The Summer of Rain

     We are used to a scattered afternoon storm here in the South in the summer.  We are NOT, however, used to the daily deluge we've been getting.  We have so many mushrooms in our yard we figure it will rival the grass soon.  We also have a permanent mud puddle in the backyard near the pond.
     Brian decided to take Cheesie outside and take advantage of the giant mushroom in the front yard (as well as his photoshop skills) and managed to capture this:

Making Candles - June 28, 2013

    If you're married to, or related to, a teacher..... you may know that we have a terrible problem with hoarding every copy of everything we might use in the classroom.  We also are known to hold on to old "stuff" in case we change back to that grade level.  HOWEVER, with everything on the internet (and easily found on pinterest), emptying those unused bins of junk is a priority this summer.  

    While emptying one of my bins, I found an old coffee can and crockpot that I used when I taught 4th grade (a LONG while ago) as well as a huge block of wax.  I hauled it all out, and asked the girls if they wanted to make candles (why yes, they did).  So we added water to the crockpot, inserted the coffee can of old wax, and while that melted we whacked the huge chunk of wax into pieces.

     The girls started out by dipping, but after doing a bunch of wonky looking ones they decided to use the little votive forms, as well as old glass jars that used to hold candles and poured the wax in.  So I now have a whole bunch of candles in case of an emergency.   BUT, I still have a lot of wax left so I wasn't able to empty that bin, but I did manage to get about 9 bins down to 3 so I'm calling that progress. 

Angel Oak

Summer time

Chopper

Kiawah Turtle Release - June 18, 2013

     Everyone should have a friend like my friend Karen.  Monday night she calls and tells me that there would be a turtle release on Kiawah the next morning.  I was able to rearrange a meeting with my new teaching partner, and I loaded the kids (and my mom) in the car and headed out for the 2.5 hour drive.

   We got there as soon as the park opened up.  I was THRILLED to go to this beach.  It was absolutely gorgeous, and with lifeguards (necessary for my family because of rip currents). Our Charleston area islands have a tradition of the "turtle ladies."  These women (I'm sure there are men too) walk the beaches on the coast everyday to look for new turtle nests, mark them, and supervise their hatchings.  They remind beach front owners to keep porch lights off in the summer (it confuses the new hatchlings) and their overall goal is conservation and education.  If I lived down there I would thoroughly join their group every summer.  Their goal is to make sure everyone leaves the big girls alone as they lay their eggs, and not bother nests, so that populations of these turtles will increase.

 

      While the ladies set up, we staked out our spot on the line with our chairs and then went to explore a little.  This release had been well publicized so a lot of people were expected. We were excited to find a starfish....

 

 which we all took a turn holding until we tried to toss him back into the ocean.

  

We also found a critter in his shell - which not everyone wanted to touch.

     We walked around and found out they were releasing one loggerhead turtle and seven Kemps Ridley turtles.  The Charleston Aquarium has a wonderful sea turtle hospital, and all of these turtles had been rehabilitated and were ready to go back to being wild.

 

More info on the Turtle Hospital

 

Close to the release, folks really started lining up.  The ladies had created barrier lines and the crowd lined that runway for a good look. 

 

Even though the tide was coming in, some stood in the surf for a good look, while respectfully keep their distance. 

     First up was the loggerhead.  As soon as they put him down he knew exactly where he anted to be.  They did stop him for a minute for pictures....

 

but then let him go.  He was not visible for long. 

 

With the Kemp's they had turtle ladies bring them down two at a time. One lady would walk one side of the line, and the other would cover the folks on the far side.  Kids were brought in from the crowd to carry signs with the turtle's name on it.  These 7 were caught up north when the water was too cold, so they were brought down here to get back in shape. 

 

 The ladies were great about answering questions and really letting people see the turtles without it being too invasive to the animal.  They also stood by and followed the turtle out a bit so that it wouldn't accidentally swim into the folks standing in the water.  People down here are well versed in how to behave.  It was such a great opportunity for my girls  to see two different kinds of turtles from the green turtles we saw in Hawaii last summer, and learn a bit about conservation.  At some point I'm going to have to bring the kids back to this beach this summer and get in some more ocean time. 

Paddle Fest - June 15, 2013

     It is absolutely no secret that I make time for a good paddle on the river.  I love the serenity and nature, and with Paddle Fest it also supported a good cause.  My kayak buddy Karen wasn't able to go on June 15th so I brought......

     those two.  

     Big Al went kayaking with her girl scout troop when she was about 12, but she was so tiny, and the Charleston harbor was so choppy that she really did not have the strength to hold her own.  At 16 I figured she should be fine, although she wasn't so sure..... so she invited "M" along - misery loves company, right?  This was a paddle to benefit a boy's home down in the Pee Dee area of our state.  They take in young men who need counseling and education to combat abuse or neglect in their lives.  It was about a 6 mile paddle so it was pretty easy. 

     We were in the water with a bunch of folks and kids (and a lot of new-to-kayaking folks). Once I let go of people paddling wrong and let them figure it out then I relaxed and just enjoyed. 

     Big Al was excited when a dragonfly landed on her boat and hitched a ride. We didn't see a lot of birds on this trip - one green heron, probably because of all the people chatting and having fun. 

     The girls quickly learned to relax and sunbathe (their life jackets are immediately behind them on the kayak).

We had a lot of dragonflies landing on us,

as well as a bunch of little fish camps to enjoy along the way.  Halfway through they had a checkpoint where they handed out watermelon and bottled water. Once we arrived we were able to enjoy a free lunch (and the girls were excited to find a "swag bag") and bluegrass music.  This is a great event, and I'll definitely participate next year if we're in town.