Black Widow

Don't find these around the house very often!

Daniel found this one on some trash that he picked up from a neighbor's yard.

Free USC Equestrian Events

Daniel got a schedule of USC athletic events a few weeks ago and told us about a free equestrian event that was being held this weekend. Arianna has always loved horses and both of the girls have been asking for riding lessons. We thought this event would be a good chance to see horses up close and watch them perform and compete.

USC owns a farm called One Wood Farm out in Blythewood which is about 20 minutes from our house. We were there on Friday afternoon when mostly English riders were performing.

The grounds were beautiful and all the stables were open so we walked around and petted other horses while we were there.

Here's the link for directions, schedule, etc. for the USC equestrian team. All events are free!

Happy Birthday Ellen!

 

Our little girl turned 9 yesterday. She wanted an ice cream cake so I made one with soy ice cream and whip cream. Mimi came down to celebrate with us.

  

She was so excited and surprised to open her new aquarium. We took her to the pet store to pick out all the decorations and live plants last night. We'll go get the fish later tonight. We've set it up in their room for enjoyment all night long.

Kruidenier family beach trip

This was our last trip of the summer. We spent the weekend at Carolina Beach hanging out with most of the Kruideniers. I know I've said this before, but I have the best in-laws! 

9 people's stuff for a day at the beach packed in the back of the jeep. Anna--dropped your hat!

Anna and Arianna jumping the waves.

The day at the beach was so fun--everyone played in the water at some point.

Thanks to Tyler and Anna for hosting us in his parents' house where we played pool, basketball, and cruised the neighborhood on bicycles. The cousins had a great time together and played lots of games including spit and checkers

We also walked back behind the house to a pond where we ran into an alligator.

We missed you Dave, Liz and William, and thought of you often.

Ambrose Farms and Capers Island

Friday we took a field trip to the Charleston area. Our first stop was an organic farm where they offered u pick strawberries. It took us about 30 minutes to pick about 30 pounds. The farm was amazing. The plants looked so healthy and the farmer was very friendly. He explained how the main things he uses on his plants are compost and fish emulsion. The plants were so healthy and the berries were huge.

The main reason for the trip was a tour of Capers Island. The island is a barrier island that was bought by the state in the 50s. It is protected and very primitive with no water or electricity. They do allow primitive camping but it is only accessible by boat.

The tour guide was very enthusiastic and started sharing interesting facts about the fish right at the marina. He really never stopped talking and answering questions. He started out explaining these stone crab and blue crabs that he had in the tank on the boat. We stopped and looked at some traps in the water.

 He used his "overhead projector" to show us exactly where we were on the coast--the inlet between Dewees Island and Bull Island.

 We floated around in this section of the inlet for a little while waiting for the dolphins to surface. We saw several all around the boat. They were so fun to spot and of course Arianna was excited to see her favorite animal in the wild.

 It took us about an hour to slowly cruise over to the Island from Isle of Palms Marina. Once we got to the shore, the guide walked with us and stopped every so often to name and explain all the different shells and marine creatures that we are all so familiar with. He also talked about how and why the trees are fallen and how to tell the difference between pine and oak skeletons.

I loved learning all those little facts. Here's Ellen showing off the welk shells she found.

 I think that lots of schools take this trip but it is open to the public. For more information on Barrier Island Eco Tours check out there website here.

Around here

Finally got our tomato seeds to sprout. We are growing abraham lincoln and matt's wild cherry tomatoes.

Watering with compost tea.

Observing creatures in the garden. All kinds of bugs and reptiles are coming out in the warm weather. We've seen at least 3 of these broad headed skinks living in the rocks.

Fascinated by the huge snail.

Loving Spring in the South. Azaleas, bridal vale bushes, dogwoods, etc.

Proud of all the dianthus flowers and gerbera daisies that came back from last year.

Oh, and we are tiling the playroom floor. We are right in the middle of it which is why I haven't posted much lately. We've ripped up the carpet, prepared the sub-floor and placed half of the tiles. I'll post before and after pictures when we are done.

The Enchanted Congaree

Jennifer and I decided Saturday night we'd do something fun on Sunday to get away with the girls. We both have been consumed with a busy start to Fall. Jennifer's teaching dance and organizing the co-op home school schedule and somehow keeping all of us healthy and happy while sanding cabinets and installing hardware.

Stop. Reflect.
The wonder, beauty, and strength that is my best friend.
Hands rest on keypad stunned. Feeling untranslatable abounds.

I've been planting fall seedlings and helping out with projects in the house and we'll have to do a post on the new pvc bow with dowel arrows we built the girls (coming soon).

I love putt-putt and thought the girls would enjoy a day at the fun-park. Apparently they've been near putt-putt and it wasn't good. Had I suggested they return to bed after breakfast? I thought for a moment: "How bout a hike at Congaree?" Would they go for it? Could I get away with spending nothing and walking through the deep woods with my three best friends? Their faces gleamed. "Yeaaahhhh!" Off we went.

This Red Spotted Purple met us at the Congaree visitor center. I've been capturing images of butterflies this summer. Isn't it gorgeous? And the girls are so cool about my butterfly obsession: "Wow dad, he's soooooo beeeauuuutiful. Did you get a good picture?" How is it that I end up taking notes from them on how to encourage others and how to joyfully immerse myself in another's pleasure?


The Congaree claims to have the highest deciduous canopy in the world. Here the girls stand before one of the many ancient Bald-Cypress. This is a rather common size here in the Congaree. The Loblolly Pines abound also, and somewhere here there lives one with a fifteen foot circumference.

Such an odd place is Congaree with the Bald-Cypress knees protruding along the sides of the trails. Very foreign in relation to the Appalachian forest we're used to. But we can get used to this.

I've labeled this fella a Common Wood Nymph but my ID skills are superficial at best.
(Correction: Creole Pearly-Eye. Thanks Lesley).


We lounged at Cedar Creek and enjoyed the deep amber colored water, the Spanish moss hanging lazily in the Tupelos, and waited for some larger snake, beaver, or otter to defy her better instincts and give us a show. The waiting was restful but uneventful.


The Tupelos are the trees by the banks with large base trunks. The green moss growing some feet up the trees designates the level of the last flood. Nature's memory.


Usually we hike Sim's Trail which is a short loop. This trip we pressed forward to Wise Lake which was well worth it. Here the girls pose at Wise Lake.


This Question Mark, yep if I'm right that's its name, sat very patiently while its image was sent to me.


This was just what we wanted. Holding hands, oooooh-ing and aaaah-ing at critters and flowers in bloom, laughing and being together. Why is it when we feel most words fail and only tones communicate?

Thanks Congaree.

A day with dad and flower identification

Daniel took the girls out for an all day bike ride and hike on the riverfront trail in downtown Columbia. This is a 4 mile path that runs between the river and the canal. It is a great place to spot animals in the water and in the woods. They saw a muskrat climbing on a tree then fall into the water. They also saw lots of water birds and frogs.




We are trying to identify this flower that is in our yard. It is blooming right now as one of the first flowers of the season. Each white flower is smaller than a dime and looks like a rose. I've included a close up picture and one that was taken some feet away. If you have any idea what this is please post a comment. We would love to know!

Making dog treats

Since we got Blue we have been using treats to help train him. He has a lot of energy and likes to jump. He is very smart and is learning fast. Daniel spends the most time with him teaching him to sit, stay, and lie down. We bought a box of treats, but thought it would be fun to make some of our own. It is certainly a lot cheaper and the girls loved the idea. They were able to do everything since making dog treats doesn't have to be very precise. It was a great activity for many reasons. First, the girls practiced their reading, measuring, mixing, and baking skills. Second, they got the satisfaction of being able to make something for the animals and then enjoyed giving it to them. Also, it was just a fun thing to do as a family.

In addition, I have the satisfaction of knowing what's in the treats and that they don't contain diseased remains of other animals. This is another whole subject that I'm not going to get into on the blog. I'll just say that after Daniel and I read a few articles this weekend we were shocked to find out what goes into commercial dog food and treats and what we have been feeding our pets. We have made a few changes to the dogs' diets that should be better for their overall health and appearance.

If you are interested in making pet treats there are tons of recipes online. I picked a whole grain recipe that was easy to do and only used a few ingredients. Happy Baking!

Meet Blue

Our new family member, Blue.
We are all excited about our newest pet.
We picked him out from the pound last weekend. They said he is lab mix about 2 years old but we think he may be a little younger. He is medium sized and just a little taller than our older dog Jay. Jay is tolerating the new and younger member of the family. I assume he'll be more playful as he and Blue get to know each other. Our cat Max is giving Blue a hard time. He is not happy about having him around yet, but is already warming up to him a bit. Blue is very scared of him--it's funny how an animal can be so scared of another animal that is half his size.

We fell in love with Blue on Saturday. After thinking about it and looking at some other dogs, we decided that he was the best dog for the family and went yesterday to pick him up. He has been great so far. He loves the girls--follows them around and gets a lick in whenever he can. He sleeps a lot inside, usually right next to where we are. He also loves all food. He tries to get what we have and cleans up whatever we drop. I love that about him. I won't have to sweep so much! :) Jay never likes much of our food, and doesn't even take dog treats. He is very timid. He mainly stays close to me all day waiting for a rub:) Blue seems to be a little more normal, not so scared of everything (except the cat). Neither one of the dogs bark much. I was comforted today when I did hear them bark at someone walking down the street. It wasn't overly obnoxious. It just let me know someone was near and let them (the strangers) know that dogs were inside. I'm glad to have that extra protection. Not that I was ever scared, but it is nice to know that I probably won't be bothered with the dogs around. He doesn't chew on things either. Not yet at least.

So today the dogs curled up next to us as we continued life as usual. We all love having them around.