Scavenger Hunt

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I asked the girl to make a list of things I should photograph while I was on the “Western Trip” with the ecology class. I enjoyed trying to find each of these things. I was really close to finding all 20 animals/items, and I only needed to ask for 2 substitutions (which the girl granted). Here are the resulting photos:

1. “8” made out of sticks

  
(S. Tongue River)

2. Moose

 
(Tetons)

3. Ketchup

  (Yellowstone general store)

4. Mountain Goat

  
(Beartooth Mountains)

5. Snow

  
(Line Lake Plateau Montana)

6. Uncle Rob eating ice cream

  
(Tetons)

7. Uncle Ken looking at a blue and white bird

  
(Bighorn Mountains)

(You have to take my word for it…when I took the picture he was saying “I’m looking at a blue and white bird”. It was a Lazuli Bunting. 

8. A beautiful tree

  
(Hunters Peak Wyoming)

9. Orange flower

  
(Yellowstone)

10. Frog. (I didn’t find one, but I was allowed a substitution- I saw a snake- a Northern Rubber Boa)

  
(Tetons)

11. A cool rock

  
(Bighorn Mountains)

12. Bunny

  
(Yellowstone- mountain cottontail)

13. Ground Squirrel

  
(Golden Mantled Ground Squirrel)

14. Cool pine cone

  
(Lodgepole pine)

15. Caterpillar 

  
(Tetons – buck moth)

16. Dragonfly larvae (a second substitution – a mayfly larvae)

  
(S. Tongue River)

17. Red Squirrel 

  
(We saw them everywhere)

18. Bison

  
(Yellowstone)

19. Sunrise

  
(Yellowstone)

20. Sunset

  

(Bighorn Mountains)

 

29/52

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I’m away from the girl this week getting ready to go on a trip with the ecology students at the Wheaton College Science Station. I don’t have a way to get photos off my camera, so a phone portrait will have to do this week!

Blue Lake 2015 (year 3)

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 We are just back from a terrific few days at Blue Lake Suzuki Family Camp. We had a fun 3 days of group classes: 

Art Barn:


  

Lots of walking: 

Lessons with terrific teachers: 

    T  

Lots of practicing -always the girl’s idea! Check out all of these different “concentration faces”


            We had a lot of fun hanging out at our cabin:

  There was lots of ice cream!

Of course, it wouldn’t be Blue Lake without time spent in the sand…it takes weeks to get this girl clean again!


The best thing about Blue Lake 2015, was that the girl was selected to play on the student recital!  She was so happy!!! She worked so hard to polish her piece before we went, so it was extra special to be able to play for everyone.

Arriving at the concert:

She was so confident!  Not nervous at all!  I wish I could say that about myself


  

She loved being on stage with her teacher:


And when it was her turn, she walked right up to the piano and played the best “Witches’ Dance” she’s ever played!

She’s come a long way!

2013

 2014:

 2015

Like a Dream

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I took the girl on her first camping trip beyond our backyard. I wasn’t sure how it would go. There was a good chance it would rain, so I was worried two nights would be too long. It ended up being an amazing trip. 

We went to Harrington Beach State Park. It’s North of Milwaukee. The campground is about a mile from Lake Michigan, and there are tons of trails for hiking. Our campsite had lots of trees!

  
By the time we arrived, the rain was past and we set up camp quickly!

  
    
After we had everything set, we set out for the beach. The trail takes you through a bottomland forest. The ferns were amazing and there were tons of flowers!

   
 

The beach was very quiet and closed to swimming, but there was sand to play in and shells to pick up. 

   
  
After our hike we set up our hammock and enjoyed some swinging. 

  
  
Then we were ready for dinner. We cooked everything on the campfire. First we had sausages (and some raw veggies). 

  
And of course, marshmallows…

  
We tried banana boats.  The girl loved the melted chocolate, but neither of us really liked the resulting mushy banana. 

  
We sat by the fire and then played a little light-sabre before bed.  

  
  
  
Our first night was good, but we were up pretty early. We had a good breakfast and I made coffee before the rain started. It wasn’t too bad, but we just hung out in the tent for a while with the rainbow loom and Trumpet of the Swan. 

   

   

Finally the rain was just a sprinkle, so we headed to the beach!  All the way there we explored and looked at flowers  and critters. 

  
  
We took the muddiest trail ever, and it was Awesome!!!

   
   

The purple phlox was beautiful and the wildlife didn’t disappoint. 

   
   

We eventually got to the beach and discovered it was still closed to swimming. 

  
We still had a blast, and once again we had the beach to ourselves!

   
     

  
We spent most of the day on the beach. The girl dug in the sand, and I enjoyed looking at all of the beetles!

   
   

We had a very long hike back to camp, so the girl was promised a trip to Port Washington for some ice cream!  She deserved it. 

  
We got back to camp and started dinner just in time for a pretty intense thunderstorm. 

  
The storm was short and we had a nice evening that once again included marshmallows. 

   
 

Our last morning we got up early for the sunrise on the beach. It was spectacular. The girl told me many times that she “felt like she was in a dream.”  I felt the same way!!!