Best Field Trip Yet

Friday afternoon. Forty-one students--40 5th graders and one 3rd-grader--met in a dewy, damp, and recently manured field to warm themselves by the fire, receive instructions, and then pack in to the nearby woods for a day of camping and team agility trials.

Mrs. Cate gave the team assignments.

Mr. Goffin gave the rules, schedule, and instructions.

Each of the nine teams packed in their own tents, sleeping bags, tarps, and ropes. Their assignment included setting up their sleeping area, campfire area, covered cooking area, lashing projects, and a latrine.

Our girls' team, Team 7, consisted of Emma, Jane (by special arrangement), Rebecca, Aven, Isabella, and Rachel. They surveyed their assigned campsite and began to make plans. This group has a lot of good planners and strong personalities in it.

Spreading the tent.

Working as a team.

The whole team around the campfire site.

They ended up with a very nice campsite, and the judges seemed to agree. Team 7 tied for first place with one of the boys' teams, Team 5.

Under the kitchen tarp.

Our girls got extra points for some of the special attention to detail they gave to their site, like this campfire. The artistic element of using yellow leaves to replicate flames in their fire got special accolades.

Giving credit where credit is due, the boys' team did think of a few extras our girls somehow forgot, like this handy contraption. But they completely left out any consideration of modesty. They put their latrine--well equipped though it may have been--out in the open, in full view of the big house, barn, and all other campsites. The girls were quite a bit more discreet, even if primitive.

Next it was on to the teamwork and agility trials. The students were split into four bigger groups to attack four activities. The goal: every person on each team had to complete the assignment, or else no one succeeded. Never leave a man behind! Here they are on the "launching pad"--a square approximately 2' x 2' onto which all 10-11 children must stand for 3 seconds before they launch into the activity. The White team (ours) made it on the 3rd try.

The first challenge was Shelob's Lair. A giant spiderweb was woven between trees. Bells hung from the web, and a hungry Shelob waited above. The assignment: each team member must cross the web to escape from Mordor--but he must do it without ringing a bell, or else Shelob would hear and descend upon them, devouring them all. To make it an even greater challenge, each passage through the web could be used only once.

We parents were not allowed to offer advice in any way. We could only watch silently while the kids tried to figure out how to get every team member across. After several tries of the most athletic or assertive kids rushing through the easier spots, it finally began to dawn on a few: save the easy spots for last; get the smaller or weaker members across first. They began to see how to develop a plan, work out a process, and help each other in order to achieve success. Had they had just 5 more minutes on this trial, I am confident they would have been able to achieve the objective.

Agile Hank was the first to realize that the plan should include leaving the easier passages for the end, and taking on the more difficult one himself.

It wasn't always easy to stand by silently as the mom of two of the smallest kids on the team. Here Jane is hoisted through one of the higher openings in the web. They got her through without ringing a bell!

Next was a rope swing challenge over a pit filled with man-eating aliens. Again, the entire team had to make it across in order to succeed. One foot down meant you were immediately eaten, and everyone had to start over. Here Jane makes her leap.

And Emma follows suit.

This time, Hank would not go until all his teammates, even the most reluctant ones, had made it safely across. And then, sweet success!

The next challenge stumped them all (and even this grownup). Standing outside a rope boundary, the students were charged with using ropes to remove a bucket filled with toxic nuclear waste, without spilling it. The top was only placed on, not secured. Any tip of the bucket would spill the deadly substance.

They tried hooking the handle and lassoing the bucket, but to no avail. The key was in getting multiple ropes alongside it, then tightening them to lift it out.

The final activity involved navigating an electrified grid. All kids must cross to the other side while in contact with another on the team. If one tweaks the grid, the "electrical current" zaps them all and they must start over. It requires patience with each other, the ability to look ahead and plan for everyone to meet what's upcoming, and excellent communication.

The day ended with a team discussion of 1 Corinthians 12 and restoring their campsites to show no sign of their presence there. I think many of these students will remember lessons from this field trip for the rest of their lives. I know I will.

Oh Yes, He Is the Pater Familias

They call him "Daddy."

An Image from the Island

For some reason I can't quite put my finger on, this image really struck me.

I don't know this boy, but the little red wagon at the edge of the waves on the open, empty beach gives me such a feeling of serene expectancy. What is he thinking, sitting there all alone?

I don't know, but I do know I can relate. I wanted to pull my own wagon up beside him and just sit quietly, staring out at the sea until he might feel comfortable enough to tell me what was on his mind.

Sunrise to Sunset, Day 4 at Harbor Island

Jane and I greeted the morning about an hour before dawn. We hit the beach early to look for loggerhead hatchlings and watch the sun rise. The beach was all ours, and while we didn't see any baby turtles on their way to the water, we are pretty sure we saw several who had just made it to the rising surf speed on their way a few split seconds before we were close enough to get a very good look.

One nest is labeled to "go" tonight, so our plan is to get the entire family up at 5:00am and try again. Not sure how well I'll be able to focus at that hour...


We spent the rest of the morning and early afternoon puttering around Beaufort, a charming, historic Southern town offering art galleries, non-chain restaurants, boats on the waterfront, candy stores, old-fashioned ice cream parlors, sportsman's outfitters, furniture and book stores where the staff take time to get to know you still. Each girl took a turn at the gumball machine in the Sweet Shoppe, and Emma came away the winner. A gumball stamped "winner" earns a free ice cream cone. Strawberry today.


After an afternoon nap, we tried crabbing at Johnson Creek, the waterway that runs between Harbor Island and Hunting Island. Bill's awfully proud of his catch--four feisty blues.


Dinner! Not a whole lot to go around, but it still beats PB&J.


A dramatic sky over the Creek before we head in for the night.


We made our last rounds stopping by the lagoon on Harbor Island where birds of all types roost for the night. (Sorry for the blurry shot--not a steady enough hand to hold the camera after dusk.)


And then we walked home on the beach, catching this view of the last few rays of sunlight silhouetting the oceanfront houses before calling it a night.

And as we crossed the boardwalk to close our day, I had to think of Annie Dillard's closing thoughts in Pilgrim at Tinker Creek. My right foot said "Glory" and my left foot said "Amen."

Keeping it Simple

Keeping it simple. That ought to be what vacation is all about, right?

That's just what we did today. We spent the entire morning exploring the beach while the tide fell again.

Emma found a large sand dollar.

It was fun to watch it bury itself in the sand.

Jane also found sand dollars. They were quite a bit smaller. More like 50-cent pieces, really.


And Miriam, always the brave one, nearly tackled this quick-moving baby horseshoe crab.


We saw the dolphins briefly today, but not up close. Dolphins and seagulls follow these shrimp boats. (Actually, as you can see, people do too, to get photos like these.)


We also spent some time building a sand complex. It has a high-rise apartment building, a sunken courtyard commons area, and a field of picnic tables for all its inhabitants, in addition to one modest castle.

In the afternoon we spent some time in the pool and walking on the beach at high tide. The bigger girls did some body surfing, but the little ones were a bit timid of the crashing waves.

I tried to encourage Jill by saying something along the lines of, "It's just the ocean making waves," as if it was something a mountain girl might see any old day. Miriam, always curious, wanted to know why. "Why is it doing that, Mommy?"

So, this homeschool mom saw an immediate opportunity. I launched into a discourse about the gravitational pull of the moon, the rotation of the earth, the topography of the ocean floor, temperatures, currents, jet streams... and I saw those bright, green eyes glass over. Her little shoulders slumped, and she sighed heavily. "But MOMMY," she interrupted with complete exasperation, and then, waving her little hand, "Is it saying 'Hi-yo!' to me?"

Oh. Of course. "Yes. Yes, I'm sure it is."

Keeping it simple.

Wrapping up Summer

It's been awhile since I've added anything here, but that's just a testimony to how full the days have been. We're trying to get things ready for Back to School, but I'm just plugging along so slowly. The homeschool room is still a bit disorganized; I haven't gotten the shelves cleaned out and rearranged for the new year yet. Jane's plugging away and about to finish up the 2nd grade math curriculum--just 5 lessons left--before starting 2nd grade in less than 2 weeks. She's doing great!

Emma and I have been working on making a dress for her. It's a difficult process. I am not a seamstress, though I'm willing to give anything a shot. I'm not sure we're going to end up with anything truly wearable, but at least she's enjoying learning some and making the attempt.

First fitting of the bodice

Thanks to Bill's always generous Uncle Joe and Aunt Shannon, we did get to spend a weekend away from home for recreation. They let us use their Lake Keowee house for a couple of nights just before Bill had to start a grueling new contract job for Duke Energy. We are hopeful that this contract will lead to more work (both with Duke and other major companies), but preparation for it has been hard. There are so many requirements for insurance, bonding, safety, and government regulations that have overwhelmed his time and energy before he could even start work there. But it seems to be coming together and now, a couple of days in to the actual work, he is getting good feedback from the site supervisor. But he is drained at the end of the day and he's gone such long hours that we miss him.

But, I digress. I was going to tell about our weekend at the lake.

Jill just loves Aunt Shannon's lake house. It makes her really happy!

Emma and Jane stick close to Kelly

It was a beautiful weekend. Bill's cousin Mark and his wife Kelly were there for part of the time too. It was really good to spend some time with them, as we hadn't seen them in years. (They left Asheville for Atlanta several years back.) They are just delightful people to be around and our bigger girls latched on to Kelly and claimed her as "Aunt Kelly" immediately.

Jill getting used to her jacket

Swimming in the lake

Miriam on the beach

We enjoyed some kayaking, fishing, playing on the little beach, and swimming in the lake. I particularly enjoyed what I call Shannon's "zen" living. Everything in her beautiful house is perfectly selected and placed, and the order and lack of clutter gives me an immediate sense of peace and serenity when I walk in and am allowed for a short time to inhabit her home away from home.

Jane fishing

Look Ma! The life jacket really works! (Jill learned quickly how to balance in the water.)

Serenity now...serenity now...serenity now!

Mark was willing to take us all out on the pontoon boat too, and as you can see, everyone wanted to drive the boat. Add "boat" to Miriam's rapidly growing list (tractor and firetruck in previous posts).

Mark and Kelly also gave the girls another new experience: tubing!

Miriam and Bill in the tube

Miriam enjoys the whitewater

Jane and I take it easy

(It was my first time too, and it was fun!) Miriam was a little astonished by the height she achieved by bouncing over the waves of the boat's wake, but as soon as she came down off the big splashes, she was quick to signal a "thumb's up," which means "go faster!" Emma was all adventure and couldn't go fast enough, while Jane was content with a leisurely ride at a modest pace.

Miriam gets to steer while Mark watches the "tubers"

It was a lot of fun and everyone was sorry for the weekend to come to an end, but we are so very thankful for the opportunity to get away once this summer as a family, especially in light of how much Bill would be away from us working in the week immediately following.