Sunday, June 27, 2010

BEARS!

Not the Chicago Bears, real Bears....

We had some visitors at the house in NH.  Needless to say Maisie did not play outside off of the deck.  There was a cub and a mom, then a single bear a few other times.

Neat to see but not my cup of tea - who would have ever thought we'd be relieved to be back in VT for it's urban setting!

We cheated

We spent another weekend in New Hampshire in the Mountains.  This weekend we went up North to Franconian Notch to visit friends from IMS in IL.  We went to the top of Cannon Mt which is over 3500 feet up but this time we took the tram - it was much quicker and we have no blisters. 

This was Maisie's weekend alone with John and me.  Ben and Sammy stayed in Stillwater with Aunt Chriss and Uncle Andy.  Maisie told everyone all weekend - I LOVE BEING AN ONLY CHILD!  She was so much fun to be with, it is amazing how different she is when she gets attention from everyone Without needing to be naughty!



Maisie took a great picture of the grownups!  Here is Scott, Cindy, Michelle, Jerry, John and me

Saturday, June 19, 2010

We did it!

It took us five hours but we did it!  We made it to the top of Mt Monadnock.  Thank you for all of your support for the Pick a Peak Fundraiser - We did it for Austin.  We did it for Max.  This is such an incredible experience, we are glad we could have been a part of it.



This was the home stretch those little things up on top were people!  This was the hardest part (going up it took about 45 minutes and there was no easy way.  Our descent was tough, we were tired and the footing was slow going, it was a different Mt going down than up, that's for sure!

Sunday, June 13, 2010

Please Sponsor Ben for the 2010 Pick your Peak Cure Duchenne Climb

Please join us in helping to raise funds to find a cure for Duchenne muscular dystrophy 


On June 19 Ben will climb Mt Monadnock in New Hampshire with John and me to support his friend Austin and Austin's little brother Max.  Both Austin and Max have Duchenne muscular dystrophy.  They are counting on the rest of us to help raise money to find a cure for this fatal disease.  One in every 3500 boys is born with DMD and historically the boys have not lived beyond their teens.  

There is hope that raising money we will bring these boys and their families one step closer to finding a cure. 

Please consider supporting Ben and his friends in this endeavor.  Every little bit adds up to a lot.  

You can send checks directly to Ben - PO Box 423 Saxtons River, Vt 05154   or go to our team's website and use paypal or your credit card.




Thank you for your support! 


Friday, June 11, 2010

Two birthday girls turning one!

Our cousins Delaney and McKenna just turned one and they were pretty excited for the big day that was ahead of them.  They woke up around ten and they were really happy.  At the night time we had a party at a Pizza Place - too bad they slept part of the time!  They had two cakes, a tiny cake and a big cake.  I think the twins really dug it - especially Delaney.  They got very messy.  We were happy to be with the twins on their first birthday and to hang out with them.    - Ben

The World is like a puzzle

Wait a minute, it is a puzzle!  A little gift from friends in Spain - great geography lesson and good lesson in Spanish too - espana, francia, italia, alemania, polonia - it's all so confusing!

More sculpture

This is my first Nature Sculpture Class.  We used rocks and water.  We also used leaves and a tree stump.  It was a group project.  The class is based on Andy Goldworthy's work.  He is an artist that makes things in nature.  He makes sculpture.  He is very persistent.  He uses what he finds outside to make the sculptures and uses only his hands.  Making art like this is much harder than it looks.  You have to take into account the weather and  the objects you will have to use.  Don't get mad if it falls down before someone can see it.  Experiment to find out what you can do to make it last a day or two or plan on bringing a camera.  Some of the sculptures only last a few minutes (like the leaves in the water).

By Ben

Fort Zink


This is a fort that we made that Sam and I used alot.  The cats come in and have enough room to lay down.  Sam and I use it to trade Pokemon cards and just to relax.  We might work on it some more this summer and make it bigger.
By Ben

Wilderness School

These are my friends Sam and Jonas. 
 





These are pictures from my wilderness class.  It was a class that I learned about how to survive if I was alone in the wilderness.  I learned a lot and if I every get stuck in the wilderness I think I would know what to do.  Some of the things I learned were:  how to make a fire, a bow and arrow, and a fishing rod.  I learned what you can eat in the wilderness like dandelions, fish, and other edible plants like root beer.  I can make my own shelter and I can make animal calls.  There is something called Indian Walk that is a way to walk so silently you can sneak up on something so quietly that it doesn't hear you.  I am able to do this well.  I know because I snuck up on Maisie so quietly that I almost made her wet her pants!

Practical Science


For Science I had to plant some seeds.  It took alot of patience and effort.  I had to remember to care for the seeds and water them every day.  Here are two of the boxes I grew.  One of the boxes is Cilantro.  The Basil and Peas did not grow.  I think it was because the seeds were really old.  You can eat the Cilantro - it is a spice that you use for alot of Mexican dishes like Salsa and Guacamole.  I don't like either so I doubt I'll eat the Cilantro but everyone else is glad it grew.  -Ben

Letting the Salmon Go

Getting on Board

Sculpture Class

I took a nature sculpture class that was about the famous artist "Andy Goldsworthy".  We made sculptures that involved nature and were things that I found outside.  Here is a sculpture that I created out of rocks in a little pit in the Journey School's backyard. The first picture is the first thing I was going to make at first but  then I changed my plan and put grass to make it pop out - my sister Sam found a robin's egg so we added it to the center to really make the color stand out.   - Ben