Rooms With a View

THE LAST DAY OF BARRIER ISLAND

On the last day of our time at Barrier Island we ate breakfast as usual then we had to clean our cabin. I think I mentioned this before; there was a contest for the cleanest cabin. We came in second. The cabin that won had three mothers who stayed behind and finished for the kids. Oh well. Then we went to Meet a Friend. This class is a team building class and I wish they had conducted it on the first day. The kids got so much out of the different games they played and these lessons would have served them well throughout the few days we were there. Here are some photos. I am going to start off with Breakfast.

 

The teachers.

 

The Naturalists.

 

The cute lady on the right with the dark hair is my great friend Christi.

 

My table. I have no idea what Vinny is doing. Did I mention before that the kids are required to sign up for at least two duties of either waiting/serving their table or busing it. They really work hard on both of these jobs. Also, at the end of each meal the Naturalists come by and collect our food waste. The weigh it as well. We only had food waste at our first meal and after that we were at 0. If you have 0 then at the end of the meal your table gets to chant " We are happy to report that our table had no ort". I have no idea what ort is. As a group our lowest food waste was 1.5 lbs.

 

The cafeteria.

Then after our cleaning it was off to class.

 

In this game they had to cup one hand and with the other hand put their fingers into the cup of the person on their left. When the naturalist said a certain word they had to quickly pull out their fingers or cup their hand around their neighbors hand. You could not pull your finger out if the neighbors hand was wrapped around it.

 

 

If the person grabs your finger then you are out.

 

It was actually a lot harder than it sounds. You are concentrating on getting your fingers out while also trying to capture your neighbors fingers. Vinny made it for 5 rounds.

 

Next they were each given a piece of PVC pipe that was cut in half. They had to come up with a plan to roll a tennis ball along the line into a red bucket. The first people in line would also have to run to the end of the line to continue the tube. This took quite some time until the young man in the orange shirt came up with the idea of staggering the tubes; one going up, one going down.

 

I did not take a photo of the winning plan. The biggest problem they had was keeping their line straight.

 

Oops!

 

 

SUCCESS!

Next the kids had to cross an imaginary alligator swamp. They were given 12 planks of wood of different sizes. If a piece dropped on the ground or if a piece was not being touched by someone they lost it. They ended up losing 6 boards so they had to cross with only 6 boards. Vinny came up with the winning plan on this one. It took a while but they eventually got it.

 

 

  

 

Getting a lecture about the safety issues on the 10 foot climbing wall.

 

Vinny helping a friend over the wall.

Vinny climbing the wall.

 

Vinny helping someone up the wall.

 

This is THE GROUP!! These girls are all so amazing. I am so happy that Vinny found herself such amazing friends.

That is it for Barrier Island. I am so glad you all stopped by. Hope you have a groovy day!

DANCING FIRE

On day second after a nice dinner we headed off to the recreation room for a little dancing. For those of you who know me well know that I LOVE to dance. Unfortunately my MS has made it so that my legs and lack of balance do not make for great dancing. The first thing the kids were going to learn was how to Square Dance. Each of the kids needed a partner in order to dance. One of my cabin girls ended up without a partner so I ended up stepping in. She was such a trooper. Since it would take me so long to get to her side of the room she came to me. She went slow when I needed to and we ended up having a blast. The Naturalists had us perform the Do Sa Do like different animals or like we were eating something, etc. It was pretty funny.

 

Here I am being a good girl listening to the instructions. I am also saying a little prayer that I do not fall down and totally embarrass myself.

 

Vinny listening to instructions.

 

I know this photo is very blurry; I did not take it. I had to include it because it is a great shot of Vinny looking so happy and having so much fun!

 

More concentration.

 

Do Sa Do

 

The Right Hand Star.

 

Left Hand Star

 

Swing Your Partner.

 

Do sa do like a fish

 

Do Sa Do like you are eating Pizza. Now it was time to shake things up again with the Cupid Shuffle. I don't know this one so I took the opportunity to take a rest.

Vinny on the other hand knows how to do the Cupid Shuffle. Then they played the Electric Slide which no one but a few teachers, the Naturalists, and Me knew how to do. So, out I went out again to help teach the kids how to do the Electric Slide. There was a time when I could do the Electric Shuffle like the best of them. Now I look more like I had been electrocuted more that I was dancing. It was fun though and my favorite part? Vinny was not embarrassed by her mother dancing. Sorry, no photos of this part. You will just have to take my word for it.

Next we went out to the Fire Pit to sing songs and do a little dancing. Warning, these photos are not the best. I have not figured out how to take photos in complete darkness with a fire as the only light source.

 

 

The kids are singing a song about frogs in this photo. Another song they sang was the WHOOPING BIRD SONG. I have a video of the kids singing it but you cannot see anything except the occasional shot of the fire. It can get a little loud at times so be prepared for a little screaming. Enjoy!

BARRIER ISLAND DAY 2 PART 2

Day 2 was a busy day at Barrier Island. After lunch the kids were taken to the beach to hang out with the teachers for about an hour and a half. This gave the chaperones a little break. We should have taken a nap; instead we sat around and chatted. We did find a vending machine that had Diet Coke. I had gone almost two days without a Diet Coke and was getting close to the shakes.

After having some fun with the teachers, our group went to the SKINKS class. If you do not know what a Skink is you are not alone. I did not know either. A Skink is type of lizard. We met in the Herpatarium. The Naturalists taught the kdis the difference between Reptiles and Amphibians. Then they brought out a King Snake.

This is one of the Naturalists holding the King Snake.

 

Vinny being handled the snake. She has no fear at all. Many of the tough, crazy boys would not hold the snake.

 

The snake tried to escape...

 

She got it under control.

 

Beleive it not, I even held this snake. I do not have a photo to prove it but you can ask Vinny.

The kids were also able to pet a baby alligator. I had stepped out of the room at this point. It was a very small room and I was getting a little claustrophobic.

We then went off to the LOST AND FOUND class. The kids learned how to use a compass and then went on a scavenger hunt. There were plaques on some of the trees that gave the kids the directions for how many steps to take and in what direction. It was actually very difficult. Some of the parents tried to help to no avail. Eventually they all found their treasure.

 

Learning how to use the compass.

 

Running toward their treasure. Vinny is in the white.

Would you believe me if I told you that this day was far from over? The fun has yet to end. I, on the other hand, am done for today. My head is telling me it is time to take a rest.

Thanks for stopping by. I will back on Monday!

 

I INTERUPT THIS PROGRAM!

Wednesday was my 21st Tysabri treatment. I have written about the headache that I get with every treatment that puts me down flat for at least 5 days. This lovely side effect usually starts before my IV is completed. It is not too bad until I arrive home. Today was different. Today my head hurt so bad by the time my IV was done that I was actually in tears. So, as I lay here in my cozy recliner I realize that this is all I can handle for today.

For those of you who have left me a comment in the past week, thank you and I am sorry I have not sent you an email. I promise to do that soon!

I hope you are all having a groovy day!

BARRIER ISLAND DAY 2

Day 2 was the day that Vinny and I had looked forward to the most. It was mud pit day. Last year when Charlie and Mitchell went to Barrier Island the temperature was around 45 when they finished with the Mud Pit. Lucky for us, the expected high on our Mud Pit day was 72 degrees. After breakfast we met up with our group by the fire pit which sits among the dunes. Unfortunately the air was just cool enough at 9:30 for the Sand Gnats to be out in full force. It was so bad that we moved our classroom session to the beach. After discussing something to do with the beach and the Mud Pit (I was too busy keeping the bugs off of me and Vinny to listen) we started down the beach toward the Mud Pit. It is about a mile walk so on the way we did some beach combing and learned how islands are made. Here are some photos...

 

Calico Crabs

 

Vinny holding a Sea Sponge.     

 

Vinny holding a Brittle Star which we found in the Sea Sponge.

 

Vinny found a piece of Sea Lettuce that was covered in baby Hermit Crabs. Did you know that Hermit Crabs move from shell to shell?

 

Our Naturalist drew our island in the sand then lined the kids up along the drawing. He then handed the first one some sand and had them pass it down the line...

 

Then the last person in line...

 

dropped the sand into a pile. They did this several times until they had created an...

 

Island.

 

He also told the kids that the small drops of sand that fell from their hands on the way to the end are sand bars. It was really cool.

 

I found this little guy and gave it to the Naturalist. He had never seen this type of crab on the island before and was very intrigued.

After about an hour we arrived at the part of the beach where we would start walking through the salt marsh on our way to the mud pit. We actually had to walk through some muddy parts of the marsh to get to the pit so when we arrived we were already a little muddy. The mud pit is just a large section of the marsh that is under trees so the water does not dry up and so it is very muddy and stinky.

 

This is one of the few chaperones who got into the mud.

 

These are a few of my crazy boys. They were actually very well behaved on Mud Pit day.

The most beautiful girl in the mud.

 

The baby whale in the mud is me. I did the Nestea Plunge. I had on gym pants that caused me to float as well as get stuck. You have to wear tie on shoes that you can throw away (along with your clothes) because your shoes actually can get stuck in the mud and pulled off of your feet.

 

One of my cabin girls helping me out of the mud.

 

I noticed that my friend Kenya had only gotten in up to her hips so I gave her a hug and pulled her in.

 

She was a good sport and we are still friends.

 

Are we just not the cutest things you have ever seen? We had mud in our noses, our ears, and even our eyes. That huge thing that looks like my belly, is not, it is just my very muddy shirt making me look like I am 13 months pregnant.

 

We all headed into the ocean to do a quick rinse off. Notice the hand prints on the ladies back.

 

That is me in the all mud outfit and Vinny next to me getting in. We were told not to get in past our knees but we all ended up diving in. It did very little to clean off the mud. We all took showers when we got back to the cabin. Several showers later I still do not feel clean.

After our showers we had lunch and then our next classes which I save for tomorrow. Thanks for stopping by. I am off to take another shower.

 

LOCATION IS EVERYTHING

I thought I would show you where we stayed on Seabrook Island. Today was a little crazy. Vinny has not felt well since Saturday and has completely lost her voice. I took her to the doctor today and it turns out she has Influenza B. She and the boys all had flu shots in the fall so why does she have the flu. The doctor told me that the shot does not always prevent the flu; if you do get the flu it will be much milder than without the vaccine. She said if Vinny had not received a vaccine she would be in the hospital right now. We are also both suffering from our gnat bites which continue to pop up in new places. I have them in my nose, on my eye lids, all over my arms and legs, my back and neck. We finally got some Benedryl which knocked us both out for four hours of itch free sleep.

I did not have the time to write Day 2 so I will give you a quick tour of the camp instead. I took these photos on the departure day after we had spent 20 minutes cleaning. We took 2nd place in the cleanest cabin contest.

 

We stayed in Fiddler B.

 

The front of our cabin.

 

The inside of our cabin.

 

This is the bunk where Vinny and I slept. Vinny was on the top and I on the bottom.

 

The two sinks. There are three tiny showers and two toilets. We had 10 people in our cabin so showering was tough. 

 

One of the first things Vinny noticed was that the beams on the ceiling made a Peace Sign!

 

This is our porch right outside of the door. This was on the last day and we are preparing to leave. This is not all of the luggage, just 6 girls worth.

 

If you walked down the boardwalk from our porch this is where you end up. This is an outdoor shower intended to keep sand out of the cabins. FYI: it does not keep sand out of the cabins. This view can be seen from our two front windows.

 Another view.

 

The view looking South. This boardwalk takes you to the Cafeteria.

West of our cabin is the HUGE basketball court with Tether Balls.

 

There are trees like this one with fern growing on them all over the camp. Simply beautiful.

 

 

Spanish Moss.

Well, that is all I have for tonight. Check back tomorrow to see me covered head to toe in MUD!

BARRIER ISLAND DAY 1

Let me start off by telling you that our trip to Barrier Island was truly one of the best experiences Vinny and I have ever had. The fact that we got to do it together made it even better. We arrived at her school on Wednesday morning at 6:30 am and we were on the road by 7:20. I started off on the bus which was an absolute nightmare. By the time I got on the bus the only seat left was the very back row right next to the restrooms and behind the rowdy boys.  Our first and only stop was about an hour later for a snack where I ran into a mother of one of Vinny's friends who was driving so she offered me a spot in her car. I gladly excepted. Here is a photo of Vinny on the bus. Sorry it is so blurry; I was walking to my seat and quickly snapped it...

 

We arrived on Seabrook Island around 11:30. We could not get into the cabins until 1:00 so we dumped our bags on the grass and headed to the beach. The island is not on the Atlantic Ocean. It is a barrier island which is surrounded by an estuary.

 

These are the girls in my cabin. Vinny is the third from the left in the white t-shirt.

 

A dolphin swimming about 30 feet from shore. We saw so many dolphins during our three days but this was the best shot I could catch.

Around noon we went in for lunch. The chaperones were assigned to a different group for lunch as well as for the classes. Vinny was with me the whole time which was nice. After lunch we had a tour of the camp. There are two ponds with a road that separates them. On the banks of one of the ponds we saw this basking in the sun...

 

Yes, that is an alligator. I am not as close as it looks. I just used the zoom. He is one of two alligators that live in one of the ponds. The other pond has at least one alligator, sometimes two.

After our tour we met up with our class group. Our first class was called Seine and Ponds. Seining is when you fish with a net that you circle around in the water. It is hard for me to explain so I will just show you the photos. First we started off in the classroom with our Naturalist teaching us about the estuary.

 

Vinny is the one putting her hair in a pony tail.

 

Each end needs to have three people. The Naturalist had the girls go first and we only had five girls so I volunteered to help.  The net has metal weights on one side to keep it down and yellow buoys on the top side to keep it afloat.

 

 

The tough part besides the current was keeping the pole on the ground. As you can see, one side keeps their pole steady once we were out a little and our side makes a big circle and then we bring it in. I was so proud of myself for not falling. Obviously I could not use my cane and it was really hard to walk and keep my balance. I am so thrilled that I had the chance to experience this with Vinny.

 

 

I doesn't look like there is any fish in there does it?

 

Here is what we caught...

 

These are baby Silver Sides

 

This is a baby Mullet. That is Vinny holding this fish.

 

Vinny with a few baby Silver Sides.

 

The guide is showing the kids how to correctly release the babies so the birds do not get them.

 

Here he is showing the kids how to hunt for Calico Crabs and Hermit Crabs.

 

A carefree and happy Vinny (the one jumping) with her friend Mimi.

 

Next we went to the pond. Not the pond with two alligators, the one with unknown number of alligators. By now it was around 60 degrees and the kids were wet and very cold. Here he is talking about the pond and what makes a pond, the ponds life, etc. Vinny is asking a question.

 

The kids used strainers to dig as deep as they could into the water to see what they could find. Vinny and a few kids choose the sunny part of the pond. That green stuff on top of the water is actually pollen

 

Then they gathered around to see what they all found. The two boys who are not with the group were two of my three trouble makers. They are actually throwing rocks at an alligator. I put a quick stop to that.

That night we went on a night walk where we studied the stars and then walked through the woods. We were not allowed to use flashlights so that we could develop night vision. Well, neither Vinny or I developed night vision and it did not take long for us to realize that we could not see anything and I mean ANYTHING! We could not even see each other even though we were wrapped up in each others arms. Fortunately that part of the walk did not last long. Then it was back to the deck of the cafeteria for a snack and lights were out by 10:00. It did not take long for the kids to crash. A few parents met out on the beach and chatted for a little while. I will leave you with one of many beautiful sunsets. I took this photo from our front porch. I cannot remember the name of the island so I will have to ask Vinny tomorrow.

Thanks for stopping by!

THE MOON

Last week while I was outside I noticed the most beautiful moon. It was dusk so the colors in the sky were purple, pink,red and orange. It was so lovely and so I tried to take a photo. Here are the two best photos. Sorry, they are real great but they will give you an idea of how beautiful it was...

 

 

Have a groovy day and thanks for stopping by.

SOMEONE WANTS TO GO TO SCHOOL!

Last week Vinny went to close up her backpack and head off to school when she noticed a little stowaway in her bag. If a there is a bag or purse or hat or anything open Milo will climb in and take a rest. Such a silly kitty...

 

If he is looking for money he is out of luck!

One last photo...

 

Baci and Milo sharing the cat bed. They are starting to get along a little better. Milo still likes to play a bit rough and Baci only tolerates him for a short time before she loses her patience. The other big problem we have is food. Milo wants to eat Baci's food which is not for kittens and Baci wants to eat Milo's food which is not diet food. We are slowly figuring it all out and enjoy our two kittens.

Have a groovy day!

WE'RE OFF FOR THE ANDVENTURE OF A LIFETIME!

Vinny and I are on our way to Seabrook Island, SC. Seabrook Island is one of the Barrier Islands 25 miles south of Charleston. Every year all of the 5th grade classes from each school in our district have the opportunity to attend the Barrier Island Environmental Education Program. Charlie and Mitchell attended last year and Mitchell still feels that it was the best experience of his life. Charlie also had a fabulous time.

The program is located on the site of St. Christopher Camp and Conference Center. The site encompasses nearly 300 acres of "pristine maritime forest, salt marsh, and a mile of beachfront". We will sleep in cabins located on the high beach area. All of the cabins face the beach. There is a dining hall and a health center. The classroom buildings include a herpetarium, fish room, arts and crafts building and recreation hall. An activity field is also available for outdoor recreation.

The staff includes the director, nurse and a teaching staff (Naturalists) of 14-16 college graduates. Most of the classes are based on local barrier island ecology, they also deal with universal concepts and touch many subject areas-science, history, and physical education. All of the classes are activity oriented. Instead of being lectured, children learn to find answers to their questions through their own efforts.

One of the activities that both Vinny and I are looking forward to is the Salt Marsh otherwise known as the 'Mud Pit'. We will have the opportunity to actually get into this pit. They advise everyone to bring clothes and shoes to wear into the mud pit that we can throw away. We will all put these lovely smelling clothes into a garbage bag which will be brought back by a nice father and thrown away at school.

I was fortunate to be chosen as a chaperon. I was truly concerned that I would not be chosen due to my MS and my physical limitations. I won't lie to you; I am a little worried about the walk to the mud pit which is around a mile each way. I know I can do it and I cannot wait to share this experience with Vinny. I will be in charge of around 10 girls in our cabin and then one of 3 chaperones and one teacher in charge of a field group. I am not sure how many children will be in each field group. The students are broken into three groups. They will have their cabin group, their dining group and their field group. This way the students have the opportunity to interact with different children throughout the three days.

The only disappointing aspect of the program is not being allowed into the ocean. I understand why they do this for obvious insurance reasons. I might get Vinny up really early one morning and sneak a quick walk along the shore. We left today ( I am writing this on Monday) and arrive back on Friday early evening. We are traveling by Chartered buses which are supposed to be quite nice.

The students are not automatically allowed to attend the program. At the beginning of the year they are each given 100 points. As the year progresses they can lose points for behavioral issues. They must have 70 points in order to attend. The program only costs $180 per person including the chaperones. They set up a payment program throughout the fall and winter. If a student qualifies to attend and cannot afford it, then the school district pays for them.

I promise to have more photos than you can possible care to see when we return. Now I must go find some throwaway pants at Goodwill. I will be posting Thursday and Friday. I have pre-written a couple of posts for your entertainment so don't forget to stop by.

I will leave you with a photo of our gear. Have a groovy week and weekend.