Winter Vacation

The family took a long weekend winter vacation to our now familiar Grand View Lodge over Presidents Day.  It was one of the few bitterly cold weekends unfortunately, so outdoor activities were reduced, but we had a nice time and just enjoyed being away.  We hit our favorites: Ganleys for lunch, Bar Harbor for a nice dinner and Zorbas for a ridiculous kitschy dinner.  The girls hit the spa, Clara got very nice aqua polish on her toes.  Also staying at the Lodge was a group of 97 families on a Christian retreat, so it was busy.  But the highlight was while we were pretending to ice fish Julie scoped out a dog sled operation also on the lake.  It turned out it was an activity for the Retreat, but Julie appealed to their Christian kindness and they offered to do an extra lap with us.  So we ran over, quickly hoped on two sleds attached to a team of about 10 dogs and did a short lap on the frozen lake.  It was a great experience in a beautiful setting, but no time for pictures unfortunately.  

A Peregrine Falcon Adventure

Fans by now likely know that Joe's favorite animal is the fastest in the world - the peregrine falcon. So when we heard of a special program for the opening of an exhibit all about the successful reintroduction of the peregrine falcon at the Bell Museum (also where Joe did some summer camps) we knew we would be first in line.  

The festivities were kicked off by a special talk by the founder of the Raptor Center and Peregrine expert, Dr. Pat Redig. The kids were forewarned that it might not be kid focused but they had to see it through. And they were excited for it, claiming front row seats. What we did not bargain for was a 90 minute lecture. Amazingly the kids stayed in their seats and mostly held it together. Unfortunately they absorbed about 1% of what they heard.  

But we weren't done there!  We spent another two and a half hours exploring all things raptors. First there were a kestrel, a bald eagle, and a peregrine falcon on display. There was the exhibit itself where the kids made peregrine falcon puppets and Ted read more about the bird. Then there was a live raptor demonstration where a great horned owl swooped over our heads. And the finale was dissecting owl pellets, the bones from which were carefully packed up for home by Joe. 

Clara was not as enraptured by it all as Joe, but she hung in there and retained a lot of the information thrown at her over the four hour adventure. 

Julie wasn't able to join us for the visit, so we may have to go back another day to show her everything!

Fall fun

This was MEA week, which for the non Minnesotans is the statewide fall break on Thursday and Friday. Julie stayed with the kids and took them to the Kiddywampus art studio on Thursday and rented Cinderella to watch on Friday morning. Ted came home for lunch on Friday so the whole family could go to the zoo. It was a beautiful Fall day to see big cats (Joe's mission) and Bison (Clara's mission).  We also got to play on a new play area where the kids showed off their climbing skills. The coolest thing was getting to walk in the bear's habitat while it is being renovated following a minor (!?!) incident a couple months ago of a bear breaking a viewing window.

On Saturday the kids raked some leaves so they could play in the pile. Clara was particularly looking forward to getting buried.  We ended the day at the annual Halloween event at the Westwood Nature Center.  Joe , Clara, Darby and Lilly tried all the games to win prizes and took Mother Nature's Trail to visit the animals. Joe's costume is a Wild Kratts bat, and Clara's is a witch. After last weekend's abnormal hot weather we are feeling like proper Fall again and doing proper Fall activities. 

Nature Weekend

This past weekend was awash with nature. It started with an impromptu trip by Ted and Joe to Westwood Nature Center while Clara was at a birthday party.  Joe identified and recorded his bird sightings:

The boys ate a picnic lunch along the trail  and stopped in the Center to check out some snakes and lizards.  

An even bigger adventure happened that night when the whole family went on a Full Moon walk at our favorite Eloise Butler Wildflower Garden. No sooner did it start then the wild turkeys flew up into the trees to roost for the night. Who knew they did that?! It was quite a sight to see them take off. Soon after, we heard the owl calling out and after a bit it took off across the park and into a large tree that sat just beneath the (mostly) full moon. Another fascinating site.  We walked further, up to the prairie and caught great views of the last daylight and the moon lighting up the fall foliage. Beautiful.  

The next day Ted took the kids to the park where poking a stick in the lake and finding the ducks are important rituals. 

In all it was a very inspiring, calming, and beautiful weekend in nature together. 

A Heart's Sky

The day after Christmas we all caravaned downtown to see various sights, including the Neopolitan crèche and the Thorne Rooms at the Art Institute.  Once in the museum, our route to the crèche took us past Georgia O'Keefe's Sky Above Clouds IV.  Seeing this painting was an unexpected delight as one of our favorite books is a somewhat impressionistic biography of Georgia O'Keefe for children.  Birdie considered the painting for a bit and Julie's heart caught at the sight, thinking of Our Birdie always at her drawing and coloring.

For Christmas, Clara asked Santa Claws (as she charmingly addressed her letter) for a radio-CD-case of her own.  She now has a small boom box of her very own--and the Kidz Bop 30 CD.  She has already been seen rocking out on top of a bed in front of a mirror clad in only her underwear and the chocolate brown faux fur vest that Grandma Connie got her for Christmas.  It made the heart, if not catch, smile.

Chances are Our Birdie will not have her art hanging in a museum one day or sell out arenas with her act.  Time will reveal her talents and that at which she likes to work, and what skies her heart will seek.  But with any luck, she'll see and be seen, listen and be heard, and she'll keep pausing to look up, to draw and color, and to sing and dance.