Casual Co-op Art Museum

Although we have driven past the art museum many, many times, we had not made a visit in the two plus years we have lived here.  So it was fun to add this to our list of places in Boise that we have been to.  We were not allowed to take pictures of the art, but we were allowed to snap photos in the hands-on room.  I think this was their favorite part of the museum anyway, and we spent most of our time here! 

What is better than a giant I-Spy board?  

Casual Co-op Celebration Park

We have been to Celebration Park in Melba several times.  Our first time was shortly after we moved to watch Caleb run a cross-country meet.  I think the second time we took Grandpa and Grandma on one of their first visits to Boise.  I think we have been their one additional time to hike and explore, but we have never enjoyed the spear throwing or a guided tour of the petroglyphs.  

I must say, learning to throw a spear with an atlatl is not as easy as it looks. Thankfully, our instructors gave us lots of time to practice and I was able eventually to hit the hay bales.  Hitting the target would require much more practice!  

An atlatl is basically a spear-thrower or a tool that the Native Americans used to give them leverage to help achieve greater velocity when they threw a spear.  It takes several attempts to get the hang of loading and balancing the spear on the atlal.

The second part of the afternoon we spent exploring the Native American petroglyphs.  They have not actually been deciphered decisively, so we can only guess what they indicate based on what the pictures look like.

Corn?

The beautiful Snake River.

An unusual drawing on the peak of a rock.  One of the hills/mountains around the river is known to be a dormant volcano.  Perhaps this is showing the flow of lava around a mountain?

Interestingly, in any of the petroglyphs that contain dots, the number of dots always represents a prime number.

Our homeschool group getting instructions.

Dordt Soccer 2016

Just as football season has come to an end, Caleb also finished up his soccer season at Dordt.  I wasn't able to go out and watch him this year, but am grateful that Russ, Nicolas, and Lydia were able to catch a game when they were out.  I also appreciate that the home games have a live video feed, so if we hook up the computer to the TV we can get a pretty good view of the game (as long as it doesn't delay or buffer too much!).  We are also thankful for family that lives in the area that can attend the games and support Caleb when we can't be there.   

Thanks so much, Cora, for the pictures.  I am sure this was a fun game to attend with a nephew on each team!  

Casual Co-op Apple Pie Making

So what did we do with the apples we picked?   We met at church and made a bunch of apple pies/tarts for the elderly and widows/widowers in the church.  When we were done putting them together and packaging them up, we placed them in the church freezer with instructions on how to bake them.  On Sunday we let them all know that they had an apple pie/tart in the freezer that they could take home.  For the shut-ins, we plan to bake them and deliver them as we are able.   Working in the kitchen with so many kids isn't without challenges, but we managed to have loads of fun.  Even clean up was enjoyable!

(I had a little trouble with the focus on my camera)