Monday: We started the week of 5/10 knowing it had to be a short week. We were going out of town. In Horizon's pre-Algebra, JD is having trouble with the section on calculating the slope. He really just needs to pay attention and do some memorizing, but he can't stand that. He wants to ignore me and figure it out on his own, and he's getting it wrong every time. So, since I don't want to frustrate him, I closed the Horizon's Pre-Algebra book and switched to the Mastering Essential Math Skills for Monday. That was also a good day just working on our regular assignments.
Tuesday: Today I had to just hand JD the pile of assignments and walk away. I have no idea how much work he did. I had SO much to do -- first the geriatric dog had peed all over the upstairs of the house. I had to dry up and mop everywhere. Then I also had about 5 loads of laundry that all had to be done and folded and put away so that we could all pack. PLUS I cleaned two bathrooms, because I wanted to come home to clean bathrooms. And we all packed.
Wednesday: Got up at 2:45 AM to get together and out the door to the air port. Had over an hour drive, then park in long term parking and ride to air port for a 6:00 or so AM flight to DIA (Denver International Airport). Got to Arizona (don't remember when, but we had flown for 6-7 hours including the lay-over). Then the day was suddenly two hours longer because of the time change. We swung by a couple of places we used to live, and looked at all the stored air planes and such at Davis Monthan Air Force Base.
Then we got a bite to eat and drove to Huachuca City to stay with our friend. He lives in a mobile home on a very nice lot. He has a nice shaded porch, and when we sit there we can look out at the mountains and fields, and watch the birds in the trees and visiting his water supply and hummingbird feeder.
Thursday: The major trips of the day - we drove to Tombstone, AZ! My son got really excited about the gems and minerals. He and his dad went on a tour of the silver mine, and then he went into the store at the OK Corral and had fun selecting tumbled rock samples to buy and take home. It was a great trip. We also drove to Brisbee and saw the excavation pits that were left behind when they decided the copper mines were no longer profitable.
Friday: We went to a Titan Missile Silo Museum where my husband worked 33 years ago! We took a tour. They re-enacted a missile launch where they appointed ME the crew chief and had me turn the key to launch the missile. I almost flinched, but I knew it was play, so I went ahead and did it. It was pretty fun -- they were playing all the bells and buzzes that would have gone along with a real launch. Then they gave me a card with my name on it that said I turned the key!
Saturday: I think I'm getting my days confused, but I'm doing my best. Saturday should be the day we took a long hike in a fabulous canyon that walked us through five different Arizona habitats. I'll have to cover this material in a future entry, but I'll give you a view that canyon residents in 1910 saw when they walked out their front door each morning.
We also took a trip to a lovely little Nature Conservancy. I think it must have been earlier in the week, but I really don't know which day. There were many high lights, but I think one of the big items to mention is a cottonwood tree there that is hundreds of years old.
Sunday - Mother's Day - started with a visit to Calvary Chapel in Sierra Vista. We took the rest of the day easy. JD and Dad did some metal detecting and wash searching for Apache Tears and gems (but found not much but rocks and sand). We went out to dinner - had a very nice dinner. Unfortunately for waitress we couldn't take leftovers home, so we split a main dish. Wish I could have explained it to her, but she was a good sport.
Monday - We said good-bye to our friend in Huachuca City and went up to the Tucson area. Our main focus of the day was the Sonoran Desert Museum. An amazing place; I'll have lots of Nature Study posts in the future about things that we saw. I'll tease you with a photo of garden eels, from the aquarium - apparently they are native to somewhere in Arizona.
Leaving the Museum, we next stopped at a very rustic gem and mineral shop. My son's new love is gems and minerals. I wish I had taken a picture of the outside of the shop, but I didn't think of it. But the owner let me take a photo of some Bisbee turquoise, which is very rare. It is embedded in quartz.
After that we headed to a hotel where JD and I swam for a while (quite a treat after a long winter).
Tuesday: Travel day, again. We ate breakfast at the hotel, packed the car, and checked out. Unfortunately, there were HOURS until we needed to be at the airport. There were still a couple of things we wanted to do, though. Big sister wanted us to take photos of our old homes, which we had visited our first day but not taken photographs. We went to two locations and took photos. Then JD wanted to go to a "real" wash (dry river bed" and hunt for metals and stones and things. We headed to a wash by Ft. Logan. The "guys" went down in the river bed while I hunted around in the park for last minute photos of indigenous birds. There was a beautiful orange oriole that would NOT stay still long enough for a photo. The boys had similar (non) luck hunting in the wash. The time finally came to go to the airport. We grabbed lunch on the way.
There are no direct flights between Tucson and our home airport, so our first leg was to Denver, where we switched flights and had an hour or more's layover. We had dinner there, and JD got his first view of the snow-capped Rockies. The sun was dropping, but I took a photo from the airport window.
Wednesday: Midnight to 2:00 am, we were still flying. We finally arrived in our home state, disembarked the airplane, got our luggage, transported to our car and drove home. We got home after 3:00 a.m. The rest of Wednesday was a day for rest, readjustment to the time zone change, laundry, etc. No school. Went to Advanced Electric 4-H Club where JD worked on his project for the fair. It's some sort of electro-magnet-morse code machine or something...
Thursday: We got through all our subjects. The second "school day" in two weeks (as if that solid week of Arizona nature study was nothing!) Thursday night was Boy Scouts.
Friday: Roused JD at about 8:30. He came out into the living room to promptly fall asleep in the chair. Since I don't do school with sleeping children, I let him sleep. He's still adjusting to being back. While he was sleeping I mowed the lawn. When he finally woke up he had to do his school work on his own. I don't know how well he did, but he says he did everything. 2nd day like that in two weeks, but if I count that I guess we've done four "school-ish" days in two weeks, with a solid additional week of new nature and science and geography.
So that's my wrap-up. How was your week?
Thursday: We got through all our subjects. The second "school day" in two weeks (as if that solid week of Arizona nature study was nothing!) Thursday night was Boy Scouts.
Friday: Roused JD at about 8:30. He came out into the living room to promptly fall asleep in the chair. Since I don't do school with sleeping children, I let him sleep. He's still adjusting to being back. While he was sleeping I mowed the lawn. When he finally woke up he had to do his school work on his own. I don't know how well he did, but he says he did everything. 2nd day like that in two weeks, but if I count that I guess we've done four "school-ish" days in two weeks, with a solid additional week of new nature and science and geography.
So that's my wrap-up. How was your week?
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