Last weeks of summer

These past weeks I have been generally neglectful in posting anything. I have been busy re-organizing our school space, planning for a fun, fall exploration of the Gold Rush, looking through old curriculum to see where we left off and how we want to move forward, and spending a great deal of thought on how to fit in everything I want to in providing spiritual, physical, mental, emotional, and social nourishment.

In the meantime, the girls have been keeping themselves entertained, and Geoff has been especially supportive in taking them on long outings to give me some quiet space and time. While we haven't been thorough in our picture taking, I do have a few to share...

Ceci on the shed roof to get the high peaches. Geoff has been making use of every last peach by drying them in the dehydrator. Yum yum.

Playing in the American River

Thank goodness for this Walmart swimming pool!

A rigged up horse using the balance beam that usually goes down the upstairs hallway

Back to the river on an overnight camp out with Geoff (the temperatures were a record-breaking 110 that day!)

Helping each other through strong currents

Beautiful scenery

Looking somewhat rested...

I include this picture only to show my champion husband. Look how tired he looks!

Campsite right on the river

Kipper had the time of his life

Adele and Ceci got a Frosty Freeze on the way home (something they have begged for since we moved in last summer!)

Friday we went into Sacramento and had lunch with Geoff's dad

An afternoon at Sutter's Fort

Tennie always loves an excuse to get in costume

Tennie helping pump the billows to keep the fire going in the Blacksmith shop

There have also been bike rides and baking, board games and blackberry picking, gathering grapes and leaving them in the sun to make raisins, and rehearsals have begun for Cinderella where Tennie is a narrator and Adele and Ceci are mice.

Phew! I'm caught up.

Labor of love

The girls got a fun surprise on the doorstep a few days ago. When we were in Salt Lake this summer my dad's wife, lovingly known as Babsie to the girls, took the girls to the craft store to pick out yarn for a beach bag. She must have kept pretty busy these past weeks because she finished all three! They are so adorable.

Of course, the girls aren't waiting around until we go to the beach! They are already getting heavy use in play, and in carrying necessities to their auditions for Cinderella yesterday (more on the later).

Thanks, Babsie!

Karate kids

Inspired by our new friend Lisa, that we met in the San Juan Islands, who was a karate olympian, the girls have been interested in karate. Geoff found a trial class for them to try it out. Tennie and Ceci gave it a go while Adele observed. They all loved it.

San Juan Islands

We love this place. This was our third time to this little group of five cabins. They sit right on the water. There are no TVs, no Internet, and no cell coverage. Meals are simple, there are no toys, and the days seem twice as long. Similar to our year in France, we dropped off the radar for a week of pure solitude.

Cabin 2, "Sucia"

The days always end with gorgeous sunsets. Mother Nature blessed us with days in the low 70s and sunny skies.

See the little sea otter swimming into the sunset? We had many of them as company during our stay.

Sunset view from our cabin

Lots of time for games

Geoff and the kids got into a serious pirate game, with a large piece of driftwood as their ship. Thankfully I saw it from my nice reading spot and got a few pictures.

Ceci (for once in her life) was captain

Geoff and Adele filling up kelp bombs

Attacking the enemy!

Tennie was the ship "cook" and was in charge of food for the crew. She collected (dead) crab for lunch.

Lunch

Tennie's leg was blown off in a previous battle...

You take away toys and TV and kids are amazingly resourceful in keeping themselves busy!

Tennie founded her own island called, of course, "Tennie Island"

Ceci collected kelp which had many uses

Lots of exploring, finding and collecting

An early morning explore took us around some steep and slippery edges

We saw a lot of jelly fish, a strange, foot long swimming centipede-looking creature, and lots of purple starfish

Here's proof that I was on the trip...

Kelp make good "babies"

Tennie and Ceci's babies are talking to each other...at the same time, as is usual

One night Geoff took the girls to the dock for a little photo shoot in the beautiful lighting. I played around with the pictures and made a few black & white for fun.

Silly ones first...

I think Ceci wins the prize

Unfortunately, our camera died. Just like that. So we didn't get a picture of a friend that Geoff met in Tanzania named Pawan, his wife Lisa, or their kids Bodie or Maejin who came to visit. They live in Qatar, but spend their summers just south of Vancouver. They came to us, and we had a great day visiting with them, and hanging out in Friday Harbor while waiting for their ferry at the end of the day. We didn't get a picture of the girl's large shell collection, the bald eagle that flew over the cabin every day, the very nice guests in the other cabins who adored and attended to the girls, a boat that Geoff and the girls built one day with driftwood; lashed together with kelp (pictures are coming from the manager who came to see the boat launch), or the pod of at least 12 orca whales that swam past our cabin the morning we left! Two of them breached giving us a remarkable show. An amazing end to an amazing week.