June 1st saw us, and the Free Union Homeschoolers, returning to Rutgers
University for the Teen Climate Change Summit. The students got to
present the movie, "The Journey of Energy" and for their Energy Story
project. Jack spoke about the process they had been through to create
that movie, and how
they would be getting the message out about energy conservation,
through presentations and outreach events, over the next couple of
months.
The students enjoyed seeing what the other groups had done and hearing
about some of the ways that Rutgers is going green.
We attended a kestrel program, hosted by PPL, at the Lower Mount
Bethel Welcome Center, in PA. Paul Karner, the bird bander, gave us an
entertaining and informative talk, and then surprised us by bringing
out
and banding three baby kestrels he had brought along from a nesting
box he had just checked. Kestrels, like other birds, can't count beyond
two; so as long as he left two chicks in the nest, he could show off
these babies, and
then put them back without the parents noticing a thing!
At the beginning of June, Lorna's first silk moth hatched and
many
followed! Silk moths, emerge, mate, lay eggs, and die! We saved the
eggs in the refrigerator, and hope to hatch them next spring.
The homeschoolers were able to present their project, in conjunction
with Liberty Township Environmental Commission, on June 9th. Despite
the
thunderstorm, a crowd of about forty turned up to see the
youngsters give their presentations, perform their skits, and watch
their movie. It
was a great success! The team were also scheduled to share their
project at
Liberty Township's Community Day on the Saturday, but that "rain or
shine" event was
canceled due to bad weather! It was rescheduled for the end of
July. To view pictures please take this link to the energy
story
page.
We traveled up to Maine for the Association of Gravestone Studies
Summer Conference, on Thursday June 15th and Friday
June 16th. Jack and Lorna were able to eat gluten free, in the food
halls at
Colby College. It was a nice treat, although they were
both happy to eat less protein when we returned home! The conference
was
excellent, and we loved the very different people we met there. We also
enjoyed the two art-based classes we had chosen. Our first day and a
half was taken up with creating a letterform piece of artwork, using
samples of letters we found on gravestones in a
cemetery not far from the conference. During this process we used some
materials we haven't worked with before, and we were
very grateful to Lynne, our teacher (and also from the UK) for
working with us. We were delighted with the results, which you can view
by taking this link to Flicker.
We also took a foil impression class,
and the pictures of our work can also be found
there too. We traveled in each day from Bucksport, which is about an
hour and half from Waterville, where the conference was held, but it
was
worth the drive, as we got to stay with Joyce and Don who run a great
campground. (Shady Oaks.)
They
have
created a nice community there. We look forward to seeing
them again, when we return to the
Common Ground Fair in September. We weren't able to stay for many of
the evening lectures due to our long drive back each evening, but as
the conference will be in New Jersey next June, that should be easier
next year.
While in Maine we also visited Fort Knox
and took some spectacular views of Penobscot Bay, from the viewing
platform on the Penobscot Narrows bridge.
We finished up our
time in Maine by visiting Moose Point State Park, and enjoyed seeing
the rare Ladies Slipper orchids for the first time. On our way home, we
stopped over for the night to spend some time with Miranda and John,
and their lovely family, in Amherst, MA. They cooked us a
wonderful (gluten free) meal!
We finished creating our new workshop "Weaving
With
Nature" when
we returned home. We also started our first archery class of the season
and had about 50-60 folks attending. Jack, as he did last year,
embarked on a two week stint assisting with the TYRO acting program at
Centenary College. It was made extra special because the older students
put on a production of "Terror of Porridge," which Jack adapted into a
play from his book.
Phil and Lorna enjoyed a hike, just above Walpack Village in the
Delaware National Park, and combined it with attending a
talk by John Kraft, on the Lenape peoples of the Delaware area, hosted
by the Walpack Historical Society. On the way home stopped off at the
serene Buttermilk Falls.
25 Years Ago This Month: Our
Batchelors Graduations from Bath University and Bath College of Higher
Education
