew. Not warm enough. Ben asked "Is that an egg?" Good point, Ben!	34 At Suquamish Museum - a new museum opened by the tribe to celebrate their history and traditions in the area. Well worth the $8 to visit.	35	36 Neat stick-on letters. I'd like to put some things up in the boys' room with stick-ons.
37 The outside of the museum. They spared no expense. It is LEED-certified, too.	38 Chief Sealth's grave. Seattle is named for him. He was a wise and patient leader of the tribe. Apparently the tribe relied on many different leaders, depending on the need - for good harvest, for fishing, for times of crisis. No one person was expected to possess all the qualities of leadership to encompass every need of the tribe. Interesting model.	39 The view from Chief Sealth's grave.	40
41 More exploring - we were out and about a lot this week, can you tell? Just two days have elapsed from Fletcher Bay on SUP, to the Agate Pass bridge view, to Fay Bainbridge, and now exploring in Indianola. We've already been to a golf course after the Suquamish Museum, trying to find a trail someone mentioned. Kind-of an odyssey, but we finally found it. Now we're in Indianola checking out the tiny town, reminiscent of Haleiwa, actually. Lots of famous people live there, but it's very understated. Not even a stop sign, really. A cute general store is at the top left of this long pier.	42 Looking out to Seattle on the left and Bainbridge on the right.	43 Harvesting sunflower seeds! Look at all of them!	44
45 And turning over the compost pile.	46	47 Gordon quite happy to help Sam harvest seeds :)	48 Out on a hike with Daddy at Scenic Beach State Park. This is a house you can rent.
49 So cute - on the way to Scenic Beach State Park. Always seems sunny there.	50 Thank you for an OUTSTANDING dinner, Melodie! Really - can still savor it.	51 At dinner with dear friends Matt and Melodie (Matt is in the center) and Tres and Jenni. Tres is back from deployment after being extended twice. We sure are glad to see them!	52 On a visit to Seattle with Daddy - to go up in the ferris wheel!
53 WAAAAY high up in the ferris wheel!	54 Mommy is a little bit nervous. I don't like being enclosed high up in the air. Like on a plane.	55	56 Looking down from the top into the water!
57	58 Huge jelly fish!	59 Some parkour going on...	60 Some parkour going on...
61 The gum wall. Famous gum wall. Disgusting. In Seattle near Pike Market.	62 Disgusting!	63 Frozen Yogurt from Shy Giant. Very good!	64 This poor guy got a ticket while we were sitting there!
65 Back to Bainbridge to unwind at the park just a short walk from the ferry, while Daddy hit the market.	66	67 I've been working with five kids in Sam's class to stretch their math abilities. It has been a really rewarding experience. I take a picture of the board when I'm done to facilitate reporting in to the teacher what we have covered.	68 Setting up a telescope, a present from Tito Pig and Tita Bear several years ago to Sam - and now it finally has the space (and darkness!) it needs to work! Thank you so much!!!
69 Ben having a very animated morning - talking about taking his canoe (box to R) and paddle board (to L) out on the water and fishing. He also traveled to Madagascar (the outlined island with pool noodles). We were talking and talking the whole time I was lifting weights out by the garage after doing chores. He had such a fun time! And I did, too, of course. He is so full of ideas. He put me on the front of his paddleboard and took me for a ride, too.	70 Here he is paddling! Using a bat for a paddle. Very loud and animated paddling!	71 Using the new apple-corer tool that Daddy got for us. We harvested a bunch of apples from our friend Tami's orchard and are making applesauce!	72
73 Here is David Knight working on the display case for the flag. As soon as I got it folded, I drove from Bremerton to David's workshop to have him measure it. He is such a wonderful carpenter, and so very humble.	74 Out on a jog with Ben!	75 "Don't take my picture! No! NO PICTURES!" "But I want to send one to Daddy at work, Ben!"	76
77 At Wal-Mart. I FINALLY gave in and found two quarters to let Ben try this motorcycle game. So cute :)	78 Out on a hike last Saturday up at Fort Ward. We had no idea these other bunkers were there!	79 Massive fortifications for WWII.	80 And that night Dave surprised me with a HUGE DATE - see where we went! We haven't had this much grown-up time - like 9 hours - in 4 1/2 years. It was really fun.
81 Dinner at a wonderful French restaurant by Pike Market. It was so nice.	82 I could reach much of this :)	83 At the concert - see the man's jacket in front of us. Now that is style!	84 Sam is really into building enormous domino structures right now. He has 192 dominoes in a huge bin. He builds pyramids and towers, then topples them after a whole-family count-down.
85	86 Ready! This one stretches in a big V shape from down by Sam's feet, to the left of this screen, the tower, then past that to the other top of the V shape. It's about 10-12 ft in total length.	87 Oh - there you go!	88 More tower-building! There's a lot of growling when things don't go right, though. Not Mommy's favorite noise.
89 The next day, Sunday, exhausted, we were out on very random adventures. This is us in the mall. We NEVER go to the mall. I found it so humorous and other-wordly that I was just cracking up. I was overtired, too. But still - who ever heard of a train in the mall, run by a real-live driver in the front? I mean, he could just opt to bounce down the stairs instead of the ramp if he wanted! And I was tempted to just jump on the back like the great train robberies...Bad Mommy!	90	91 More math stretching! This time I had each of the kids write about what "Decimal Dino" ate for dinner ove the weekend. Decimal Dino is a Pez dispenser I make "talk" at the opening of class each time. Kids have a hard time with fractions/decimals/percents so the teacher on special assignment here suggested I work with them in this area in addition to the other problem solving exercises we do. So we develop facility with proportions each week using conversation about what they eat (pizza is a common weekend food, and very easy to talk fractions with!).	92 Out on a hike with Ben - he noticed this fallen tree created a triangle in relationship to the ground.
93 Talking about digestion - the leaves are decomposing, creating a sweet smell. So we dug around to look at the layers of decomposition at work. Much like food passing through your digestive system - microbes decompose your food there, too, just like leaves turn into dirt. Pretty cool!	94 Eagle enjoyed it :)	95 Out on a hike with the family yesterday at Foulweather Bluff Preserve. Definitely some foul weather! We heard a coyote or something howling nearby. Eery but very cool!	96 Daddy pointing out the Hood Canal Bridge.
97 Doesn't this look like a turtle climbing the cliff?	98 Madronas make a really neat backdrop for some goofballs I know.	99 View out to a marsh soaking up a little bit of sun.	100 Sam had just jumped out from behind a huge stump to scare the bjeebers out of me!
101 An odd mushroom - looked like a planet!	102 Pumpkin apple bisque - fabulous, Dave!	103 A trip to the pumpkin patch just 1/2 mi from our house.	104 Such a cute family!
105	106	107 A posterized Dave. We carried our pumpkins all the way home!	108 In the hay bale maze!
109 They love it!	110 Handsome Sam :)	111 Such a cute face!	112 A pirate (Karen) driving the tractor.
113 The vineyard is so pretty in the grey mist, colors popping against the steel sky.	114 And we're home!	115 The last math class together. A very busy one!	116 This looked really fun. So many things to do here, seriously!
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