Cheiko Okazaki and Ribbon Snakes

Hello!
Wonderful "fireside" tonight...the youth group leaders at church occasionally get different people to give inspirational talks to the teenagers in our church congregation.

A few weeks ago they started announcing tonight's youth fireside: a back-to-school topic night with the main speaker being Cheiko Okazaki. She's an amazing woman, a teacher for 23 years, a principal for 10 years, served 7 years in the General Presidency of the Youth organization of our church, and 7 years in the General Presidency of the Women's organization of our church (Relief Society).

She's written 8 books, one of which I have ("Lighten Up!"), and I used to just LOVE to hear her speak in "General Conference".... every 6 months we have a church conference, where we get to hear inspirational talks by leaders of the church from Salt Lake City. It's broadcast by satellite so if you get the channel, you can watch it on your t.v., or your computer if you have the Internet. Back in the early 90's I found her very upbeat, entertaining, and inspirational.

Well, as they would announce this fireside talk, I always assumed it would be a pre-recorded video talk, or a satellite broadcast, somehow...but today as church ends, Frank looks around the room and says, "Hey, isn't that Chieko Okazaki on the back row?" I look, and sure enough, there she is! (Here's an Internet picture I found of her...even though I think of her as a celebrity, I did NOT run home and get my camera!!)

I did bring back my book, though, when I brought David to the church for the fireside. She very graciously shook hands with people at the end, and even agreed to sign my book. Next month she turns 83, for Pete's sake, and she still fills her calendar with speaking assignments all over the world.

At the beginning of her talk she pulls out a Yo-yo, and proceeds to Walk the Dog, Rock the Baby and do Round the World. Here's this 83-year-old woman, flipping a yo-yo around at the pulpit. It was a fun way to get everybody's attention. (And it's hard to keep a teenager's attention!) It was a great evening.

Meanwhile, at home last week: Teresa is our resident "critter expert"--she loves to catch critters around here, including frogs, beetles, and unusual moths. And while she and Kara just LOVE the neighbor's cats, the girls also often "rescue" small animals from being the cats' playthings. Mice, moles, toads. This week it was a baby chipmunk one day...

Then a Ribbon Snake, a type of Gardner Snake. She's been wanting to get a snake, actually, so we let this one be the experiment. She put it in an aquarium downstairs, and she's tried to feed it feeder fish, worms, and crickets. Then we read online that it COULD be not eating because it's getting ready to sleep for the winter...? Hmmm. I'll keep you posted on how this one works out.

Happy Week! Kari

Claim to Fame

Hello!

Just had to share our first (and probably only) published newspaper fame!

Kara's elementary school, Claypit Hill, has a vegetable/flower garden, that some students started last spring. They started plants from seeds, let them grow in cups, then transplanted them outside. The garden has "evolved" over the past few months...parents have donated plants and flowers, then materials to put a wood casing around it. This garden needed caring for over the summer, when the students were not there every day to water and weed.

David was involved in a volunteer group during the summer, where the coordinator found multiple opportunities for high school students to serve different local organizations in different ways. He liked the outdoor projects, including clearing trails with the town Conservation Committee, and weeding and planting for Gaining Ground, a working farm that supplies food to shelters in the region.

So when this elementary school garden came up, as needing watering and weeding over the summer, and it also happens to be just a mile from our house, David put up his hand. Then he asked if his younger sisters could help too, and they said of course.

We went each Monday morning, for about 2 months, to water and weed the corn, beans, cabbage, marigold, and pumpkin plants. The teacher who started the garden wanted to put an article in the local paper about the garden helpers. And she asked me to take a photo for the paper.

So here is the article about my kids working the garden this summer (first time they were in the paper), AND this is the picture I took with my camera--the first time I have had a photo published!

You can click on it to enlarge, if you want to read the article or see the picture better. David even has a quote! It was a fun project. We go back to school Tuesday. Have a great week! Kari

State Bird of Maine

Hello!


**Today's Quiz: Who can guess the state bird of Maine?**

We just returned from a quick jaunt to Maine. Frank has a co-worker (in South Carolina, actually) who has a "cabin" on the coast. He offered, a couple of months ago, for us to take advantage of the cabin if we were up there to visit. WELL. Who can pass up such a nice offer?

LIGHTHOUSE TOUR. During the three hour drive from here to the cabin, we had some excellent variety of Lighthouse viewing. This one is called Portland Head Lighthouse. Thanks to some breaks in the clouds, we caught some sun shining on it! It is the most photographed lighthouse in the country.

I liked this one, mostly because of the name. "Bug Light!" (I never read or heard the story of how it got its name. I could make one up for you, though...)










The kids love any type of landmark that is surrounded by rocks and cliffs. Monuments, building foundations, ruins...if they are allowed to climb around on them, they are in heaven. This one has rocks leading out to it. David and Teresa race back...







ACADIA NATIONAL PARK. A three-hour drive further up from the cabin, we visited this glorious, breathtaking national park. A coastal walk where the cliffs meet the Atlantic Ocean...hikes and trails with spectacular views of breathtaking islands out in the bay. Wow, is all I could say. Of course, that was the FIRST day we visited the park.

The SECOND morning, we all woke up with the same expectations of the glorious landscapes we absorbed the first day, pulled back the blinds, and we were overwhelmed with...................FOG. Couldn't see across the street to read a sign. Hey! What's that all about?

(Reminder: this is New England. We have WEATHER here. Our new mantra in this part of the country: Plan on less-than-sunny weather. If you cancel things because of the weather, you'll never end up doing ANYthing.)








So, we changed the order of a few visits, to wait for the fog to lift a LITTLE. Then we hiked our hikes anyway. Rain makes rocks slippery, but fog doesn't, really. The kids had been looking forward to a particular "non-technical climb," so named because of steep elevation gain, without the use of ropes and caribeeners. The whole climb was rock steps and iron-rod staircases that had been pounded into the rock faces. 900 ft gain in 1.5 miles, I think. The guide book said you needed to be in "good physical condition and not be afraid of heights." (The fog took care of the heights thing...we couldn't really see how high up we were.) At any rate, everybody did great!



The last little treat was to go fishing off the pier. You can also see how foggy it is, in this picture. The kids spent some time casting their lures at the end of a pier with a little snack shop, which specialized in...you got it, Maine Lobster! They didn't catch anything. But from what I hear, that's not the REAL point of fishing, anyway, right? (Please tell me there's another point to fishing...never mind.)



And the answer to the quiz--the state bird of Maine is.....




THE MOSQUITO!!!!!!!!!

(ok, I'm kidding, but not really. Oh my holy cow, there were enough mosquitos to swat for eternity. The real answer is the Chickadee, same as the Massachusetts state bird. But mosquitos come in 2nd.)

Have a great weekend! Kari :)

Vermont

Hello!

We have finally had a couple of days without rain. It rains more here than I could ever have imagined.

Last weekend was a FIRST for all of us, even Frank. We have now been to VERMONT! I am so glad to be here--I am learning so much. Instead of "New England" being a nebulous mass in the northeast corner of the U.S. somewhere, I can tell you all of the SIX states that are included in "New England." They would be Rhode Island, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine. (Quiz at the end...)

Friday afternoon, while we drove, it POURED. Yes, the buckets-dumping-on-your-head kind of rain...running from the door to the car was like jumping in a swimming pool kind of wet.

Then, the weather gave us a break.

JOSEPH SMITH's BIRTHPLACE. We went to this memorial on Friday evening, and the rain let up so we could ride/walk around the grounds and see the foundations of his family's homes from the mid-1800's. (This is David and me, next to one of the home foundations.)

They have a HUGE monument made of granite, 40 tons they had to transport. (For the very cool story on that, click this word "monument," then scroll down in the article to "Erecting the Joseph Smith Jr. Monument"). They also have a peaceful visitor's center.

GREEN, green, and more green. Absolutely beautiful, so much lush foliage you just couldn't believe it. (It's been raining here for 2 months solid...what did I expect???)

BEN & JERRY's. You can't go to Vermont and miss the Ben & Jerry's Factory Tour, ending of course with free samples! Ben & Jerry, 2 hippie guys from the 70's, pooled $5 to take a course on making ice cream. They started out giving it away, then people lined up for it, out the door and around the block. It's a fun story.

(BTW: Unilever bought them out in 2000, and now Ben & Jerry live just a few miles away from the factory. I suppose they struggle daily with how to spend their multi-million-dollar pittance...)

MAPLE TAPPING and CHEESE. We went to a working farm, and now we know how they get sap from the trees in the dead of winter. And, it takes 40-50 gallons of maple sap to get ONE gallon of maple syrup. We tasted 4 different varieties of maple syrup, and about 14 different types of cheeses. (Smoked cheese was a family favorite.) Yum!

GRANITE QUARRY. We visited "Rock of Ages," a granite quarry...the video showed us how they drill hundreds of columns, feed explosive lines through those drill holes, and blast, to get a chunk out of the mountain. It's a pretty amazing process.

The old quarry, though, was water-filled and beautiful.

QUECHEE GORGE. A nice hike, by a very pretty river. The best view was from the bridge the cars drive on, though, so you're stuck with all the traffic noise in the background.

Here are the kids, posing at the bottom of Quechee Gorge. It rained the day before and the day after, but we made the most of our one sunny day. Now we know more about Vermont!

And, here's the quiz I promised:

Which SIX states are included in "New England?"

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Walk into the Past

Today is rainy-day Tuesday (it rains in New England...I'm telling you, it RAINS...) It did NOT, however, rain on us last weekend.

Last Saturday we decided to explore a place they call "Plimouth Plantation." This is very close to the town of Plymouth, and the Mayflower II that we visited last summer. They spell it with an 'I' to avoid confusion with the town, and also in earlier times they actually did spell "Plimouth" that way.

We walked back into the 17th century, right after the people of the Mayflower had completed their treacherous journey across the Atlantic ocean. Their first winter here killed fully half of them--of the 102 people on the original voyage, 52 people died within 6 months. They built homes as close to English style as they could, mostly because that was what they were familiar with. Not because it was necessarily the best protection from the cold.

Kara stood by a pile of wood that would probably last OUR family 5 winters here...

We asked questions and heard stories from immigrants who fled their countries for a better life, or for a freedom from persecution. The kids fed their livestock...

...and learned from a steelworker first-hand how he made hinges...

Then we walked through the Wampanoag village. MANY of these people--entire villages-- died of diseases the Pilgrims brought with them. Different clothing, different homes, different philosophy on raising children.

The women farmed.

The men hunted.
Children just played. No jobs or chores, sunup to sundown, until THEY decided they wanted to learn or do more. Employees at this park are actually Native people, belonging to various nations...this part was especially interesting, I think. Also, our children REALLY liked that philosophy of raising children!

One man had a drum, and Teresa asked him to play. He ended up singing us a mournfully hypnotic song--it was quite amazing. It felt weird taking pictures of them...so I didn't. These two Wampanoag photos are from the Internet.

It was a great day! These types of places help us think, and hopefully set aside stereotypes. Maybe we can respect and understand just a tiny bit more, the people of that time.

Beach Week

Well... as Hagar the Horrible once said, "It's tough to get back to work after a vacation!"

We have returned from the family reunion on Frank's side: a beach house in Wildwood, New Jersey. Who actually lives in New Jersey? Nobody in the family, of course. We just chose a "central location" so 3 of the 4 families could drive. Pam and her crew in Seattle would have to fly no matter where we chose, except of course for the Seattle corner of the U.S.

For those of you who were like me, and had no clue on the planet that there were beaches in New Jersey, I can report that YES! They EXIST! And it was even sunny for us, all but one day. The water was NOT warm, mind you...Frank and I donned wetsuits to make boogie-boarding more comfortable. (The water is freezing in California, too...)

The 2nd day we took the boards out, I was pummeled by a wave, actually twice, and came away with a beautifully scraped chin and a very sore jaw. Who knew you could go from an upright, standing position, to churning upside-down to hit the back of your head on the ground, and then immediately hit your CHIN on that same sandy bottom? New mantra, repeat after me: "I respect the waves...I respect the waves...I respect the waves..."

It seemed that the cousins had a grand time, which I believe is truly the main point of family reunions, after all. That, and letting the grandparents see everybody. Here is "Everybody!"
I haven't downloaded all the group shots, but this is one windy beach attempt. (People are such good sports to put up with photo shoots!)

We were able to have all 17 under 1 roof, so I think that was more fun. Meals together, board games like crazy, reading novels, and of course Grammie D brought fun crafts for the kids. Wildwood and Cape May are actually pretty family-friendly, for anyone who finds themselves in that corner of the state of New Jersey. They boast wide beaches, boardwalk amusements, mini golf, a park nearby, paintball, movies, bowling...of all that I just listed, the only one we didn't do was the bowling; I'm just telling you that it was there.

We drove down on July 4, a week ago last Saturday. Our detour was Six Flags, since this year it made sense for us to get season passes (Kathi's visit to Boston made us check it out, and we could get some free tickets for them so we got the passes, which are good nationwide). Thinking it was going to be crowded on July 4, but what the heck, we stopped for 3 or 4 hours to ride whatever rides we could. Happily, they were running ALL the cars on most of the rides, so the lines went quickly. This also helped us avoid Saturday traffic to the beaches.

I took about ten thousand photos, because...that's what I do. I will spare you all those photos, however. Maybe I'll include Teresa on a boardwalk ride,












Frank miniature golfing,
and Kara and Teresa, and David and Nick playing in the sand.











Now, sorry Hagar, but reality calls--we're back! :) Have a great week!

17 Years and Counting...

Hello!

Well, Frank's parents have been visiting for a few days. They'll be here all this week, then Saturday we all drive south for a Whitesell family reunion.

Yesterday Frank and I celebrated 17 years of being married! We went to the temple, just like we did in 1992.

(Washington D.C. Temple), (Boston Temple)

Then dinner and a movie, and Teresa made a great treat cake for us and left it out for when we got home. We saved it until today because who can eat a big dessert at 11:30 at night?

Happy Week!