WOO HOO WHAT A WEEK!!!  (had to do it) :-)

OH to be home!  Very bittersweet experience for sure.  I truly miss the view, peacefulness and the ability to get away from the world for a bit!  I am so happy to be home with family and sleeping in my own bed for sure!  If I could have family, own bead and the ADK's all in one I just might have to go for it!  One thing that I am looking forward to is a honeymoon in a week with the greatest guy in the world back in a truly amazing area, the ADK's!

While talking to my family about what we did all week I know that the experience was one that cannot be matched in any lecture style classroom.  We were pushed to try new things outside of our comfort zone, and possibly some of our skills.  We all have diverse backgrounds and interests, it will be interesting to see where this class takes us and where it will bring us together.   We have a long ways to go in the world as far as our education system of standardized testing and the environmental movement.  This class helped to define where I am in both of these movements.

Thank you Karl, Beth for the class organization and teaching in a way we all learned more than we ever would have in a classroom!

Thank you Rhonda for your care while we were at Antlers this week, it was for sure, an amazing week!

Thank you John Slade for writing your book and coming to talk to us, you are an inspiration through your writing and talks!

Today was a relaxing work day, enjoy Raquette Lake day!  The morning we opted to take a tour of the Sagamore Camp that is not too far away, though it seemed as though it would be much farther than it truly was.  The tour guide, Erin was AWESOME!  I was disappointed in how we are unable to take photographs except of the main lodge.  The area in which I was most interested was the bowling Alley with 6 foot deep concrete below the lanes to protect against weathering from the frost and thawing.  The chalk board score keeper was the original with "Innings" rather than frames.  It constantly amazes me how language changes from year to year, generation to generation. 

From: 
http://www.greatcampsagamore.org/resources/press-photos.html

We had such a great tour we were actually late for lunch, the only not "ish" time.  Lunch was delicious by the way!  The chicken was like WOW and perfect for a sandwich!  Oatmeal cookies are my absolute FAVORITE!  The afternoon has been nice to work on our projects and spend some time relaxing doing things that we enjoy! 

We have a wicked cool surprise this evening!  John Slade, the author of our text book is going to make an appearance!  If you have the chance you should read Adirondack Green, it is quite good!  It's a story with some VERY good points about our society.  I am beginning to feel the disappointment in having to leave tomorrow, yet I am excited to get back to family, begin a new life, and pass on the information that was learned here!

Burrr, today is a brisk one!  One thing good about a cold day, it's great for a mountian climb!  We went to the top of Black Bear mountian.  We took an initial detour to Ferd's bog which was very cool!  Saw my favorite of carnivorous plants, Sundews, and tasted the fruit on the wintergreen plant, the texture was like most berries, but left a minty fresh taste when you were finished, just like a tic-tac.  It was different than the other bog I visit regularly, Ferd's was totally moss covered, the other still looks like a pond.

On to the climbing!  Walking do
wn an old railroad bed, through the mud, over and under logs, sometimes areas so big you couldn't go over it, couldn't go under it, couldn't go around it, gotta go through it!  On and on it went, eventually we reached some large rocky areas we had to climb, well, almost climb.  Once to the top the view was breathtaking!  It was great to sit in the quiet, eat lunch and regain our strength.  While Karl was discussing what we should do with our orange peels, do we throw them over the side, or do we take them with us?  My lunch bag tipped over and what but an orange rolled down the steep slope side of the area where we were sitting and over the cliff at the edge.  Sad Day, I lost my orange, left trash but maybe a bear found it, is pealing it to eat it as I write. 

We ventured to the main view where we we saw yet another amazing view, more mountains and some civilization, where the first was more difficult to see the mountains and no civilization. Both had their obvious perks!  The trip ended with a trip for ice cream, I had a S'more Bears Sundae, so delicious I might have to invent it again!

Back at Antlers ready for a nap before the evening's activities!

Raquette lake day 2!

Rainy morning! Great day for a trip to Tupper lake to visit the wild center then head to the Adirondack museum! Around when we arrived at the wild cent the rain stopped and a beautiful afternoon began!  Watching the otters play and the fish swim is always intriguing! The best part was a video telling the story of the migration patterns of the Monarch butterflies! To be honest, when the scientists finally discovered where the butterflies were disappearing to, after years and years of searching, I was a little bit teary.  I love all things butterflies  Driving back taking photos at random locations of Adirondack animal art and beautiful scenery with mountainous backdrops was refreshing. Stopped for an ice cream lunch of ADK Trail Mix and Toasted S'Mores, delicious!

 One has to love a cuddly wooden teddy bear!

 Last stop was the museum which was filled with culture exhibits and discovered many of the elements resembled that of what we saw in Durand's work at Huntington yesterday.  I particularly enjoyed looking at the horse drawn wagons for firefighting, snow travel and mass transportation. It is amazing how far we have come and how much we still have to learn about the world around us, how to use it and protect it.  As we looked around the museum the furnishings were in perfect condition but not touched where at Huntington the elements were functional in most locations, I wonder what the people who made them would think. Would they be sad they are not used or would they be honored to have their work protected in such a fashion?



Off to see what the rest of the afternoon is to bring!

Raquette lake day 1

As I look over the lake, listen to the waves crash on the docks, the bugs and bird songs I am reminded of the complex and amazing world we live in.  The sand feels so nice under the feet but once it is in your shoes good luck getting it out! It is truly nice to relax and learn about this area of the ADK's and think of ways to include the facts and history of a place, in fun, hands-on lessons for various programs and school kids.

Today has been a day of history! Not a favorite subject, yet when it is touchable and in use it becomes more of a livable story in which I find fascinating! While walking around the Antlers facility this morning it is easy to picture what this place was and some of the views for the future.  After a delicious lunch, a canoe trip across the lake which was of concern turned out great.... Lets see how the morning feels! Huntington was very neat! Lots of fun stories and beautiful architecture and intricate detail in the decorations, especially the alphabet casino building, or the tree root shelf supports! Maybe the wedding should be moved to St. Williams church, so beautiful, quiet and just plain nice, though I heard the pews are hard.

I am excited for the tasks and events of the week that are still to come!

Perfect for a wedding wouldn't you say?