THIS is what learning should look like!!!

Playing in Nature (Difficult Run Trail off Georgetown Pike in Virginia)

During our hike, Nora finds a 'natural' bridge, as she called it. She kept walking on it, to go to her island. 

We had this whole place to ourselves. It was picture perfect. Rocks galore, safe waters, quiet, etc. 

Luke then had an idea of making his own bridge and began collecting rocks. 

I love it when kids come up with their own ideas of what to do. I use to feel guilty not 'playing' with the kids as much. But now I stand back a bit and let them come up with the games and the rules and then after, if I feel inspired, I join in. Not as a leader, but as a follower. If most games kids play are adult-driven, kids will never develop their own sense of creativity. 

Nora joined in. Then mom. 

After about 40 minutes he was halfway done. Next time we go we'll bring chairs for this could have easily gone on all day. 

It's a miracle to see these two get along. I'm glad we captured it. 

The bridge is done. Ta da!!

Dad even went over it to test out the bridge's strength. 

The kids were so proud of their bridge. It took over an hour to complete. 

Jones Beach at sunset

The best time to go to any beach is after the crowds have gone. It's cooler and less populated. 

We always make a beach 'sculpture' using beach stuff. This one was a 'fence'' my daughter built around my hubby. 

My kids playing in the waves. 

I see purple, brown, pink, blue, light blue, peach. 

The sun has officially gone down. Kids still playing. 

Summer is not summer unless you place yourself in some beautiful natural setting. 

Pics of my mom's garden in Long Island New York

Sadly enough I did not inherit the 'green thumb' gene. Every plant I have ever owned has died. But I can paint them. A painting of a flower does not need to be watered.

Spider web found in the early morning

Birdhouses everywhere

Love the colors in these...

Nature is so powerful. This is a plant that has wrapped itself around  the arbor. 

The view of my mom's arbor from below. Shade, glorious shade. 

My favorite kind of grapes, concord grapes, almost ready....

Heaven. 

All sorts of inspiration. 

Interesting lines crossing this fence. 

Yes, you can play with sticks....

We let kids play with toy guns,

and play video games based on death and destruction,

YET, we somehow justify a restriction on sticks

..............as if they were a symbol of pure violence.

Sticks are simply THE most amazing boy toys,

they can become anything, anything at all.

In an instant,

it's a sword,

a spear,

a laser beam,

a fishing pole,

a broom

a horse

a magic wand

a magic anything

Suddenly with a stick you are a royal king,

in a kingdom all your own.

Set some guidelines and allow

allow

allow

sticks back into your child's world......

Childhood is can't be magical without it.

Brookside Gardens, Maryland

One thing we love about DC is all the FREE nature all around. This was from our hike in the Brookside Gardens a few weeks ago. Climbing trees....a MUST of childhood.

Nora always picks flowers for me....aww!!

The LOVE tree....check out all the initial carvings....
Publish Postthe most climbable tree I've ever seen.....

Nature-ish weekeend

We hiked around Rock Creek this weekend and came upon these amazing tracks...now what could have left these? To me they look like dog tracks....

Geese or ducks.....right?
These look like to raccoon maybe? any ideas?
Luke, being a very active 6-year old, giving me a heart attack at each turn....Chris thinks I am too uptight....but, he could have fallen in and swept away....safety first!!

This was MUCH more steep than it looks in the picture. It was about an 80 degree climb....Nora (3) asks daddy to carry her....and he did. Mind you, this was labeled the 'moderate route'. Wondered how much more steep the difficult one would have been....
I announce I want to take her pic, and she posed this way herself...what a HAM!! Stripes is IN by the way....
Daddy and Luke, together forever...
The next day we went to Virginia to buy a vacuum and on my new handy dandy GPS we looked up a park....we got directed 2 miles away to Accotink Park in Springfield, VA. Amazing place, everyone was smiling, people would pass us and say 'good day', some were fishing. Luke was going crazy picking up rocks, Nora found THE perfect walking stick. The day was PERFECT....

A productive week is a GOOD week

This has been a good week.....carved some time to be creative, have gotten things at work that will further feed my spirit, and managed to send out a birthday greeting to my niece.

Started a 2 new paintings. The tree goddess above is called 'self-portrait. An imagery I considered as close to me describing myself as I could get. I see myself, act and make decisions that are inextricably connected to earth and nature or informed by the natural process of nature.

I also started a second painting I call, 'anticipation'. It's about human relations with mango trees. When I lived in South America for 5 years as a child we had a mango tree. I remember the feeling of anticipation and bottled excitement we experienced under that tree. At any moment one of those large fruits could be released and fall on the ground. But that was also a great thing, for nothing is as rich tasting, and sweet as a ripe mango.

Nora, my 3-year old also made a tree goddess. I will have to help you 'interpret' her work. In the middle to the left are her 2 legs. Shortly above that are her 2 breasts (yes, the 2 bumps you see). The head is squished in there for she ran out of room despite my manu attempts to warn her about her lack of space. You cannot change a 3-year old's mind....period. The 2 'arms' are coming from the body right above the breast. There are 4 'roots' coming from the bottom and the rock-like structures right below at the center of the tree are also roots, yet, she 'decided' to make them circular and not long....These are not yet done....we will paint them and I will post developments in a later post.

Nora and Luke went to a birthday party this weekend and as a treat they got lollipops. They both love lollipops. I came home from work to see that Nora had drawn lollipops in a dancer's hands. The ball on top of the person's head is a ballerina bun and the bundle beside her on the right is a bag of lollipops....I love this drawing.

Close up of lollipops......always love the decisive lines in kids' drawings......I could simple never reproduce it in the same way even if I try....and believe me, I have.

Before we began painting last week I researched online how mango leaves look like....These are Nora's mango leaves....I think it's quite good and different....sort of more like a mango flower.

At work I the HSA (the PTA) funding to buy these books that will not make my teaching evermore. It's amazing now much richer teaching, and especially art teaching can be with visuals....

My niece turned 20 this past week.....we got busy painting and making her cards....here are 4 letters that went out the next morning, with the painting I did for her of a cake.

I have these new water soluble oil pastels.....and they are so much fun to play with....below are 2 DC-inspired watercolor style paintings I did on 12"x18" 120 lbs. paper.

Nora has been going on and off on her princess days. Some days she forgets all about it and some days she goes all out.....This was an 'all out' day and Chris asked me to pleeeaase take a picture to send to his mother....Of course as a total photo freak I took 50.....she posed a different pose for each.....without my prompting....here is my favorite one...