Yurt Camping With Friends

Our friends have a tradition of camping at the coast one weekend each summer. This year we joined them, as did about seven other families. We pretty much took over the campground with a group of about fifty--most of them kids. Our yurt was booked exactly nine months in advance, five minutes after the phone lines were open. That is how fast the yurts sell out. Camping at the coast is a chilly adventure, and having some thicker walls, a heater, and pseudo-mattresses are a real plus for those of us nearing age forty. Yes, we are wimpy and old, and have no shame in admitting that.

The temps in Portland were in the high 90s and triple-digits during the weekend we were gone. Generally, the temps are 20 degrees cooler at the coast, which we figured would be perfect. Unfortunately, I didn't take into account The Wind, which is always present at the coast, and lowers the temps even farther. Let's just say the one pair of pants and one fleece I had packed for each person got worn plum out over four days. I had no idea we could get as dirty as we did. Hello, camping.

Besides being a bit cold, we had a great time and the kids pretty much ran for three days straight. We stayed for three nights and four days, which was the perfect amount of time. Long enough to make the packing worth it, but short enough to not need a full chiropractic exam upon arriving home.

And now for the pics.

Here's our yurt site, which comes with a yurt (duh), picnic table, and a fire pit. The hammock is ours. Yes, we packed our hammock.

Inside the yurt, there was a futon, which could sleep two of the kids:

Plus a bunk bed for the parents on the bottom and one kid on top:

It's not camping until hot dogs are cooked over the fire. Everything tastes better when cooked outside. Especially when I'm not the one doing the cooking.

We picked up a couple of "pudgie pie makers" especially for this trip. This is a memory from Pa's childhood. It's basically a cast iron sandwich maker. We buttered some blueberry streusel bread and stuck blueberry pie filling in between. Nummy samwidge.

With nine families attending, there was no end of things for the kids to do. They mostly made up games based on whatever things were on hand. Here they had one of our parachute guys and a whole bunch of kids went running, throwing, and catching. 

Friday was the sunniest day, so we headed to the coast to play. Here were are walking towards Fogarty Creek. Complete with Pa wearing long pants and the boys wearing fleece.

This was our view as we all enjoyed a picnic lunch. The whole group had ventured to the same beach, which was about a 20-minute drive from the campsite.

First critter we saw was a starfish. The water was its typical self--cold, cold, cold. This particular beach didn't have a very big shallow area, so we didn't hang out at the ocean's edge for too long. 

This spot along the coast had a big-ol' wall of sand the kids could climb. Campers is the one in the gray fleece.

See?

This is what the boys looked like after playing on the wall of sand:

We also took some walks to see the waves roll in:

The temps were warm enough that day to make the sand feel hot. Yay! 

We picked this spot along the coast because it had water for the kids to play in that was not the cold and dangerous ocean. The group of kids spent a long, long time in the creek.

They also spent some time covering themselves with sand:

  

The boys were the biggest fans of the creek. Building dams, digging for clay, making castles. They were a delight to watch, so industrious and happy.

We had tried to pack our kite, as the windy coast is a great spot to fly one. Unfortunately, one of our kids had dragged the thing through the garage, getting its string in knots and tied around a chair. I tried (in vain) for about an hour to get it undone. Fortunately, someone in our group brought a kite and the Suz was ever-so-excited to try it out. One thing she has going for her is energy--which means that kite was up in the air in no time. One thing she doesn't have is control, which means that kite nose-dived to the creek about three seconds later. Wheeee!

Here's the Suz in the creek, about to give me the what-for for not letting her wear her uncomfortable swim suit. Yeah, it stinks to be a girl sometimes.

Back at the campground, the kids played several rousing games of Skill Ball:

And the Suz got to join in on a fun round of Sequence:

Two of the nights we shared a potluck supper, with half of the families supplying one meal and the other half supplying the second meal. Handy! Plus, it was a nice way for all of us to connect at least one time a day. We'd talk, and play, and follow that up with some talking and playing.

On Saturday, the whole gang went to a nearby playground where the kids did more of the same--running and playing and then running some more:

The Suz was in her element. All people, all the time.

The introverts of the crowd headed to the campsite early to take in a little peace and quiet. The five of us spent some time resting and cleaning up and playing games at the table.

You can see that the kids are starting to wear down! I'm pretty sure they haven't spent that much physical energy ever before in their short, youthful lives. 

We all had a great time, though Pa and I pretty much collapsed once we got home. Our bodies haven't been that tired since who knows when. As for my voice, it has recovered enough that I could converse like a normal person, at least for most of the day. I still can't shout or sing or talk for long periods of time. But it was a joy not having to whisper or sit quietly. 

Anyway, the kids are already begging to go again, which I'm sure we'll do at some point. In the meantime, Pa and I are reacquainting ourselves with such luxuries as "comfortable chairs" and "TVs." Ahh, the good life.

Sure, You Can Each Have One

On the way out the door of buying our washer, the kids flew to the mowers and begged us to buy one. They said that their uncle owns one, so why shouldn't we? Well, maybe it's because we couldn't turn the machine around in our yard without doing a ten-point turn. But it would be mowed in two minutes or less, by golly!

 

Cello, Is That You?

The summer concert season has started in certain parks around town. I love to pack sandwiches and get out of the house in the middle of the day while the sun is actually shining. Recently, we went downtown to listen to a cello duet--two women who played Beethoven as well as the Beatles. The kids weren't embarrassed by my singing of "Michelle, My Bell," of course they weren't.

Since the concert was outdoors and the cellos weren't mic'd, the sound was a little on the quiet side. I mentioned to Campers that I was having trouble hearing the cellos and he said, "Probably cuz they're not blowing hard enough."

I love that kid.

We wrapped up the outing with a trip to a fro-yo place, because really, that's how I got the kids to the concert in the first place. Bribery. It works.

 

Re-Entry From Our Travels

I told the kids we'd take it easy with school the week we got back from San Francisco. I mean, for all intents and purposes, our week in San Francisco was far more educational than some of our days at home. But I digress. We needed time to decompress and make sense of all that we did on our trip. 

While making plans to check out the Wells Fargo museum in San Fran, I discovered that there was a Wells Fargo museum in my very own city that somehow, somehow I'd never even heard of. I informed the kids that we'd have to check the place out to see how it compared to the one in San Francisco. 

So on our first day "back to school," I told the kids we'd visit the local museum the next time the frozen yogurt place nearby had their double-punch day. I mean, doesn't everybody plan their outings around food?! Of course! Ten minutes later, I saw on Facebook that double-punch day was that very day, and that's all the motivation we needed to get our work done in the morning.

The Wells Fargo museums are well done, and require about an hour to take in the exhibits. I love that these places are generally staffed by people who love their jobs and love to answer questions. We had the place to ourselves and learned all sorts of things that tie in with our current studies in history. 

Oh, and for those who are wondering--the museums are similar, but by no means identical. Each has local history incorporated with the main theme of Wells Fargo and their stagecoach experience.

We did end our afternoon out with a stop by our favorite fro-yo place in town, which definitely helped with our re-entry into Normal Life. Yay, museums and treats!

Japanese Gardens

There are some Japanese Gardens in town. A whole five acres of them, Pa told me. We have not visited them before, primarily because of the cost. There are usually a couple of "free days" a year, but they always, always fall when it's cold and sopping wet outside. Well, this year it fell on a day when Pa had off of work, and it was cold and sopping wet outside. But nothing will stop me from saving thirty bucks and finally getting to see the gardens. Nothing. I am a Pacific Northwesterner; the rain makes me grow.

We covered the grounds in about an hour. We were pretty much traveling at Kid Speed, with some acceleration added in due to the rain. I figured--I wasn't paying a thing and felt I got my money's worth for sure.

Well, seriously, we did enjoy the gardens, the peaceful zen-like gardens. We had to silence our cell phones as we entered. Too bad we couldn't put a silencer on the Suz, as she treats nearly every outing like it's a contest for who can be the Loudest and the Busiest. She wins again!

Bob's Red Mill

One of my favorite things about homeschooling is the ability to make little Pit Stops Of Fun while we're out doing something during the day. Right after our art class at the library, I surprised the kids with a snack at Bob's Red Mill. Their headquarters (and big mill) aren't far from where we live and who can say "no" to fresh bread or a cookie? Not me, apparently.

OMSI Field Trip

Each year, our field trip group likes to head to our local science museum for a one-hour class for the kids. Since our group is quite sizable now, we can split the kids into "older" and "younger" and easily fill two rooms of twelve or more kids. The older kids did a class on magnetism and electricity while the younger set headed to the planetarium for a class on constellations. I ended up with the older kids, so that's what pictures got taken. We also packed a sack lunch and had a good ol' time in the lunchroom with all of our friends. We love going to OMSI (Oregon Museum of Science and Industry) in January as there is *no one* else around. Most little kids are sick and most schools avoid field trips in January. Yay for an empty and super-cool museum!

Bread-Making Class

Our local library had a program recently where kids could show up and make a miniature loaf of bread. Now, I realize I'm becky homecky enough to do this gig at home, but do the kids reeeeally need more exposure to the fun-sucking mom? I vote "no." Besides, I couldn't believe the library would actually allow flour and water and pasty dough to get on their carpet, and I had to see this thing for myself. Indeed.

There was a Real Live Cookbook Lady heading up the lesson, and she was great with a room full of flour-covered kids. I had one of those kids myself, and I'll just let you guess who couldn't keep from mowing the flour all over the table and (subsequently) into her lap. Never fear, though. Fun-sucking mom appeared.

When the Cookbook Lady told the kids to knead the bread, little Zig started kneading it like a kitten. Come now, that was cute, if not mostly ineffective.

And Campers, being a goofball, had put a bug-eyed smiley face at the end of his nametag. Well, when Cookbook Lady went to call on him, she read his name as "Cam-oo." Not sure why that struck us as funny, but it did, and so my boy now has a nickname that rhymes with "Shamu." Yet again, the library has added so much to our lives.

In Pursuit Of Emory Parady

Never did I think that when we started studying the Civil War last spring did I imagine we'd still be unionizing and confederatizing this winter. But alas, it's a big ol' war, with studios filled with fabulous prizes. And besides, Lincoln was DA MAN. So the Civil War is worth spending a little time on.

Seeing as we're nowhere near the great battlefields out east, the kids have asked what role Oregon played in the war. Well, after a little sleuthing around, I discovered that one of the men who captured The Evil Assassinator John Wilkes Booth is buried just ten minutes from our house. Huh! Who knew? So we took a little field trip one afternoon to see Emory Parady's grave, which is inscribed as follows:

Member Co. H, 16th NY Cavalry

One of the 26 enlisted men who captured John Wilkes Booth,
the assassin of President Lincoln.

As we were leaving, I told the kids they were fortunate to pop into a cemetery *just like that* to see a little piece of history. They wholeheartedly agreed, or maybe they were just glad to be out in the fresh, cold air. We finished our living history lesson with a stop by the bakery for a box of glazed donuts. Just what Emory Parady would have wanted.

 

The Dam Tour

The boys and I have been doing a unit study on electricity and magnetism. I'll often pause while I'm reading aloud, trying to make sense of flying electrons and currents and outlets and how all that adds up. Campers finally looked at Zig one day and said, "I think school is mostly for mom, and we just tag along." 

Oh, they think they're so funny. (I still can't explain the difference between AC and DC, except I know they're a band from the 80s, whose music likely killed whatever brain cells my future self would need for explaining, well, AC/DC.)

We've talked in excess about hydroelectricity, so it was due time for a trip to our local dam. I even convinced Pa to come along, because who can resist an afternoon making dam jokes? Certainly not us. And if you think we can turn on the Dam Access Road and not milk that for all it's worth, well, you know us not at all.

The dam is out on the Columbia, so we got to drive through the gorge on what ended up being a sunshiny day. Nothing better than a dry day of sunshine during a Pacific Northwest winter. And seeing as it was a Monday in January, we had the place to ourselves. Even got a guided hour-long tour, for free, just to ourselves. We saw turbines, salmon climbing their fish ladder, and sea lions who'd come too far upriver (not joking--still in shock that there were sea lions! in the river!). 

We also got to ride the longest escalator that exists this side of the Mississippi. That baby was six stories long and took 90 seconds from start to finish. Not kidding! It's like Disney!

Hope you enjoy the pics from our dam tour.

Chinese Gardens

The sun was shining and entrance to the local Chinese gardens was free. How could we resist? It's a lovely haven downtown, even if the Suz thought we were headed for China itself. The visit was a great way to spend a Sunday afternoon.

 
  

Ten Grands

Each year for the past few years, our city has hosted a "Ten Grands" concert which includes, and I know this might seem obvious, ten grand pianos on stage. There are people playing those pianos, of course, though I will say--the sight of that many grands alone is stunning indeed.

Students are given free tickets to the midday concert, and we all went for the second year in a row. We were part of a group of homeschoolers from across the city--and would you believe it, there were 900 of us in all. Nine hundred. That's a big group, and we took up the bulk of the floor seating at the concert hall.

Pa had the day off and was able to join us at the concert. I couldn't take any pictures inside the hall, so you'll just have to look at a sign and then one of us standing outside.

 

 

But it was a lovely concert, you can rest assured.  

The producer of the concert makes sure to include (incredibly talented) students playing the pianos as well. It's nice for the kids in the audience to see that music is awesome and wonderful and everyone should play the piano, amen and amen.

Imagination Station

After four years of being in our city, we've not yet tried every park. Pa knew that there was an Imagination Station in the area, one very similar to the Imagination Station the boys played on "back home."

We headed there one day when the sun came out, as that in itself is a reason to celebrate. We even picked up pizza on the way home because we were so charged up with Vitamin D we couldn't stop ourselves! Crazy!

That was of course after I had sat on Pa's glasses right there in the park. You see, we've reached the glorious stage where we can say "SHOO KIDS, DON'T BOTHER ME" and for the most part, they play happily at the park without interference. YES, AMEN AND HALLELUJAH, THERE IS A GOD. So anyway, that meant that Pa and I got to sit on a blanket and apparently I'd had too much Sun to drink as I soon, and accidentally, sat down on his very expensive and specialized glasses. Uh-huh. That's what I did, and then felt sick to my stomach, and nearly cried, which is saying something right there. 

To answer your question about the glasses, Pa plans to just use an old pair until we've saved up the money nerve to replace them. Yes, I damaged them that badly by sitting on them, I know, the jokes just write themselves.

So the playground was fun and we had a great view of planes flying in and out of the airport. Correction, the kids and I had a good view of the planes, and Pa did not. That's kind of the down side to a pair of broken glasses.