Author: Mom

We made it home in time for my friend Zoe’s 12th birthday party. We had a great time at Lakewood Retreat swimming, ziplining and playing fun games!

On the way out I found a cool star rock. I opted to keep this one and will hide a few in the world to replace it.

Mom took us to the beach since Dad was in DC for the week. We went shell hunting at Honeymoon Island State Park. It was a beautiful day and not too hot. The beach was shockingly empty.

We played with the coquina clams for a while. I love watching them dig.

The storms started to roll in so we left earlier than planned.

We stopped at the nature center, always a favorite. We checked out their shell collection and compared some of the ones we weren’t sure about.

At home we made a LOT of slime. We used elders glue, baking soda and contact lens solution. We added food coloring as well.

I have also been really working on my insect collection. I have been collecting for years but 4-H Has given me the opportunity to learn to pin my collection and display it. I am going to enter into a contest this year!

We had our first marine ecology meeting before the official start in the fall. Mom wanted everyone to get a jump on the studying while we were away for the summer.

We rescued some io moth caterpillars and are raising them. I am hoping to add a new moth to my collection. We let many of the caterpillars go on the hibiscus outside and just kept a few to raise.

 

 

We took Grandma Susie to the Art of the Brink with us. It was an awesome showing of Lego creations by one artist.

I loved all the art reproductions.

My favorite was the SCREAM!

 I love the Egyptian items a lot.

Breighton imitating art.

A model of the place we visited. There is ever a model of the model in the model! I was impressed!

This is called Hugman.

The line to get in was insane by the time we left. They let people use blue umbrellas to keep off the sun!

 

 

 

We loaded up the 15 passenger van with 15 passengers and all their camp gear. This was no easy task! We are off to Camp Cloverleaf Lake.

 

We successfully made it to Lake Placid for camp! Even in time for lunch!

I had a great time with my 4-H friends and family. I made some new friends and had a lot of fun. I took air rifle, outdoor adventures, and a few others classes. My favorite was air rifle even though we really only got to shoot a few times.

I had a few classes with Emmerson and we had a great time hanging out. It was a much nicer group of people and no bullying at this camp!

 

 

 

We have a family of screech owls living in the palms in the backyard. Mom was finally able to get some good photos.

This we think is the male owl. It is an adult but tiny. The males are usually smaller than the females.

Click to see the photo larger and look at those talons! EEK! He looks skinny but isn’t. They can stretch tall to better blend in with tree branches.

This we believe is the female. She is puffy and larger. She is always on guard near the babies.

This is puffy baby #1. It isn’t very visible. The babies sleep in the fronds a bit deeper.

This is fluffy baby #2 and #3. #2 you can see the beautiful eyes and face! To the right in the photo is #3 blending in well and out of focus.

We had enjoyed watching their head bobbing and learning to hunt. We think they are about 5 weeks old as they still haven’t gotten many adult feathers. They fly floppily but are becoming better hunters. They have moved from lizards and bugs and even to a field mouse! Let’s hope they keep getting the rats too! It is possible the babies can stay as long as October! Fingers crossed they all keep thriving!

 

 

This year I got to do the Outfitters Camp. In this camp you earn your bowhunting safety certificate.

I learned this year that kids get meaner as they get older. I was teased and victim of some bullying at camp by some of my cabin mates. But I told Mom “It is hard to find a bad egg in free range chickens, but easy to find one in chickens raised in a coop”. I likened my homeschool life to the free range chickens and the other bullies to those raised in a coop. To survive they became bullies.

Regardless of the treatment I had a blast at camp. I can’t wait to go back to the Safari Camp next summer.

I loved fishing off the T-dock. I caught a few fish this year, finally!

We learned a new game called killer frog. It was much better than the game a few kids in the cabin through was fun (whacking people in the privates!)

We held turtles, snake and alligators. My photo of me with the alligator didn’t come out, at least I was seen photobombing!

We had to climb up and fall out of a tree stand! That was very fun!

All and all it was a great camp! I know my real friend would never treat me like I was treated at this camp by some boys. I am excited for 4-H camp where I can be around those real friends for a week!

We did hear back from the camp director and they are taking action and adding more training on these issues so kids feel and are safe at camp and not victims of harassment and bullying. I can’t want to go back next year!