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On Labor Day, we had to hustle and make it over to the neighboring town, St. Mary's. We had a 9 am ferry to catch! We had our back packs loaded up for the day with all sorts of things we'd use to play and explore Cumberland Island.
The boat pulled up at the first dock and we began our journey. The mosquitoes and a pack of 6 wild horses greeted everyone as soon as we got off the boat. We tried to hurry to our first destination so that we could get ahead of a large group who were looking at the horses... we had a secret mission to accomplish. We spent quite a bit of time on the grounds of the ruins on the south side of the island.
There's an estate - called Dungeness - built there in the late 1800s by the Carnegie family. Other structures around the island were also built by the family, but we have not been to those (yet). We'll make it back sometime & explore different parts of the island.
While we were hanging out at the grounds of the Dungeness ruins, we took some time to eat a snack, mingle (from a distance) with a pack of 10 horses, and explored a couple of areas off the beaten path. We were looking for a spot to hide a letterbox stamp! This is the first time we carved and planted a box. The inspiration for the carve: the patterns we saw on our first trip out. I find a great deal of beauty in patterns that nature has created... such as in the spiral of a shell or the ripples that the water makes on the sand. (tried to convey both in this one stamp - which - may be a little clunky compared to some of the hand-carved stamps we've seen in our past hunts, but I'm happy with it overall)
It was surprising that a letterbox has not been planted on the island previously, so we had to reward letter-boxing community with a "hidden treasure" for visiting the island. (One of the rules of the island: whatever you pack in... you're supposed to also pack out. We technically should not have left this behind.) Who knows how long it will stay? If it's discovered by someone who works on the island, it will likely be confiscated. That's part of the journey -- tracking the activities associated with the box. If interested in seeing the clue and/or following the activities in the future, it is accessible through this link: http://www.atlasquest.com/showinfo.html?gBoxId=206102 Also - this photo of the outdoor "structure" offers a little clue as to where the letterbox is hidden nearby. There's another clue on the AtlasQuest website.
Once the letterbox planting was completed, we continued our exploration on the island - heading east towards the beach. We took a little detour along the way, however, and walked through the edge of the salt marsh along a boardwalk. We did not see as much wildlife in this area as on our first trip, but it's such a beautiful ecosystem that I'm happy we walked through. The boardwalk took us to the dunes that are a buffer between the mainland of the island and the beach. We saw 4 more horses on a rolling hill on the opposite end of the dunes and continued on to the beach.
The beach was the main reason we headed to coastal Georgia... we wanted to stick our toes in the water for our long weekend getaway. We played in the water for quite some time, dug in the sand with some of the beach toys we had packed, ate lunch on a blanket (and fended off some gulls), and searched for shells. It was the perfect temperature. At times, we would see others who rode over on the ferry with us, but for the most part, it felt like our own private beach. Our previous trip to Cumberland was in February 2008 -- we had a lot of very different experiences on that visit, but there was no playing in the water then. Perhaps Mercer's favorite thing - jumping waves. He did it over and over and over and over again! It was a lot of fun and we plan to spend more time at "our private beach" there in the future.
We walked up the beach until we reached a boardwalk that went back over the dunes and carried us inland. This path took us through "Sea Camp" where we camped on our previous trip. Mercer said he would like to camp there sometime.
Late in the afternoon, we reached the Visitor's Center. We were pretty worn out after our 3 1/2+ mile trek across the island and frolicking / playing on the beach. We saw a large variety of things, but there is so much more to see and do there. As mentioned several times on this post... we will definitely go back!
We really missed our beach trip this summer, so we thought we'd head to the coast for a last 'hoorah' this season. We have been talking to Mercer about Cumberland Island for ages, so thought we would take a ferry over for a day. (We knew that we weren't quite ready to camp on Cumberland with him - but we would try out camping at a nearby state park.)
There did not seem to be a lot of things to do at the park, so we decided to take a trip to the Okefenokee swamp since we were relatively close and none of us had been before. On our first full day in south Georgia, we took a boat tour of one of the canals that was dug into the swamp and then branched off into a smaller path through the swamp. The photo on the last post was actually taken on the swamp tour boat. Here's another with Mercer at the helm of the boat.
The swamp was actually prettier than we imagined. There were a lot of colorful plants and blooming water flowers. There were a lot of different types of birds too. We thought it was going to be a lot muckier, but this portion of the Okefenokee was not. The boat driver /tour guide - "Captain Charlie" - said that other parts of the swamp look different. There are several different kinds of ecosystems depending on what part of the swamp you are in.
We hadn't seen any alligators on the trip, as they are out more so during the early morning and dusk hours. We were heading back to the channel and I somehow locked eyes with an alligator as we were passing by. Captain Charlie backed the boat up and pulled into the tangle of water lilies so we could get right next to the little gator. (Look closely and you'll see him too)
Everyone was leaning over the edge to peer into the water below while Charlie comes over with a long wooden stick and starts poking at the gator trying to get up under his chin and put him to sleep?? The little alligator, of course, did not like it. He swam under and we left.
We went back down the channel - noticing how the still water looked like a mirror. I liked the way that the water reflected images of the surrounding trees and that they got caught up in the current of the boat. Unfortunately, my gaze was broken when we got a little too close to the edge and our boat ran through a spider's nest -- the giant quarter-sized black spider landed on me and crawled up my leg!
Mercer was busy watching the pattern the water made too in the water. And - he discovered that he could spit in the water / watch it fly and hit the water's surface.
The swamp park where we began our adventure actually had a pretty nice nature center with a lot of interactive toys and displays for the kids. While there, Todd spotted another alligator - much bigger - hanging out in the open channel right next to the visitor's center. We hung out on the deck for awhile and watched him as he watched us. After the visitor's center, there is an 8 mile loop drive they encourage visitors to take. There we saw alligator after alligator in the ditches on either side of the road.
We all learned something on this trip too... that the swamp supports bears and jaguars! Who knew?! Also - the water was brown from tannins in the water from the plants and trees growing in the swamp. These tannins did not support mosquito larvae so there were no mosquitos amazingly.
After the swamp tour, we hung out in the campsite, bounced Mercer's super bouncy ball, and cooked dinner on the fire. We looked at constellations in the sky with our eyes and with the cool Google Sky program on our cell phones. We made s'mores and reflected on how the swamp tour was. It was a good, full day!
The next day, we took the ferry over to Cumberland Island. I'll post more about that later this week, as there was so much to see it is it's very own (long) blog entry!!
4 years ago today, we "legally" welcomed Mercer into our family.
(Of course we opened our hearts to him just over 4 1/2 years ago.)
Happy Adoption Day!
I suppose 'cause we work a lot & try to get through everyday life during the week... on the weekends, we try to do something fun or create some sort adventure. We try to pack things in!
Before diving into the weekend activities - thought I'd mention that I was in San Antonio recently for work. Todd had visited the historic city back in college; I've always wanted to go especially after working at my old firm - Urban Design Group. They designed some portion of the River Walk 20+ years ago; every day at the office I would pass by photos hanging on the wall. I finally had my chance to see the River Walk as well as the Alamo. In fact - the hotel I was staying at was right next door to the Alamo. Literally.
The day after I got back from Texas, I went to the garden & picked a watermelon / took it home /put it in the 'fridge to chill so we could cut it open the following day. We had 3 watermelons ready for harvest around the same time, so we shared this one with the members of the garden on a Saturday. Here's a picture of Mercer, Jackson, and Glady enjoying it ~
About a month ago, we went to a nearby park for a picnic, to play in the stream, to go on a hike, and to look for letterbox stamps. Todd has tried on previous trips to teach Mercer to skip stones. This time, Mercer got the hang of it (sort of) and was elated when his stones would take a hop. I'm pretty bad at skipping stones. My contribution to the joy of playing in the stream: Mercer and I throwing leaves on the top of the water & chasing them down as they floated (or watching some get caught up in a whirl and going under).
At this park, there were several letterboxes stashed along the trails. We found a couple of boxes; inside one of the boxes were 2 log books & 2 stamps! A bonus letterbox! I learned at a geocaching class last year that sometimes people plant "hitchhikers" -- geocaches or letterboxes that do not have a permanent home. The idea is that they travel. People find them & then carry them to their next destination somewhere else. The person who planted the original hitchhiker can track the journey that it takes. This is done on a computer program where people record their "finds" in an online log-book. (www.atlasquest.com)
The following weekend, we went for a hike in the north Georgia mountains -- to Amicalola Falls (the tallest cascade in the southeast). http://gastateparks.org/AmicalolaFalls/ We replanted the "hitchhiker" letterbox there on a hike where there were 2 more boxes planted. Afterwards, we made the climb up to see the falls. Mercer did pretty well. Todd did carry him a little bit, but thankfully he did not have to carry him up any of the the 175 steps to the observation platform!
It was a beautiful weekend & we actually ran into a couple different families that we knew. Mercer and the son of one of our old co-workers kept climbing up and down the other side of this rock over and over and over again. I heard that as a nation, we were just coming off of one of the hottest-temperature months in recorded history... suppose a lot of people took advantage of the cooler temps?!
Two weekends ago, our neighbors graciously invited us to join them on a boat ride. Each summer, we have taken a boat ride with Pam & Orie. Seems that each year, Mercer gets a little more driving time in. This year, he even tested the throttle of the boat (kicking it up a notch) when Orie wasn't looking! ~yikes~
Last Saturday, we went camping in the back yard. We try this each summer. We wanted to give it a try to see if everything was OK with our tent and to prepare Mercer for our upcoming 3-day camping adventure. We had friends Jackson & Glady over for s'mores, but evening drew near and a big thunderstorm was approaching; they went home / we buckled down in the tent for the night. It did rain -- pretty hard -- but we stayed dry in our tent and little guy amazingly slept through the storm! He did wake up at 5-something AM to the sounds of an owl in the back yard, though, which was pretty cool. The water from our pond & stream lulled us all back to sleep. It was quite nice.
This weekend, we were pretty low-key. We had friends come over and hosted our third adoption pancake breakfast. It was a smaller crowd than before, but it was nice to spend some time talking with each of the guests! We are emailing out "birthmother" letters to all of our friends, familly, and neighbors. It's a letter written to a counselor, lawyer, OB, religious figure... someone who may have contact with a birthmother. IF you think that you may have a contact or a friend-of-a-friend who's in such a position, please pass this letter along when you get it. (and - if you're reading this / don't get a letter - let me know. I will be sure to email you one!!)
Just after everyone left the pancake breakfast, Mercer cleaned up his toys that he and his friends had pulled out, so he earned a little bit of allowance money. He earned the last little bit needed to earn a LEGO toy he had been saving up for! Over the past 2 weeks (since the last post about him helping with yard work), he has been helping to set the table, take dirty dishes to the sink after a meal, put his clothes in the laundry hamper (instead of throwing on the floor), and generally picking up. It's been pretty cool to watch how much he wants to help when he has a goal in mind. Hopefully some of this helpfulness will stick and will not only come by earning a nickel or a dime here or there!
We have a big weekend -- a big adventure -- coming up next weekend. That will certainly warrant it's own post. 'til then, have a great week!
Here's another photo of Mercer at Amicalola... he spent a lot of time climbing on rocks that were along the path... nature's playground!! /
Yesterday, we were doing lots and lots of yard work while Mercer was napping. He woke up and came out to see us in the back yard. We were moving tree limbs and he wanted to help.
I had gloves on and told him that he needed gloves too. He went inside without prompting. A minute later, he comes out with my leather driving gloves on: they're too big and they're flopping off of his hands. He dug through a drawer with winter accessories. He also found a fuzzy chenille scarf and put it on. He said he "needed" it to work.
The rest of the picture: M was wearing little short short PJ's with a monster truck on his tummy and his Crocs on the wrong feet. He helped drag some limbs to the curb with his floppy black gloves. (Yes - with one of the neighbors walking by & commenting on his attire.) Mercer also helped sweep up the leaves on the driveway after we were done moving the limbs.
He offered his unsolicited help... and in return, Todd gave him a dollar for helping us out: an allowance.
We have been using a penny chart to earn and take away pennies for behavior in which he gets a toy at the end of earning 50 or 100 pennies (depending on the value of the toy). But this was the first time that that he learned he could help us out and earn money.
Todd mentioned that he could save his money and buy a toy that he wanted. He started rattling off a number of LEGO toys... and landed on one particular series that he was interested in. He and Todd started looking up the toys to see how much they cost and established a goal for what he would save for.
Mercer and I counted out the dollars and coins in his piggy bank. He's about $4 shy of the toy he wants, which isn't too far off, but is a good lesson in saving!
I started looking at websites tonight about do we / don't we reward chores with money? There's no right or wrong so it seems... just some consensus on IF an allowance is given -- to also instill some level of responsibility that is not rewarded with money.
Wow. 4 years old & starting chores?! Learning money management?! who knew!!
Mercer officially started school in the "big kids" classroom at his Montessori school. He was in the 3-4 year Montessori class last year. Now he's in with the 4-6 year olds.
He has a new backpack and a new lunch box. He even had to have school supplies this year. (If you look back to his first day of school picture - in the same spot in front of the door - you'll notice that we got him a haircut this year before school started AND he's grown a few inches!)
Last week, I went to an orientation that the school held. Afterwards, one of the teachers pulled me aside and said that she LOVED Mercer. He was hilarious -- kept her in stitches. He was always cracking her up with his dancing. (I asked if he danced around saying "oooh yeah" and smacked his bottom... she said YES! (oh brother -- where did he get that from?!)
She then said that when it was time for studies, he was all business. He would bring her books and say "I want to learn how to read. I want to be smart." Really? WOW. I had no idea!
Todd and I were both impressed! We have no doubt that he will learn to read this year. He's doing a great job at sounding out letters and words. This school year should be a good one!
Temperature records have been breaking in Atlanta (and in DC while we were there as well). It has prohibited us from spending as much time outside as we'd like, however, we've still done some good things.
Something we've been working on for awhile: our neighborhood community garden. Awhile back, Mercer and I planted some pea and cucumber seeds. (We planted some other types of veggies too, but they didn't make it.) The peas fizzled out pretty soon - as it was too hot and they're a cooler weather plant.
The cucumbers have been extremely prolific. Additionally, we purchased and planted watermelon, eggplant, bell peppers, and tomatoes. There are some additional plants that we picked up along the way (early on there was some trading going on). We've got some sort of hot peppers, a cantaloupe, celery, purple basil, and tomatillos (we think). We had squash and zucchini too, but they didn't make it.
There was a lot of work in the beginning, but at this point -- it's pretty much just weeding our plot, keeping it watered, and keeping our watermelon tendrils out of our neighbors' plots. Mercer likes to water the plot (and sometimes us) and harvesting the fruit / veggies, as seen in these pictures. Here, he is riding home in the waggon on his "watermelon pillow."
We'll be turning it over for a fall garden soon & putting in cooler weather varieties.
I've also been trying to do some other activities with Mercer too. (People keep telling me that it's the experiences you create that kids remember.) It's tough to squeeze in activities between work & just every-day life, but I hope he's enjoying some of them!
We've been doing a bit of hiking, searching for letterbox stamps (or "treasure stamps" as Mercer likes to call them), and making food items from scratch - such as peanut butter and fruit-filled popcicles.
We made t-shirts for the 4th of July. For the white shirt, we used potato stampers -- which he thought was pretty cool.
He wore it to the local parade we attended on the 4th. The other that we made was a red shirt with glow-in-the-dark "firework" bursts. He wore that one for fireworks on the square later in the evening.
Last month, we found a scooter at a yard sale. It took a little while for Mercer to warm up to it, but he latched on pretty quickly. He's had a few spills, but he realizes that he can jump off and still land on his feet. He's warmed up to riding this more so than his bicycle that he's had since February. His bicycle gear has come in handy, though! He's pretty serious about putting on his helmet, elbow pads, knee pads, and gloves. (Probably helps that they're all branded with Spider Man logos & pictures.)
Speaking of Spidey... thought that I'd snap a shot of some of Mercer's favorite things these days. He's into super heros, monster trucks, and Star Wars LEGO stuff. He's into spinning tops and bouncy balls -- in fact -- we have a game that we've started where we close all of the doors int he hallway & send bouncy balls flying in the hallway & stairwell. Additionally - on the softer side - Mercer loves watching the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse cartoon and he has to sleep with his Froggy every night.
He "prays" now at dinner most nights... supposedly something they do at school:
- Hands on your lap
- Sitting up tall
- Your friends are beside you
- Our food is in front of us
- We are ready to eat.
- An apple to eat.
(Todd & I think the last one is supposed to be "bon appetite" but Mercer insists it's an apple to eat.)
Another thing he's picked up from school: he's learning to read! He's been sounding out letters and actually putting small words together. It's quite cool~
The next post will be about his first day of "school" which starts next week.
'Til then - have a good one!
While we were hanging out at the grounds of the Dungeness ruins, we took some time to eat a snack, mingle (from a distance) with a pack of 10 horses, and explored a couple of areas off the beaten path. We were looking for a spot to hide a letterbox stamp! This is the first time we carved and planted a box. The inspiration for the carve: the patterns we saw on our first trip out. I find a great deal of beauty in patterns that nature has created... such as in the spiral of a shell or the ripples that the water makes on the sand. (tried to convey both in this one stamp - which - may be a little clunky compared to some of the hand-carved stamps we've seen in our past hunts, but I'm happy with it overall)
It was surprising that a letterbox has not been planted on the island previously, so we had to reward letter-boxing community with a "hidden treasure" for visiting the island. (One of the rules of the island: whatever you pack in... you're supposed to also pack out. We technically should not have left this behind.) Who knows how long it will stay? If it's discovered by someone who works on the island, it will likely be confiscated. That's part of the journey -- tracking the activities associated with the box. If interested in seeing the clue and/or following the activities in the future, it is accessible through this link: http://www.atlasquest.com/showinfo.html?gBoxId=206102 Also - this photo of the outdoor "structure" offers a little clue as to where the letterbox is hidden nearby. There's another clue on the AtlasQuest website.
