taking a wrong turn

Saturday Excursion:

We had a general idea of where we were going - we wanted to explore the Patuxent River.  James Michener had made the Patuxent River and surrounding wetlands quite a rich place for us through his book "Chesapeake".  We figured the ten dollar admission fee to the conservation area would be totally worth it. 

But somehow we found ourselves down a long and windy country road and in a lesser known part of the rivershed.  At first it didn't look like much, but we ended up having such a delightful day!

Picnic lunch at the overview, close to the parking lot. 

This Bald Cypress was really neat.  The roots have sent up
woody projections ("knees") to help gather oxygen in the swampy environment.

A close-up of the Cypress knees.

Evidence of a beaver!  (Marijka has just finished reading a few books about Narnia,
so was feeling quite excited about being so close to a Mr. and Mrs. Beaver...
she was hoping  for an invite into their home.)

Deer!

Aidan caught several frogs!

We saw our first skink!

 

The bathroom sink was so cool: this machine first sprayed
water on your hands, then squirted soap, then more water,
then started to blow your hands until they were dry!
Pretty cool contraption for a small little place.
And we're quite easily amused.

A nondescript sign led us to this collection of museums on Patuxent rural life.  We were sure it would be some little collection, and almost didn't go check it out.  But what a place!  Thorough, informative and hands on!  

We first came upon this log home that was a typical slave cabin from the early 1880s.  This one was
built by Charles Duckett, a slave for the Trueman family just down the river in 1880.  He lived in this
home with his wife until 1920.  There's one room on the main floor with a loft (that's awfully hot!)
upstairs.  It's been set up all nicely inside to look like it would have looked in the 1880s.

This house was a mail-order home from Sears!  1923.  $400.  Apparently Sears sold 100,000 mail
order homes from 1908 to 1940!  We could go in and walk all around - three rooms, no bathroom (you
can order an outhouse for $40!), no electricity.  The house was heated by the kitchen stove.
Very quaint little place!

There was another museum set up as a series of stores or rooms.
Again, we were allowed to wander the place and touch things
and play... it was one of the most incredible museums
we've been in.  The kids played in the general store quite a bit.

 

The dentist equipment was really quite cool, even for someone like me who's queasy about dentists.  :)

Apple cider press - similar to the ones we've used.

Another museum talked about the importance of tobacco to the settlers.
This press would push tobacco leaves into barrels to prepare them
for delivery to England.  Such an informative place!

We highly recommend this place!  Jug Bay Natural Area

Family Summer Reading Program

There's a tangible tension in our cottage these days.

Our Summer Reading Program is coming to an end.

The program officially ends at 8:30 am on Tuesday morning, the day after Labour Day.  That's when the tallies will be totalled and the rewards declared.

We created our own reading program this year.  Often our kids join in the local library's program, colouring in their charts for every twenty minutes they've read and rejoicing over their kaleidiscope or plastic pencil box that the library hands out in August.  With our family traveling this summer, we decided to create our own program.  A friend of mine posted her family's summer reading ideas on Facebook and I was immediately inspired!  Thanks, Tanya!

I loved her idea of providing a reading list.  My children have a tendency to read a lot each summer, but to reach for easy reading series, like Rainbow Magic books.  I created lists (based on my friend's lists) of classics and award winning books that I wanted my kids to experience.  And instead of keeping track of how many minutes they read (i.e. everyone reading with a timer beside them, thinking constantly in twenty minute sections), we just keep track of how many books.  Books are recorded on our family white board, and whenever a book is finished the reader describes the story to us over dinner. 

As I made the reading lists, I realized that many of the titles were books I've been meaning to read for a long time myself!  Jon and I decided to join in the fun.

We had a very enthusiastic and creative family meeting as we brainstormed ways for us to reward ourselves.  Here's what we came up with:
Once everyone read five books, our family would go out for an Italian Ice treat.
When an individual finished reading ten books, s/he could stay up for an extra hour on a day that s/he chose.  (Mom and Dad get to go to bed an hour earlier.)
Once everyone read fifteen books, our family would buy a new game and enjoy a game night.
When an individual finished reading twenty books, s/he would receive an extra 90 minutes of electronic time.
Once everyone read twenty-five books, our family would go out for supper at the Olive Garden.
When an individual finished reading thirty five books, The Ultimate Goal, s/he would be able to choose the menu for all meals in a day and would be addressed as "sir" or "madam" from morning til night.

And so, today, there is tension in the air.  We have only four days left (plus an hour or two on Tuesday morning, of course).  The kids are close enough to their goal of thirty-five books that if they read like crazy for the next four days, they just might be able to score the Menu-Planning-Treat-Me-As-Royalty prize.  The trouble is that Jon and I are behind - we don't get as much time to lounge around reading.  The kids suggested that they would be fine if the two of us combined our reading lists and thus be more likely to help earn a family supper at the restaurant.  Even so, we're still a few books shy of fifteen.  So the kids are torn between trying to help us get more time to read ("I can put myself to bed.  You stay here and read.") and giving themselves more time to read for their own individual prizes. 

So, there it is!  Will we go out for supper?  Who will earn the title of "Madam" or "Sir"?  Will Mom ever finish her book?  It's a tense place to be!

We'll keep you posted!

Erika

Weekend Drive

We sure enjoy getting to know a new place!  Every Saturday has seen us taking a little road trip to explore the Maryland area.  As Jon drives our troop hither and yon, I like to take photos of the landscapes we're traveling through.  Here are a few pictures to provide you with a Weekend Drive sort of feeling...

Locally known as 'The Bay Bridge', this is the bridge
 that connects the Western Shores of Maryland to the Eastern Shores.
It's more than four miles long and is a beautiful trip across the Chesapeake Bay.

Here are some of the wetlands near the bay bridge.  We walked along that boardwalk!

A lot of the countryside around our area of Maryland has rolling hills with lovely acreages.  We see many horses, many white picket fences, and many large lawns of grass that people mow on their little tractors. 

Here's our church, and another example of the rural, big-lawn scene that's common around here!

There are forested areas, too!

Wetlands, water and boats! 

Hopefully these quick, drive-by shots give you a little feeling for this place!