31 Days of Flashbacks: Kayaking

We got an email at the end of the school year inviting us to go kayaking with some other homeschoolers. I thought it would be fun to go because the girls and I had never been kayaking before (Caleb had kayaked when we were in Michigan a couple of years ago). I went thinking it was a homeschool event but found out it was really a 4H event when we got there. We were welcome anyway and had a great time.

It was a gorgeous day. The older kids went off in the kayaks first with a couple of moms while the youngers stayed behind to await their turn.

A few of the older kids came back so the littler girls had a chance to try out the kayaks close to shore.

Lydia trying to kayak for the first time.

Lydia, Hannah and Lillian

Some of the boys went swimming while the girls kayaked (and rescued the little girls a few times when they got stuck).

When it was time to go back to town to get Glenn we were invited to go home and bring Glenn back while Mary Anne still had all the kayaks she had borrowed so that we could all take a trip on the river off to the waterfall. With not too much persuading we convinced Glenn to come back with us.

The waterfall we kayaked to.

My handsome husband and me

The girls found a little pool to hang out in by the waterfall and enjoyed their own little spa.

We took a short hike to explore what was beyond the waterfall.

Then the girls got back in their spa.

Then we headed back. Caleb, carrying only himself, rushed off ahead.

Mary Anne was loaded down with lots of girls in the double.

The closest we got to a group shot. Caleb was way ahead by this point and Lydia, riding with me, is only visible by the paddle she put in the picture.

We decided that kayaking is lots of fun and a good workout. If we ever live near water kayaks would be something fun to rent or borrow... we probably move too much for owning them to make sense.

Thanks Mary Anne for a fun kayaking adventure!

31 Days of Flashbacks: Maple Ridge Wind Farm Field Trip

One thing that we have been amazed at since moving to Lowville has been the Maple Ridge Wind Farm that we get to drive through often. The windmills are so tall! They are a big landmark for us. Whenever we see the windmills we know that we are getting close to home (even though we can't actually see any windmills from our house because of trees that are in the way). Every time we drove through we'd wonder how big they actually were and how many there were (we'd tried to count them but weren't very successful).

We have been fascinated with the wind mills since the first time we saw them back in January so when my friend Michele told me about a field trip she was setting up there I jumped on the opportunity to go and learn more about them. (A special thank you to Michele for many of the pictures below. My camera's battery was dead so I only had cell phone pictures from the day.)

We learned that there are 195 of the wind turbines scattered over Tug Hill. They are 260 feet tall. Each one can produce enough power for 560 homes.

 The blades are 130 feet long. It was so amazing to stand next to one to get a real idea of how big they are!

Even with our arms stretched out we didn't come close to reaching the length of one of the blades.

We all look like little ants next to the huge blade!

I'm thankful that we got a chance to go and learn more about these amazing power producers just beyond our front door here in Lewis County!

Fort Stanwix Homeschool Day

Before we left Syracuse there was an announcement on a couple of local homeschooling yahoo groups about a homeschool day at Fort Stanwix in Rome, NY. I mapped it and discovered it would have been about an hour from Syracuse (where we were living at the time) and about an hour from Lowville (where we would be living when the event happened) so I registered and pestered Glenn that I needed to have the van on the 25th.


We drove down for the event and ran into some homeschooling friends from Syracuse as well as a family that we have met since moving to Lowville. It was a fun day. At each area of the Fort there were stations set up for the kids to learn or do something related to what was going on at the Fort back around the time of the American Revolution. We got to trade our beaver pelts for supplies to last through the winter, built our own fort out of food to defend ourselves, practice using muskets, learn about  living at the fort and some of the chores that would have been required of us, see medical instruments and hear about medical practices, hear music from the time period and play with time period toys. We also got to try our hands are archeology because, until the mid 1970s when the fort was rebuilt, the place where the fort currently stands (which is where it stood back in the second half of the 1700s) was covered with buildings and parking lots. The only original thing in the whole fort is one fire place hearth that was uncovered. They will be having more archeological digs this summer that we'd like to go and check out.

I would highly recommend a visit to Fort Stanwix if you've never been. We are looking forward to taking Glenn down there one day this summer so we can explore some more!

Archeologists in training

Look what I found! (Uncle Doug would be proud!)

The girls made this fort out of graham crackers, pretzels and frosting (the cannon out of a tootsie roll and mini oreos can't be seen)

Musketry training

trying out the yoke in "Family Life"

tricorn hats

Lydia dressed up to go get water for the family

Fun at the parade ground

Model of Fort Stanwix

Cute kids after a fun day!