All Aboard!

A great way first day of school activity is a field trip, right Fortunately when you homeschool, field trips are an option any day! Last summer we read a great series of books about some pre-teens who helped a slave family escape to freedom along the Underground Railroad and wanted to learn more. (We highly recommend the Riverboat Adventure Series by Lois Walfrid Johnson.)  A little research revealed that there was a house about an hour from us that had been part of the underground railroad, still had access to the hiding places, and was open for tours.  We gathered about 20 friends and made the trek south to Salem, Iowa, a Quaker settlement which in it's heyday boasted up to 700 residents and at least 5 UR stations.

It was interesting how much information they were able to gather, considering UR involvement wasn't documented.  (I never thought about that....you were either in and knew about it or you weren't and the secrets were too precious to risk telling the wrong people.)  The house we toured had 2 separate crawl spaces under the floor that were completely separate and accessed through different areas.  One was under an addition, so it was easy to justify that the other one didn't extend that far. We learned of another station that had a large wooden wheel in the attic (it looked like a wagon wheel) that was turned to lift the whole floor of a 9' x 14' room to reveal a stairway and hiding place underneath.  Imagine the planning and engineering required in the 1840s to design and build such a house! Being Quakers, the home owners never lied when people came to search for runaway slaves, they simply stated, "You are welcome to search our house.  You will not find any runaway slaves here."  (And they never did!) We were impressed with their wisdom to find a way to always speak the truth AND do what they believed was morally right, even though it violated the law. (One local couple was asked to care for a 6 month old slave baby who would not survive the trek to freedom in Canada.  They took her in around 1858 and raised her to adulthood. As a young adult, she converted to Methodist and had to leave home.  She ended up in Des Moines, married, and worked for several well-to-do families.  In 1935 she returned to a family reunion in Salem to reconnect with the extended family and express thanks.  Can you imagine adopting a black child in 1858 and raising her as your own?  Good thing they were in a community where most people supported helping slaves escape to freedom!)

After a picnic lunch (thank God that the shelter was large enough to cover us all from the rain!), we collected geodes from a stream bed.  The weather and remote location (zero cell phone reception) prevented us from connecting with an area naturalist who had planned to help us, but that didn't stop us from foraging a path through the poison ivy to search for treasure.  Fortunately some of the adults were pretty sure they could recognize geodes -- and there were pieces that had been opened and left behind to confirm their thoughts -- and everyone found several pieces that we think will reveal treasures when opened.  Since the naturalist had insisted on providing the tools to crack the geodes -- liability, she claimed -- most of us decided to wait until we got home.  But a couple of the dedicated boys expended a great deal of energy repeatedly throwing their rocks onto others in the stream bed until their efforts were rewarded with an open geode.  Many had the idea "bigger is better" and struggled to carry their treasures up the muddy bank back to the cars.

Children seem to think something fun should never end. On the way home, the dirty kids all contemplated who should ask to go home with whom to extend their play time together.  When I told Maria she needed to stay home and take a bath, she tried to convince me that one of the moms had invited her over to their house for a bath.  I never got this confirmed, but an extended time playing and soaking in bubbles seemed to offset her disappointment.

Flooded in Iowa

2008 will be a weather year to remember in Cedar Rapids, that is for sure! We had a near-record snowfall over the winter (missed the all-time high by about 3 inches) and record flooding (the Cedar River crested at 31 feet....11 feet over the previous record). Fortunately our home is not in the flood zone, but in addition to about 2000 homes, most of our local, county, state, and federal government offices took on significant water. Good news for a mall on my side of town: after struggling for months to find renters, it is now filled with government offices. Bad news for the recovery effort: displaced government agencies are challenged to get services to people in this time of need.

We are thankful for a large house that has enabled us to temporarily take in a family of 6 (and their 6 guinea pigs, which the kids love). We're a bit crowded, but everyone is getting settled into their space and we are slowly finding a household system that works. Now if only our clothes dryer would work....that would be a huge help! Thank God for generous neighbors who have been helping us with laundry for the past 2 weeks.

I haven't spent a lot of time in the flood zone, but it is pretty hard to describe. Our housemate, Helena, has called it a war zone and that's pretty accurate. There are blocks and blocks of residential areas fronted with piles of appliances, personal possessions, drywall, etc. that have been pulled from flooded houses. The streets are littered with broken lathe, insulation, and litter that "the claw" picked up but dropped outside the dump trucks. Buildings have water lines, some as high as the roof eves. A collapsed railroad bridge disappears from the shore into the water, still carrying loaded cars that succeeded in preventing it from floating downstream and causing more destruction. A houseboat that came unmoored is lilting near the shore a couple miles downstream of its dock; others have become piles of rubble after being tossed against concrete bridges and pilings. Downtown is deserted and still without power, 2 weeks after the crest. Many buildings have huge pumps or fans in their entrances to assist in the drying process. The smell of standing water and growing mold permeates the area. If you want to come check it out personally, you're welcome as long as you bring your work clothes and boots -- but you'll have to sleep at the neighbors' house...our "No Vacancy" sign is lit!

Our pastor has been doing a series on end time events from the book of Revelation and other passages of prophecy. One of the characteristics of the beginning of the end of this world is an increase in natural disasters, famine, and other devastating situations. If this is any indication of what is to come -- and get increasingly worse -- I'm very glad to be on God's side so I can look forward to peace in Heaven after my life here is finished!

Here are a few links that have photos representative of our city:
Dry vs Wet Downtown: www.kcrg.com/younews/20494299.html
Collapsed Railroad Bridge: www.kcrg.com/younews/22148894.html?img=1&mg=t
Clean-up Process: www.kcrg.com/younews/20574454.html
Inside our power company offices: www.kcrg.com/younews/20203789.html

The Beat Goes On...

Every spring the Home School Assistance Program has a Family Showcase. For most people, it's a talent show where students play an instrument or sing. But, since the name is FAMILY showcase, I always get this idea that we should do something as a family. Last year, Miles had just learned "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" on the piano and there was a duet part, so he and I played while Ray and Maria sang. We got the audience to join along and it was a lot of fun.

This year Ray didn't have time to put into a lot of practicing, so we weren't sure if he would be able to participate. But, we've been learning patriotic songs and at the end of the year the Armed Services themes were featured. The week before the Showcase I remembered that Ray and I sang in a community choir a few years ago near July 4th that had a great Armed Services medley. He agreed to do it, we borrowed the CD, and the kids and I practiced a lot in the car. Like most small tasks, this "simple" act grew to include props and coordinated attire, consuming more time and money than I had expected.

The night before the performance, we were preparing for our final family rehearsal. That's when we heard Maria clearly proclaiming "From the malls of Montezuma...."

To the best of our knowledge, the words were right at the performance -- or at least not obviously wrong -- and the crowd really enjoyed clapping and singing along.

By then I was sick of this medley, but the kids the continued singing it non-stop, so a few days later I suggested we share it at the local nursing home we visit monthly. They agreed, then declined when we pulled into the parking lot. (We were saved from making a decision because that day we helped plant flowers instead of performing.) Finally, they started singing other songs. Then Ray came home and told me he thought we should perform it as a tribute at church Memorial Day weekend. Guess we'll all have those 5 tunes running through our heads for a while longer!

Ray has made it clear that he doesn't really care to be involved in Family Showcase again next year, but the wheels in my brain are turning for the idea that he can't refuse....unless I can convince the school to rename it so I don't feel the pressure for family participation!

Cholesterol

Miles has decided that his new favorite breakfast is eggs. He is a bit sad that I have limited him to 2 eggs each morning.

Somewhere along the line, he learned about cholesterol and that has been a great concern of his recently. Almost every day he asks, "Is there a lot of cholesterol in this?" Over the weekend he thought maybe he should be tested to see if his cholesterol is high. I flippantly commented that it had been at least 8 years since he was tested. His eyes lit up and he asked, "So did you have me tested as a baby?" He was very sad when I laughed and answered no.

This morning Miles decided to read the nutrition label on the egg carton and exclaimed, "Oh my, one egg is 79% of your daily cholesterol!" Now he understands why I limit him to 2 eggs a day. But, he is even more we should have him tested so he doesn't have a heart attack! The compromise to this new revelation was that I promised next time he is at the doctor we will ask why children aren't tested or have heart attacks.

On the flip side, Maria has one or two servings of oatmeal almost every morning for breakfast. If only there was a way to pool their blood and divide the cholesterol in half...

A Winter to Remember

Winter snow and ice arrived in Cedar Rapids on December 1 (yes, that is technically still fall, but the calendar and the weather don't always agree on the season) and it looks like even that original mess plans to stay until after the calendar says spring. Recently a few people from out of state have asked if have much snow left. I don't think they understand: I have hardly seen my driveway and sidewalk since December 1, I'm not even sure I remember grass! There may have been one day in late December a few blades poked out, but we were out of town and the next storm covered it before we were able to get home and verify!

But, this winter has brought out some unusual and noteworthy experiences:

* If you planned to have your yard aerated in the fall and didn't get around to it, you should definitely expect record snowfall! (I hope the water can get through our compacted soil to nourish the remaining grass but somehow miss the creeping charlie!)

* If you procrastinate at hiring a tree service to trim away the dying -- or simply annoying -- limbs from your trees, sometimes God uses ice to bring them down for free!

* When you encourage someone to park in your driveway instead of on the street during an ice storm, make sure their car isn't under the tree limbs that you didn't get trimmed in the fall. (Fortunately the limb missed, but it was a close call!)

* Our children were able to make a tunnel, a slide, steps, (you can't climb UP a slide!) and a "warming house" in a CORNER of our front yard AT THE SAME TIME!

* Miles invented a new sport "extreme sledding". First, perch atop a mound of snow between 5 and 6 feet high. It's best if the drop is almost vertical and cleared concrete is at the bottom. Second, mount your sled -- no helmet required, it won't fit over your hood and it's too cold to go without the hood! Third, lean forward just enough to set the sled in motion, sail down the snow, across the driveway and be sure to stop before you are impaled on tree limb buried in another mound of snow that almost hit the car and has been waiting for the city to pick it up for nearly 3 months. Finally, repeat. If you happen to loose your sled at the top of the mound, insulated snow pants serve as an adequate substitute and you wont' even notice the missing sled until the end of the ride.

* When your driveway -- which slopes downhill toward the street -- is cleared of snow/ice and your street is not, the resulting 4 inch height difference causes a huge pond to form at the end of your driveway.

* When your van doors are frozen shut and only the tailgate will open, make sure there is a handle INSIDE the tailgate before you shut it and crawl to the front to start the engine and turn on the defrosters.

* A trampoline sags almost to the ground when it is covered in 10 inches of snow and has an iceberg in the middle that is about 4 feet across and 4 inches thick.

* It takes a lot of work for one person to remove 10 inches of snow and an iceberg from a trampoline.

* According to eight-year-old boys, when the outdoor temps are in the 20s it is too hot to do any work outside.

* When the temperatures reach the low 40s in early March, people can be seen outside in shorts or t-shirts and need to drive around with their car windows open. (I'm pretty sure those same people were bundled up in heavy coats, gloves, and hats when the temperature hit the low 40s in November!)

* If you step outside in the winter, rumor has it that you need hot chocolate. This includes walking from the car parked IN THE GARAGE into the house, a total of about 6 feet.

* You don't really need a snow blower if you have nice neighbors who own one and you have enough homemade chicken soup to share.

* It's a lot more fun to shovel off 5 inches of snow if you work with a group of neighbors and move from one driveway to the next until they are all finished.

* When the city says they will have every street in town cleared within 12 hours of the end of a 12 inch snowfall, wait the 12 hours before laughing. Even streets that usually remain uncleared for 3 days can be cleared within 15 hours of the storm's end! Hooray!!!! (We won't ask why it takes 3 days to clear off only 4 inches....)

* Don't lose your insulated gloves in February. The stores are sold out, but the snow and cold temps remain for a long time.

* One advantage of home schooling is that road conditions and subzero wind chills do not cause cancellations, delays, early dismissals, or make up days during the second week of June!

* You can tell God that if He sends more snow He needs to also send a note telling you where it should be shoveled to since no more can be piled along your driveway or sidewalk. But He may not do what you tell Him to do.

* One list you don't want to top is "all-time snowiest winters". Breaking into the top 10 is kind of exciting. But in early March with 3 inches remaining tie #1 and another storm on the way, only the TV weather reporters remains excited about the possibility.

You Gotta Say What you Mean!

Maria had to learn the 10 commandments for AWANA. Her teacher taught her the easy 5 (don’t lie, don’t steal, etc.) and left the harder ones to explain for me! (To be fair, maybe the teacher took don't commit adultery; I honestly can’t remember.)

My list to teach included “Don’t take the Lord’s name in vain.” Our children’s Bible interpreted it as “Don’t misuse God’s name” which I hoped would be easier for her to understand. After trying to explain it for a while, I could see it was not making an impression, so I ended up having to give the kids examples. It was quite an educational day as I shared and explained to them several cursing phrases (only the ones including God and Jesus....I left other colorful phrases for another day!). Of course, each was followed with the threat that they should NEVER say these things! They seriously agreed, even though the specific terms of the threat was never explained. Whew!

I don’t think they’ve heard anyone else use them yet, but it will be interesting to hear their responses when that happens. They used to whisper to me about kids in the store throwing temper tantrums with wide-eyes, not believing the child was getting away with it. Imagine when they hear adults saying these BAD things. I’m sure that will make another story for a future blog!

Living History

Were there rats on the ship?
Where were the bathrooms?
If the people slept on the deck, what happened when it rained?

You would know the answers to these questions -- and more -- if you had been on our field trip to a replica of Columbus' ship the Nina. We were able to drive to the Quad Cities (less than 90 minutes away) and go back in time over 500 years. Since we had studied Columbus' voyage a couple weeks before the floating museum docked in Iowa, we definitely took advantage of this great field trip with some homeschooling friends!

Caesar and the Angel

This morning was our annual church Christmas program, including a re-enactment of the Nativity story. The buzz started in early November when the children requested their parts. Maria wanted to be an angel...perhaps a step up from last year's role as a sheep....at least a cooler costume to wear under the stage lights! Miles' main criteria was that he wanted a speaking part, which seemed to make the director happy since most of the boys DIDN'T want to speak. So, he was cast as a younger-than-usual Caesar Augustus.

Miles and Maria did their parts well and -- of course -- looked cute in the process. Miles used his best "official" voice to summon people to Jerusalem for the census. Maria hovered so close to baby Jesus that visitors probably thought it was her little brother! (She wasn't the only doting angel, though. Now that I think about it, what would you expect when there is a baby near a group of 3 to 7 year old girls who have been told to stay still and quiet?)

We had the most active "Jesus" we've had in quite a while, and poor 10-year-old "Mary" kept looking at the baby's dad in the front row, as if to ask, "Why don't you come up here and help me get this baby to stop crying!!??" Finally, she realized that he was giving her the green light to pick up the baby (earlier she'd been instructed to try and keep him in the manger), and all was at peace again.

On the drive home from church I asked the children what parts they aspired to for next year. Maria didn't know yet -- after all, it's a pretty big decision and she has 11 months to think about it! But Miles was quick to say that he wished Mary could be played by a boy. I was a bit concerned, but tried not to show it by asking that great parental cover-up question, "Why do you say that?" "Because Joseph doesn't have any lines," he immediately responded. Aah....a desire for more of the spotlight. I wonder how long it will be until he realizes that Mary always sings a solo?

Kindergarten Day 1: Will I Learn to Read?

Our baby girl, Maria, turned 5 in May. Just before her birthday, she got to visit school one morning with Miles. Even though we homeschool, they attend a local elementary a few hours a week with other homeschool children for "specials" (art, music, P.E., library, etc.).

Fortunately, after the shock I experienced when Miles confidently walked into the classroom without even telling me goodbye during his Kindergarten visit, I was only slightly disappointed when Maria didn't want me to walk in with her ("I'll be okay with Miles") and didn't look back at the van even once as she followed big brother into the building. When I called my wise sister to share my sob story with her, she pointed out that I must be doing a good job of teaching the children to be independent. I countered that I didn't want that much independence at age 4!

But what shocked me most, was that after 2 years of participating with Miles while he was schooled at home, Maria still had no clue what it was all about. The night before her visit, when I told her where she was going the next morning, she eagerly asked, "Will they teach me to read tomorrow?"

Maria has been working hard at learning to read. Today's read-aloud story had "kitten" in it, and after successfully reading it, she looked up and said, "That was a big one!" It's fun to see her get so excited about reading.

And our children are truly opposites. Miles cringes at the sight of a workbook page and is overwhelmed with the idea of answersing SO MANY questions. Maria, on the other hand, complained to me a few weeks ago that there should be MORE workbooks in school. I guess variety is the spice of life....and school!

Prawns in Paris

Ray hasn't traveled much in his 15 years with Rockwell Collins, but when he does, it's always been memorable.

Like the time he brought home Cheesecake Factory cheesecake in his suitcase.
Or when I got delayed coming home from a trip to Spain and arrived a few hours AFTER he left on a business trip.

In November, Ray was sent to Paris, France to meet with a sub-contractor. It sounds wonderful, but the schedule was grueling (or at least that's what he told us...I think he was exaggerating to make us forget about his business class seat on the direct flight from Chicago to Paris!!) As travel goes, there are always stories and this was one of the best:

The last night in Paris, the team stopped work about 7:30 p.m. so a couple of the guys could see the Eiffel Tower before it closed. Ray and others who had already visited milled around so that the whole group could go to dinner together. About 10 pm they decided where to go eat, and about 11 pm they arrived at a restaurant on Champs-Elysees. After the orders were placed, a co-worker pointed out that Ray's prawn appetizer -- at 46 Euros or about $65 US -- cost more than his meal. So Ray agreed to split it with the guy. When the appetizers arrived, Ray was handed a plate with elaborate garnishes and one prawn! After overcoming his shock, true to his word he cut it in half and shared with his co-worker.

Ray's Paris travel advice: you get great-tasting food -- and more for your money -- at off-the-beaten-path sidewalk cafes than in the fancy main street restaurants.


Next trip: Savannah, Georgia; December 16-20. Check back to read what humorous mishap follows him home.

Davis Clan Cruises Alaska

* Crab and fresh fettucine dinner cooked in our Seattle hotel room: around $50
* Letting a "Ride the Ducks" driver teach our children to say "Cha-Ching" when they see Starbucks: $70
* Memories from a week-long Alaskan cruise with the extended family: priceless

The Davis clan gathered for a once-in-a-lifetime vacation. We departed from Seattle on Royal Caribbean's "Vision of the Seas" and visited the ports of Juneau and Skagway, Alaska and Prince Rupert, British Columbia, Canada. We also spent a morning cruising Tracy Arm Fjord to see icebergs and glaciers. God definitely made that part of the country beautiful! On-board we enjoyed dance lessons, board games, a rock climibing wall, Adventure Ocean (free on-board childcare) and more.

Miles and Maria waited patiently to use the ship's pool -- the one at our Seattle hotel was broken -- only to find it was filled with salt water! Fortunately, the hot tub was up to their standards. And although they liked being spoiled in the main dining room, they jumped at the chance to join other kids for a "no silverware required" dinner.

Whale watching was especially fun because we got to spend over 10 minutes watching a baby whale throw a temper tantrum because his mom decided to eat before feeding him. (He didn't cry as loud as our hungry babies did, but he did make quite a splash!!) On a train ride along historic the gold-rush path, we felt like we were on Scooby Doo when the train passed a bridge that disappeared into the fog....fortunately the conductor knew the bridge had fallen apart and didn't take us that direction! And Ray and I learned something new about each other after 13 years of marriage: we both wanted to kayak. What better place to start than a placid Alaskan lake where we could see bald eagles, jellyfish, starfish, and more?? (We also found something to agree on: we'll take kayaking over canoing if given a choice in the future...)

The worst part of the trip was finding out our beds had to be separated for the kids to get up into their bunks. We tried to get Mom & Dad to trade rooms because they WANTED their beds separated to have more floor space, but for some reason, they quickly and firmly said, "No!" Can't blame us for trying.

The photo above shows: (standing, left to right) Austin, Joe, Shannon, and Jennifer Marsh (Jennifer's step-daughter, Kristin, was in Korea and couldn't join us); Brandon; Dad & Mom; (seated, left to right) Ray and Shari Damaso; Jenn and Maddie Davis (Brandon's wife and daughter); Maria and Miles Damaso.

Others (not pictured) with us on the cruise were: Mom's brother, Ted and wife, Ellen; Mom's Aunt Gloria and friend, Dee; and Murray friends Bob & Bev Brown.