Happy Birthday, Gertie!

Rain after a long dry spell - Aug 9

Petra grabbed a camera and captured the miracle of rain!

Big Puddle

Steam rising after rain stopped

Soon sun came out.

Girls Breakfast

Anna's last day home.  She has a hundred things to finish up before Petra and I take her to Harrisonburg this afternoon where we'll get some time with Austin and Ali, spend the night at Sparkling Springs and in the morning take her to meet friends for a ride to a wedding in Columbus OH.  Then she will fly to Tampa to begin her school year.  

Hands on Math Workshop!

Today I got to revisit a favorite topic:  Math Manipulatives!  Charity Lehman, Beckee Delinger, Twila Dawe and Pam Heavner were kind enough to come and listen to me expound on ideas about learning and tell stories about my kids as they were developing with math concepts years ago.  I got to dig out all these Math treasures that I still have around like my button box, two color beans, colored pasta, mini pom poms, plus pattern blocks, Cuisenaire Rods, 100s board and base 10 blocks.  Just wish I had a photo

Oh, it was such fun to revist Raymond Moore, John Holt, Howard Gardner and Rudolf Steiner!  Here's a favorite quote which I now label "My Manifesto":

All of us must cross the line between ignorance and insight many times before we truly understand.  Not only must we cross the line many times, but nobody else can cross it for us; we must cross it by ourselves.  Being shoved or dragged across does no good.

-John Holt

Sollenberger Family Picnic - Friday Aug. 5

Funniest Home Video!

 Colson and Charity

 Ezra ready to slide!

 Asher eating a huge, red, ripe, strawberry!

 The ice shaver station with 4 shavers in operation.

 Wagon rides.  Hannah pulling Isaac, Abby, Asher and Ezra.

 Charity chatting with Jen.  Colson perched.

 The Grand Matriarch!

 The crowd of relatives

 Gloria and Grantley favor us with a Spanish song which Gloria brought home from Bolivia

 Aunt Rachel made these amazing "Cake Pops" for kids of all ages.  Yum!

Holli and Josh surprised Rachel by showing up unexpectedly!

A Week at Green Lake, Maine - July 23 - 30

We are at the top of Cadillac Mountain near Bar harbor, Maine.

This was as ideal as you can get.  Cool air but a warm deck beneath you and the sun above to warm you up.  And when you got too hot the  clouds came by to give a break from the direct sun.  Chapter after chapter with "nothing for to hinder."

Some of the books that were read:

Read alouds

                                                             
                                                                   

Anna read this one (left).

 Foot gloves for Grantley


We spent one night on Blueberry Island, a pile of rocks and boulders in the lake that have been there long enough to grow a small forest of pines.  Rocks were carpeted with layers of pine needles as well as moss and likens.  I've always had a fondness for moss and likens.  These were the finest I've ever seen. 

In the morning, getting ready to head back to our cabin.

Rock painting