Field trip

Homeschool group fried trip! The space we rent as a group was not available this week, so one of our moms organized a field trip to Wiard's Orchard, a local apple orchard and pumpkin patch, family owned for the past 125 years. I remember visiting when I was in high school, and many times in college. Sadly, as with so many other locations in Michigan, their entire apple crop was destroyed by the early March heat and subsequent frost. Their solution was to bring apples in from their family orchards on the west side of the state, which mean that we still got to take home Michigan apples, we just didn't get to pick them.

While there we also went on the hay ride, played mini golf, tried out a variety of play structures, and consumed the obligatory cider and doughnuts. Fall splendor.

A last taste of summer

Football Saturday

This year may feel more blue than maize, but oh well. We're still having fun.

Football is back

I'll make no comment on the football game itself (our team so far has left much to be desired), but our fun football Saturdays are back, and that's something we can cheer for. Tailgating with good friends, eating good food, and enjoying beautiful weather. Calvin and I got to go to the game this time around, which treated us to helicopters, a bald eagle, and a stealth bomber, all in pre-game. The rest of the game was just as heart bursting, but not for such enjoyable reasons (eek!). Jon, who is not a huge fan of football itself, got to stay home and enjoy some peace and quiet.

Playing catch up

The problem with falling behind on a journal of any kind, is a reluctance to go forward before catching up on the past. Unfortunately, that means that the more behind one falls, the less likely one is to get caught up, the less likely one is to ever start again. Over the past week-plus of my blog hibernation that something exciting has happened I've thought "Great! I now have something to write about and pictures to share!" quickly followed by "Oh, but I have to catch up first." So how about a quick catch-up post—everything that has happened, or at least everything that I have pictures of (pics or it didn't happen!), and then we'll move on from there.

Journaling the trip

Climbing at the park with HAA (our homeschooling group that meets once a week)

I found this word fun on the floor one morning.

On the first day of September we drove to a Lake Michigan beach to visit with family and soak up some final  joys of summer.

We had science over for dinner.

And we partyied in our garden, finding the first signs of fall and ridding the beds of weeds.

And I'm calling that caught up. Tomorrow is the first day of school for many, just another day for us, but I'm sure it will be a great day.