Twins!

One of the goats had twins about 15 minutes before we came by this afternoon. They are adorable floppy eared cuties that sound like newborn puppies. Twins are apparently common in goats, usually at least one birth in a mother's lifetime results in twins. This is the 2nd birth and 2nd set of twins for this nanny.

Haulin' Hay

Kallan insisted on dressing "like Heidi" for the activities.

Soil Science: Getting Our Hands Dirty at SERC

We learned about soil: how it is formed, what it contains, and why it is important. We also examined samples and conducted experiments to learn how scientists study and classify it by color, texture, consistency, and porosity. We ended with a grinding exercise: crushing baked dry dirt into powder that the staff promised to sift and combine with melted wax to form soil crayons. Kallan volunteered to stay after class and help Miss Karen with the crayon construction prep. We sat in the sun and sifted pulverized dirt through old panty hose until we had enough to make crayons for the class.

Kudzu Eating Machines

A cute, colorful way to clear invasive plants from a slope. Our neighbors and the county brought in goats to remove Kudzu from a beach front slope that will eventually be reforested with native trees.

Pumpkin Patch and Maize Maze

Finally, a perfectly glorious fall day after many days of bone chilling rain.

Surprise Spinning Lesson

...after violin. This woman was carding this wool a few weeks ago, but we never expected her to show up with a portable spinning wheel. Kallan was mesmerized. Eventually, lady stopped spinning so I could break Kallan away from the machine. Kallan later found a piece of discarded fibre fill (from costume construction) that she obsessively attacked with a barbie comb--toting it around with her through the house, to Kinder Park, and even the donough shop. Now that it is "properly" prepared; she is anxious to spin it--all by herself.

Pizzicato

 

Friday Night: Zalka Csenge at the Millennium Stage

Land of the Dragon Riders, a series of Hungarian Folk Tales, presented by the Hungarian Embassy at the Kennedy Center. Later, dinner with an Asian theme: edamame, chicken sate, maki, miso, and pad thai.

Friday, Oct 16: Air & Space

This was a facinating venue for warming up and drying off. Everything was wonderful; the kids can't wait to go back. Highlights included the Wright Brothers (one of our recent reading topics), the Mars Rover, the history of commercial air travel, flight take off and landing simulators, and a small lost field mouse that huddled near my shoe as respite from the crowd before scurrying off into an exhibit.

Friday, Oct 16: The Solar Decathlon

A cold, rainy day on the DC Mall, perhaps not the most appropriate atmosphere to tour the solar decathlon, but rain was the only option available this week.

 

We viewed individual homes designed to showcase solar innovations such as a rheostatically controlled passive window shade, recycled-plastic, water-filled thermal cells, and a kitchie solar popcorn popper. Design elements included the gracefully named butterfly roof, which collects rainwater (it demonstrated its function effectively) and the plastic, jetson's style ceiling treatment (that would be a serious dust collector and excellent haunted house element in a few short months).

http://www.solardecathlon.org/

The 10 Solar Decathlon Contests for 2009:

• Architecture — 100 points (subjective)
• Market Viability — 100 points (subjective)
• Engineering — 100 points (subjective)
• Lighting Design — 75 points (subjective)
• Communications — 75 points (subjective)
• Comfort Zone — 100 points (objective)
• Hot Water — 100 points (objective)
• Appliances — 100 points (objective)
• Home Entertainment — 100 points (objective)
• Net Metering — 150 points (objective)

Wednesday, Oct 14: A New Plant for the Season

Our Wednesday activity with Emily and Isabelle took us to the pumpkin festival at local garden center. We were joined there by Cindy and Zach and their new neighbors. Bitter cold rain dampened our enthusiasm for outdoor activities after about 45 minutes, but their tropical gardens indoors are always warm and inviting. We left with a couple of small gourds and a selection from their display of carnivorous plants. There were several types of pitcher, but I have successfully killed one of those in the past. This venus fly trap appealed to the kids and seemed seasonally appropriate--this should be the official plant of Halloween. The next day we fed it for the first time after finding a dead fly on a window sill.

Sunday (Out of Order): Diversions Under Sail

Sunday was as clear, sunny, warm, and calm as a day can get in October. We ghosted out the Rhode and across the Bay with everything flying, including a selection of flags (from the stash the kids discovered in a "secret" locker) and eventually a "under power" cone-shaped day symbol Carl has been itching to display appropriately. There are always plenty of art supplies on board so the day's effort yielded watercolors, drawings, collages, snowflakes (and doilie-shaped things) along with tiny snips and shreds to litter the galley floor amid scattered chess pieces, playing cards, and tangrams. On deck, efforts centered on sail handling: Kallan furled the genoa all by herself; hoisting flags; and learning to sight with and focus a spy glass. Eventually, other cultural endeavors drew our attention. Kallan and Reece wrote spontaneous "compositions:" series of letters from A to G, and our fellow boaters became unsuspecting and likely unwilling audience for the debut performances as I lent my rudimentary (AKA screeching) violin skills to their master pieces. Probably made many of them lament the lack of cigarette boats about.

Monday at Dusk: the Severn Welcomes Us Home

 

Adventure Aboard

An active day aboard: schooners at the Bay Bridge, "penguins" marching around the mast, dry dive practice on deck: "swimmers take your marks," and baby bird fledging exercises. Meanwhile, something large and unidentified surfaced on our starboard side near the eastern shore. It submerged with a significant wake and apparently dove under our belly and causing the depth sounder to temporarily register 4 feet in the shipping channel.