Pool Almost Ready

We went to explore the waterfall nearby the other day and discovered that they had started filling the pool. When we first arrived they had had the water on a hour and it was just under the diving board up to your knees. We checked back freqeuntly over the next couple of days watching it be filled. The kids enjoyed this, as they have asked every year how long it takes to fill the pool and what it looks like, etc. So this time we got to watch it in action. It takes about 2 and a half days to fill. This photo is from about five to six hours before filling is complete. Alex, Emma, Owen and a friend Beck also rescued a lot of tadpoles from the baby pool as the rainwater was being drained from it. We brought them back to our pond to hopefully add to the amphibian orchestra at night.

Creatures at Sugar Creek

Sugar Creek

This was the most wonderful creek adventure by far. This is from when we went to Sugar Creek with the Roamschool friends. While an adventure to find in Southern Tennessee, this is magical spot. My friend hid a letterbox here, so directions to the creek are on her clues here (link in a bit), in case you ever want to visit the creek. It sits right along an old cemetery, and the road crossed the creek in this spot twice below a suspended bridge. We explored all day, floating, finding fish, crayfish, geodes, doing rubbings in the cemetery, playing pretend/dress up with capes and wands and swords in the trees, visiting the cows and horses. The most interesting markers in the cemetary to me were the ones that said "consort of" in lieu of wife, son, daughter, husband, etc. and then the won that simply stated "Born" and then the date and then "Murdered" and then the date. I was taken back to when I studied a lot of the cemeteries in New Orleans when I was little visiting my nana one summer.

Bubbles Mastered

Alex finally mastered "The Bubble Thing". He has been trying to get those perfect big bubbles for a couple of years now, starting with just clothes hangers. I think we finally found the soap that seems to work the best, either that or the humidity was just perfect here lately to not need any special ingredients. The Blue Dawn soap seems to work the best, 1 cup to 12 cups of water.....

Towers

The kids have amassed a large stack of paper and plastic cups, this is a favorite game that has been going on since Alex started it at one of the stores in January.