Maui: Day 3

On Day 3, we drove up the volcano, Haleakala. It was actually windy and rainy at our resort, but it was sunny... and cold... on the volcano. The crater is at a little over 10,000 meters and we passed through the clouds to get to the top.

Above is a photo of a silversword plant. This plant was near extinction in the 1920's and is now protected. It is found only in Maui in the Haleakala National Park. The plant only blooms once in its life, usually in June or July, and then it dies.

Above is a silversword that has already bloomed.

This is a photo of our family at the rim of the crater of Haleakala. The crater is huge at about 7 miles across.

The crater is dotted with numerous cinder cones. You can actually hike down into this area, but we didn't. And, many people get up at about 4 in the morning to drive up the volcano and watch the sunrise. But, we preferred to sleeep in.

Alexandra took part in earning her first Junior Ranger badge, which you can earn after you turn 7. When she handed in her workbook with her answers, which we all learned from, the Park Ranger spent about 10 minutes going over her answers with her and discussing things with her. It was a great learning experience. She even took a pledge to protect wildlife, etc, when she was done. Then, the Park Ranger announced that they had their newest Junior Ranger and the 20+ customers applauded.

Here's Alexandra with her Junior Park Ranger badge.

That evening, we watched a wind surfer. It was amazing. He would travel so fast and go so far out! The first time, I was worried that he couldn't make it back. But, next thing I knew he was zipping back in towards shore. Then, back again out into the ocean. What a fun ride!

Reptiles & Birds

Our nature group went on our monthly outing yesterday. We had a wonderful time! We went to a place called Brazos Bend State Park which is southwest of Houston.



Our first activity was a walk around a lake where a lot of black vultures "hang out" this time of year.



Besides seeing LOTS of vultures, we saw an alligator sunning on the far side of the lake. We also saw quite a few turtles - covered in duck weed! Can you find 3 in this photo?


We saw ducks, ibises, and egrets. I'm not sure what these ducks are, but I'll try to figure it out.
Next, we went to the nature center to look around. It actually had lots of things to touch and see. One of my favorites was a leech in a tank! Then, we went upstairs to have story time with Ranger Sharon. She read a book called Waiting Alligators and gave us SO much information about alligators! She also had things for us to look at and touch, and a baby alligator to pet! Then, we went tree climbing. One of the family's had a lot of experience climbing trees and the kids were getting really high! Then, we went to a picnic/park area to eat and play. I took photos of these activities on my other camera, and I haven't downloaded them yet. So, you'll have to wait for photos!

Next, was one of our big activities of the day: a lady named Doris Magers from SOAR (Save Our American Raptors) was at the park to share about raptors (birds of prey) and how we can protect them. I was thrilled to volunteer to carry in the above owl!!! Unfortunately, I don't think anyone took a photo. This Great Horned Owl, a female named E.T., sits on a perch and I carried her, perch and all. I was really just in awe to be so close to such a magnificant bird.

Of course, I had to try out my new camera and I was sitting only a few feet on the second row. Alexandra was in front on the floor with some friends. The owl was just amazing!!! We all got excited, and disgusted, when it started looking like it was choking... and then spit something up. We thought, "Oh wow! An owl pellet!!!" But, it turned out not to be a pellet... and it smelled disgusting. Just had to share that info. ;-)

Aren't these talons amazing??? A lot of what Ms. Magers talked about was how people hurt these birds - both through shooting and by taking them from their nests and having them imprint on people so they can never be released into the wild.

Next, she brought out this little bitty Screech Owl. It's only 8 inches tall - and about 9 months old, but probably full grown.

Then, she brought out this beautiful bird... it's an American Kestrel or Sparrow Hawk. Isn't it amazing? (By the way, I fell even MORE in love with birds this day.) The American Kestrel is the smallest falcon in North America - about the size of an American Robin and it is used by falconers.

The last birds she showed us was this bird I'd never seen before called a Crested Caracara. (By the way, I've realized that the photos look a lot different on different computers. On my laptop, this photo looks great. On my PC, this photo looks dark and hard to see.)

These birds are actually now found in the Houston area but are often mistaken for vultures when in flight! I would LOVE to see one of these out in the wild. The lady holding the caracara is Ranger Sharon, the lady who read to us during storytime and who also helped me set up our nature day. The caracara was flying back and forth from Ranger Sharon to a few others - including a couple of volunteers. I wish I could have caught this bird!!!

After the birding program, we went on a 1.2 mile hike around another lake where I was pretty sure we'd see some alligators. We ended up seeing about 7 - 3 of them were VERY close to the path and were almost too close for comfort. This alligator was lying just off the path with his tail towards the trail and his face in the water, covered in duckweed.

We also so quite a few turtles. This one amazed us by his size. If you can see, just to the right of him is a regular sized duck. He's about 1.5 times the size of the duck!

About 1/3rd of the way throught the trail, there is a 3-story observation tower to climb. Alexandra went up before me. (I was busy photographing.)

During story time, we'd learned about "gator holes." Well, someone pointed out a spot that looked like a gator hole with an alligator in it. Using my zoom on my camera, I could tell it WAS an alligator. Then, there was a second possible gator hole with an alligator in front of it. We really couldn't tell if it was another alligator or not. When I got home and downloaded my photos, I was excited to see that you could tell it was another, smaller alligator!

Here's one more alligator. If you'll notice the bumps on his back, I'll tell you more about them next time. :-)

Visiting D-Day Sites in Normandy: Pointe du Hoc

June 6th, 1944. The Germans occupied France and much of Europe. The Allies began their D-Day invasion to recapture the continent.

We booked a private half-day tour of the American sector sites of the D-Day invasion in Normandy. Our guide, Eva Ruttger with Experience Normandy, was FANTASTIC and obviously loved what she did. She told us the amazing story of the invasion and even had photos and maps to share with us. I wish I'd taken notes as I've forgotten a lot of what I learned! But, what I took away was the incredible planning that went into planning the invasion.



Alex, my mom, me, my brother & his girlfriend in front of a pillbox that would have housed a 'big gun'

This is a picture of us outside of one of the bunkers at Pointe du Hoc. The bunkers are where the Germans kept their 'big guns' which could shoot 10-12 miles and hit the ships at sea. Eisenhower wanted to make sure these guns were destroyed. Pointe du Hoc supposedly had five of these guns at this Pointe which overlooks Omaha Beach. Troops were supposed to land at 6:30 a.m. at Omaha Beach and the guns were supposed to be inoperable by then.



Alex, me & my brother standing in a crater at Pointe du Hoc- you can see a 'pillbox' in the background

American planes sent planes to drop bombs in the area of Omaha Beach. This was to clear a way for Allies when they landed. Because of bad weather, the targets were missed and Omaha Beach did not have any bomb craters where the soldiers could have hidden as they landed. But, here on Pointe du Hoc, there were craters.

After crossing the English Channel from England, the Rangers had to scale these 100 foot tall cliffs of Pointe du Hoc. While landing on the narrow shore and climbing the cliffs, they were being shot at and having gernades thrown down on them. There's a great, 9 minute clip from The Longest Day which shows this scaling and shows the very places I've photographed and visited.

Part of a monument at the site

Here is a quote by President Reagan on the 40th anniversay of D-Day: June 6, 1984:

The Rangers looked up and saw the enemy soldiers - the edge of the cliffs shooting down at them with machineguns and throwing gernades. And the American Rangers began to climb. They shot rope ladders over the face of these cliffs and began to pull themselves up. When one ranger fell, another would take his place. When one rope was cut, a ranger would grab another and begin his climb again. They climbed, shot back, and held their footing. Soon, one by one, the rangers pulled themselves over the top, and in seizing the firm land at the top of these cliffs, they began to seize back the continent of Europe. Two hundred and twenty-five came here. After 2 days of fighting, only 90 could still bear arms.

This is a relief map from that monument. The water (closest to us) is the English Channel. The The part that sticks out is where Pointe du Hoc is located. On the left side of the photo is another American invasion site: Omaha Beach. On the right is a British invasion point: Utah Beach.

Here's a photo I took from near the tip of Pointe du Hoc. If you could see down below, you'd be able to see Omaha Beach.

Our wonderful guide is on the left - I'll have to look up her name and the name of her company. She was incredible! Anyway, this is also taken at the tip of Pointe du Hoc but looking away from Omaha Beach.

I'm standing inside of a bunker at the very edge of Pointe du Hoc. From this point the Germans could watch over the seas. The opening was maybe 2 foot tall and arched almost 180 degrees. There were also a couple of rooms in this structure where the troops must have lived or spent a lot of time. There were bullet holes in the walls from when the Allies captured this Pointe.

From here, we traveled to Omaha Beach... which will be a separate post.

Note: I got some of my information from the American Veterans site on a page titled "The Guns of Pointe du Hoc."

Nature Day

Yesterday, our nature group went on its monthly Nature Day. What an amazing day! The weather was in the mid-80's and we had a great turnout. About 10-12 families with around 45+ people. Our first stop was in a classroom where a park ranger at the W. G. Jones State Forest give us a talk about woodpeckers, snakes, and safety in the woods.

The Jones State Park is actively trying to safe the endangered Red-Cockaded Woodpecker. This is the only woodpecker that makes its cavity (the hole where they nest) in a LIVE pine tree. He showed us an amazing video of how they band the baby woodpeckers. They build their cavities high in the tree. To protect their cavity, the woodpeckers make holes on the tree beneath their nest which makes the sap run out. The sap is very sticky and discourages "visitors." Above is a photo of a man-made cavity that they sometimes place in trees with cavities have been knocked down by storms or for whatever reason. They actually cut a hole out of the tree and use a special epoxy to glue it in place.

The park ranger then talked about the 5 different kinds of venemous snakes in our area. He actually catches these snakes to preserve to show classes! He said his job doesn't pay for his medical bills when he gets bit (which he has) because they've told him it is dangerous and not to do it, but he does it anyway.

Lastly, he talked about safety in the woods. For example, when you have to walk over a log in the wood, take a wide step on and a wide step off. Snakes love to curl up right near the log and will bite if frightened. And, never - never put your hand in any hole in a tree or in the ground - it's probably the home of an animal and he will try to defend himself!


He also talked about what to do if you get lost. Stay put! He said he's been on lots of search & rescues and the people they find the quickest are those who stay put. (Alexandra got to be the demonstrator.) He said if you're lost, there are 360 degrees in a circle and so 360 ways to go and only 1 is right and the other 359 are wrong. Great lesson to teach the kids as the rescue parties will start where they think the lost person is and they walk slowly - a lot slower than someone lost & scared and trying to get home!




A nest that had fallen - there's a piece of a broken egg shell in the nest, and I love the large piece of plastic trash the bird used as building material.

I believe this is a type of leaf-footed but, though I haven't made a positive identification yet. He was a beatiful pale lavender and black!

Beautiful lavender flowers - part of the butterfly garden which had dozens of butterflies

My favorite find of the day - which was pointed out to me; I didn't find it - a grey treefrog! It was a beautiful pale green, almost white. He was sitting in the butterfly garden on one of the leaves!

Cicada skin

A chrysalis - with the butterfly still in it! It was on a tree near the butterfly garden

A bunch of cicada skins on one tree! Later in the day, when we went to the second stop just about a half mile away, I only found one cicada shell! There were lots on this tree. Check out this site about a family who searches for cicadas before they shed their skin!

Our nature group "leader" teaching us how to watercolor a leaf - by tracing the shadow of the leaf so you don't break a fragile one! Then, she watercolored it and used the "wrong end" of a paint brush to draw in the veins. It was a neat effect!

Daddy Long Leg - I remember seeing tons of these at camp as a child and haven't seen any in years

I guess this is a gall on the trunk of a tree which has been broken in half

My photo doesn't do this justice - a tree had a huge break in it and there was lots & lots of sap. I'll see if anyone else in the group got a better photo.

Louisiana Purchase and Lewis & Clark

We have started a new co-op with another Classical Conversations family. Basically, we will be studying about Westward Expansion and pioneers. For a "spine", we are using Great Pioneer Projects You Can Build Yourself by Rachel Dickinson and Learning Through History's magazine, Westward Ho!

In the past, Alexandra and I had worked through most of the small book, "What A Deal!" The Louisana Purchase by Carole Marsh. I wish I would have got this book at again as we would have made some Mississippi Mud Pie or built a raft of pretzle rods.

I also have the Kaleidoscope Kids Book, The Lewis & Carol Expedition, which has lots of great projects in it. But, I just wasn't up to it! I was literally putting together this first study the morning of our co-op.


So, what did we do?

• At Enchanted Learning, we read about the Louisiana Purchase and took a quiz.



• We also read about Lewis & Clark at Enchanted Learning.



• We watched Schoolhouse Rock's "Elbow Room" (shown above).



• We colored a map of the Louisian Purchase.



• I think I found this part the most interesting - we discussed the Westward Journey series of nickels that the US mint released in 2004-2006. I was able to find 4 of the 5 coins at our house and especially enjoyed the coin that has a replica of the Peace Medal the explorers gave to Native American chiefs. "It shows the hand of a Native American and the hand aof a European-American clasped in a friendly handshake below a crossed pipe and tomahawk." I'd seen these coins before, but hadn't really paid any attention to them or what they meant.



• Lastly, I still hope to complete this one: Over the past year and a half, Alexandra has earned 3 Junior Ranger badges. Well, you can earn a Lewis and Clark Junior Web Ranger by doing research online (or in a book), filling out this form, and mailing it in! I've printed it out, I just need to set down with Alexandra and do the work now.

Our next stop in history - The Oregon Trail.

Brazos Bend Part 2

I never finished blogging about our nature day last Friday. I had used 2 different cameras, and I now have the photos on the computer. (She looks serious in this photo, but she really was enjoying petting the alligator. And, Ranger Sharon let them pet him/her for several months - not the usual "2 seconds.")

After storytime, Ranger Sharon had some things for us to look at and touch, including a baby alligator!

She also had an alligator scoot for us to see. I'd not heard of these, but they are what make up the bumps on the alligators back. The scoots have lots of holes which contain blood vessels. The main purpose is to keep lots of blood near the surface so it can be heated quickly. Remember, alligators are reptiles so they don't make their own heat - they are ectothermic (a term she taught the kids) and have to regulate their body temperature by finding heat or finding a cool spot. So, the scoots help regulate their temperature! (The thing above the scoot is an alligator's tooth.)

And, as I'd mentioned before, the kids went tree climbing which Alexandra doesn't have much experience with. They had so much fun!!! And, we enjoyed watching them.

We have power!

Hi, everyone. Our power got restored on Saturday, which was a suprise as we'd heard on Friday that it'd be at least a week. But, Alex and I had planned on going to Kansas, so we are up here having fun. Today, we went to a museum that covers Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka. Alex even earned her 3rd Junior Ranger badge. Unfortunately, I haven't loaded software to download photos on our new computers, so I guess it'll have to wait. I can't wait to share all of our adventures with you!!!

Day 2: The Arch & The Old Courthouse

For Day 2 we went to the Arch. Alexandra had no idea it would be so big, so she was really excited. I went when I was a young teenager, but I barely remembered it.

The Arch

The view from the top - including the stadium - the ride wasn't too bad even

though I sometimes get a little claustrophobic

One of the legs looking STRAIGHT down... 630 feet

Alexandra at the VERY top - 630 feet up

While at the arch, we also watched a National Geographic movie about Lewis & Clark called Great Journey West. It was incredible and we all learned so much and have so much respect for what all the men went through - AND Sacagewa and her baby! (This photo shows the court house in front of the arch)

After lunch, we walked around a bit. I was getting tired, but Alexandra had so much energy. She was running all over the place, up and down the stairs, etc.


Next, we went to The Old Courthouse. This is the courthouse where the famous Dred Scott Decision was made. This sign say: "On April 6, 1846, a slave named Dred Scott and his wife Harriet sued for their freedom in this courthouse. The Scotts had been taken by their owner to free jurisdictions and then returned to Missouri, a slave state. In 1857, Chief Justice Roger B. Taney of the U.S. Supreme Court announced the decision in the case Dred Scott v. Sanford. He stated that Americans of African ancestry were not eligible to be citizens, based on the historical claim that they 'had no rights which the white man was bound to respect.' Taney's opinion also declared that Congress could not prevent the spread of slavery into the Western territories. This decision fueled sectional conflict which led to the Civil War."

This old court house had some beautiful architecture and artwork. There was also a video about the Dred Scott decision, but I thought it was getting to heavy for Alexandra, so we didn't finish it.


The courthouse is also part of a national park (so is the arch) and Alexandra earned her second Junior Ranger badge - for the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial. Most of the questions dealt with the Greek architecture of the building and the layout of a courtroom. Alexandra's aunt is a judge (among other things) so it was neat to learn about the court room. This court room was above the one where the Dred Scott case was heard - that court room doesn't exist as it did for that case, but this one would have been pretty much the same as far as layout, size, etc.

Photo taken on court house steps - across from the arch

photo from base of arch

another from the base looking straight up - I like how the arch seems to twist in this photo

We went out to eat at a restaurant in Union Station. Afterwards, we were walking around and came across The Fudgery. This lady made fudge and her and 2 other workers (guys) made jokes and sang songs. They were great! Then, we got a free sample... and had to buy some for the hotel. Yum!!!