The Sky is the Limit

As the school year winds down, the end of the year activities ramp up. Scouts bridge to the next level. Eighth graders become freshman. Campouts and parties reign supreme. In the midst of it all, we prepare for our departure. In just 28 days we will pull out of our driveway to head for Alaska and say "See you later!" to all our friends and family here in Washington. It's a bit surreal, to say the least. Especially when I find myself making reservations to visit the Arctic Circle. Awesome! Amazing! This opportunity is definitely something I'm not taking for granted.

This past week we ended the official year for the homeschool group we meet with once a week. I wasn't sure what to expect when my youngest and I began this journey in September, but it has turned out to be a wonderful (most of the time), enriching, bonding experience for both of us.  This particular group played a big part in that and we will truly miss them all. The weekly play/explore days were something we looked forward to. We've gotten to know some amazing people with a passion to promote curiosity and exploration. Imperfect people who complimented each other perfectly. I now feel better equipped to take on homeschooling all three next year.

We've also had several field trips over the past few weeks. One such event was Alaska Airlines Aviation Day at SeaTac Airport. https://blog.alaskaair.com/alaska-airlines/alaskacares/aviation-day-2016/  My oldest son and I attended this with some people from his Boy Scout Troop. We saw Boy Scout Troops, Girl Scout Troops, Civil Air Patrol, and a few other organizations represented. I just can't rave enough about how wonderful this event was! My son has been interested in aviation for a while now, and this event gave him an opportunity to learn more about the different aspects of working in the industry.

We were given passports with stations to visit. If he finished the first nine stations, then he would earn both his Aviation and his Engineering Merit Badges. And so, we boarded the shuttle for the terminal and the first station- the Boy Scout Aviation Merit Badge Class. I'm glad we went there first because it was a full house!


After that we visited the hangar, where planes were on display. There the kids could learn about building engines, tour actual planes, sit in the cockpits, learn about the science that goes into each plane, and see examples of how to run an airplane and airline effectively.

This is what it looked like when we first walked into the hangar.

 

There were stations for just about every aspect of aeronautics to explore. Experts and professionals volunteered their time to teach the kids about their field.

 At this station kids were assigned a number. Each number represented an aircraft they would learn about. The pilots gave them the opportunity to work different parts of the plane/helicopter. Then, they sat in the pilot's seat to see how it would feel for that particular aircraft.

 

My son was assigned to the helicopter. The pilot had been in Vietnam and shared pictures and personal experience with the kids who came through his station.

There were clubs and organizations with booths, as well. This high school robotics club brought their robot and explained how it worked. It throws a ball and will catch it when you throw it back. They also brought a t-shirt cannon, which the boys loved.

This is the robot that throws and catches.

Alaska Air and Boeing really went all out and provided lunch for everyone. It was half a sandwich, chips, water and Ivar's clam chowder. The volunteers were really friendly.

The boys visited stations where they learned about recycling programs for Alaska Airlines, wildlife conservation efforts that work alongside the aviation industry, programs for kids to learn how to build and fly planes, and much more! It was amazing!

We went through the larger airplanes where they let us work the intercom and lights, sit in first class, and sit in the cockpit where the pilots gave us our wings pins. 

It's not that often that an opportunity comes along to explore a plane that closely.

After the hangar, we took the shuttle to the training facility. One of the stations our boys were especially excited about was the flight simulator. They are the actual simulators that pilots train in. All I can say is it's a good thing I won't be flying any planes anytime soon! Trust me. ;-)

 My son was a natural, though. This experience really lit a fire in his eyes.

Next were the classes where kids chose what occupation they wanted to learn more about- Mechanic, Flight Attendant, or Pilot. Our boys chose to learn more about becoming a Pilot.

I love that this class was given by both a man and a woman. They had different backgrounds and different areas of expertise. The woman was an engineer who began with a childhood passion of wanting to be an astronaut. She currently tests planes and flies all over the world. She also designed several parts of the planes you fly in today.  

The man knew he wanted to be a pilot from a very young age and worked his whole life to earn good grades, keep himself healthy, and avoid activities that would tarnish his record so that he could earn that privilege. His message was very positive and refreshing in a culture where celebrity and "doing what feels right" are what's popular.  

Both were outstanding role models and had positive, relevant messages.  I can't say enough good things about our experience.

Our final class was about aeronautics and the science of how flight works.

Finally, we headed back to the hangar where a team of pilots and flight professionals held merit badge conferences. They really paid attention to each boy to make sure they had a firm understanding of what they had just experienced and learned. It was clear the counselors enjoyed mentoring the kids. My son was proud to have earned both merit badges that day.

If you ever get the opportunity to go, I highly recommend it!

Wishing you all a wonderful three-day weekend. Thank you to all our veterans and their families. This family won't forget your sacrifice!

- Jen 

The Innerworkings of "Away"

Thanks to you, our blog has now reached over 2,100 hits and we haven't even left yet! That's amazing! Thank you all!

Things are winding down for the school year here. I've just scheduled the end of the year testing for our youngest. This is our first year homeschooling, so we're still figuring things out. Which test is best? Which tests are approved for our state? How are they administered? Fortunately we have a bunch of experienced families who are happy to give advice and point us in the right direction.

This past week, our youngest and I took a tour of one of the larger wastewater treatment facilities in the area, the South Treatment Plant in Renton, WA.

http://www.kingcounty.gov/environment/wtd/About/System/South.aspx

It didn't smell half as bad as I thought it might and they have a garden next door called "Waterworks Garden". It features trails, native plants, wildlife, and public art. I love the idea of something unpleasant working to make something beautiful.

Here's a picture of our youngest by a pond at the treatment facility. He really liked the art pieces.

My husband and I saw "The Blue Man Group" once in Las Vegas. In part of their slideshow they said that all trash, sewage, and everything else unpleasant, goes to the same place once it leaves our sight- "Away".... which is all too true in most peoples minds. Sad. Well, my son and I were able explore part of "Away" and it was really cool. The tour guide started with a presentation of how our sewage system works and how different countries around the world handle their sanitation. The kids were given different kinds of "trash" and they sorted it according to how it would be disposed of. Did you know that we (North America) have a pretty good handle on how to treat our human waste, but all the chemicals and misc. items that go down the gutters in the street just flow directly out to the oceans? It's scary how much pollution we really create. It's time to find a solution for our pollution!

I won't go into the gritty details of what we saw and how the sewage is separated and treated, but it is really interesting. I'll just give you a few main points:
- City water is only in your house for seconds before moving on.

- Because there is so much water, sewage is diluted and doesn't even remotely resemble what you see in your toilet when it arrives at the treatment plant.

- The sewage is filtered and then goes through three or four stages before it reaches the point where it is treated and then flows out into the ocean to be naturally recycled (evaporation, rain, etc.)

The infrastructure of a system like this is a marvel. Really!  There are a ton of jobs that make this facility run effectively.

Our youngest was especially impressed with the control room and the lab.

After the tour, we visited the local big brand store for trailer organization items. I've spent several days planning the most efficient way to pack our trailer. I'd like to bring everything we need without the worry of tripping over obstacles or the fear of items being thrown everywhere while in transit. Once I get everything in place, I'll show you some of the tricks I've employed.

Our daughter was considering writing this weeks post, but life got in the way. You'll hear from her soon, I promise.  In the meantime, 35 days to go....

- Jen 

Dig a duck a day.....

As promised, this post will be full of pictures. Here's one I know you've been waiting for. This is our trailer! It's a Viking 17 BH. It's 20 feet long and doesn't expand, which makes it small and light enough for our car to tow, yet large enough for us to sleep in comfortably.

This is what it looks like on the inside. We folded down the table and benches and made them into a bed for our youngest to sleep on. Now everyone has their own space. There isn't much walking room in general, so things will get pretty interesting when we're all loaded up for the trip.

Each child has their own Thirty-One Tote for their personal items. They fit nicely at the end of the bunk beds. 

Last weekend we took the trailer out for a test run. It's geoduck (giant clam- pronounced gooey-duck) season in Washington, so we headed up to the Hood Canal for the ultra-low tides. Being new to trailer ownership, we're still figuring things out. We didn't realize that we need to specify if we want water/electrical available, so we ended up with a dry campsite. This wasn't a big deal since we were only there for two nights and there were bathrooms and a water spigot nearby. It's good to know for future reservations though.

These are pictures of the Hood Canal that were taken while we were out clamming with friends. If you ever plan to go, please pay attention to the water toxin reports and make sure you have a shellfish license. There are laws about how big the clams need to be and how many you can harvest per person. Despite what you see in these pictures, there were a TON of people there. That tends to happen when it's sunny and beautiful out.

We picked up a book called "Whelks to Whales: Coastal Marine Life of the Pacific Northwest, Revised Second Edition" by Rick M. Harbo at the aquarium. I'm so glad we did because after missing our tide pools field trip with the homeschoolers last week, this book told us everything we wanted to know about the animals we were seeing. I highly recommend it!

Beautiful, no?

I look forward to geoducking every year. Sometimes we are successful and sometimes we aren't. Either way, it's always a wonderful trip. This year, I left the clamming to everyone else and went out to find starfish. Last Friday when our youngest and I wound up at the Seattle Aquarium, we learned that starfish have been dying at an alarming rate up and down the west coast because of something called "Wasting Disease". You can learn more about it here:

http://www.eeb.ucsc.edu/pacificrockyintertidal/data-products/sea-star-wasting/

I had no idea this was even happening! The volunteer at the aquarium sent me on a mission to see if I could find some this year. We've always seen tons of sea stars, so the possibility of them not being there was frightening. I'm happy to report that even though it was difficult, I was able to find three small Sunburst Starfish. This is one. It felt soft like the inside of a cheek.

A few were upside down. Would you like to see what the underside is like? Here's a clip!

We also saw a few curious Harbour Seals.

The second night we were there, a friend woke me up, and I'm so glad she did! I only wish I had a camera at the time. The Aurora Borealis was visible!! This is a huge bucket list item for me and it was such a treat to be able to see it in person. It was like green, evenly spaced waves. Kind of like this.

The kids had a great time digging up clams and tiny crabs (that were left on the beach) with their friends. The guys came back with three geoducks, which were turned into sashimi and clam chowder. This is a geoduck. They look...interesting.. to say the least. They taste sweet and briny. I would say "like the ocean" but that probably doesn't describe the flavor much because they aren't salty. The texture is a bit on the firm/crunchy side.

Freshly prepared geoduck sashimi

The chowder was as fresh as it gets and was absolutely delicious! 

Other than having a fantastic weekend adventure, I picked up the mail from our new P.O. Box for the first time this week. We got our first letter (okay, okay- bill). We also visited the dentist to keep up our oral health before we head out. Dental health is very important! (Hi Dr. C and staff! ;-))

This weekend we'll be packing and outfitting the trailer with things like a toilet paper dispenser. You know, those little things that make life easier......

42 days to go!!

- Jen

Racing

Wait....let me stop and catch my breath for a second.......Thanks, that's better. Today I have literally been running/driving from one thing to the next.

This was a big week for us. Last Saturday my husband and I had our walk-through of the trailer. I was SO excited to pick it up. I mean, the trailer is a huge piece of the puzzle for our adventure. But no. They told us to go away and come back later. Apparently we had the wrong electrical lines installed in our car. The ones we got were for a horse trailer. How were we supposed to know?! We've never had a trailer before. You'd think the installer would have said something. Nope. And so we went home. On the up side, I now have a better understanding of what to do and what to avoid for the rig. That's something. My husband and some friends picked it up on Wednesday and I've been itching to make it mine....I mean ours.

Saturday night we went to see the Mariners play the Royals with our Cub Scout pack. It was a lot of fun and we (the Mariners) won 6-0!! Hooray! I love going to sporting events with our family. I've never been very interested in sports before, but with kids, you learn. It's such a great experience, and now we have "our" teams.

We're continuing to check items off the list. One big item is that I filed our Declaration of Intent to Homeschool all three kids next year with the school district. We're going to have a great time at the Homeschool Curriculum fair next month. Elementary, middle, and high school at once! Pray for me! ;-)

This week, a certain husband of mine celebrated a nice round-number birthday. Since he isn't a big PDA man, I'll just leave it at that. (But just between you and me, we love him bunches and bunches and are so blessed to have him. <3)

Today my youngest and I had a field trip to the tide pools with our homeschool group. I've been so frazzled over the past few days that I completely blanked and went to the Seattle Aquarium to meet them. If I had looked a little closer at the email this morning, I would have read that they were meeting at the aquarium in Des Moines, WA. Oops! What can you do but make the best of the situation. So, my littlest guy and I enjoyed an afternoon together touching the starfish and watching the otters and seals. Did I mention that I had completely forgotten to cancel his speech therapy appointment? Yeah. Lame, I know. Fortunately we have a therapist who was wonderful about the whole thing and was happy to reschedule. That isn't always the case, or so I understand, so we are extra grateful for his generosity in letting us off the hook this time.

Oh! There's the door. Gotta run! I wish all of you, and especially the Moms out there, a wonderful weekend! Thanks for hanging in there with me! Next week I'll bombard you with pictures. I promise!

Jen