- The swimming lessons that the kids did this summer didn’t have any report cards or pass/fail grade, so I guess they weren’t official Red Cross or anything, but they learned a lot and it was a great experience.
2. Illustrator Julia Rothman’s Anatomy series (Farm Anatomy, Nature Anatomy, Food Anatomy) has two more installments: Ocean Anatomy and Wildlife Anatomy. My kids love the original books that my sister gave us, so I’m thinking the other two would make a good Christmas present.
3. When we hosted a tea party in August, the girls got very competitive and rambunctious during the games, so next time I’m going to choose more sedate activities.
4. Swallow Bluffs Wildlife Management Area is a nice place to walk out to the St. Lawrence and see a dam. There are even hitching posts at various points on the trail, though we didn’t see any horses!
5. I saw a bat up close and it was extremely furry and had very sharp teeth.
6. At the Eisenhower lock visitor centre I learned that they use a new Hands Free Mooring system with vacuum pads that secure the ship as it is raised or lowered.
7. The public library in Watertown, NY is very fancy with a rotunda, oculus, and marble statues — and on the front door Proverbs 1:2 is inscribed.
8. I participated in the challenge course at Beaver Camp, even though I’m not good with heights, and it turned out that most of it was low to the ground. There were a lot more activities available than I expected (we only scratched the surface) and I really enjoyed the problem solving and working together as a group. (And those who wanted had the chance to put on a harness and climb up high onto swaying platforms!) I hope we do it again.
9. Also at Beaver Camp I tried out a kayak and it was a lot of fun. (Maybe I shouldn’t be so hesitant about new experiences.)
10. As I mentioned here, I learned that Steve Steinberg claims to have invented gaga ball in Maryland in 1975, but many people say it originated in Israel before that.
11. The Birchbark Bookshop “on a winding back road near Parishville in the northern Adirondack foothills” is a sprawling structure housing 75,000 used books. Andrew and I spent a good while exploring and came home with four selections.
12. Meeting rooms at the Ogdensburg Public Library are free to book. (I’m hosting an event in October!)
In August I learned about hummingbirds. The adult males migrated south way back in July, followed by the females, and now only the juveniles are left, which explains why the ones at our hummingbird feeder are so small. They will probably leave soon too.