Thursday, October 31, 2013

The Hunter

Several mornings during the week, Julie walks around a 1.3 mile "track" which has a lake in the center.   This morning this hunter was looking for fish, frogs or large bugs!   

These are common birds of the South but they are so majestic and unique to us!

"Who is sleeping in your bed?"

The other morning when I went to wake up Sabrina this is the scene I found:  Sabrina on the floor next to her bed and Curious George under the covers in her usual spot!   

Group of Characters

Today was the Halloween party and dress up day.   It is fun to see the fun hearted costumes of the kids.   Nothing spooky or demonic was allowed which we were all thankful.   

Rice crispy pumpkin treats!

Party with friends!

The great feast!

The teacher dressed up as a cheetah.   

Sunday, October 27, 2013

Trunk or Treat

The big event this week was the Trunk or Treat Festival at our church.   People from the church would bring their cars and decorate the trunks and pass out candy in the church parking lot.    

Our little Baker with a transformer and Captain America!

Transformer with the Baker!

Comparing treats.

Along with the trunks was a bouncy room.

A trolley car.

A tractor ride!

Sitting on hay bales with her friends.

A whistle...

Searching for candy in hay!



Ft. Clinch, seagulls and shells! Oh, my!

We decided to visit Ft. Clinch on the northern coast of Florida on Saturday.   Like many forts we have visited, this fort was made of stone, with curvy steps and no railings to speak of.   Instead of trying to catch Sabrina after we reached the top of the fort to explain the safety rules, we decided to show her in print the fort's guidelines for safety.   It helped but I still think I won't relax until she is not inclined to run at full speed everywhere.
An officer's quarters.

Most of the soldier's rooms had bunk beds and basic tables with checker boards for entertainment.

The view from up top!

The courtyard shows some of the barb fencing used to help protect around the fort.

Several outhouses were built within the walls of the fort.

The dining hall.

The laundry room.

The heavy ironware!  

Sabrina had the urge to count all the barrels.   She was moving so fast she became a blur...note to us as parents:  we need to work on counting 14-30.  

Sitting on a window.   The slit allowed soldiers to protect the fort without being in direct line of fire.

These large rooms were at the corners.   We had a mystery to figure out what went where in the windows.   We felt cannons somehow were positioned but did not know how.


Going up the spiral steep staircase which does not have any railings.   This lead from the cannon room to the roof top where the large cannons were positioned.

At the top of the stairwell.

Protecting the coast line.


The long under ground tunnels from the outer walls to the inner courtyard.

Trying out a bed.

An old picture which reminded us of the printing technique in the paper money we use.   There was a texture to the print.

When we found this portable cannon we had the information to how the larger windows were utilized in protecting the fort.  

These two soldiers played a lively medley of marching songs.


The tools in the supply room.

An officer's cabinet.



Ft. Clinch Park has a wonderful pier and coastal waters.   This was Sabrina's favorite part of the day.   

Relaxing with the view of the ocean and sound of the waves was wonderful!   Cooler temperatures made the water feel almost Pacific Ocean like but the puffy clouds and mild temperatures were wonderful conditions to take a nap.

This was much of the view this afternoon...Dig and build.

Get some water for the building project!

Under the pier was a huge flock of fledgling seagulls.




Taking off!



Busy burrying legs.

Rinsing off the sand.


Small shells lined the beach and were fun to explore.

Chasing the seagulls.