Explorers Blog Hop 1: Even in Rain...

...it's fun to get outside!

Overnight the winds blew and the rain fell in what sounded like sheets against the windows. By morning it was foggy and soggy! (Like that? ::grin::)  But it was warm, around 50 degrees, and for January in Maine that's a very nice break from the negative temperatures we've been shivering through.

At 7:30am I filled waterers, grabbed the feeder and headed out to the chicken and duck run. A swollen, bubbling brook was enough to get the ducks excitedly (and continuously) quacking. Perfect duck weather! How could I not let them out to explore? 

Then, Balsam Fir headed out because he's drawn to the water too. Nothing more exciting to an almost 8-year-old then muddy water (if you know what I mean). He traipsed through the woods surrounding the brook - I don't think his sneakers will ever be the same! ::sigh:: - and had grand plans on making a bridge. His search for discarded wood in the garage didn't turn up enough for a proper one though.

And 2 hours later, with damp hair stuck to his forehead and a soaked jacket, he rounded up the wandering flock and came inside...to put on SHORTS and a T-SHIRT. 

If you're wondering, spring has NOT arrived in Maine! On Friday we were below freezing again, but it was a nice preview of what is coming: MUD SEASON.


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Take a Hike! Bald Pate Mountain

There's nothing like taking a hike when it's a brisk 24 degrees. ::shiver:: But why not, right? 

We bundled up in hats, mittens, wool socks, and hooded sweatshirts, grabbed our backpacks, made a quick stop at the store for lunch fixings, and headed to Bald Pate Mountain Preserve.

Bald Pate Mountain Preserve has 486 acres of forests, meadows and granite cliffs, and a 1150 foot mountain summit. There are 6.7 miles of interconnected easy-to-moderate trails for hikers and skiers.

From the parking lot, we headed straight down the Bob Chase trail by the kiosk toward the summit (.8 mi). Here, we walked along a wide, root-riddled path with crumbling, frozen ground and lots and lots of brown, crunchy beech leaves. We could hear Black Crows over head and occasional chattering of squirrels. (Well, when the Saplings weren't making up new lyrics for "Rudolf the Red-nosed Reindeer" using "hamburgers" as the topic. Yep! That's my happy bunch! ::laugh::) The trail was an easygoing ascent through forest.

L. to R. (Top): Lots and lots of brown beech leaves and a moss-covered tree stump. L. to. R.
(Bottom): A mountain view and the sign for the summit

The view from the summit was beautiful! Lakes, mountains and forest for as far as the eye could see. The sky was winter-blue with lots of wispy clouds. But it was breezy and the cold air chilled us to the bone, so we had a quick lunch of granola bars, hard-boiled eggs and chocolate wafer cookies while exploring the top, and then we hiked on.

The Summit! Top to Bottom: Dedication plaque, Sugar Maple on a tree, a lake, and the Saplings.

We decided to head down the Pate Trail, thinking that it would be a quick one (.1 mi). How wrong we were! ::wink:: If only I had brought along our topographical map! (Hiking Hint: Having a trail map, particularly one with topographical information (elevation gain) , is very helpful in planning appropriate paths to follow with kids or for your physical condition.)  Soon after starting, we saw another sign, and we wondered what we would experience on this trail.

My legs are still achy 6 hours later from this one! Phew!  The steep grade descent, all the granite boulders scattered everywhere and a layer of slippery beech leaves and pine needles made for a slow, careful trek. Balsam Fir thought it was a blast to slide down the leaves and needles like a water slide though. (I hope his sweatpants come clean!) Sugar Maple loved the challenge of jumping from rock-to-rock. But White Pine and I were more worried about carefully choosing our path and not sliding down the hillside.  (Hiking Hint: Wearing good hiking boots help with terrain "grip" and ankle support,  making hiking safer.)  My Saplings exclaimed, "Best trail ever!" Of course! ::wink::

L. to R./Top to Bottom: That's the trail marker and trail among the boulders, Sugar Maple and
White Pine slip-sliding down, a Puff Ball mushroom, a sheer cliff, and Sugar Maple and
Balsam Fir on top of a boulder.

This trail ended and we turned left onto the South Face Loop Trail (.7 mi) towards the summit once again. There were switchbacks here and there, but also steep sections. Sugar Maple spotted a couple different old scat deposits  - Don't you look for poo on hikes? ::wink:: - and we're guessing that they were deer and either fox or coyote. (I'll spare you the photos though unless...) We were dragging and rested for 15 minutes on the summit before heading back down Bob Chase (.8mi) to the kiosk.

Balsam Fir taking a break

We only scratched the surface of the trails available at Bald Pate Mountain Preserve. We'll return again in the spring and see what else there is to explore. But in the meantime, we ended our hike with some mint hot chocolate from Dunkin' Donuts to warm up. Ahhh!

Curds and Whey: April 28 - May 4

In My Life This Week
Closer and closer! Why does it seem like the last few weeks of the end of a school year drag? It's not that we don't WANT to school anymore, but we're certainly ready to enjoy summer-ish weather (I hope) and less structured days. (I can't say LESS BUSY because summer seems busier than the school year does!) T minus 5 days...maybe!

In Our Homeschool This Week
Blue Spruce and Balsam Fir spent the weekend being Wampanoag on Plimouth Plantation, Massachusetts with other Cub Scouts. They even ate a traditional Wampanoag dinner! But before they even arrived, they spent some time at the Museum of Science in Boston.  (I sent them along with my latest Bento creation for Balsam Fir's lunch and snacks. LOL) A FULL weekend of Daddy-Son fun!

Kozy Shack Apple-Cinnamon Bread Pudding Cup, Cocoa
Roasted Almonds, PB and J on Wheat Cubes, Hard-Boiled
Egg, Cheddar Cheese and Turkey Bites, Pineapple and
Apple, and Green Pepper, Celery and Carrot Sticks

Ms. P at the farm was nice enough to hold a 3 hour cheese-making class for "older kids" (i.e. 7+) on Tuesday. We requested this class back in February so a SPECIAL THANKS to Ms. P for doing this! We visited the cows and the farm creamery and learned about the SCIENCE behind making cheese...and then made cheese curd! Cheese curds = yumminess! And then watched a man catch fish from the pond - Balsam Fir had LOTS of questions for him, but he was very patient and showed Balsam Fir his FISH DINNER! ((wink)) - and found tadpoles with frog legs just peaking out by their tails. And finished the day with some Grammar and Math and "chicken chasin'" at home.

Separated Curds and Whey

Squeezing Out the Whey - Cheese Ball!

Cow Kisses!

The Pond

All 3 Saplings continued to prod through their remaining Language Arts and Math lessons. There's a pretty good chance that both White Pine and Sugar Maple won't be finishing up ALL their Math lessons this year. Does it REALLY matter?

In our "downtime", we watched "How Stuff Works: Food and Beverage", "How to Train Your Dragon" and (of course) "Surviviorman" from Netflix. "How Stuff Works" is pretty cool because it shows how our food is processed and changed into both food and non-food items, how it effects our bodies, where the food or drink is grown or produced, and why it's important in our culture.

Helpful Homeschool Hint
Oh, do you have kids in K-2? I found this NEAT website on Pinterest for educational games, videos and stories for Language Arts, Math, Science, and even keyboarding. Free! (Free is good, right? LOL) Check out Cookie here!

Linking Up

Hike 12 in 2012: Hike 2 - S_'s Cove

On a chilly late afternoon, a snow storm approached Maine and clouds filled the island horizon. Most people think it's a good time to hunker down with the TV and a warm drink, but we headed out for a 3 mile walk around S_'s Cove near the Atlantic Ocean.

S_'s Cove

We parked near the shore, zipped up our jackets, explored the beach for a few minutes, then headed off. The trail isn't really a trail; it's a lane and a half wide road, sometimes dirt, sometimes tar, that winds around the cove and through the woods. There are a few houses, including some wonderful farms, but few vehicles drive by (even without snow threatening).

Beach Stones

Rock Crab Shell and Knotted Wrack Seaweed on Shore

Around the Rocky Cove

Although this walk wasn't for NATURE STUDYING, we ALWAYS notice those things around us that are unusual, interesting, beautiful. We also notice those things that we wouldn't like to see...aluminum cans, plastic grocery bags and snack wrappers. (Please dispose of litter appropriately. We thank you!)

A Break on the Way

A Clearing Overlooking the Ocean

Artist's Fungi on a Dead Tree

Hanging Moss? Any ideas?

Shelf Fungi on a Tree

 By the time we reached the cove again the sun was setting and the wind felt stronger. There wasn't a beautiful sunset through the overcast sky, but the ocean was calm...before the storm.

Hike 12 in 2012: Hike 1 - Exploring R__ Mountain

Phew! Trudging through 6 inches of snow on your way up a 1035 foot wooded mountain is tiring! But the view was superb from "our mountain"!

Now R__ isn't really OUR mountain as this side is privately owned, but we've spoken with the owners - stopping to chat last spring as we passed each other on the trail - and have permission to visit the top anytime. There are criss-crossing ATV trails to follow as a path so it makes it really easy to have a private, quiet walk in the woods to the summit.

Well, as quiet as 3 excited, exuberant kids can be! ((wink))

So, we started out walking along our road to reach the trail. Our road is dirt and bordered with forests. We have some neighbors, but not many.

And then we contined up the mountain path. Someone had rode an ATV up at some point, but the wheel marks were semi-buried from our last snowfall. We were relieved to find that the trail wasn't icy!

Aren't birch trees beautiful? We love their bright white against a few evergreens and a winter-blue sky.

Balsam Fir found a cozy little spot to take a breather. And yes, those are the pants he wore. He seems to go through "knees" in a matter of weeks! He's an active, outdoorsy boy who wears his clothing hard. Obviously. LOL

Sugar Maple had a fun time making shadow puppets against the snow. Do you see the heart?

And we saw lots of these animal tracks through the woods and along the path. We're thinking rabbit. What do you think?

At the summit! We found a sunny, snow-less rocky spot to rest and enjoy the fab view! The rock is covered with black lichen, a fungus-algae combo that grows on rocks and trees. (Lichen comes in lots of other colors and shapes too.)

Sugar Maple slipped off her bomber hat and hung it on a sapling to explore the summit. The trees were less dense here; the sun felt stronger. But strangely, it was less windy!

See the lake at the top of the photo? It's the 2nd largest one in Maine! And about 12-13 miles from our location. It's one of our favorite spots for a leisurely walk, picnics and swimming (in warmer months of course).

We can see all the way to NEW HAMPSHIRE! Here's Mt. Washington, the highest point in New England!

And here our overly excited Golden Retriever! LOL

White Pine reluctantly posed for a photo. What's with almost 13-year-old boys?! LOL (I TOTALLY missed the focus on Sugar Maple's photo. Grrr!)

Have you ever REALLY looked at tree bark? It can be QUITE interesting. Or is it just us? ((wink)) Look what Sugar Maple found - a bark heart! LOL

Oh, and we spotted fresh Pileated Woodpecker holes on the way down, deep with frozen tree sap.

We didn't see or hear any woodpeckers, but this is what a Pileated looks like. They're quite large and easy to spot when they fly.

A little over 2 hours later we arrived back at home with tired legs, rosy cheeks and ready for snack. Where should we explore next?

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