The Falls of the Ohio

We are blessed to live in an area with a wide variety of things to do, from big city to wilderness. About five minutes from our house is the Falls of the Ohio park and interpretive center. It's pretty important for fossils, the Lewis and Clark expedition, and other history tidbits I can't recall. They're online at www.fallsoftheohio.org.

At any rate, it's a place I often forget about, but it's really a gem for the community. There's a nature trail, a museum, of course the fossil beds, and George Rogers Clark's cabin. A friend of mine mentioned that she sent her son to a day camp there last year, and he enjoyed himself so much that he and his cousin were returning this summer. Andrew is so talented athletically that we've been wanting to give him a chance to use his brain a little more - this seemed like the perfect chance.

The Young Explorer's Camp runs half day for a week for first grade through third or fourth. Andrew has had so much fun this week and has learned names of things I've never even heard of. It was a well-organized camp. They walked the wilderness trail, built models out of clay, did scavenger hunts in the museum, and visited the fossil beds.

Aidan was feeling a little left out, and loves nothing more than to dig in the dirt and play in the rocks. So, one afternoon we left a little early to pick Andrew up, strapped Sophie into the stroller, and headed down to the fossil beds ourselves. Andrew was out digging with his group when we arrived, so I took a quick picture. Quite a zoom lens on my camera, eh?
These flowers along the path were gorgeous, but they were coolest before they opened up. If you look to the left of the flower, you can see that the bud is sealed up and star-shaped.

Here's Aidan, my nature kid, hanging out on the fossil beds looking at the mighty Ohio.
Could be a great shot of downtown Louisville, if they'd do something with that goofy bridge.
I had to take a picture of Andrew in front of the sign for the Falls. He had such fun, I'm sure he and Aidan will want to go next year. To be honest, that makes me kind of sad. Aidan and I have had such fun hanging out while Andrew does big kid stuff recently. Sophie at age two next summer will not be nearly as much fun when Aidan goes off with the big guys!

I love rose bushes. We always had them when I was growing up, and my favorite was a purple rose that (I believe) came from a start my grandmother had years ago. For our wedding (which was done in purple), I wanted purple roses to honor Mary. I think the florist thought I was crazy, but he found them for me. Turns out, they're actually called blue roses. When we first moved into this house, there was a farm market nearby and Tony bought me a blue rose bush. Not only is it growing, I even transplanted it in the middle of the winter and it is thriving this year. I had to include a picture, although the violet tint is a little hard to make out.And now, I guess it's finally time to do a little patting myself on the back. I've been keeping a fairly big honor under wraps for several months for a couple reasons - one, it's been a lot of work and I wasn't sure I'd get it finished, and two, I was just a little embarrassed (in a good way). Each year, Indiana names a Teacher of the Year. Each public school corporation in the state gets to nominate a teacher. The Archdiocese of Indianapolis, which consists of 72 schools, gets two nominees. I am honored to be one of them! I had to complete a big portfolio, which is now officially in the mail to Indianapolis. I think I am starting off a little behind, because as a Catholic School teacher, I may not be exactly what they are looking for to represent the state. However, I gave it my best and have some excellent friends, colleagues, and professors who wrote letters for me. Keep your fingers crossed!