Mill Ponds Adventure

 The North Coast Land Conservancy offers a kids' day at the Mill Ponds each summer. J had the day off, so we were all able to go this year. The NCLC Executive Director had a great program that was perfect for kids. We talked about different ways to use our senses and animals who have built in sense-enhancers. We listened like deer, looked with owl eyes, and walked like coyotes (with quiet footsteps). Then each child was given an egg carton with a label glued to the top suggesting things to collect (a leaf, something red, etc.). We walked along the path of the Mill Ponds with the kids collecting as they went.

"Listen with deer ears!"

Dama's having a good time.

Parents and kids alike had fun looking for items to fill the egg cartons. There were many ripe blackberries along the way as well.

Collecting is serious business.

The Mill Ponds are comprised of three ponds: a man-made fresh water pond and two tidally influenced estuarine ponds (and therefore saline). There is also a small apple orchard, a forest, and a meadow nearby. This makes the Mill Ponds an incredible example of the "edge effect." When many different habitats abut, animals who need different resources from different systems tend to congregate. It's kind of like going to Fred Meyer or another "one-stop shopping" place. There is a richness to an area like this: it is ideal for bird viewing and for understanding coastal ecosystems in a condensed area.

The walk gave me a great opportunity to try Uncle Awesome's telephoto/macro lens. We saw mostly ducks, but I got some great photos of the local plant life.  I think I am in love.

Notice the water dripping from the moss.

 I feel a little guilty - I am not familiar with the plants enough to only photograph native plants. When I worked for the land trust, I did a series of bookmarks with photos of plants that Neal had taken. I actually made one with a beautiful photo of yellow flowers (Tansy, I think?) that turned out to be a shot Neal had taken to show how the invasive species had taken over on one of our properties. Luckily Neal caught it, but I'm always a little gun-shy... So I guess my disclaimer is that these photos are of things I find beautiful, not necessarily about ecological function or anything cool like the ones Neal takes...

County Fair, Community Experience

When we actually got to the County Fair (after the rides), we had a great time looking around. We ran into a childhood friend I have not seen since our class reunion. We also ran into other friends coming to visit and support their young nieces, nephews, and friends who had 4H entries. We walked through and looked at the animals - I have a soft spot for the pigs and the chickens.

The sheep had a great name.

Then we went out and looked around and waited for the shows to begin.

Toe at the tractor pull

Talented performers - both the acrobats and the stunt riders. We had a great time. After which, Toe said, "Mom, can we go back on the rides yet?"

Top o' the World, Ma!

 The draw of the county fair this year, for Toe, was the carnival next door. He wanted to do the rides. Two years ago, when we went to the fair, Toe was incredibly excited to ride the small rides - again and again. This year we decided to go ahead and purchase the all-day bracelet for him. It was well worth it. We discovered that Toe was exactly the height required to go on most of the rides by himself (which was a relief to me, as I get nauseous on the merry-go-round!).

It was a real act of independence on his part and I tried to allow him the freedom to make the choices for himself. If he was tall enough for a ride, I let him go. However, I did not suggest that he go on some of the more thrill-seeking rides: the one where centrifugal force pulls you standing against the wall, the one that goes upside down, the where you are raised up and then dropped.. And fortunately, he either did not notice or was not interested yet. It was hard to send him off by himself, but he was so proud, and so ready to do it.

He started with the familiar:

We got there just as the rides were opening, so we had the place pretty much to ourselves. If there was anyone else on a ride, it was usually one other set of kids. I noticed that kids mostly came to the rides in pairs - which makes sense. Many of the rides would be much more fun to go on with someone to help crank the bar to spin faster, or just to ride with. I really was feeling that Toe needed an older sibling....

Meanwhile, I had lots of time to ponder the crazy existence the "carnies" lead. One guy told me that they start in March and are in a different town just about every week between then and the end of September. You could tell they were all pretty tired by our visit (beginning of August). I hope they had some sort of reprieve in that our weather was sunny but only low 70's with a cool breeze. It must be hot in other parts of the state by now.

Pretty soon Toe was ready for something more exotic. He was the right height, but just barely. He didn't really get the full experience when he rode by himself.

Toe loved this one but couldn't reach the center bar to spin the thing.

The Ferris Wheel required that no one go alone. I thought that was very interesting - I wonder if it is to keep people from jumping.... I was happy to ride this one with Toe. It was his first time and when we had to wait at the top while they let off other people, Toe was both thrilled and nervous. It gave me a chance to get some great photos, though.

First time on the Ferris Wheel

The clear favorite was The Octopus. Because they have to balance it by weight, the operator put Toe in a seat with two larger boys. This worked really well - the boys were super nice and Toe had someone with him his first time. The second time he rode it, he was in one by himself and the centrifugal force kept pulling him lower and lower in his seat. This made the operator concerned and he told me that from then on Toe would need to go with someone else. I thanked him. He thanked me for understanding. I was just grateful he was looking out for Toe.

The Octopus. Toe's favorite ride. He got off and went right back on.

It was good that we went for the rides first: I ran into another mother who said her kids spent their entire time at the fair asking when they could go on the rides. We experienced some of that, but mostly Toe was able to enjoy the fair knowing that he had been on the rides and could go back.

We had originally planned on going back the next day to have J and Toe go on the rides together. I would have waited, but Toe could not wait ONE MORE DAY to get to the rides. By the end of the day  it was clear to me that one day was enough. By the end of the day I was pretty beat. Toe was too; we were able to slide out of there just as he was ready to start melting down. The next day we spent resting.

Circus House

Our first run at the color question.

The yellow was a little bold for a full house.

The back of our house looks like the circus came to town.

The paint is peeling pretty badly on some parts of our house and we have a lot of exposed wood. J and I have talked about painting it ourselves, but the best time for painting also happens to coincide with the busiest time of year at J's work. In addition, this year, we are performing in a production at the local community theater that will take all of our time and energy in September. When we looked at it realistically, we decided we would either need to have someone paint the house for us or we'd have to wait a year (or more).

The same guys who put in our wood floors in our living room are going to paint the house... now we come to the difficult decision of what color to actually paint it.

J's directive was clear: no pastels. He wanted something bright that popped. We also wanted to not shock our neighbors. We have been all over the map. I found a house in town that was yellow and green that I absolutely adored:

We chose colors that we thought matched, but the yellow was over the top. At that point, we asked - do we really want yellow - and the flood gates opened. We have gone through blues, through browns, through yellows and greens, and many bright and muted shades in between. Our dining table is covered in paint chips. The back of our house has gotten wild:

J says he likes this house:

I like it. I also like this one:

I thought about it last night and what I want from a house are something that gives me joy on gray days, but also works with our amazing garden and landscape. The thing I love about our back yard is its wildness and Wabi Sabi - ness to it. I want the house to be a part of that, not a separate entity.

Not a tall order or anything.

Connecting with Nature

 Toe and I walked out our front door on Saturday and headed for the woods. We live in town, but Astoria has many amazing parks and vistas that allow even city dwellers (town dwellers? Our city has fewer than 10,000 people) to connect with nature within walking distance.

We walked past the cemetery and about a mile from our house, we entered the woods (in the park where J and I used to walk our dog; the park where we were married almost 15 years ago).

 We decided that day to go "off road" and took a small hiking trail off the main path.

 And finally we stopped for a small picnic. We sat against a tree and looked at the river and let the sights, sounds, smell, and the wonderful cool air surround us. I admit it, my real goal was to get Toe outside but keep him cool on such a warm day.

 We spent the afternoon at a leisurely pace, wandering where we wanted, stopping to look at slugs and butterflies and for rounds of Simon Says (I was with a six year old, after all).

This kind of slug is a helpful forest detritavore. Not a leaf-munching garden slug.

 And on the way home, we saw a mother deer with her two fawns. They were so young they still had their spots. Toe had to sit down on the sidewalk and just watch for a while.

Our view on the way home

The mother and her fawns

I've been seeing many reports lately about the benefit of interacting with nature. I can provide my personal testimony. Every day we have an outing like this, Toe and I come home relaxed and happy. The next morning I woke up happy and ready to face the world.