Blueberry Girls: The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate (#TBT)

So, you know how there's this "thing" on social media called "Throwback Thursday?" If not, it's a "thing" where people post old photos in a world that's supposed to revolve around updates in real-time. So, instead of posting what you're doing now, you post a photo of what you were doing weeks, months, or even years ago.  In the spirit of Throwback Thursday (or #TBT to the instagrammers and tweeters of the world), I'm going to use Thursdays to catch up on events of the past that never made it to the blog.  Enjoy!

This week's Throwback Thursday takes us back to the summer when Josie and I hosted our mother/daughter bookclub meeting. The "Blueberry Girls" book of the month was "The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate." I HIGHLY recommend it to young readers who have an interest in the natural world and it's a beautiful entry point into turn of the century history lessons. It's beefy. Really it took us a couple of months of reading off & on to get through it, but it was worth it and a great one to pick up between reading other easier books. I'd say Josie was on the border of too-young for the book (and there are a couple of sections that you may want to skip or modify depending on age), so I'd recommend it probably for ages 8 and up instead of 6.

Here are some photos from our meeting, where with the help of other mamas in the club, we set up our own naturalist club a la Calpurnia. We learned about female scientists throughout history then ventured off into the backyard to collect our own specimens to observe under the microscope and sketch in our nature journals.   It was a really special afternoon.

Back in session

With the end of September, we are fully back in session with the routine of the school year and all the activities that come along with that.

That means scenes like these are now a regular occurrence.  Even though our weeks are busy, the regular rhythms of a week feel good.  Both girls are in ballet this year - with Bea taking her Petit Pas De Deux class (with me!) at the same time Josie takes piano lessons.

Bonus: Before Josie's ballet class, we stopped into The Coffee Emporium for a scone and sat at approximately the exact same spot where a 1 year old baby Josie smashed her first birthday cake. Josie wanted me to re-tell every detail of that day to her - who was there, what she did, etc. She was fascinated by all of it and really surprised to hear just how many of you were all there. Thanks to all of you for being a part of our lives from the earliest days through now!

Washington (9 & 10): Last Day(s)

Our last day(s) in Washington is kind of a big beautiful blur. It was part morning on the island, part whirlwind couple of hours in Seattle to introduce Lou & the girls to the heart of the city, part good-byes to good friends and part red-eye flight home (like board after 11PM and wake up in Cincinnati when it's actually early the next day).

Here are the highlights from the crazy, hazy last 24 hours in the PNW.

We finally saw the a seal - a baby seal in a roped off area being watched 24 hours by some brand of coastline volunteer squad that protects wildlife. It was sleeping sweetly. So camouflaged. So cute.

There were some big sea rocks to explore and in our 'last day of vacation' bliss, we let the girls do a little rock climbing that, looking back probably wasn't the best parenting judgment we've ever exercised.

A thumbs-up from a precariously-dangling Josie

"I did it!"

From sea stuff..

To Seattle...

See this - it's my fake smile. Because I was terrified. See Bea's face? That's sort of a more accurate reflection of what was really going on.

Josie loved it. (Of course Josie loved it.)

Space Needle Sighting.

Washington (8): Tides, Clams & Sand

Our last full day on Fidalgo & Whidbey Islands was spent much like the others - exploring.  It's a part of the country so different from home, and so fulfilling for all four of us to experience new things at every turn.

We spent a good chunk of this particular day getting to know the tides. The little boat made the perfect marker to explain the tides to the girls. They were so tickled to hang out and pretend like they were sailing across the sea as it sat  there in the mud, when it was bobbing up and down in the water out of reach the evening before. We added more and more treasures to our baskets and dug up clams. We drove to the highest point on the island and looked out over a big blue world in all directions.  We pulled driftwood from the water and made an obstacle course. We frolicked. We basked. We discovered. We soaked it all in.

Here are the highlights.

"Skipping rocks" by the handful 

Perfect form. 

Someone was apparently 'over it' by this point

Seagull Photo Bomb

Josie's sea turtle sculpture

Home base / Porch fort