Taking in the Flora and Fauna

We took a break from our indoor activities (i.e. the GameCube) to spend a day outside. We headed to the Botanic Garden and took in the flora and fauna (literally we did "take in" some of it, into their lunchboxes...they collected leaves and berries and nuts and a couple of apples that had fallen in the orchard, and a few stones, which is probably forbidden, actually, but Otto is a lover of stones). They love to collect things, and Otto was so proud to bring me the beautiful fresh tri-colored leaf he had just removed from a plant. I thanked him, we admired the leaf, and we put it in his lunchbox. But a few minutes later, so pleased with his previous find, he wanted to pull some more leaves off the plants for their collection. I explained that we should to leave the leaves and flowers on the plants so that they would be there for everyone to see. I told them they could collect the things that had already fallen on the ground. Otto looked so sad to hear this, and I could see he was comparing the very pretty leaves on the living plants to the less beautiful ones on the pathways.

It reminded me of one of my memories from childhood, which was when we were visiting a national park and I picked a flower, and my dad told me a similar story, that I was not to pick things from the nature but just to enjoy looking at it. I don't remember exactly what he said or how he said it, but I do remember that I was very upset and cried and cried. I think I might have tried to replant it, thinking I had done some major damage to this park by removing it. I don't remember the whole story, and I will have to ask my dad again what happened. What I most remember is that he was sitting with me while I cried, and he was probably wondering what to do with this very sensitive child. But I think he was considering it from my perspective and realizing that this one small flower really meant a lot to me, and perhaps he was wondering if that one small flower would have been more loved by me than anyone else who would have seen it there.

That's what I was thinking about, anyway, when I saw Otto's little confused face. Having this memory very strongly in my mind helped me to center my thoughts before I said anything. (That was why I thanked him for the first leaf and put it in his box. That's why we picked up stones, even though I thought we probably should not.) I tried to really relax and think "yes," as Scott Noelle would coach me to do. I knew he liked those leaves and wanted them, but I also thought it was important that we didn't pull off leaves with abandon. Luckily, this was not as critical a moment for Otto as it was for me. He considered the leaf for a moment, and then he climbed the stairs and found a pretty green and yellow speckled leaf that had fallen from a nearby tree. "THIS is a pretty leaf," he said. I agreed, and we put it in our box.

Our visit to the garden included the obligatory stop at the electric trains. We played at the fountains near the esplanade (that is where the stone collecting occurred.) And we also stopped by the vegetable garden, where there was an amazing display of GIANT pumpkins, as well as a display of A-Z squash, 26 varieties with such a wide range of pumpkins and squash, in many different colors (the usual orange, green and yellow, a couple of reddish ones, and even a blue one!). We sat in the grass by the lake and the boys played with their Playmobil knights.









As we were walking near the lake, we saw a blue heron looking for food. We were able to get fairly close, we quietly crept near and watched for a few minutes until the bird decided to head to the other side of the pond. I don't know if we were worrying him or if he just decided there was better fishing across the way.

As our last stop, we walked to the other end of the garden, to visit the bells. We had just heard them ringing the 5 o'clock bells, and I knew it would take a while to get there. They both love to be there when they are ringing, and I knew the 6 o'clock bells would be the last ones we would get to see. So we made it there, with only about 10 minutes to spare. We sat at the table and talked while we waited. And then the bells rang. We tried to see which one was being struck for each sound, but it was very difficult to determine.

We walked back, taking our time as we did. The sun was getting lower in the sky, and all the grass and plants looked so wondeful in the light. The boys were playing a bingo game that the Botanic Garden provides (well, they play it more like a scavenger hunt, wanting to find every single item on the playing card before we leave). We had found every item except for one, which was a giant statue of Carl Linnaeus, a Swedish naturalist who developed the binomial system of nomenclature that provides plants with two Latin names (the genus and species). As we were almost to the visitor's center, we spotted the large statue (how did we miss it on the way in?), and the boys put the final stickers on their game boards.

We were among the last visitors ("The parking lot is empty," observed Otto) and were reminded that the garden closes at dusk. I had thought it was only just dusk, but the employee told me it had been dusk for two minutes. (He was a bit of a stickler...imagine if he knew the contents of their lunch boxes.)

Dusk. It's always hard to tell just when it arrives. But it's definitely fun to be out until it does. Another beautiful sunset on another wonderful day.

The Olympics (Sort Of)

Our homeschool coop held an Olympic event at the park on Wednesday. We all brought Greek food (stuffed grape leaves, pita bread and pita chips, tzatsiki sauce, hummus, olives, Greek yogurt and honey, figs, dates). We played Greek music. Many people wore togas. Lots of people wore olive leaf crowns. We gathered together for opening ceremonies (we threw paper doves in the air). We lined up (that was something in itself!) for competitions (50-yard dash, shot-put, tug-of-war). The kids chased the discus/frisbee around in the grass. They pretended the torches were rockets. People ate and talked and sat on the grass and had the most wonderful time.

It was a beautiful sunny day, and even as the sun started to get low in the sky, my kids found new and exciting things to do with their friends at the park (they explored the woods and some really fantastic trees, they built stick houses in the sandbox, they played on the slides and tire swing and didn't want to leave).

We took lots of photos and movies (actually, Otto and Max shot a lot of the movies, and in some of the footage, I can see Otto's shadow, perched atop of my shadow, as he was sitting on my shoulders to get a good view).

Thanks again to all of you who made it happen. We had a fantastic time. And here's proof.

Goodbye Uncle Herb

My Uncle Herb died on Saturday morning. He was 92, and he lived a long and good life. He died at home, in his bed, just where he wanted to be. He was lying next to my Aunt Linda, and she heard his last breaths. They had known the end was near, and much of his family got to come and say goodbye to him on Friday. He knew he was much loved.

Herb was a really quick-witted man, and he had a beautiful singing voice. I was happy to hear that he was making people laugh right up until the very end. It is how I will always remember him.

The funeral is tomorrow, in New Jersey, and although we will not be there in physical presence, we will think about him and my Aunt Linda and all the other family as they bury him. Here is a photo of Herb and Linda from this July. We love you, Herb.

Let the Games Begin

On Friday night, Martin brought home a GameCube for Max and Otto. They have played it all weekend, with small breaks for nourishment, and at least a few hours outside (mostly because we, the adults, needed it...it was a beautiful weekend). Martin brought home several games, but so far, Max has only played one of them, which is Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. Tonight, he was taking flying lessons on his broomstick. He has gotten really good at de-gnoming. He is having a blast. Otto seems to be content just watching the show. It's fun for all, and it gives me some time to write long and fascinating blog entries. Hee hee.

Two Lovely Days

We've had a really busy week. Busy, but incredibly fun. We were out and about a lot, seeing the aforementioned One Ring Zero on Tuesday and Wednesday. Both shows took us to places in the city we don't often go (in the heart of downtown and to Michigan Avenue). After both shows, which were early in the day, we spent the afternoon exploring our town, remembering what a wonderful city we have.

On Tuesday, we were at the Cultural Center, and after the show, we looked at the art exhibits there. We went across the street to Millennium Park and ate ice cream by "the Bean." Max and Otto performed a puppet show for unsuspecting passersby (they were hiding behind the stone walls near the park entrance). Many people stopped to watch.


We stuck our feet (okay, the boys stuck their feet) and our hands into the fountain, and Max drew pictures of the park in his notebook. Otto asked me to draw a picture of the fountain for him but complained that it didn't look as good as Max's rendition. Somehow Max is able to capture the essence if not the technical aspect, and my drawings are missing that spirit that makes the item in question come to life.


Then we went to "The Art of Play," an exhibit near the Cultural Center, where the city has made a big playroom for everyone to explore. There is a great display of Kapla blocks, with an elevated train going around some Chicago buildings, the Sears Tower, some other favorites. That is what drew us in. But inside was fantastic. There are big boxes filled with the Kapla blocks for building your own structures, and Max made a tower. Otto found Playmobil trains, and both boys spent a lot of time with the matchbox car speedway, where their cars did loops. There were pinball machines and board games and Mr. Potatohead and art supplies and Legos and books and Etch a Sketch and Tickle Me Elmo. It was so much fun and we were only disappointed that it will close in two weeks. We'll have to see if we can make it back down there again before it's gone.





On Wednesday, after we thoroughly explored the Borders, by which I mean the coffee shop and all the treats it had to offer, we went walking on Michigan Avenue. We stopped by the Water Tower and walked through the small art gallery there. We petted the horses who give the carriage rides. We were warned that one of them is a biter, so we opted to pat him on his back. The boys stuck their feet and hands into a little fountain. and a guard came and told them to immediately remove them, that there were very bad chemicals in it. Otto was then worried that something would happen to his skin.

We walked several blocks south to the big Nordstrom Mall, specifically in search of the Lego Store. We were so hungry we had to stop on the way for sustenance (and, well, the aroma of popcorn from the shop on Michigan Avenue is piped out into the street to lure you in), so we got some caramel corn for Otto and some cashews for Max (and I got to eat some of each). We finally made it to our destination, and the kids explored every display at the store, noting all the giant Lego constructions (the Darth Vader, the replica of the Michigan Avenue stores) and all the specialty Lego areas (Star Wars, Mars Mission, Bob the Builder, City). They picked out several they liked, but they both settled on the same kit: a Mars Mission rover. Since they got the same one, it made it a bit easier to put it together, which we did. Over lunch. (What? It had been at least an hour since we'd had the popcorn, and maybe two since the coffee and treats. Clearly, it was time for more food.)

Potbelly. Easy choice. We ate while we put together their new rovers. It was actually really relaxing, although it took about an hour to put together both kits. The food court was almost empty, and one of the employees kept coming by to check on our progress. She was really impressed when they were finished, and she watched them playing on the floor near our table. They drove them around the mall, and we stopped in at a few other favorite shops.




There was a family lounge with couches and a television, and we stopped there for a while to watch the Three Stooges and rest.

And then we stopped in Vosges Chocolate. Some of the most wonderful chocolates that you can buy. At least we think so. Made right here in Chicago. All sorts of delicious, exotic flavors. Max picked out a tall pointy one, called a Rooster, that turned out to be Taleggio cheese covered in chocolate. It didn't sound very promising to me, but anything from Vosges is good, so when Max said that was what he wanted, we went for it. Otto picked out the Viola, candied violet in milk chocolate. And I went for the Tlan Nacu, a dark chocolate with Mexican vanilla beans. And the storekeeper threw in a fancy white chocolate truffle that Otto was eyeing, although it was not supposed to be for individual sale. It was covered in bright colored sugar, and it was from the Coleccion Gaudi. Very pretty.

They served the chocolates on a pretty white plate, and we followed the instructions as to how we were supposed to eat them (you are to eat the Rooster with closed eyes and notice the different tastes as it hits your tongue and mouth). It was really fun. Once we tried the Rooster, we realized we all had to have one, so we did.





It was almost 6, and I figured Martin might be ready to leave work (he had the car, and I thought we'd walk to his office), but the boys had other plans. Otto was really determined to go up in the John Hancock building. I had mentioned that as an option in the morning, but we had already walked so many blocks away that I was too tired to go back. But when I called Martin, he said he'd come get us there, so that sealed the deal. We walked back up Michigan Avenue, the sun was starting to get low in the sky. People were bustling about, leaving work for the day, heading out for the evening, just wandering around like we were. We saw a magician, who taught Max a couple of tricks. We saw a three wheeled car. We saw some sculptures.




We made it to the Hancock building just as the sun was beginning to set. We took the elevator to the top, where there is a bar, and we went to the windows to see the sun just going down over the city. We had to hurry back down because I wasn't getting any phone reception up there so high, and I was afraid Martin was waiting for us (and incidentally, he was not). It was a really nice end to another lovely day.

Uncle Fun

On Thursday, we visited Uncle Fun, which, as the name suggests, is a very fun place to explore. I had to convince the kids that they would like it, as they thought they'd rather go to Target (their current favorite toy store). But once there, they ran around and pointed at and grabbed things off the shelves and racks and marveled at the sheer volume of small interesting fabulous toys. They both zeroed in on Ultraman, a superhero I had never heard of before that day. And we left happy.

Here's a quick video of our visit, with music by One Ring Zero. Obviously, we're still on the One Ring Zero high, and the music is perfectly suited to such a wacky toy store as Uncle Fun.

2 x 1 Ring 0 = :)

We got a chance to see one of our very favorite bands performing in the World Music Festival Chicago. Twice. The band? One Ring Zero. Who are they, you ask? I can't believe you haven't heard, if you are hanging about with us, but if I had to describe them, I'd say they are just about the most fantastic combination of instruments, wit, charm, literary connections (they've had some of my favorite authors write lyrics) and inherent cleverness, and if that's not enough, they just sound so crazily wonderful. They are literate and funny and just unbelievably cool, and I've got a big crush on them. Well, specifically on Michael Hearst, but that's another story.

It was so so so cool to see them perform live, and Max and Otto are also fans (Max spent about a month listening solely to the song "Interlude Mood" from an older CD of theirs), so it was really fun to be able to all see it together. We went up after both shows and got autographs and asked for a picture with them and stood around feeling like the dorky fanatics we are (okay, only I stood around feeling dorky—the boys just wanted to go have some food, and they could never be dorky...at least not yet). And I even convinced them to take a picture with us. (Our friend Fletcher was also there and chose to climb under the table, which is why Max is looking that direction and why the guitar player is holding the tablecloth.


One Ring Zero music can jump from gypsy circus to haunting ballads. It's hard to explain their very unique style, but they play a variety of wonderful and unusual instruments, including the accordion (it's bright orange, with the black and white keys reversed of the usual order—truly fabulous), the claviola (there are only about 50 of these in existence, as it was not a financial success and is no longer produced—it is sort of like a combination of a clarinet and a keyboard, you have to see it to believe it), the Theremin (an instrument invented by a scientist in the 1920s, which you play by moving your hands/body above/around, and it makes cool noises), the toy piano (Max's favorite, and the reason he liked "Interlude Dude" so much—but they didn't bring their little piano on the road, blast!), and a whole bunch of other strange and wonderful noisemakers. And they've added a band that seems to fill out their sound very nicely (with a trumpet/bugle, guitar and drums).

Their latest CD, Wake Them Up, leans a bit toward more typical alternative music (whatever that means, I guess), but it still has that wacky and wonderful edge, in both the instruments and the lyrics (and this time, they even wrote them all themselves). Now I'm starting to sound like I think I am a music critic or something, which is so very far from the case that I'll just stop that right now. I hardly know what's going on in the music world, aside from occasionally hearing some really interesting or unusual band on NPR and rushing right out to get everything I can. Or from the amazing CDs that Craig makes for us, so that I can at least feel like I know something about cool.

On Tuesday, we saw One Ring Zero at the Cultural Center, and on Wednesday, they played at the Borders Books on Michigan Avenue. We were a bit late for the Borders show, which was disappointing, because it was such a lovely little place, with the sunlight streaming into the windows behind the band and a terrifically cozy atmosphere. The Cultural Center was also fun, a more typical auditorium, but I was really happy with the Borders space, and we sat right up front and took lots of pictures and movies. The sound is not very good on these movies, but you'll just have to trust me that they sounded spot on in performance.

I put together this little medley using footage from both shows, much of which was shot by Max, so there is lots of hand-held camera action. I love that Max just turns the whole camera on its side for the very last song they performed, which is called Toy Prophet. I assume that is the spelling, but I guess it could also be Toy Profit. Hmmmm....it's not available yet, so I'll just have to wait and see. Until then, you can have one of the first listens to that instrumental. And note at the very end, when Michael Hearst thanks Borders, Joshua Camp pipes up to say he'd like to thank the coffee. It was a bit early for a show, but I'm so glad they did those early shows, so we could see them as a family. (And I am really missing the days when I could thank the coffee. I miss you, coffee.)

Impromptu Party

On Sunday, we planned to go to the forest preserves and look for some letterboxes that are hidden there. We printed out the maps and gathered all our supplies (rubber stamps, compass, record book), and were almost on our way, except that Max wanted to ride his bike at the park. He's definitely trying to master that skill and wants to do it as much as possible.

We still had the bikes in the car from the day before and had planned to ride them on the forest trails, but Max wanted to zoom around at the playground. We went over there, he rode around, and then we saw our friend Nicolas from down the street. He had his light saber at the park, and needless to say, Max decided he needed his, as well as his Darth Vader costume. Otto agreed.

So we went home, got his stuff, came back to the park, and the boys played. After an hour or so, we asked Max if he was ready to go to the forest preserves, and he said he'd rather play with Nicolas. Otto said that was fine with him, so we abandoned our nature lovers' plans once again (remember Saturday's plan for the Botanic Garden?), and we hung out in the park, played more light saber games, and got ice cream from one of the neighborhood trucks. Just as we were about to head back to our house, some other neighbors arrived, Kym and her son Fletcher, another Star Wars fan. Fletcher was coincidentally wearing his clone trooper costume already, so he stepped right in to the play. We decided that we should all head back to our house, so the boys could play in the yard, and we could sit and snack. The school park is definitely lacking in atmosphere.

We had some drinks, and some chips and salsa. The kids had goldfish and juice. They played in the sandbox and with the scrap wood from our playhouse construction that we still haven't put away. And after a while, Michele and kids Will and Tilly (more friends from the neighborhood) were at the gate. "Come on in! Join the fun!" And they did.

It ended up being a fun afternoon of just hanging out with our friends from the 'hood.

Touch a Truck!

This weekend was full of big ideas from myself and Martin, but in the end, we just did some small things, and we had a really wonderful time. The weather was fabulous, cooler but sunny days, reminding us that fall is really coming soon, and that we needed to seize the nice days we still had.

On Saturday morning, we headed to the neighboring town of Highland Park, with its gorgeous houses and very fabulous park district, where they were putting on the event, "Touch a Truck." (Craig, this entry is for you. Hee hee.)

There were construction trucks (cement mixer, bobcat, front loader, backhoe), city trucks (garbage truck, street cleaner, sewer pump), tow trucks (a flatbed, which the kids were using as a slide, and a semi tower), tractors (from small lawn-mowers to larger ones with various attachments, including an antique tractor), a cherry picker that you could actually ride up in the bucket of (but it was so windy, the rides were limited, and we didn't do it), a delivery truck with a lift on the back that we rode like an elevator, and a school bus, which the kids were very interested to see (and so was I, actually—they're quite different than the ones I remember). There was a police car parked at the far end of the lot, but we never made it over there. And a trolley was circulating the field, but we also never made it over to that.









We climbed in and on most of them, however, and the kids pretended to drive, and, what was probably the most fun, we honked a lot of horns. So did almost everyone. The whole field was filled with honking trucks. It was pretty funny. Some parents were trying to control the noise, but most were just letting go and realizing that the kids loved doing that part.

As usual, we were late, and we stayed until the end (and beyond). We were doing our "hunkering down" thing, as I will continue to think of it, now that Gillian called it that. Anyway, we tried almost every truck. And when they started to drive them away, they did so very slowly, packing up different trucks. They were happy to let us continue to explore when almost everyone else had gone home.

The kids had brought a couple of construction trucks, and they were playing with them, carrying them from truck to truck. When everyone was starting to leave, Max realized he had lost the man out of his truck, a small wooden construction man, about the size of his thumb. He was very upset, it was George, his favorite construction guy, and we had to find him. I looked around the big field and tried to remember all the trucks we had been on (okay, almost all of them). I tried to think when I last saw George in the truck. I told him we could look around, but that we might not find it, and that we could report it to the lost and found, follow up with them in the next week, etc. He was completely distraught (we were also all very hungry, and that's never good).

We headed toward the few trucks that were left (I thought it might be inside one of them). No luck. We walked around on the grass, looking for his bright yellow hat and his bright blue body. We found a yellow ballooon. We found a blue mouthguard from a football practice (well chewed, very yucky). And then we got near the street cleaning truck. It was one of the first trucks we had been in, but we had also stopped by again at the end and just stood near the door. Max was looking inside, and suddenly I just saw it sitting there on the ground by the door.

I was so amazed we found it, and yet I was also not that surprised. When Max loses a toy, he is always very determined to find it, and it's as if his sheer will makes it appear. I really feel like it was not there when we approached the truck. We had all looked on the ground as he entered the truck, and I didn't see it, but somehow, it appeared.

We were all relieved, and once Max had George back in possession, he was happy to stay a while and play. We took the trucks over to the Bobcat, one of the last trucks still in the field. They climbed inside. And then they sat down on the baseball field on which the truck was parked and started to do some construction of their own. They made big piles of dirt. They drove their trucks in the tracks of the trucks. They compared the differences of the tracks of the trucks, to each other and to their own small versions.

And then we were all hungry. We got the bikes out of the car and rode over to Potbelly in downtown Highland Park. Yummy lunch. I love Potbelly. Everyone needed protein and a rest. We strolled through the very quaint downtown and took in the nice afternoon.

On the way back to the park, we rode our bikes past the skate park. What a fantastic skating place! We were very envious of all the wonderful offerings that such a well-to-do city could offer. We stopped and watched some skateboarders, some in-line skaters and some bikers doing their stuff. After watching the biker do some really cool stunts, Max decided he would like to do that as well.

I was really surprised he was ready for such an adventure, and must admit I was not the free relaxed parent I am striving to be. I looked at the big ramp and panicked that we'd spend the evening in the ER. I said I didn't think it was a good idea. Martin was ready to help Max go for it, and I needed some talking down from him (Martin) to make me realize that although Max was eyeing the big ramp, he would have to get up it before he could go down it, and would figure it out on his own. He did try (he had previously tried to run up the ramp and was able to do so, but with difficulty). A few more attempts, and then he realized his own limitations and seemed comfortable to know that he needed to be a little more practiced in riding before he could do a ramp like that. Martin was right about it, I have to concede. A lesson for me.



And then we headed back to the park, where there were not one, but at least four different playlots for the kids to explore. Their favorite had a big rocket tower that you could climb as well as a bubble like climbing structure. They played hide and seek and chased each other through the park. We played with them and then sat for a while and watched them play as the sun began to set.

We had planned to go to the Botanic Garden after the truck event, and suddenly the day was over. The sun was setting. But it was a really lovely day.

Biker Boy

Friday afternoon, we were out riding our bikes/trikes in the glorious weather. The usual route, to Starbucks, hit the park on the way back. As we headed home, Max had a small accident. He was fine, he was riding again, but suddenly he realized that one of his training wheels had broken in the incident. He tried to ride on it, but it actually collapsed, and we just removed it.

I think he has been physically ready to try riding without training wheels for a little while, but emotionally hesitant (and of course, I have not pushed him at all about it). But having that wheel come off was exciting, it was an event, it was an adventure, it was a challenge. Okay, I don't know what it was, but Max was inspired. He kept showing Otto the wheel (Otto put it in the basket of his tricycle and was proud to have such valuable cargo). Then Max started telling the strangers who passed about his wheel breaking off (he is not usually talkative to strangers). He realized as he was riding home that he was actually riding without the training wheel much of the time.

We were almost home, by the school park near our house, where there is a nice big flat area to ride (where the basketball courts are sort of located—I say sort of, because there are no hoops, so they don't actually get much use in that regard, but they get a lot of use by skateboarders and cyclists). Max wanted to try it out.

We went to the blue circle, and Max took off. He was going really fast, and he could tell when he was riding, and when he was using the training wheel, because the training wheel stem was still attached without the wheel and would make a terrible racket. He as very pleased when he was really riding, and it seemed he liked to go FAST! We watched and cheered as he zoomed around, and Otto rode around too. It was actually the first day he really wanted to pedal all by himself, enthusiastically, repeatedly. Usually I end up pushing most of the time. So it was a pretty exciting day.

Max came home to tell Martin all about it and was really excited to show him his new skills. It was already dark by that time, so we plan to do some serious riding this weekend.

Live and Learn

We've been back from the Live and Learn Conference since Monday night, but we've been hanging out at home, with each other, somehow reluctant to go back out into the normal world again. We've made a few ventures to the neighborhood park and the grocery store, but that was enough to make me feel like I just want to be able to really focus on my kids and the good feelings we are having. I don't want to burst that post-conference bubble of wonderful energy. It was so amazing to be surrounded by 150 families of gentle parents and their inspiring children.


Road Trip to Versailles, KY
It was a great vacation, starting with our roadtrip. We did it in bits on the way there. We stopped near Rensaleer Indiana at Fair Oaks Farm, where there was a huge crowd (it was Labor Day weekend, and everyone was out, having one of their last beautiful summer weekends). The lines were long in the restaurant, and the wait to do any of the tours was more than an hour. So we hauled out our cooler and enjoyed a fabulous picnic lunch while the kids played in the sandbox. We also cooled off with some of the farm's homemade ice cream. Yum.




Then we continued on to Versailles, Kentucky, where we stayed at a bed and breakfast. One of our innkeepers had run a day care for 30+ years, the other had trained horses for about 40 years. They were wonderful hosts, and their own grandchildren were running about the house and pool. It was a very free-feeling environment. They loved kids, they loved horses, and they had a really cheesy video collection. That was a good fit for us. In the morning we played in the pool and then we took a hike to see the neighboring farm, where there were beautiful horses in the most gorgeous stable I've ever seen. Our innkeeper had warned us that we could not touch these horses, as they were thoroughbreds, they might do something unexpected (she did scare Max a bit when she said they have been known to rip off someone's arm...that seemed a bit extreme a thing to say to a 5 year old). It was hard to imagine them doing anything so aggressive, they seemed so calm and stately in their stalls. And we kept imagining "Dreamer," one of our favorite movies. But we just looked. And we introduced ourselves to each one, reading aloud their names and their father's names. It was getting hot, though, and we were ready to move on. So we did.









On to Knoxville
We drive a bit and then stopped in Lexington at the cutest little cafe I could imagine. Unfortunately, it was closed. (That Labor Day thing again. Not a great day for finding an open spot for lunch.) But we made a mental note that we would definitely like to stop there in the future. Third Street Cafe. We were inspired by their paint job and took time to read much of their exterior wall. And then we borrowed their painted picnic tables for more food from the cooler. (I think this was the most use we've ever gotten from our cooler--we normally pack it, but then eat something else.)





We finally made it to Knoxville, where my brother, David, his wife Jill and two twin boys, Noah and Owen were waiting. Along with Grandma and Grandpa. We had intended to be there in the early afternoon, but alas, it was about 5 by the time we arrived. It was a short visit with their grandparents and beloved cousins, and the boys were very disappointed by that. But they had a great time playing ball in the backyard and dressing up like superheros together. And we all enjoyed some delicious food that my brother and sister in law cooked for us all.



Ready for Live and Learn
We left Tuesday morning for North Carolina. It was a short and gorgeous trip through the mountains, only about 2 1/2 hours. And then we were there. We saw the decorated cars in front of the Blue Ridge Center and we were nervous and excited for the conference to begin (and slightly disappointed we hadn't managed to paint our car--although it was covered in polka dots, so hey, it was pretty festive).

Broc and Gail were in the rooms next to ours (technically, a roomful of teens was directly next to us, and then Broc and Gail). We were checking in at the same time as they were, and when we admired their handiwork (their car was covered in words and pictures), they immediately handed over the paint and told us to have a blast with it. So we did. It was so fun to decorate, it was hard to believe we had not managed to do it before. But we knew we'd still have the drive home to spread our unschooling bliss.




We headed into Black Mountain for the afternoon, but almost everything was closed. That town closes its doors pretty early, most shops closed by 5, and many restaurants closed by early afternoon or by 8 pm. We ate at a German restaurant, which had a shop upfront with lots of hard-to-find German-made goods, like coffee and deoderant and chocolate. We loaded up on the chocolate: Ritter Sport, Mozart balls and ladybugs.





And then we headed to the grocery store to get a few items for our stay. The boys each wanted different ice cream, and they only came in large boxes, so we took the boxes back to the Blue Ridge Center, where everyone was already set up in the lobby with their various gaming systems. We passed out the ice cream to anyone who would take them, and it was a good way to push ourselves forward, to say hello to other people instead of hanging out in the room.

It was a hubbub of activity, with lots of people still arriving, so there were many happy reunions and first meetings and general welcomes. We were most excited to see Gillian and Craig, who have become dear friends in the last year, just through our internet exchanges, a few exchanged CDs, and reading each other's blogs. We hung out with them in the lobby, playing their new DS systems. Max was really excited about it, and he played a Mario game until 1 am. (Otto and I retired to the room at about midnight.) We had been contemplating a gaming system, and it is now clear that we need to follow through on this idea. Yep, the late night fun had already begun.

We were very happy we had decided to come a day early to get settled, find our bearings. I think it made it easier for us all to jump into the conference on both feet.


The Conference Begins
The next morning, the conference officially began. We picked up our badges and meal wristbands. I had been wondering if Max would mind wearing his for the whole week, but I quickly realized my worry was unnecessary. He was happy to put it on. The problem was that Otto felt left out without a wristband (kids 3 and under didn't receive them), and he just could not cope with the idea he couldn't also have one. We tried to make one from scraps of other wristbands that had been trimmed. But nothing would do. The wristbands were a very strict part of this week's conference. Everyone over 3 had to have one, and if you lost it, it was worth the whole price of your meals. They weren't just handing them out because they were "valuable." Suddenly, Joni was beside me, letting me know she was going to state our case to the staff. I was so amazed that she saw the problem and took it upon herself to pose the question ("It doesn't hurt to ask," she said). I felt sort of silly that I hadn't done this myself, but it also felt wonderful to be somewhere where it was acknowledged that it didn't feel good to be left out, that we could certainly try to meet Otto's request.

The staff person listened to Joni, looked at Otto, and grabbed a wristband, then helped him to put it on. Otto was so relieved, and so were we. Thank you, Joni. It really meant a lot to us, and it helped start the conference in such a good way. It reminded me of why we were here, and just how special an environment it was.

We went to Lee Hall, the large, open building that was going to be used for some of the funshops. It was perched on top of a hill and it had a big front porch with dozens of rocking chairs. There was a bluegrass jam session on the porch, and inside the hall, there was a table full of temporary tattoos (we donned several) and some Balloon Hat Madness (that was its official name, but it certainly fit). We joined in the madness, sitting down on the floor and making a few masterpieces. We spent most of the funshop time there, although there were other things to explore.


Gillian noticed how long we were at work and commented, "when you guys do something, you really hunker down and do it!" and it reminded me that we really are that sort of family. I don't like to run from one thing to another, I'd rather just get the most out of whatever it is we are doing at the moment. It's how I am with friendships, too. I'd rather have a few really close friends than a lot of not-so-close ones. And there we were, with both things in one, having a great time making balloons very near to Gillian, whose company and friendship we were seeking.






For me, that's the thing about the conference that can seem the most difficult and yet the most wonderful. There's so much going on and so many people I'd love to meet, and I'm feeling torn between attending this or that talk or going with the kids to a funshop or just spending some time playing in the creek. The opportunity to meet so many amazing people versus my need to form a close connection with a few families. There are just so many good things and fabulous people packed into a few days. The wonderful thing is that it doesn't really matter what you are doing when you are there, you are surrounded by lots of inspiring people, and fun is everywhere. It was easy to think you missed out on a great roundtable talk, but it was also true that you had a great time doing whatever it was you did instead.

That evening, we headed down to the lake for the campfire. We roasted marshmallows and made s'mores. There was a drum circle, lots of people played music and later, some people told ghost stories. There were glow necklaces for everyone, and Max and Otto had a great time spinning them around so fast they made circles in the dark, looking like neon signs. It was a nice evening, although it was dark and hard to really find other people. We walked back to our room and noted how very very dark it was out there in the country, with only the moon and stars to light the way (and our flashlights, which Martin had luckily packed). It was so much different than the night sky we are used to seeing, with all the light pollution from the city. We could see so many stars.


The conference really got going on Thursday, and the rest of the conference was spent balancing our time between attending some talks, some roundtables, some funshops and just hanging out with the kids and the other families. Martin and I were able to balance these pretty well, and I felt like it was a really nice place to be in our relationship with each other and with our kids. I wish it could always be like that. The kids spent lots of time playing, as usual.





The Roundtables
I really love these discussions, and they are such a more intimate opportunity to talk with the "speaker." I especially loved Anne Ohman's "We All Shine" and the Fuller's "Peaceful Partnership" discussion. Martin went to a few really great talks too, including Danielle's "Spirited Child" (we have a couple of those) and Jenny's "It's Not Easy Being Green," since we both agree it has often been difficult to find a balance of living in abundance and being good to the earth at the same time.


The Main Presenters
Jon Gold's powerpoint presentation was hilarious and very thought provoking. We all attended it, and the boys enjoyed the visuals. Perhaps there should always be something playing on the screen behind to help the kids' attention spans for those talks. (!)

I also really loved Pam Sorooshian's talks, I had never seen her before, and she had so many wonderful points (and stories). One thing she said that made me laugh was that there is a time in her kids' lives where it takes 4 hours to tell the story of a 2 hour movie. I really remember that time when I was a kid, remember needing to tell my parents or friends or brother all of the story, but not only that, the way it impacted me, what I thought about each thing, when I had caught on to what was going to happen, or how it might have been done differently. How could you not take 4 hours to discuss it? Hee hee.

But I had to laugh even more to think that I don't think I ever exited that stage. Look at this post. How much longer can I possibly go on, gentle reader? Is anyone even reading? It matters not, as I do these for ourselves, anyway. :) I suddenly felt a surge of appreciation for all of my friends and family, for listening to me for all these years. And she said one of her regrets was that she wasn't fully present in listening to some of those stories. That really shook me, and reminded me that I need to spend more time focusing on being completely present with my kids. I am guilty of sometimes saying "Oh." And "Wow." And "Um hmmm" while they were talking to me, and sometimes I am not fully present. Often when driving, when they seem to want to tell me the most detailed things while I am making a tricky turn or something. But how much better it is when I say, "I really want to focus on this, but I am making a tricky turn right now, so can we wait until I'm finished and then I want to hear the rest?" Or something along those lines. Sometimes I just turn on the "Um hmmm" stage and it's hard to turn it off.

I was really disappointed to miss Jon Kream's much discussed talk, but I tried to comfort myself in knowing that all of the main presenters' talks will be available for download in a few months. That was the afternoon we decided to skip off to Black Mountain, and we had a really fabulous afternoon and evening there, so I can't really complain. And we also didn't get to see Diana talk, and everyone raves about her speaking as well. Next time, I'll definitely make sure I attend a Diana talk. But I got to sit on the grass and watch the kids playing remote control cars while we talked, so that was also good.

Balloon Hat Madness
We had a great time making hats, as I have already mentioned. I never knew it would be so relatively easy to make something so cool. I thought there was lots of training involved. :) It's such a fun and freeing thing to make those wild hats.

Letterboxing
We had a great time at the letterbox funshop, making our own stamps. We were only sorry we came at the end and didn't have enough time to really explore our stamps. We'll definitely look into this at home. And we absolutely loved the subsequent hunt for the letterbox which was hidden on the grounds. We had a really nice hike looking for it (and finding it), and we would all like to look for letterboxes in other cities (including Chicago).



The Cafeteria
It was fun to experience this, and we always tried to sit in the big room with the round tables, as it felt much less oppressive. Otto loved the cafeteria and kept asking if we would go to "that cafe" again for each meal. And well, it was the only option, so we were very happy they enjoyed it. It was fast and there was almost always something the kids could eat. Of course, the last day had chicken fingers, macaroni and cheese AND corndogs. It would have been good to have spread those out, as it seemed like most of the kids appreciated all of these things.

We had several fun moments in the cafeteria, one of which was when the teens started a spontaneous rhythm section using the plates and utensils and chip bags as instruments. The adults applauded and shouted "encore!" Another fun time was when Max and Otto made Kool-Aid concoctions at the table. It was hard to resist when they provided bightly colored pitchers of kool-aid for each meal. One day, there were both red and blue beverages, as well as the usual sweet tea (watered down, this was yellow). At one point, our table had six colors in various containers. But in the end, we had a lot of brown, which just looked like tea again. (Perhaps that was just as well for all the staff, who was probably bewildered by our group.) As we walked out that evening, we noticed colored pitchers on other tables--almost no table had the original Kool-Aid color. Lots of pretty greens. I loved it.






The Talent Show
The Talent Show did not disappoint, although we only got to see part of it one night. Our boys didn't feel like staying for the whole thing, although they seemed to enjoy the baton twirls to Bjork and the anti-Bush sing-a-long and the truly beautiful a cappella version of Justin Roberts' "The Imaginary Rhino." We left just as Mindy was heading for the stage to do her belly dance. She seemed to be in Kabuki costume, and I would really have liked to see what she was going to do. I hope Craig got it all on video.


The Park in the Dark
Max had a light saber session with a little boy named Sam in complete darkness at the park (we don't even know who he was, it was so dark, but both boys had a great time). All we could see was the glow of their lights sabers as they hit.

The Teens
Always one of the best things is to see what wonderful people unschooling has produced. My only complaint was that they were so busy having fun and exploring the grounds that we didn't see as much of them as I would have liked.



The YMCA Grounds
Okay, we hardly got to explore these. We kept noting that we hadn't made it past Lee Hall, where there seemed to be lots of wonderful trails for roaming. As previously mentioned, there were just too many fun things to do. But we did find some time to explore the nearby grounds, playing in the creeks that were near the Blue Ridge Center and sliding down the big hill near Washburn Hall. And one brief foray into the pool (Otto and Papa went on their own, since Max wanted to hang with Fergus.) Oh, and we saw these amazingly huge spider webs on some of the trees. Wow.

Addendum, from Robyn: BTW those webs in the trees at BRA are not spiders. They are the larval form of a moth, as James found out from a local. Next time, if you look closely you can sometimes see the little caterpillars moving around in a crowd in the webbing. You will notice that they are always on the same side of the tree. (East I *think*).

(Robyn, thank you so much for this correction. We didn't get close enough to investigate, but next time we certainly will. Moths. !!??? Amazing.)






The Instant Gratification Table
Our kids definitely found some gratification there. We visited it several times, and they boys found so many fun toys, a few from Robots, one of their favorite movies. It was a great idea, since we put lots of tickets into things at the raffle but didn't win any of the toys they were hoping for. Speaking of the raffle, we did win one thing: the balloon hat making kit, which was really perfect, since it will always remind us of the conference, and since we all had such a great time doing it. It's a fabulous book, and I'll have more on that later.




Just Hanging Out wiht Our Family
As always, some of the best moments were when we weren't doing much of anything at all. Just living in the moment. Sitting in the sun. Watching all the kids playing. Watching our kids playing.








Downtown Black Mountain
We had a really great time in the very cute downtown of Black Mountain. We headed out there on Saturday, as the boys had really wanted to go to the General Store, and it had been closed when we were there on Tuesday. It really had such a wide variety of things and was fun to explore. The boys found lunchboxes and wooden rubber band guns (made in NC) for souvenirs .

Then we visited the hammered dulcimer store, where they let Max play on the beautifully handcrafted (and over $1000) instrument, encouraging him to get creative and have a great time. He is really interested in this instrument--we saw one at the Renaissance Faire, and he came home and tried to play his music maker (a small version of it) with his wooden hammer. We bought a CD of hammered dulcimer music, and it didn't occur to us until after we had left to buy some of the actual hammers.




From there, we popped into the Dripolater. This is one of the best coffee shops I've ever visited. It had such a wonderful atmosphere, not to mention amazing brownies. We had coffee and tea (I'm still not drinking coffee, but it was really tempting to do here--thankfully, they had a nice tea selection). But Otto was not happy that they didn't have ice cream, so after a small respite there, we headed down the hill to the ice cream parlor. There we ran into Anne O and her boys. It was a real treat to talk with them one on one, and she was so very kind and interested in talking with the children. She is really an inspiring person to be around.

And then, the boys were hungry for dinner. We realized we were going to miss the cafeteria dinner (which we found out later was a good meal to miss), and the only restaurant which was open and without a long wait seemed a bit fancy. It was called the Cellar Door. We went down to check it out. It had a lovely atmosphere. There were available tables. The hostess grabbed a box of crayons and some kids' menus. We were very pleasantly surprised at how accommodating and wonderful it seemed to be. We had the most enthusiastic but sincere server we've had in recent memory. The restaurant specializes in local organic and heirloom produce and was happy to tell us about all the various farms which supplied each ingredient. It was the closest thing to Lula we could get. It was just what we needed.

The food was absolutely fantastic. The kids menu, which had some really interesting takes on traditional kids meals (like peanut butter and jelly with honey), included a trout with a corn, okra and beet succotash. Max wanted that, and everyone got to have a bit. I was really delicious. Otto wanted the chicken, which was seasoned to perfection but elicited disappointment from Otto because he likes his food pretty plain (I was happy to assist in the spice removal). We all shared the mussels, which were in a velvety smooth broth. I ordered the heirloom tomato and housemade mozzerella salad. Martin got the special fish was corvina with andouille sausage and roasted asparagus and fingerling potatoes. We all ate a bit of everything. It was truly fantastic. And what's more, when Otto said he wanted a moon pie for dessert (see previous post to know what sort of moon pie he was thinking about), the waiter said, "well, we have something kind of like that." And indeed it fit Otto's fantasy of a rich chocolate cake with vanilla cream. And it had even a bonus: some spun sugar on top. Otto has been asking me if we can make that at home. We'll have to see if we can give it a go.

Anyway, I digress. Food, you know. It distracts me. It was just such a perfect meal, and we were all really happy to have spent some time with just our little family, doing things we love to do, exploring a new town, shopping, eating.







Hanging Out with Craig, Gillian, Fergus and Effie
Okay, I saved that for last, because I think that was one of the best parts of the whole conference, and I just couldn't be happier about it. I already felt like I wanted to get to know them this year, given our email/blog correspondence over the last year. I was really hoping it would turn out that we would have be able to spend some quality and quantity time with them, but I was also afraid that I would be monopolizing all of their attention, because of course, there are just so many cool families and I didn't want them to get sick of us. But starting the first night, when Max and Otto learned all about DS from them, we were hooked, and there was just not much they could do to keep us away.One of the highlights was the night they came to our room and we introduced Fergus to light sabers and remote control cars, and they laughed and sang along to Martin's ukulele version of "The Song of the Temperance Union." Effie was finally with us for that night—she spent much of the conference running around with her friends Jayn and Emma, and for the most part, we never saw her, so I think it was really a fun time to have us all together. She was not sure of us at first, and she was pretty exhausted and wanted to go to bed. But I think Martin's wacky ukulele rendition made her laugh and warmed her up to us. She had made some really beautiful cards for the UNtrepreneurial fair, and we bought a few. (I already sent one of them off and now I wish I had bought the other birthday cake card...if you make some more of those, Effie, I'm your client!) And another fun afternoon was spent just hanging in the parking lot, driving the RC cars. Martin and Gillian played with the kids in the creek one afternoon, and it looked like they had so much fun I was a bit sad to have missed it (but happy I attended a really great roundtable).





The Wrap Up
So, it was a good time. We went to the dance on Saturday night, but it was pretty loud for our kids. We all danced to "Dancing Queen" and "Superfreak" before the boys decided it was time to head back to the room. On Sunday, it was a lot of goodbyes (and a couple of really great talks). We didn't stay for the picnic, which we knew would be a really wonderful way to say goodbye to everyone. Instead, we left just before it started, catching a few people on the way, having a few more conversations, the really interesting ones that always want to get started just as you're trying to leave someplace. We wanted to get to my brother's house so that the boys could play with the twins for a good part of the afternoon. It was hard to leave the family we had found at Live and Learn, but it was also very important to us to get a bit more time with our actual family.



Back to Knoxville
We arrived in the mid-afternoon, surprising my sister in law, who probably expected we'd be late (we usually are). She announced, "You're early!" The boys were all excited to see each other and jumped around together. We made balloon hats for them, showing off our new wonderful balloon hat book and kit. They thought that was a really cool thing. They played all evening, and we had a fun dinner of macaroni and cheese and hot dogs, so the kids were thrilled. And then they all took a bath together with lots of bubbles and Playmobil boats.



The twins had to go to school in the morning, and Jill had to go to work. David had left for Nashville (where he works for my dad and makes that drive once a week) at around 6 in the morning (he loads up on coffee before the drive), so we said goodbye to him in the dark. When the twins got up in the morning, all the boys played for a while together before they also had to say goodbye. Noah and Owen are so sweet, and I just love to be with them. And I never feel like I have enough time to talk with David and Jill. It's hard to be so far away. Max and Otto were sad to have another short visit with their cousins, and I really have to think about coming for a longer visit (that is, if they can handle having our unscheduled and free spirited children in their midst for more than a day or two...and if we can manage that long drive all by ourselves). We made them a couple of balloon hats and left them for them on the piano, so they would have a little surprise when they got home from school. It was sad to close the door on their empty house, but we were also ready to get home.

Homeward Bound
We left their house by 9:30, so it was a fairly early start. We tried to make good time while we were driving (Martin drove the entire way), but there were a few stops for necessary things (Starbucks for all, bathroom break for Max, gas for the car). I read "Harry Potter" and "Winnie the Pooh" aloud. We looked for horses and combines. And we played "20 Questions" with our new toy (from the instant gratification table!). It's a smart little computer and almost always got what we were thinking about.

We made our way to Columbus, Indiana for a late lunch, and we played for a long time in the Commons, a sort of mall where they have a carpeted indoor playground. (We have stopped there before on our way to my parents' house, so we know it's a good way to unwind after being in the car for a while.) Columbus has many interesting architectural features, lots of cool buildings, bridges and sculptures. We have always wanted to do an architectural tour of the city, but we just don't have the hours to do it. We talked about coming here for another trip. The kids were more interested in the playground, anyway.


We stopped for dinner at McDonald's, and the kids were so happy to eat that as opposed to all the food from our supplies that we'd been eating the whole vacation (we still have a couple dozen toaster pastries—anyone interested?).



We finally arrived home late on Monday night. We unloaded all the stuff (wow, we had a lot of stuff!), and the boys were still pretty wired, even though we were exhausted. Martin was off to work early the next morning, and we've spent the last few days just trying to get back in the swing of our lives in Chicago. Happily, it's Friday, and we're looking forward to a weekend together, doing something fun. I have no idea what that will be, but I can't wait.