Hocking Hills

Hi readers,

As I mentioned in my last post, we just got back from our little trip to Hocking Hills.  We had a great time hiking, boating and chilling out.  I wanted to share a few pictures with everyone.

This is a picture of Little Dude playing in the sand at Ash Cave.  I wish I had a better picture of the cave to show you, but it was so enormous, that I just couldn't get a good shot of everything.  Next time I'm there, I'll have a tripod & a wide angle lens!

We also visited Cedar Falls, which was spectacular:

There was this little yellow butterfly fluttering around when we were at Cedar Falls, but I didn't get a good shot of him because I don't think he landed at all.  In fact, we saw lots of butterflies when we were at Hocking.  Once, we drove through a patch of several of them.  This butterfly shot was taken outside of our cabin, in a little bunch of wild flowers:

We rented a pontoon boat one day & sailed around Lake Logan, which was so fun.  The breeze was cool, the water was calm & we saw lots of herons (and even a couple of peacocks, strange enough).  Here is a shot of a heron from the boat:

I think it had just caught a fish.  We got to watch many herons fishing in action.  I guess Lake Logan is known for its abundance of fish. 

Our cabin had a hot tub on the back deck - almost all of the cottages/cabins in Hocking do.  I didn't think the kids would like it, but we turned the temp down & they used it like a mini-pool.  Whenever we were at the cabin, they were swimming away:

On our last day there, we went hiking at Conkle's Hollow, which I think was my favorite hike from the trip.  It was a beautiful hike along the forest floor & the scenery was 200 ft. cliffs surrounding the gorge.  At the end of the trail, there was a plunge pool with a tiny cascade of water (I wouldn't call it a waterfall) and when you looked up, this is what you saw:

We were all so tired from our trip, but it was a happy tired.  Here is my 5 year old on the car ride home, completely wrapped up in her blankie, asleep, probably dreaming of ferns and butterflies and moss and caterpillars and hot tubs:

If you ever get the opportunity to go to Hocking Hills, it is worth the drive.  It's so beautiful there, and a great vacation spot for families.  I hope we can go back again soon.
Cheryl

Back from the hills

Hi readers,

The Bachs just got back from spending a few days in the beautiful Hocking Hills region in Ohio.  We had a great time!  My sister-in-law joined us, and we went hiking almost every day, rented a pontoon boat & cruised Lake Logan, the kids swam in the hot tub (or in our case, we made it a "warm tub") and had so much fun.  I will put my pics up tomorrow when I have a little more time, but for now, here's a little teaser:

We saw these signs everywhere!  The roads are really curvy because it's in a hilly part of Ohio.  My DH told us that the folks at Car & Driver come down from Michigan to test all the cars because the roads are so fun.

I promise to put up more pics & details of our little trip tomorrow!

Cheryl

Book Nook - Fantastic Mr. Fox

Hi readers,

When I was a kid, one of my favorite books was Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl.  I thought I'd revisit that story recently to see if I liked it just as much now as I did then.  I listened to the Roald Dahl collection on CD, read by the author, and it had not only Charlie, but also James & the Giant Peach, a few short stories and one of my new favorites.... Fantastic Mr. Fox.

The book version, shown here, is great, too - it's illustrated by Quentin Blake in a very whimsical way that suits the story well.  And the story, in a nutshell, is that Mr. Fox loves to get chickens and turkeys and ducks from three local farmers for the daily Fox family meals.  The farmers, the mean Boggis, Bunce & Bean, know that Mr. Fox is stealing from them and they decide to do something about it.  Mr. Fox & his family are on the run from the farmers' guns and shovels and tractors and backhoes.  But Mr. Fox is truly fantastic & comes up with a plan that outsmarts the farmers once and for all!

I don't think I ever read this story as a child, and I wish I had because I'd like to see it through a child's eyes & imagination.  I think I might have been a little scared by the farmers - there is much discussion on all the violent things they want to do with Mr. Fox's tail, body, his head, etc.  Because of that, I won't yet be reading it to my own kids, but when they are a bit older, I think it'll be appropriate.

However, reading it for the first time as an adult had its advantages.  I can appreciate the pickle the Fox family was in & can empathize with the parents.  Food, shelter, safety are all things that we have to ensure for our children.  You can also appreciate Mr. Fox's long term plan - use a little restraint now & the goods will be there for the taking long term.  I think kids will understand these things, too - but it's just a different perspective when you read it as an adult.

One side note, I just love the interactions between Mr. Fox & Badger.  Badger calls him Foxy and even tells him he loves him (page 60 of my version).  Their friendship is very sweet & charming - the original bromance!

Even though the story is short, we really get to know this great character, Mr. Fox.  He's confident, smart, caring, charismatic & a real leader.  George Clooney was definitely the perfect choice to voice the character in the recent movie (which I thought was great, too - very quirky & fun).

You might be wondering, did I still enjoy Charlie & the Chocolate Factory after all these years?  Yes I did.  But I am also thrilled to have found a new favorite which is indeed fantastic!

Cheryl 

Franklin Park Conservatory

Hi readers,

Today, the Bachs went to the Franklin Park Conservatory here in Columbus, Ohio for the opening day of their carnivorous plant exhibit.  Our oldest has really been into this book called Plants Bite Back!  (DK Readers: Plants Bite Back! (Level 3: Reading Alone) so we decided to take the Bachsters there to see these plants in real life that we've been reading about.

Because it was the opening day, the FPC had a few extra activities planned, one being the Bugman.  He had all sorts of neat insects, like giant hissing cockroaches and a big praying mantis.  He also had quite a collection of tarantulas and black widow spiders.  And the best part was, the kids could hold most of the bugs (well, not the black widows, obviously)!  Here are a couple of pics of the Bachsters with bugs:

 
Our 6 year old daughter held the tarantula several times, actually - she just kept getting back in line.  Little Guy, who is almost 3, held a tarantula too!  And my DH held one!  But our 5 year old daughter declined......as did her mom!  By the way, here is the link to the Bugman's website - he was great personality & I hope we can attend more of his presentations.

We saw all sorts of great carnivorous plants at the exhibit - Venus flytraps, pitcher plants and sundew plants especially.  Here are a few pictures of the "Savage Gardens:"

The Conservatory (link to their website is here) is also known for their Dale Chihuly glass sculptures and their butterfly exhibit.  Here are a few pics of those:

We just had such a great time while we were there!  I hope you & your family were able to have some family fun this weekend, too!

Cheryl 

Book Nook - Einstein

Hi readers,

Einstein: His Life and Universe by Walter Isaacson is a well-researched, well-written look into Albert Einstein's life.  I can't help but feel rather intimidated to "review" such a tome on such an iconic genius, so I shall be offering the CliffsNotes version instead.  So, here goes:

-Einstein never failed math, as the rumor goes ("I never failed in mathematics....before I was fifteen I had mastered differential and integral calculus" page 16).  He did, however, drop out of high school, promising his parents that he would continue his studies & try to get into the Zurich Polytechnic (page 24).

Do you like all the quotes & page references?  I'm feeling quite scholarly!  Anyway, continuing on:

-Einstein loved to play the violin & in the many times it's mentioned in the book, it sounds like he excelled at it.  According to Einstein, "Mozart's music is so pure and beautiful that I see it as a reflection of the inner beauty of the universe itself" (page14).

-Einstein and his first wife, Mileva Maric, had a daughter, Lieserl, before they were married.  Worried that this would damage Einstein's budding career, they kept the baby a secret.  Lieserl was raised by a friend of Maric's and historians suspect she died of scarlet fever in 1903.  Einstein never saw her, nor told any of his friends or family about her.

-Einstein developed many of his theories by doing thought experiments.  In his most famous thought experiment, which he used for the Theory of Relativity, he imagined "if a person could run after a light wave with the same speed as light, you would have a wave arrangement which could be completely independent of time" (page26). There is much to be said for taking it easy & letting your brain just think!

-Einstein's 2nd son, Eduard, was institutionalized for schizophrenia for much of his adult life.  Einstein had a poor relationship with him and their visits were tense.

-Einstein's 2nd wife was Elsa Einstein, who happened to be his first cousin.  They didn't have any children together, but Einstein loved her 2 daughters from her first marriage very much.

-When Einstein started to become a celebrity, Elsa "began charging a fee to photograph him, and she donated the money to charities that fed hungry children in Vienna and elsewhere" (page 269).

-Einstein's early successes came "in part from his rebelliousness.  There was a link between his creativity and his willingness to defy authority.  He had no sentimental attachment to the old order, thus was energized by upending it" (page 317).

-Time travel can only be to the future, not to the past.  I couldn't find where this is in the book, but I remember reading it & thinking it was interesting.  I googled this & found a good quote by Stephen Hawking that basically states, if we could travel back to the past, where are all the time tourists from the future?

-Einstein had a lot of lifelong friends, too many to list.  They were both scientific colleagues and good friends.

-After his early successes, Einstein spent the latter part of his career searching for a unified field theory, which he never finished.  In fact, he was writing equations on his deathbed.

-The pathologist performing the autopsy took Einstein's brain without his family's permission and had various research done on it.

These little sound bites just scratch the surface of this biography.  If you ever want an in-depth look at Einstein's life, I highly recommend this book!

In closing, I leave you with a good quote about Einstein's famous Theory of Relativity.  Chaim Weizmann sailed across the Atlantic with the Einsteins in 1921 and said "during the crossing, Einstein explained his theory to me every day, and by the time we arrived I was fully convinced that he really understands it" (page 292).

Unfortunately, after reading the book, I still need CliffsNotes on the theory that made Einstein famous and contributed to modern conveniences and knowledge of the universe.  However, I thoroughly enjoyed (and understood!) the personal side of Einstein and have that much more respect for this great figure of history.

Cheryl

Happy 4th of July

"You have to love a nation that celebrates its independence every July 4, not with a parade of guns, tanks, and soldiers who file by the White House in a show of strength and muscle, but with family picnics where kids throw Frisbees, the potato salad gets iffy, and the flies die from happiness.  You may think you have overeaten, but it is patriotism." 

-Erma Bombeck

Hi readers,

I hope everyone had a nice 4th of July today.  The Bachs certainly did!  We went to a cookout with family and stayed there for 9 hours!!!  I don't think I have ever feted that long before!  Here are some pics from our fun-filled day: 

Have a nice evening!

Cheryl 

Baby carrots

Hi readers,

A few days ago, my 5 year old asked me if the carrots were ready to pick out of our garden.  I am no gardener, so I had no idea - you can see if the tomatoes & the cucumbers & the green beans are ready, but how do you know with the carrots?  So I let her pick a couple.  Er, they weren't ready!  But we took a little nibble anyway - they tasted very carroty!

Anyone know....how can you tell when carrots are ready to pick?
Cheryl