Oregon Adventures XI

There was so much interest in the train that runs along the road, that when I finally saw the train as I went Northbound on River Road, I grabbed another pic to share with you.  I should have mentioned in the first place that this train goes very slow.  It is odd being allowed to drive so close to it though.

Well, we basically had one last whirlwind week just before we moved on August 22nd. We started out with a trip to OMSI, Oregon Museum of Science and Industry located in Portland.  It is huge and fun!  Here's Phoebe playing chipmunk in the imagination play room.

 Ezra making spin art by light of a strobe light.

This room took my breath away.  It's a room of babies.  Real babies in formaldehyde from a few weeks old to birth.  It's better than any ultrasound to show the humanity and miracle of even the tiniest unborn baby.  As you enter, a sign says that all the babies died of natural causes.

There were parents telling their children about their birth experiences and a woman silently standing, unmovable in front of one baby, 19 weeks, I believe.  It was a place of contemplation and reverence.

The girls especially enjoyed the Chemistry room where three lab assistants were available to help with one of their experiments set up around the room.  We conducted four experiments before we moved on.

OMSI seemed endless, there was more there than our little ones were capable of seeing in one day.  I appreciated the robotics department and the earthquake room simulating what we might feel someday.  I am very much looking forward to taking Ben here.

This is Bonnie and her baby girl!  She and her family kindly included us on their trip to OMSI.  She's my Canadian friend who loves Yerba Mate tea so much. :-)  She is my favorite surprise blessing since moving Oregon.

Wednesdays we have enjoyed going to the local Children's museum for drama time.  Juni loves the "China Room" the most.  I just noticed the jumping boy in this pic! Ha!

Thursday and Friday had us busy cleaning the new house and packing up the little we had unpacked at the rental home in preparation for moving day.  So, we treated ourselves to Thai food at Mina's Cafe for lunch and for kicks tried the menu item called, "Bubble Tea."  It was a smoothie with giant tapioca balls in it that fit up the large straw you use.  So, you are drinking a smoothie then pausing to chew up what feels like a gummy bear every few seconds.  Ezra and Phoebe and I loved it.  Juni is like her Daddy and is a texture person and Bubble Tea is too strange of a texture for her.

Saturday was moving day and it gets a post of it's own. Thanks for reading! 

Oregon Adventures X

We had a lovely picnic with Salem Mennonite church, which we visited once before (and went to their camp).  It was at a gorgeous farm halfway to the coast from Salem (about 45 min.).  

They had meditative activities to choose from such as coloring, writing out Scripture, a drum circle, and feeding the baby goats and sheep. After lunch we went on a hayride together to visit a Christmas tree farm and Christmas tree SEED farm.  I learned a lot about the reproduction of conifer trees.  It was a lovely day and we were smitten by the people and the scenery.

 That week, we had orientation for Classical Conversations, meeting more people we will be spending the school year with.  We went to drama time at Gilbert House Children's Museum, which the kids loved!  Also, I went to a homeschool planning night with other moms where they were making chore charts, laminating things, creating spiral bound books of work for each semester and plotting out their school year.  It was fun!  

That weekend, since the last of our equipment had arrived, I finished the lyrics to the geography songs and we dived into recording 12 geography songs and 12 science songs (which my Ohio friend, Susanne, wrote).  All contain the memory work our kids will need to memorize in Classical Conversations.  If I can figure out how to share any of the music with you all I will!  We have them in .wav and .mp3 formats, but neither are easy to put on a blog.

Like our setup to absorb sound waves?  Ben said it sounded like we were in a bathroom, and so put blankets everywhere.

 ACHOO!

We busted out 24 songs in two days!  I am so happy we got it done!  Now to do the other 24 before Christmas so we can have the second semester covered.  Ben and I love singing and recording together.  We may have to start making our own kids music CDs just to have an excuse to sing together.  I love that man'o'mine!

Oregon Adventures IX

I love water pad pictures.  They are so happy!

Tuesday, we went peach picking with our friends, the Linds.  I had never heard of Veteran peaches, guess we're not veteran peach pickers yet!  They were very good, similar to our favorite Contenders.  For those thinking of peach picking who haven't, it goes really quick.  Like ten minutes to get almost 20 pounds.  They're big and heavy compared to berries and before you know it, it's over.  We paid $1/pound.

There is a road near us that we take as a quick route to most places.  It has a train tracks going down them, and once in a while, there's a train on them!  Ben had seen it a few times, I hadn't and of course I took a picture when I did finally get to drive along side a train down the road. 

Saturday, we decided to do something much calmer than last weekend.  Ben's words were, "Let's visit something beautiful."  We ended up choosing Silver Falls State Park in Sublimity, OR.  There are ten water falls in a 7 mile hike.  You can walk behind three of the falls. 

It was very lovely, see for yourself!

It was about an hour away from our rental home in Keizer, Oregon.  We took Ben's '67 Plymouth Fury and I wore a scarf in my hair to look the part.

There were black fields around us and the odd smell of beef jerky looming around us.  It dawned on us that the fields were burnt!  Locals later informed us that this is  common practice in this area to purge unwanted insects and weeds from a field as well as provide nutrition to the soil.

 We did a shorter hike circuit of about 2.6 miles rather than seven and saw two water falls instead of ten.

Evidently, during a drought, the waterfall doesn't splash you in the face as much when you walk behind it.  We were told by some that it might do that.  I think this waterfall is far from it's normal splendor right now, but still lovely.

Finding treasures along the way!

The second fall we saw.

Phoebe wants you all to know about her favorite edible weed: wood-sorrel.  It tastes like lemon!  Make sure the leaves are heart shaped.  We have never seen them so large as at this state park!

Well, this took me some time to get posted, but here it is!  Lots more to catch you all up on!  We closed on our house Friday, but don't get the keys till today.  We are excited about it!  Anybody free this Saturday?  We appreciate any help moving and are providing lunch and dinner to helpers!  Let me know, if so! :-)