Luquilla Beach

On our way up to San Juan, we stopped here to explore.

Biobay

The microscopic plankton in the Bioluminescent Bay of Fajardo light up when they are touched! Pure magic, the experience is nearly indescribable.
We kayaked into the ocean waves at night into a bay surrounded by mangroves. As we neared the bay, the water surrounding our paddles began to glow.
By the time we reached the bay, we could see glow trails from large fish, small fish, schools of fish, and fish jumping into the water.
Las Croabas Lagoon in Fajardo has 500,000 to 700,000 of bioluminescent dinoflagellates (a plankton) per gallon, so when you wave your hand through the water you trigger so many of them that your hand lights up with a thousand tiny stars.
It was an exhilarating experience and i am amazed at how many little details God made for us to enjoy!

So We Flew Back...

It cost $35 and 15 minutes. It was a tiny plane with only 6 other "got sick on the boat people." I would be surprised if i willingly got on another boat again.

Flamenco Beach- Culebra

After spending a few hours laying on a bench hoping i wouldn't die, we grabbed a ride to the beach.
It was worth it. This beach helped me feel better. Faster.
It is considered to be the 2nd most beautiful beach by National Geographic.




This photo is courtesy of JP. It is of our Estonian friend.

Fajardo Inn and Ferry Ride

Bitty island.


Getting scared.


Leaving Fajardo on the ferry.


Sunset off our balcony.

We took an early morning boat 17 miles off Puerto Rico to Culebra, a Spanish Virgin Island. It was $2.00.
I got very sick and spent the rough ride barfing into a large black trash bag. Apparently the last thing i mumbled before my demise was, "I can't believe I'm my Mom." (Who had a similar experience but it included 3 kids laughing at her. I don't remember the laughing part.)

Mountain drive to Fajardo

It took us a while, but we finally arrived on the coast. It was a beautiful drive.

Puerto Rico- Casa Grande

Special thanks to Justin's Mom, my sister and brother-in-law, and my Mom for making this trip happen. They were gracious enough to watch the kids. We love you all!




We stayed at a former coffee plantation. It was a dangerous drive up into the Central mountains outside of Utuado. It was raining, dark and curvy. It was lovely to fall asleep to the sound of rain on our tin roof. And even lovelier to see our surroundings the next day!




Sleeping in while a cool mountain breeze wafts in through the window slats and the coqui frogs and birds sing a morning song.


Looking off the back porch of our cabin in the Central Mountains complete with hammock and jumping lizards.


Pool perched on the mountainside.

Tullaia's Haircut

Tullaia got sick of all her tangles and got her first professional haircut tonight. She looks cute!

Happy Birthday Mom!

Silence

"May this space, sacred by Your blessings, become for me a waiting room where i shall wait upon You, my Lord, my Beloved, my Friend." (taken from prayer in my hermitage)

I spent a lovely weekend at Visions of Peace atop a bluff above the Mississippi.
www.visionofpeacehermitages.org
It was a necessary time of reflection and solitude.
I read several books two of which were by fellow Dutchman Henri Nouwen. In one he says, "This is a real discipline. It requires choosing for the Light even when there is much darkness to frighten me. Choosing for Life even when the forces of death are so visible, and choosing for the Truth even when I am surrounded by lies."

It was cold, but i sat on the bluff and took in seldom heard sights and sounds. Barred owls hooted day and night. Trains rushed by. Barges crept up and down the Mississippi. Eagles stood watch on the tops of tall trees. Otters ambled about in the icy water. Snowflakes finally fell. I was quiet.

"I thank you, O secret one, for the graces of this time in solitude. Each time I withdraw to be alone, i learn more not to fear being alone." (taken from another prayer)

Escape and Chase

Well, we had our first chinchilla chase this evening. Of course Justin was not here to enjoy it.

It felt like old times as i yelled at the kids. "Stop, over there, stand RIGHT there! No, okay, Shit! Now run, don't let it get through, back away slowly...NOW!!"

One of my first childhood memories involves me, a metal panel, a septic tank, and a large red boar(complete with tusks).

And my Dad yelling, "Stop, over there, stand RIGHT there! No, okay, Shit! Now run, don't let it get through, back away slowly...NOW!!"

For some reason, the pigs always had their recreation on Sundays.

Here is a picture of my Dad and some of his little pigs.

Charli Misty Powell

Our new pet chinchilla. She is like a mix between a rabbit, squirrel, and a tiny kangaroo.
Tullaia wants something small and furry to take care of since her baby brother is not too fond of being cared for anymore. She thought a chinchilla would be nice after a zookeeper friend took us behind the scenes at the zoo.
I told her we would never have one because they are quite a bit more expensive than other small rodents.
But a family on the home school forum was looking for a home for their 4 year old chinchilla. The daughter is going to college. So we got to surprise the kids with a pretty exciting Christmas gift.

Old Home Place

More ice.

Iowa Ice

From Michigan, we ventured through icy roads and sore tempers to Iowa. We barely made it. The morning we left, i took this picture. It was beautiful.
We had a lovely time with our family ice skating, playing Settlers, and eating Dutch pastries Mom made. My Dad put a dead hog in the field so we could watch the eagles feast, but a Canadian scared them away. I do not have pictures to prove it.

Michigan Snow

I dropped the kids off in Iowa with my mom and drove to Grand Rapids to visit with my brother Eric. They received a whole lot of snow. (3 feet in the last 2 weeks!!) It was beautiful and Stella couldn't stop rolling in it. She is made for the snow.
This is me in Holland on the lake shore. It was crazy cold and icy.

Footprints

We went a conservation class at Forest Park today to learn about animal tracks.

We mixed sawdust, flour, and water to make the material to shove into rubber molds.
This is a picture of Jasper's beaver and Tullaia's red fox.

Have you ever tried to walk like a raccoon? It's pretty hard.

Sunshine By Tullaia

Tullaia was feeling inspired yesterday.
We were driving in the car when she wrote this poem. She says it reminds her of Hafiz.

Rainy day.
Cloudy day.
Litle slits
of blue between the clouds.
What is that?
Clouds part.
Blue.
The color of a little girl's eyes.

This is a picture of Iowa sky.

Bale Hopping in Iowa

The Way Things Work

The kids and I were supposed to leave this week for Iowa. We were hoping to go up with Aunt April and Cousin Opal and visit with family on the farm. Justin was hoping to get some projects done around the house.
But the transmission went out on our van and we found out Wednesday afternoon that it would not be ready.
Aunt April offered to take the big kids with her so they left Friday morning.
On Friday afternoon, i took Avery to the Doctor. He had an ear infection.
It seemed inconvenient that things happened the way they did. But it worked out the best way. No one would have enjoyed much with a screaming Bavery around. The kids are having a snowy good time. Justin and I worked together on projects and didn't argue.
Just another reminder of God's goodness.

Dogwood bloom

Dogwood bloom
Originally uploaded by hjpowell911@sbcglobal.net

After coffee with a friend I was reminded of this poem that another Hafiz fan friend gave me. Lovely...

Slipping
on my shoes,
Boiling water,
toasting bread,
Buttering the sky;
That should be enough contact
with God in one day
to make anyone
crazy.
-Hafiz

Art Show

Tullaia's Van Gogh
Originally uploaded by hjpowell911@sbcglobal.net

Tullaia had her final class and art show a few weeks back. Her interpretation of Van Gogh is the piece that was framed. Jasper's favorite part was eating oranges and chex mix.

Yay!

Originally uploaded by hjpowell911@sbcglobal.net

This was the perfect fall day for leaf burrowing. The smell of fall is wonderful and seemingly universal. Even Stella was getting into the piles of leaves and jumping about. This picture was taken before the time change. I always feel a bit uneasy about early darkness, cold, dreary nights. But alas, we have made it through the transition, and that always seems to be the hardest part for me.

Dia De Los Muertos/Halloween

Sugar Skull
Originally uploaded by hjpowell911@sbcglobal.net

A friend of ours made sugar skulls for us to decorate at Spanish club. We had fun celebrating the Spanish and English interpretation of this holiday. Avery dressed up as a clown. Jasper was el leon, and Tullaia was a princess cat.
It didn't take long for Avery to figure out how to get candy. He looked scary after his face paint started to run with snot and chocolate.

Moss Holler

Mossholler 056
Originally uploaded by hjpowell911@sbcglobal.net

We spent a lovely day on Darryl's property in the Ozark Mountains.

Soulard

Tullaia takes art history with a neat lady in Soulard. For instance, the first class was on prehistoric art. The children ground up berries and used twigs to paint on rock. They listened to drums playing in the background and ate fruity pebbles for a snack. I am super-jealous, but the boys and i have a good time exploring Soulard each week. These are pictures of the community garden. It is huge!

Lemonade and Cookie Stand

Tullaia spends a fair amount of time making items to sell. She has sold a few items to neighbors and friends, but most of the crafts have been bought by brother Jasper. We got together with Isabella and her sisters a few weeks back to sell lemonade and cookies. If you notice the fine print. It says, "...it'll warm you up on a cold winter day."

Why Do We Homeschool?

This is a question we are often asked. Here are some of our thoughts...

• Time is a huge reason. Life is so busy and we always have so much to do. I understand that sad reality. But, I also want the kids to practice being still and quiet. We don't spend as much time in "school" because we have less students. It frees up time for other things, like dance class, swim lessons, playdates, and contemplation. I want to encourage them to be still and hear God in the midst of life. I feel i am giving them this opportunity.
• I enjoy teaching the kids. (Most days...) I wasted high school and never went to college. Learning with kids is fun because they are little sponges.
• We have so many valuable and free resources in STL and this allows us to connect the dots between books and real life. For example, we can study trees in our textbook, visit the Botanical gardens to see a tree exhibit, and then we can head over to Forest Park to locate them on our own.
• I can tailor their education in a way that a teacher cannot. We can speed up on some subjects and slow down on others. We avoid spending time with discipline issues for 20 kids.
• I can teach holistically. They have the opportunity to learn how to do laundry, garden, wash dishes, cook, care for pets/babies, help neighbors, clean. And all the while, we can incorporate math, science, home economics, social studies, language, history, music and P.E.
• We have the flexibilty to be spontaneous. We can go for a mid-morning bike ride on a cool fall day. We can break in the afternoon for a metro-link ride. We can walk to the zoo and spend a wintery day in the warm, fragrant, and tropical butterfly house.

We will homeschool as long as we are able. I may be useless to Tullaia pretty soon. But that is where the virtual school will be helpful. http://www.connectionsacademy.com/

An Afternoon Zoo Walk

Jasper and Tullaia rode their bikes over. After going to the zoo for 6 years of her life, several times a week, Tullaia said she didn't want to go. What a lovely thing to have the option of denying!
But, it was a gorgeous day and it is worth going if only to see the plants. They do a wonderful job keeping everything beautiful. Here is hibiscus at the entrance.
Here is Avery right before he crawled into the giraffes home. He crawled under the fence over and over and over and over. We finally had to leave. Please note how filthy he is. This is him after bath number 2 for the day.

Crawdaddy

We camped at Hawn State Park this weekend.

Poor crawdads never had a chance for peace! The kids (and adults) had buckets of them, made homes for them, and held them like puppies.

Litzinger Ecology Center

Today, we spent a cool, misty morning on a field trip with Tower Grove Homeschool.
The Ecology Center is a secretive parcel of land in the middle of Ladue.
It is part of the Botanical Gardens, but not open to the public.
We had a lovely time discovering new things, most especially Jelly Ear Fungus!