Mother Earth New Fair, Seven Springs, PA

Last week we were privileged to win some tickets to the Mother Earth News Fair in Seven Springs, Pennsylvania. We missed the ones they held on the West coast as we were already traveling.

We were amazed at some of the workshops that they were offering ... as well as some of the speakers, including Ed Begley, Jr and Joel Salatin. Some really exciting workshops that we attended were:

Baking healthy bread in 5 minutes a day
Powering your homestead with Renewable Energy
DIY Residential Solar for $3 Per Watt
Fall and Winter Gardening: eat fresh from your garden all winter, as well as a few others. The boys enjoyed some of their own classes, directed to the kids attending, as well.

We have already started with the bread - yum! And who knew how simple (and little space) it would take to do this on a daily basis! One thing that truly surprised me, was how much maintenance there was with the renewable energy systems. I don't have any idea why I thought it, but I really did think that it was more of a "plug and play" deal. Set it up and it will run on it's own. Nope, no ma'am, that's not how it works. I'm re-thinking adding something that will add more maintenance to start a new farm up again. Needs some more thought and research.

But really, one of the most amazing things we experiences with the Fair, was not actually even at the fair. We were out driving around the back country roads of the area, turned down this one road and wham! There we were, in a small forest of Sugar Maple trees. And there are tap lines leading into larger lines, leading back to the main building where it is all processed. Why do I even mention this little side trip? Well, two reasons actually. We were just studying maple trees (in addition to many other trees) and learning about them in science. Also, as it turns out, they were exhibitors at the Fair. We stopped by to visit during a lull and find out a little more about how it all happens. We also got to sample some of their absolutely amazing, award winning maple treats. Yes, we had to bring home some REAL maple syrup, but we also couldn't leave without their maple cream, maple candy and as a little treat for the boys behaving well, they got some maple cotton candy while we were there.


Photo by Mike Bowler

I cannot tell you enough how much we are enjoying the maple cream on pancakes, french toast and - by suggestion - even salmon! Crazy yummy stuff. See them at: Paul Bunyans Maple Syrup. No we aren't getting anything from them, but we just really wanted to share with you, one of those truly amazing, family farms that we've met along the way. Yum!

OTR: Chattanooga, Tennessee

Chattanooga, Tennessee

Oh my, what a beautiful city. And so full of rich heritage and history. And an aquarium that is called one of the best in the country. The Tennessee Aquarium. I'll admit it, we scoffed at that. An aquarium better than Seattle? Or San Diego? Really? Yes, it turned out to be true. Amazing. It was so much more than we even could have imagined. 

Go in to this aquarium and the first thing that seems really different are the elevators that go up. And up. And up. Then, there you are. Face to face with small tide pools of sharks, stingrays and other amazing creatures. That you actually go and put your hand in and touch. Yes, they let you actually go and touch the aquatic animals. These animals have obviously gotten very used to people and really enjoy a gentle touch. If you are gentle with them, they seem to swim back to you for more.

 

Then there is the butterfly garden. I've never been to one before so I really don't have anything to judge by, but WOW! You walk through two separate doors into this beautiful 3+ story tall atrium full of amazing plants and butterflies of all shapes and sizes. This one decided my finger would be a nice home for a moment and the boys were captured. 

Here are some other pictures from around the aquarium of things our family really enjoyed:

An actual shark cage, complete with bent bars from actual shark mouths trying to eat a little snack.

We also decided to enjoy an afternoon on the river with a tour that is part of the Aquarium. They have their own catamaran where we went and explored what they call the Grand Canyon of the South. We learned more history - both aquatic as well as Civil War. 

Concord, NC; Charlotte Motor Speedway

I think there is probably a law against not visiting something car related in the Charlotte area, so being good citizens, we drove the 8/10s of a mile over to the Charlotte Motor Speedway for the Summer Shootout Series. Oh what fun we had! These are kids of varying ages, competing for one of the south's (and really, America's) most famous sports. Car racing.  Although we had every intention of buying 4 tickets to get in to the races, we were truly blessed. First by one of the assistants who gave us two adult tickets to get in and next, as we were walking in to buy the two extra tickets for the boys, someone was walking out and asked if we needed 2 tickets. Really? Seriously. 4 free tickets for the event. We more than made up for it with snacks and other stuff. 

We also got to attend the Food Lion Auto Fair. It's a car show on steroids. Really. Every type and class of car you can imagine. Need an original part for one of your own vehicles? No problem, you'll find hundreds (seriously) of vendors selling wares for your vehicle. Once again, we were blessed, by someone else staying in our campground, with free tickets to get in.

Scott, of course, is in 7th heaven with his love of NASCAR, and to relate it to all of our passions, Charlotte Motor Speedway (formerly Lowes Motor Speedway) is the home track to more NASCAR drivers than any other track in America. There are museums, art galleries, interactive exhibits and so much more in the area - all related to car racing. You can't go anywhere without seeing some sort of reference to the racing industry, whether it be the car dealerships - owned by NASCAR drivers, or the local restaurant that has banners of their favorite drivers, or even the mall which houses an entire Speedway Park - fun for the whole family based on car racing experiences.


If you like car racing, you will love Concord, NC!

Charlotte, NC, Billy Graham Library

Here's a can't miss tour opportunity for the southeast. The Billy Graham Library. D and I first saw the Billy Graham Library almost a year ago in November when we first visited Charlotte. We recently went as a family (less the oldest, who is still living in Seattle with Gammy and working as a nanny) and enjoyed it so much more.

It is awesome. In the most moving sense of the word. What we didn't see that first time was the "show". I don't like calling it that, because I feel it cheapens the experience, but there really isn't another word that quite describes what you will see. 

Near and far, a life long journey as a remarkable man shares the word of Jesus Christ with the world. Billy Graham will hear the words Christ followers around the world long to hear one day, "Well done, good and faithful servant."  

 Outside the breathtaking "barn" are lovely landscapes complete with a pathway that takes you down to see the final resting spot of Ruth Graham, his stedfast partner in life. 

Words fail me to describe it all. Really, it just needs to be seen. More information on the facility can be found at Bill Graham Library. This is one of those places you must see.


This post is dedicated to my grandpa Paul. A heart for Jesus, strong supporter of BGEA and our prayer warrior. We'll see you soon.

Lack of Campgrounds in the South

What is happening? The further south and east we go, the fewer and fewer campgrounds there are. The West is covered with campgrounds, and of course, that keeps costs fairly reasonable. The more we travel, the more space in between campgrounds and the higher their prices go. 

We are noticing a lot of what seems to be long term residents living in some of the campgrounds. While I am sure there are many who have done this for a long time, I do wonder if our economy has to do with some of them. 

The other thing we have noticed moving southeast is the lack of community in the campgrounds. We being crazy non-conformists, buck this trend everywhere we land. I can't imagine living 10 feet from someone and not knowing their name or a little about them. Interestingly enough, people seem to really enjoy it and are very welcoming once we make the first move. It has its benefits too! We've received all sorts of little gifts from neighbors - anything from a beautiful, handmade dish cloth to a bag of dog food for Miss Abby (who is quite the socialite as well), to tickets to a Charlotte Motor Speedway events (yes, plural; events) for the whole family. 

We love camping, and I know others do as well. This is our own little plea for those thinking about starting a campground in the south: Please do! 

What have your campground experiences been like?

Homeschooling ... in 240 sq ft. and in new states

Most homeschoolers already know, school at home is legal in all 50 states, but boy oh boy, do the laws around the country have their differences.

School in North Carolina starts August 25. I heard it became almost a bit of competition for the schools, a few years back, to see who could start the earliest. When schools started posting the first day of school at the beginning of August, the state legislators got involved and said NO SIR. No school until Aug. 25th, and so here we were ... kids all around us were starting school while we were still planning on an early September start. 

We scrambled to get the rest of our books - even though technically, we still call ourselves residents of Washington state - we didn't want the boys to feel like they were behind their local peers. Knowing we would have slower days with traveling, it really was time to start up again. We ended up starting August 30th and the boys have settled in pretty well.

I say pretty well because, heck, they are boys after all. The boys feed off of each other. Anyone know what I mean? One starts making faces, the other starts making, well, we'll call it "noises" and then before you know it, competition starts, laughing and then crying. Holy Cow! School work? OK, those are the moments where God is working on my patience. Not that I thought starting school in 240 square feet would be easy. I'm just not sure I thought it would be as hard as it is at moments.


Time to get back on track. Back to school. Stop the silly noises. ARGH!!  Since I don't really have any pictures of me going crazy while the boys do their "boy" stuff, I did get one sweet little picture of E at the library doing some schoolwork. I think it's a nice little outing and gets them both used to other people making lots of noises around them while they work. :-) 


What is your biggest challenge the kids give you? You know, the ones where you know God must be teaching you about patience.

Remember the Movie Bull Durham?

Road Trip! This is our one and only hotel stay of the entire trip so far ... when we started heading north east to Greensboro and then onto Raleigh-Durham area. No reservations, clothes or anything besides the boys swim trunks which were in the truck from a visit to the Y the day before. But in the end, it was so totally worth it. Thankfully, the hotel was gracious and offered us four toothbrushes!

So, sometimes truth really is stranger than fiction. The Durham Bull's are alive and well. And not a fictional baseball team. Sometimes I feel like I've led a really sheltered life. Me: "Really? They are an actual team?" All I got was a look ... the look. Oh well. It's not just a little team either. 

It seems to be quite the city phenomenon - every where you go, it's Bull something or another. 

And oh what a stadium they have too. Big, beautiful and brick. There is a lot of brick in the south.

Look, there - it's the BULL! Isn't that the exact same one from the movie?   






It is just another one of those fiction follows reality kind of stories I guess. Don't know about all the players and the goings on behind the scenes, but yes, there really is a Durham Bull ball team. 


More of our life on the road as I continue to go through the photos we've taken. I had no idea that I hadn't gone through them all. Have an awesome day!!

OTR: Tennessee, Georgia, Tennessee ?

Maybe I'm just used to seeing "great" divides. The division between states having very specific and measurable lines. Such is not the case everywhere though. Specifically down in the area by Chattanooga, TN. 

Funny - our campground was the first place we saw this. Our campsite was in Tennessee, but the office where we paid was in Georgia. I know there have to be lines somewhere, but it was just so interesting that it was right there in the middle of a campground. Yes, I am very easily entertained. 


The next place we saw it was out and about along a back road. More strange was the fact that they kept putting up the signs - Welcome to Georgia. Welcome to Tennessee. Welcome to Georgia. I kept thinking how weird it would be to have my neighbor, 20' away from me, be in a completely different state and area code! Yes, VERY easily entertained.



4th of July in Chatanooga, Tennessee/Rossville, GA

We experienced the weirdest things ever for the 4th of July holiday. Apparently, in some parts of the country, this holiday is celebrated on July 3rd. Or 2nd. Or June 26th. REALLY? Yep, as serious as a heart attack. Which I almost had when I realized we missed a few community celebrations because we were ... on time. For the past decade (plus), we've celebrated with friends. Although the location has changed during the years, we've always had our friends to celebrate this great country with. Now the thought that we will totally and completely miss the holiday all together? I don't think so. 

We ended up at an amusement park called Lake Winnepesaukah.  Lake Winnie, as it is commonly referred to, has been around for 86 years. It was the only place around doing a celebration on the actual fourth of July. 

We did have a great time though getting to just enjoy some time with the boys goofing off. It is a cute amusement park. Not Disneyland, but certainly far more affordable and just as enjoyable.  They went on a variety of rides and ate far too much junk food. 

At the end of the day, we celebrated the birth of our county. Just the four of us.

Happy Birthday, America!

Meet Our Newest Addition - Abby

We've been known for far too long as the farm without  a farm dog. Well, we don't have the farm at the moment (coming soon ...), but we now have the farm dog: Abby.

Abby. All 14 pounds of her.

Miss Abby decided to call us her new family when we adopted her from the Cabarrus County Humane Society. Wonderful people, by the way. There was just something about her, despite her tiny little size, that said, "take me home and I'll love you forever." So we did. On the ride home, we stopped for a snack for the boys and little Miss Abby sat quietly watching them eat. What manners!

Three days later Dakota and "his" dog were in puppy training class. We have a wonderful trainer, Amber, at the Kannapolis Pet Smart.  Abby is a bit of a show off. Within hours, not only did she know sit and down, but Dakota started working with her on other commands (yes, with a little help from mom).  Abby was the only girl in her class and weekly she showed all those boys who really was in charge. Not only did she try to take charge during play time (even with the huge Labradoodle "puppy"), she also wanted to make sure she showed everyone else in the class up by doing her commands as they were asked. Yep, show off. 

Now at 5 1/2 months, Miss Abby is blending in well to our family and - for her age - is amazingly well behaved. She absolutely loves going on car rides , although we have to remember NOT to feed her before we leave, and is well behaved. She is definitely a southern belle ... she loves the heat and will snuggle up against you. Even when you feel overheated all ready.  A little high strung we are finding, if someone doesn't work with her for a while, but even then, it's more activity than anything else. 

Thank you Miss Abby for joining our farm. And our family. 

Abby and D on graduation day.

Questions to Ask Campgrounds

If you go camping, there are always things you forget, right? Mine is to ask questions about the facility we will be calling "home" even if just for a few days. Here are my new questions and I hope that you will add some of your own too.

How close are the campsite to the main road / freeway? What is traffic like at night? Are there train tracks nearby?

How's your mosquito population? Are there any still lakes or flooded areas? 16 mosquito bites, from a 10 minute walk (run actually - away from them) WITH bug spray on will always make me ask this question from now on.

Do you have internet access? If yes, is it free or is there a charge? Is there a limit to the bandwidth? Learned this one the hard way.

Are your parking areas level? Are they gravel, dirt or concrete? What happens when it rains?

OK, I know there are some I've already forgotten, so please help me out and post some of your own as well.

Long Time, No Post. Yikes.

Oh my gosh - Bryce Canyon, Salt Lake City and the Oregon Caves? Has it really been that long since I've updated the blog? Boy oh boy has it ever! I appologize to all who are wondering what the heck we've been up to and if we are still alive. This post proves the latter to be true.  I'll be working trying to catch you up on the adventure and some of our amazing stops we've made. It may be a little out of order, but for those who know us, is this really anything out of the ordinary ;-).

We've traveled cross country, seen some good, some bad and some really heartbreaking areas. We've been in the Charlotte, North Carolina area for a while now and REALLY love it here. We've been through their heat wave as well as remnants from Hurricane Lee and tornado warnings. Did you know there was a difference between a tornado warning and just a tornado watch? I didn't. Holy smokes - crazy stuff!

I said Charlotte area, but we are actually in Concord, NC, home of NASCAR. Scott is one happy man. Sunshine and fast cars. Part of the reason for the delay in posting updates has been the limited internet available. It seems on the West coast, you can find free internet everywhere. Including campgrounds. Good luck in even trying to find a campground in the Charlotte area that isn't more than a parking lot with electricity. But here we are, loving it ... just limited connectivity. As I type, I have a whole 124 mb's to last for 3 days on our internet plan.

I promise, more coming soon...photos may take a bit longer to update as they are large on the internet uploading scale.