The flexibility of homeschooling allows us to take a vacation after Labor Day. While many others headed back to school and came back into town, we drove south into central Oregon for play and rest. Between our visits to the High Desert Museum, Newberry National Volcanic Monument, the Sunriver Nature Center and Observatory though our kids enjoyed plenty of education during the vacation. We glimpsed the moon, Mars, Venus and Jupiter, galaxies and stars through telescopes. Michelle Thaller’s infrared movie both taught and entertained us. We walked among pumice and obsidian flows, noticing squirrels and flowers living among the rock. We watched raptors soar, petted lizards and adored a baby porcupine. Bats fluttered around us one night and owls hooted as we walked in the dark and found a duck’s nest.
It was a week of much-needed refreshment in the desert. Each morning, as I went for a walk soon after sunrise, I would find myself staring into the dark eyes of a doe. Once a stag literally bounded across my path. Another time I glimpsed a desert rabbit bouncing between rocks.
And then, after hiking, biking, swimming and exploring, it was back to home for us too. And back to routines and schedules, intensified this year by new additions such as soccer for Michaela and piano lessons for Abigail. It also seems time to reorganize our studies with more structure. Now that two kids in our family can read, write and play with math problems, I am discovering how fast my days fill as I work with each one.
The past week disappeared in the adjustment of going back to home. This morning I’ll try to publish a few of my favorite vacation pictures and some ideas I missed. It’s good to be back home, renewed by our time together as a family. Here are Ted’s report and photos.
3 responses so far ↓
1 Earth Girl // Sep 19, 2005 at 9:57 am
Two years ago we spent over two weeks in Oregon, most of it in central Oregon and loved it. It is such interesting country and such a stark contrast to coastal Oregon. The obsidian flow was especially interesting. My cousin lives outside of Bend and took us up into Three Sisters on his mules for several days. I can’t wait to go back, but it is trek for us. I look forward to your pictures.
2 Lucy // Sep 19, 2005 at 11:37 am
Its so pleasent to read a post from someone who is in control of her life, instead of her life controlling her. Someone who actually HAS a life!
I spent Saturday afternoon (from 1:00 – 3:00) at a birthday party at the park talking to other parents. Most of them had been on the go since literally the crack of dawn for practices and games and activities! The birthday party was the “down time” for the day, as there were still full slates of obligations and plans for the rest of the day until bedtime! The parents were exhausted and their kids were cranky.
Its a relief to read about a family doing family stuff like normal people. I used to take my family’s “normal” days for granted. Not any more!
3 John Pederson // Sep 20, 2005 at 7:35 am
Your story really got in my head yesterday.
1) I’m the Technology Director for a middle-sized K12 public school system. 10 years working on the “inside” of the system. There’s really good stuff happening here…and stuff that makes my skin crawl. Being passionate about technology and education, most of what I see scares me. (You took the words out of my mouth with the Friedman stuff.)
2) Yesterday was my daughter’s first day of preschool. She got to watch butterflies hatch. They read Clifford. Watched a movie about the bus and got to take a ride on the bus. She also came back with one of those Scholastic Book orders. Promoting consumerism in hour 2, day 1. In October, some kids will get books. Others won’t A few will get the special gifts for ordering “x” dollars worth of books.
3) A close friend that teaches 3rd grade mentioned yesterday that she got a note back from a parent that said “I aint readin.”
All of this…and your posts…mixed into my head. Last night I had a dream that Julie you were our new preschool teacher. :O) No doubt that this RSS stuff is powerfull, but when it starts getting into your dreams…that’s not scheduled until the 3.0 release.
Thanks Julie.
Leave a Comment