Enjoying thistles

 I remember seeing Eeyore eating huge thistles in Winnie the Pooh and I always wondered where those were.  In fact the only reason I knew of them was because that was Eeyore's food of choice.  Since living in Georgia I've now seen these gigantic thistles.  Man I love them.   And the blooms on them,  one of my favorite colors.  Such a magnificient shade of lavender.  Love it.

Through the summer I've watched one of these plants grow to maturity.  It's one of my favorite things to look at each time I go on my walk with Saddi.  A couple of weeks ago it was crazy busy with butterflies.  Kyra caught one on a bloom with my phone.




Now this week it's been a golden finch.  Each day as I went by without a camera or phone I was thinking, "Dang!  There he is, where's my camera! What a photo op!"   

 This morning I had my phone with me.  I couldn't get very close but if you look carefully you can see the little guy.  He was working hard, eating out the dried seeds.  Maybe I'll try and get a better camera down there next week.  I wonder if he'll still be around or another creature enjoying the thistle as much as I do.

 

All spread out!

Tomorrow,  Abbi will be traveling from Switzerland to France.  She's been studying French for years and wanting to go there since she was little.  I'm so excited for her.  She and her family will be going to the Loire valley and then they'll be going to an unschooling camp out.   So so excited!

Kyra is in Tucson, Arizona visiting a friend.  It was her first time alone on a plane.  She's loving the different climate and all the cacti.  The heat is a bit much,  even if it's a dry heat,  it's been around 100,  but she's still loving the adventure

Alec will be going up to Tennessee.  It's not his first time up there but still a great place for him to be.  He has really special friends that he loves spending time with and enjoys each visit he makes up there.

Tim and I will be traveling to the Dominican Republic.  Punta Cana is our destination.  I've never been down there and this is our first trip alone since I don't know when.  We're gonna walk on the beach, maybe do some snorkeling and just plain ole laze around.

Our family will be all spread out for this week.  Happily adventuring out into the world.

Abbi's in Switzerland

Yes, that's right.  Abbi's in Switzerland.  She's staying with an unschooling family.  How wonderful huh?


I'll write more about it soon,  but I wanted to share what she showed me today.  Check it out.  I wish I could get the map bigger but this is as good as I could get it.


                 On google earth she was able to show me the route of a walk she took.   The blue line is close to the path that she took.   I guess it was beautiful,  Lake Neuchatel on one side and the Alps on the other.  She was able to talk with me on Skype and guide me through her walk.  Technology makes being away from her so much easier.  I can't even imagine how it would be if we could only write letters or call.  Calling would be so expensive!    

More later,  I promise!

My Children's Work

Wonderful Work from my kids :)


Alec's latest cover. He got a mixer and mikes for his drums. He's sounding so awesome!





Abbi's doing more baking, she made bread one morning and bagels yesterday. They were all so yummy. Her latest idea and desire is to go to France and learn to bake there. Sounds wonderful doesn't it? She and I have been working on our French and we're hoping to make it over there this September. We're also looking into WWOOF for her as a possibility. We think we may have found a farm that grows their grain and makes bread right there, and... the woman that lives there is a pastry chef! Sounds like such a great fit, wonderful for Abbi. She's very excited!





And here's Kyra's latest work. I think this picture is just brilliant. I love the way the flowers cascade around her and through the picture. Do you see more than one image?



I just love seeing their creations and how their talent unfolds.

Inspirational

Kyra's doing a 365 project right now that has really inspired her to take some amazing photos.

the monsters come out at night

the outcasts









Horton and me










flying









shedding my scales

She's an inspiration. You can view more of her work here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/photopluto/

Abbi's got the moves

All 3 kids attended ETUSC a couple of weeks ago and had a blast.

Here they are just before they took off.. without me! :(




I wanted to share the dance that Abbi choreographed and performed for the talent show there.

Pretty awesome :)



They had a great week and I recommend it highly!

Drum magic

Here's Alec with a new cover of Unholy Confessions by Avenged Sevenfold.

Comptine d'unautre ete: l'apres midi

New cover by Abbi. This is "Comptine d'un autre été: l'après midi" - Yann Tiersen - from the movie, Amélie