Being busy is a great thing, I suppose. Some days though I feel as if I have had enough of it…while it only takes about one day of the lack of busy-ness in life to make me wish I was busy with something! Funny how that works! I have been wanting to post about some of the things that have been keeping us busy. Here is a random assortment from the last few weeks.
We recently took an evening hike along Akron’s newest section of completed towpath. I was looking forward to exploring one of the most urban sections of the path, especially as it boasts a floating bridge for part of its distance. I came away from the hike with mixed emotions. We hiked it on a lovely fall evening, cool and crisp andwith a beautiful sunset. As you start from the parking lot, you have a lovely view out across Summit Lake.
Looking across Summit Lake
You also get some views of “industrial Akron” (for which I use quotes, as this is not as ominous as it sounds considering that much of the industry is not quite what it once was, to put it nicely. ) I was suprised to find myself walking underneath Kenmore Boulevard even, but that was about as far as we got considering that it was getting quite dark. But therein is where the problems started. My spouse was getting rather insistent that we get back to our car lest we get robbed or mugged. For while on one side of this path you have a lovely lake view and there are marshy areas , quaint fallen trees and geese swimming, the other side of the path is lined by Section 8 housing, and poor neighborhoods and basketball court frequented by local unsavory boys. I say this because we saw some of these boys. I even saw a boy I guessed to be about 13 carrying a gun as he strode past us, and then started to run as he got just behind us. A bit weird…or scary? It is really too bad. It is a lovely place…and I am grateful that locals who aren’t able to afford better lodging can have this view and this bit of nature and recreation at their back door, too, but it is unfortunate that this spot will undoubtedly become an after hours hang out for kids and ne’er do wells. There will be grafitti and litter, which the towpath is generally free of in other areas. I really did want to keep going to find out where this part of the path goes, and I probably will sometime, but as the sun sank, we got a bit nervous and headed back. One of these days I plan to follow it back through the Kenmore neighborhood where I grew up, past the salt mines. It will be interesting to see where it take us.
Another rite of fall is the pumpkin patch, of course. We made our annual trip to Boughton’s farm for pumpkins a couple weeks ago. We pick produce there all summer and cap it off at the end of the season with pumpkins. The family that owns it is so great…they always remember us and they are great with the kids. One of the reasons I love them is because they are so UNcommercialized! There is no quaint country cafe or gift shop selling “made in China” harvest decor. There is no fancy parking lot or pricey corn maze (Thanks be to God). Just a farm and a small farmstand and some really awesome proprieters. It is THE REAL THING. Great produce and great prices, too. We bought some lovely big pumpkins, it was sunny…we took a short hay ride…and then two days later our pumpkins were stolen off our porch. Who take a little kid’s pumpkin? This is the second time this has happened to us and it is sickening. All our neighbors have pumpkins, but we were targeted. Well, I came away with great memories and pictures at least.
So this week we went back to Boughtons. When I told them about our pumpkins, they very graciously offered us an “insurance policy” and allowed us to pick out anything we liked for free…which was so generous and I really appreciated their kindness. The kids had the fun of picking again and we brought them home along with a pound of chestnuts that we picked up from their tree. Hopefully we’ll have better luck this time.
We have also been out and about just hiking and walking…kayaking too. One day we drove to Peninsula and parked the cars and I took the baby in her stroller and the three kids rode their bikes and we headed north to the Boston Store on the towpath. Steve launched his kayak there and followed us upriver. We actually only saw him a couple times, but it was fun and I was able to get some action shots of him on the river. He has been going out to learn more and practice about once a week and is making lots of progress. He is also planning to take a couple of our kayaks to Florida in a few weeks.
We have also been busy homeschooling and taking field trips and learning all sorts of interesting things! We spent a week doing a science unit study about the weather and how it works. During that same week, we took time to make a bunch of fun crafts that focused on Native Americans. We have started Sonlight’s Core 3 which introduces native cultures and early American history. We had just finished Walk the World’s Rim and had ben reading our American Indian Prayer Guide amongst other things. So we put together some dioramas of Indian homes and we also made our own moccassins from felt. We made several types of Native American-style musical instruments and paper crafts found in central and south America as well.
Breslin with his Seminole Chickee, Niall with a Plains Tipi and Hazel with a Southwestern Pueblo
But frankly, what you really want to see is more baby pictures right? Yes…Louisa is keeping us busy too. Breslin and Hazel have been busy learning to change diapers. Louisa herself is busy learning to laugh and smile and even starting to try rolling over! I have no idea how much she weighs now or how long she is…but I know she is healthy and growing fast! She wears Sarah’s pilot cap everywhere and is giving us lots of good opportunities to take pictures. She is doing her first Metroparks Hiking Spree. She just got her first bathing suit for the trip to Florida! So she is a busy baby…busy like the rest of us!
Love this hat!
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