Saturday, January 31, 2009

A Day Away

Road Trip



As a homeschooler, there are time that the four walls of your house seem to be closing in on you. And with the beautiful weather we are having in NorCal, it's really hard to stay inside. We've taken walks and rides to the park but it was just not enough. So, one of the mornings this past week, we had to ake a little errand to the post office. And the sun, along with the cool weather, just beckoned us to stay a little longer. Yep, it beckoned us, okay? And I mused aloud, "Boy, I just feel like taking a drive.." and no more than a second passed before Grace piped up with a, "Me, too!" I've got to admit, it didn't take much to convince me. So, we went back home and got all the essentials and headed out for our ride. And a ride it was! We started on the back roads of our town and gradually made our way past the popular lakes in the area. Eventually we ended up in Calistoga where we stopped to have lunch and a look around. Calistoga is one of those towns that make you forget about the recession, the state giving you an IOU, and the stimulus package. At least for an hour. It is the essence of relaxation; massages, spas, mud baths, stress relievers. Now, that was not on the agenda on this little escapade but it certainly started the wheels in my head for the next trip! After stopping by the candy store, the pizza place and the orginal train station, we made our way back towards home, but not without stopping at a fun park in Napa.


The great thing is that you can do a lot of learning just by taking these jaunts and apply the things that you have learned already. Here's some of the things we did while we were out!


We found lots of shells where the water had receeded. Unbeknownst to me, there are clammy type creatures in freshwater lakes.


This shell was a unique find. And Dayna found a rock "chair". It really had an indentation that looked like it had been carved out to sit in.



Here's Emily with her collection of shells. Several were still closed.








The water had been visited by the deer in the morning.

Gulp -- I don't even want to know what left these tracks... But you can believe that I was like a mother deer after I found these tracks. My ears perked up at any noise (it was so quiet out there) and my eyes constantly scanning the area. Of course, my senses aren't anywhere near that of a deer but hopefully I looked tougher than the average doe.



Dayna and her favorite thing in life -- Candy!


A funny little mannequin that we came across


At the train depot



"Aw! My flower lost it's power"

And that completed our day! A little more fun than division, language arts and the history of America, for today at least.

1 comment:

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