In the wake of formalizing the tagline of Stimeyland to be "life. autism. gerbils." by having it printed on 300 pens, some of you have asked, "Why gerbils?"
I know. It's confusing. Because, really, what the fuck do gerbils have to do with anything?
Let me explain.
(1) Life. I write about my life. Pretty self-explanatory.
(2) Autism. I have an autistic child. Hence, autism is a pretty big part of my life right now. I write about autism.
(3) Gerbils. Somehow I started writing about gerbils a lot. I'm not quite sure how it happened. One of our preschool teachers had a class gerbil and then my friend got a couple of gerbils and then I pet sat her gerbils and before you know it, I was writing a damned gerbil blog.
Anyway, everything about gerbils cracks me up, from the way they look to their absolutely ridiculous name. Gerrrr-bbilll. Ger-bil. Gerbil. It's funny, right? I am assuming that everyone thinks gerbils are as amusing as I do and therefore sees the "gerbils" part of my tagline the way I do: as a signpost that I write a humorous blog.
So, to recap: Life implies that I write a memoir-style blog, Autism implies that one of my main topics is autism, and Gerbils implies that I am hilariously funny. Perhaps erroneously. Maybe it just implies that I'm kind of random. That works too.
And "life. autism. gerbils." is a lot shorter than the paragraph above.
Although when I showed Alex my new Stimeyland pens, with the pontificating gerbil and the tagline, he gave me a weird look and said, "You are a strange woman." And then when I copied the pontificating gerbil pose in the kitchen, he started laughing. So clearly I've proven my point.
So if my six-word memoir is "Always chasing three boys; usually laughing," my three-word memoir can be "life. autism. gerbils." I could do worse for a couple of credos.
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Wordless Wednesday: Gerbil Farming?
Okay, no, I have words.
I don't know what the hell this book is about, although I suspect is about gerbil farming. My mom bought it for me without telling me and it just showed up on my porch one night. And I laughed and laughed and laughed.
I can't wait to read it.
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Speeee-LUNK!
I know that some of you (Hi, Mom!) have been waiting for a Luray Caverns post. Never one to let down my readers, I will present to you The Tale of the Way Coolest Adventure in the Way Coolest and Most Bad Ass Place Ever!
Notice how eager and excited Team Stimey—or Team Surly, as I sometimes call them—looks in this photo. Please take note of my vise-like grip on two of them. Don't we look happy and relaxed?
We were Alex was smart enough to pack us a picnic lunch before our million-hour drive to the caverns. Unfortunately, we sat down to have our picnic near some Boy Scouts. I'm treading on thin ice even bringing this up here because Alex and I have a very serious issue when it comes to the Boy Scouts. This is not something you want to mention to him if you are a visitor to my home.
I wish this photo more adequately captured the look on his face. Surly indeed.
I think part of the surly was also because Alex was convinced that we were embarking on a super-lame trip. He thought the caverns were going to be dumb and, I quote, "Fifty dollars we'll never see again." He changed his tune almost immediately once we went down in the caverns.
I took about a million photos, but they all kind of look like this:
But that's pretty cool, don't you think?
If you haven't scrolled down to the next photo yet, wait a minute. Let me ask you a question first. If you had a child who tends to wander away from you and you were going into a dank underground cave, what would you dress him in?
Would it be camouflage?
I think that just may be my favorite photo of all time. What on earth was I thinking, buying Jack, of all people, a camouflage sweatshirt?
You don't have to make reservations to go to Luray Caverns, and kids five and under are free. Plus, if you take your Giant card, your second adult ticket is half price. There are signs posted that say that tours happen every five to 20 minutes, but there were no guide-led tours when we were there. Everyone who paid for a ticket gets a self-guided audio tour.
And if your child, who didn't pay for a ticket, looks hopeful enough and you kinda beg, they will give you an audio player for him too.
He wore it for about three minutes. Eventually Alex and I both had extra audio players around our necks. Alex listened to the adult version of the tour. Sam and I listened to the kid version. It was fascinating.
But mostly we just looked around in awe.
There were many, many people in the caverns the day we went, but sometimes we were almost alone in a corridor or a room. The place is HUGE. It takes about an hour to walk through the caverns.
Of course, one of the things the kid audio tour tells you about is the "ghost" of Luray Caverns. That ghost is a white column. But Sam didn't know that when he told Quinn about it. Quinn immediately decided he wanted to go home.
"Is there a ghost? Is there a ghost?" he kept asking.
"No, sweetie, there's not," I would say.
"But, Mom! The thing says there's a ghost!" Sam would insist.
And then we were right back to, "Is there a ghost? Is there a ghost? I wanna go home."
And so on.
I have to say, Luray Caverns was way cool. Alex agrees that it was way cool. Other than a little nervousness about there maybe being a ghost, my kids thought it was way cool. You should go.
It's kind of a trip to think about caverns like that just existing under the ground. The formations that water and rock can create are phenomenal. The natural world is pretty incredible.
It was a good end to Ology Week at Camp Stimey.
Notice how eager and excited Team Stimey—or Team Surly, as I sometimes call them—looks in this photo. Please take note of my vise-like grip on two of them. Don't we look happy and relaxed?
I wish this photo more adequately captured the look on his face. Surly indeed.
I think part of the surly was also because Alex was convinced that we were embarking on a super-lame trip. He thought the caverns were going to be dumb and, I quote, "Fifty dollars we'll never see again." He changed his tune almost immediately once we went down in the caverns.
I took about a million photos, but they all kind of look like this:
But that's pretty cool, don't you think?
If you haven't scrolled down to the next photo yet, wait a minute. Let me ask you a question first. If you had a child who tends to wander away from you and you were going into a dank underground cave, what would you dress him in?
Would it be camouflage?
I think that just may be my favorite photo of all time. What on earth was I thinking, buying Jack, of all people, a camouflage sweatshirt?
You don't have to make reservations to go to Luray Caverns, and kids five and under are free. Plus, if you take your Giant card, your second adult ticket is half price. There are signs posted that say that tours happen every five to 20 minutes, but there were no guide-led tours when we were there. Everyone who paid for a ticket gets a self-guided audio tour.
And if your child, who didn't pay for a ticket, looks hopeful enough and you kinda beg, they will give you an audio player for him too.
He wore it for about three minutes. Eventually Alex and I both had extra audio players around our necks. Alex listened to the adult version of the tour. Sam and I listened to the kid version. It was fascinating.
But mostly we just looked around in awe.
There were many, many people in the caverns the day we went, but sometimes we were almost alone in a corridor or a room. The place is HUGE. It takes about an hour to walk through the caverns.
Of course, one of the things the kid audio tour tells you about is the "ghost" of Luray Caverns. That ghost is a white column. But Sam didn't know that when he told Quinn about it. Quinn immediately decided he wanted to go home.
"Is there a ghost? Is there a ghost?" he kept asking.
"No, sweetie, there's not," I would say.
"But, Mom! The thing says there's a ghost!" Sam would insist.
And then we were right back to, "Is there a ghost? Is there a ghost? I wanna go home."
And so on.
I have to say, Luray Caverns was way cool. Alex agrees that it was way cool. Other than a little nervousness about there maybe being a ghost, my kids thought it was way cool. You should go.
It's kind of a trip to think about caverns like that just existing under the ground. The formations that water and rock can create are phenomenal. The natural world is pretty incredible.
It was a good end to Ology Week at Camp Stimey.
Monday, July 13, 2009
My Obligatory Pre-BlogHer Post
I think it's a requirement that if you are going to BlogHer that you have to sit down and write a post about going to BlogHer before you actually go to BlogHer.
At least I'm pretty sure I remember signing something to that effect. Or maybe those were outraged and vaguely threatening letters to various companies and government officials, I don't rightly remember. I signed something.
Well, I am nothing if not a woman of my word (I'm not—I'm a complete flake), so here is my pre-BlogHer post.
(1) I'm going to start off with this:
You might want to click to enlarge so you can see all the beautiful ladies.
That is a photo of most of the women who showed up for the DC-area pre-BlogHer meet-up. Not shown are Kristen (and her adorable baby), Andrea, Jill, Wife & Mommy, JavaMom, Jen, Kim, Katherine, Zandria, and Examorata. (If you were there and I left you off this list, let me know, and please accept my apologies. I have three kids, three blogs, and, like, three part-time jobs—I can't even remember what I just walked into the living room for.)
That photo above shows CaraBee (whom I met for the first time last night), Teach Mama (who just got guinea pigs, so you know I looooove her even more now), Urban Mama (who is so cool she wore her sunglasses inside—although to be fair, it's because she forgot her regular glasses), Jessica (who is not going to BlogHer, which completely devastates me), Lumpyhead's Mom (who encouraged me to throw a grape at someone from across the room, and so I did, and I actually made the shot, and it was awesome!), Linda (who is your go-to source when you have borne many children in a short period of time), Tech Savvy Mama (whom I get to room with at BlogHer, although I'm worried now that she's threatened to take photos of me while I sleep), Susan (whom I also get to room with at BlogHer and who I am hoping will defend me against Tech Savvy Mama's nefarious plans), De in D.C. (who was the victim of my idiocy when she just needed someone to help her open a bottle of water and I refused to help and took a photo of her struggle instead), Laurie (who is tremendously cool and who takes even more photos than I do), Sarah (at whom I threw the grape), Kim (who is adorably pregnant and had a fabulous orange sash that I'm still jealous about), me (whom you already know waaaaaay too much about), Devra (who planned the whole damn thing and is just about the coolest person you would ever want to know), and last, but absolutely NOT least, Sue (who was fresh off of hosting three (3!) birthday parties at her house in one day).
Okay. I'm never linking to anything ever again. Plus, I think that's the longest paragraph I've ever written on this blog.
(2) I have swag for BlogHer. It's not as good as last year's swag, but it is pretty cool in its own right. I'm not supplying details yet, but I will tell you this: I'll be dragging around eight pounds of pens in Chicago. And it involves the following:
Hmmm... I guess I did just supply details.
(3) I don't yet have business cards. You know, in case I run out of my eight pounds of pens.
(4) Last year I wrote a pre-BlogHer post to let you know some things about me. They are all still true. Please review them.
(5) I'll be at Midway on the 23rd at about 10 a.m. If you're there and you see me, grab me! I can't wait to meet all of you!
(6) If you're not going to BlogHer, I will raise a drink in your honor while I'm there.
At least I'm pretty sure I remember signing something to that effect. Or maybe those were outraged and vaguely threatening letters to various companies and government officials, I don't rightly remember. I signed something.
Well, I am nothing if not a woman of my word (I'm not—I'm a complete flake), so here is my pre-BlogHer post.
(1) I'm going to start off with this:
You might want to click to enlarge so you can see all the beautiful ladies.That is a photo of most of the women who showed up for the DC-area pre-BlogHer meet-up. Not shown are Kristen (and her adorable baby), Andrea, Jill, Wife & Mommy, JavaMom, Jen, Kim, Katherine, Zandria, and Examorata. (If you were there and I left you off this list, let me know, and please accept my apologies. I have three kids, three blogs, and, like, three part-time jobs—I can't even remember what I just walked into the living room for.)
That photo above shows CaraBee (whom I met for the first time last night), Teach Mama (who just got guinea pigs, so you know I looooove her even more now), Urban Mama (who is so cool she wore her sunglasses inside—although to be fair, it's because she forgot her regular glasses), Jessica (who is not going to BlogHer, which completely devastates me), Lumpyhead's Mom (who encouraged me to throw a grape at someone from across the room, and so I did, and I actually made the shot, and it was awesome!), Linda (who is your go-to source when you have borne many children in a short period of time), Tech Savvy Mama (whom I get to room with at BlogHer, although I'm worried now that she's threatened to take photos of me while I sleep), Susan (whom I also get to room with at BlogHer and who I am hoping will defend me against Tech Savvy Mama's nefarious plans), De in D.C. (who was the victim of my idiocy when she just needed someone to help her open a bottle of water and I refused to help and took a photo of her struggle instead), Laurie (who is tremendously cool and who takes even more photos than I do), Sarah (at whom I threw the grape), Kim (who is adorably pregnant and had a fabulous orange sash that I'm still jealous about), me (whom you already know waaaaaay too much about), Devra (who planned the whole damn thing and is just about the coolest person you would ever want to know), and last, but absolutely NOT least, Sue (who was fresh off of hosting three (3!) birthday parties at her house in one day).
Okay. I'm never linking to anything ever again. Plus, I think that's the longest paragraph I've ever written on this blog.
(2) I have swag for BlogHer. It's not as good as last year's swag, but it is pretty cool in its own right. I'm not supplying details yet, but I will tell you this: I'll be dragging around eight pounds of pens in Chicago. And it involves the following:
Hmmm... I guess I did just supply details.
(3) I don't yet have business cards. You know, in case I run out of my eight pounds of pens.
(4) Last year I wrote a pre-BlogHer post to let you know some things about me. They are all still true. Please review them.
(5) I'll be at Midway on the 23rd at about 10 a.m. If you're there and you see me, grab me! I can't wait to meet all of you!
(6) If you're not going to BlogHer, I will raise a drink in your honor while I'm there.
Sunday, July 12, 2009
CSCA*: Week 4—Sports Week!
* Camp Stimey Coming Attractions!We're going old school this week and doing straight up sports at Camp Stimey.
So here's what we'll be doing this week: Jack will go to school, Quinn will play in the sandbox, and Sam will force me to play sports with him.
I'm entirely serious.
We have a bunch of errands to run this week, a lot of appointments, and not a lot of extra time.
I'm going to try to fit in a lot of sporty-type activities though. Sam's been dying to play "real golf" so maybe I'll try to take them to a driving range. (What could possibly go wrong?) We'll be doing our regular soccer playgroup that we do each week with WhyMommy, Tech Savvy Mama, and some other friends. We'll be waiting for the dryer repairman to come while we play baseball in the backyard. Maybe I'll force Sam to learn to ride his bike.
I may even attempt to teach Sam what the actual rules of some of the games are.
We will be having a basketball/playground Camp Stimey meet-up on Friday morning. Email if you're interested in coming (stimeyland at gmail dot com). Jack won't be there. (mommyguiltmommyguiltmommyguiltmommyguilt mommyguiltmommyguiltmommyguilt) Edited to Add: My Friday afternoon thing was switched to Monday, so I think our meet-up will be in the afternoon so Jack can come. (mommywinmommywinmommywin)
Also, we're hopefully going to a Washington Mystics game on Saturday. I can't wait to show my three little men that girls can play pro sports too.
Saturday, July 11, 2009
CSSS*: Week 3—Ology Week
* Camp Stimey Saturday Summary
I have to tell you that straight fucking up, Jack's ESY is totally harshing my Camp Stimey groove. There are two reasons for this:
(1) We have to be at my house at 1 p.m. every single day to pick him up off of his bus or else I look like a really bad mom. You may not know this, but 1 p.m. is right in the middle of the day. Like, right in the middle. For reals.
(2) I feel really guilty if we do something fun without Jack in the morning. It's like we're cheating on him or something.
Due to that and my ineptitude at successfully completing a science experiment, Ology Week has been a little bit of a bummer. Although I would like to thank all of you who reminded me that a failed experiment still teaches my kids about science. That is totally true. Thank you. Unfortunately, it also teaches them about crushing disappointment.
Oh, I kid. (Kind of.)
Anywho...
Day 1—Entomology Day!
Monday was supposed to be errand-running and library day, and we did that. But it was obviously destined to be entomology day for two reasons (again with the two reasons!):
(1) I bought mason jars at the craft store for our experiments, but Quinn immediately requisitioned one as a bug jar, having been pining for such a jar since his July 4th firefly encounters. He spent much of the day searching for bugs. (And much of the night sobbing uncontrollably after we made him release his favorite bug because, "He's going to miiiiiisssss me!")
(2) My Friend L, hereafter known by her blog alias ALW (A Lettered Woman), somehow intuited that it was Impromptu Entomology Day and kicked the shit out of our tiny little jarred bugs by bringing over this monstrosity when she and her kids came by to play:
What do you say? You can't really see it in that photo? Well allow me to show you a better photo:
I didn't let her bring it inside my house. Nor did I let her throw the corpse away in my garden. I made her take it home to dispose of it. I know it's not rational, but this is why I don't plan things like Entomology Day.
Day 2—Letterboxing Day!
We were all ready to go! We had our clue! We were excited! We figured out which way to go on the path!
We were unable to find our treasure at the end of our hunt! Thankfully there was a playground to play on near our parking space. Plus we got a good walk out of it. So not a total loss.
Day 3—Letterboxing Day, Take Two! And Archaeology!
Quinn, Sam, and I had a much more satisfying Letterboxing expedition on Wednesday while Jack was in school (cue mommy guilt). We found the Letterbox!
Plus, we saw geese, had a duck follow us, found a mother deer with her two babies, and saw a beaver. (Cue double dose of mommy guilt.) It was like the best walk ever.
Here is the journal we created for our expeditions. And do you see how Sam's handwriting is responding to my nagging? Good stuff!
We let Jack help us decorate our title page with our Team Stimey stamp, which is, naturally, a gerbil.
Well, it's a mouse—or at least that's what the cat stamp set it came with claims—butwe're I'm calling it a gerbil.
It being Archaeology Day, we learned the difference between fossils and artifacts and excavated the small toys I buried in clay on Monday.
Had those been actual artifacts, we would have learned nothing about Team Stimey, circa Monday. They were not very careful at their dig.
We also did a couple of other projects, such as going through a trash can to learn about what I throw away when I'm sitting at my desk (fudgesicle sticks and stray pieces of popcorn, apparently) and thinking about what someone excavating our house in a hundred years would learn about us (we like gadgets).
Day 4—Paleontology Day!
On Paleontology Day we made this foam dinosaur that I found in the clearance bin at the craft store.
That's it. I kind of ran out of steam.
Also, we dug in the sandbox with fresh sand originally destined to be dyed and used in sand art.
Silver linings, right?
Day 5—Spelunking Day, Trial Run!
Yesterday, as you may remember, we went to a nature center and played in (and on) a synthetic cave. And we saw animals and went on a walk and had most excellent guest campers. This was one of the high points of our week. It was a lot of fun.
Day 6—Spelunking Day, For Real This Time!
If all goes well, as this is being posted, we will be on our way to Luray Caverns, where we will get to go inside a real cave. I'm really excited!
And that was Ology Week. Not the most conventionally successful of weeks, but it'll do.
I have to tell you that straight fucking up, Jack's ESY is totally harshing my Camp Stimey groove. There are two reasons for this:
(1) We have to be at my house at 1 p.m. every single day to pick him up off of his bus or else I look like a really bad mom. You may not know this, but 1 p.m. is right in the middle of the day. Like, right in the middle. For reals.
(2) I feel really guilty if we do something fun without Jack in the morning. It's like we're cheating on him or something.
Due to that and my ineptitude at successfully completing a science experiment, Ology Week has been a little bit of a bummer. Although I would like to thank all of you who reminded me that a failed experiment still teaches my kids about science. That is totally true. Thank you. Unfortunately, it also teaches them about crushing disappointment.
Oh, I kid. (Kind of.)
Anywho...
Day 1—Entomology Day!
Monday was supposed to be errand-running and library day, and we did that. But it was obviously destined to be entomology day for two reasons (again with the two reasons!):
(1) I bought mason jars at the craft store for our experiments, but Quinn immediately requisitioned one as a bug jar, having been pining for such a jar since his July 4th firefly encounters. He spent much of the day searching for bugs. (And much of the night sobbing uncontrollably after we made him release his favorite bug because, "He's going to miiiiiisssss me!")
(2) My Friend L, hereafter known by her blog alias ALW (A Lettered Woman), somehow intuited that it was Impromptu Entomology Day and kicked the shit out of our tiny little jarred bugs by bringing over this monstrosity when she and her kids came by to play:
What do you say? You can't really see it in that photo? Well allow me to show you a better photo:
I didn't let her bring it inside my house. Nor did I let her throw the corpse away in my garden. I made her take it home to dispose of it. I know it's not rational, but this is why I don't plan things like Entomology Day.
Day 2—Letterboxing Day!
We were all ready to go! We had our clue! We were excited! We figured out which way to go on the path!
We were unable to find our treasure at the end of our hunt! Thankfully there was a playground to play on near our parking space. Plus we got a good walk out of it. So not a total loss.
Day 3—Letterboxing Day, Take Two! And Archaeology!
Quinn, Sam, and I had a much more satisfying Letterboxing expedition on Wednesday while Jack was in school (cue mommy guilt). We found the Letterbox!
Plus, we saw geese, had a duck follow us, found a mother deer with her two babies, and saw a beaver. (Cue double dose of mommy guilt.) It was like the best walk ever.
Here is the journal we created for our expeditions. And do you see how Sam's handwriting is responding to my nagging? Good stuff!
We let Jack help us decorate our title page with our Team Stimey stamp, which is, naturally, a gerbil.
Well, it's a mouse—or at least that's what the cat stamp set it came with claims—but
It being Archaeology Day, we learned the difference between fossils and artifacts and excavated the small toys I buried in clay on Monday.
Had those been actual artifacts, we would have learned nothing about Team Stimey, circa Monday. They were not very careful at their dig.
We also did a couple of other projects, such as going through a trash can to learn about what I throw away when I'm sitting at my desk (fudgesicle sticks and stray pieces of popcorn, apparently) and thinking about what someone excavating our house in a hundred years would learn about us (we like gadgets).
Day 4—Paleontology Day!
On Paleontology Day we made this foam dinosaur that I found in the clearance bin at the craft store.
That's it. I kind of ran out of steam.
Also, we dug in the sandbox with fresh sand originally destined to be dyed and used in sand art.
Silver linings, right?
Day 5—Spelunking Day, Trial Run!
Yesterday, as you may remember, we went to a nature center and played in (and on) a synthetic cave. And we saw animals and went on a walk and had most excellent guest campers. This was one of the high points of our week. It was a lot of fun.
Day 6—Spelunking Day, For Real This Time!
If all goes well, as this is being posted, we will be on our way to Luray Caverns, where we will get to go inside a real cave. I'm really excited!
And that was Ology Week. Not the most conventionally successful of weeks, but it'll do.
Friday, July 10, 2009
"This Camp Doesn't Carry Enough Insurance."
We were mid-Camp Stimey meet-up when my friend E busted out with the most apt phrase of the day: "This camp doesn't carry enough insurance."
True that.
Let me back up.
A small but dedicated (and fabulous) group of campers met the regular cast of Camp Stimey at a nature center to hang out and cause a ruckus today. My friend E and her kids came as did my friend (and blogger) Urban Mama and two of her kids. There were supposed to be more attendees, but things came up (as they often do). We missed you and hope that you can make it to the next Camp Stimey meet-up.
We had a great time. This particular nature center is the best because they have a lot to do. There is a canoe and a hut, an area with old-timey log cabin furnishings, a play room with toys and small reptiles, and several birds.
They also have a large room set up to look like the outdoors, complete with pond (and live turtles and fish!), a bridge, animal taxidermy (I know. But the kids like it.), and even a cave for little guys to climb through.
There are no ropes or signs telling you where to go or not go, but it's pretty obvious. You know, unless you tend to look at the world a little differently.
I have never been so surprised in my life as when I looked up at the top of the cave only to see Jack petting the stuffed animal as far away from the ground (and safety) as he could possibly get.
To my credit, I dropped my camera and ran to save him instead of taking a photo. So you will have to accept my artist's rendition.
I know this photo is not easy to decipher.
Just know that he was up high and far away.
It was REALLY disconcerting.
Of course by "save him," I mean, "go stand by the cave entrance and start counting from one to three over and over to cajole him down."
To his credit, he came right over and came down.
"I was being careful. I was keeping my balance," he kept telling me. I didn't want to yell at him because, really, it was not clearly marked that you weren't allowed up there. But then again, I wanted to impress upon him that he had been in the wrong place. Poor guy. He definitely got the message, but I think he was a little confused.
Now aren't you sorry you missed that?
And if you're not sorry you missed that, aren't you sorry that you missed the forced hiking we insisted our kids do?
But we did see some cool animals. Even some that weren't wards of the nature center. For example, we saw either the fattest otter known to humankind, or the least beavery-tailed beaver.
And even though it was dicey for a while, we didn't lose a single child. Although mine were definitely the most ill behaved. And most likely to wander off.
It was definitely, finally (mostly) a Camp Stimey Ology week SUCCESS! Thanks for coming, E and Urban Mama! Team Stimey had a great time with you!
True that.
Let me back up.
A small but dedicated (and fabulous) group of campers met the regular cast of Camp Stimey at a nature center to hang out and cause a ruckus today. My friend E and her kids came as did my friend (and blogger) Urban Mama and two of her kids. There were supposed to be more attendees, but things came up (as they often do). We missed you and hope that you can make it to the next Camp Stimey meet-up.
We had a great time. This particular nature center is the best because they have a lot to do. There is a canoe and a hut, an area with old-timey log cabin furnishings, a play room with toys and small reptiles, and several birds.
They also have a large room set up to look like the outdoors, complete with pond (and live turtles and fish!), a bridge, animal taxidermy (I know. But the kids like it.), and even a cave for little guys to climb through.
There are no ropes or signs telling you where to go or not go, but it's pretty obvious. You know, unless you tend to look at the world a little differently.
I have never been so surprised in my life as when I looked up at the top of the cave only to see Jack petting the stuffed animal as far away from the ground (and safety) as he could possibly get.
To my credit, I dropped my camera and ran to save him instead of taking a photo. So you will have to accept my artist's rendition.
Just know that he was up high and far away.
It was REALLY disconcerting.
Of course by "save him," I mean, "go stand by the cave entrance and start counting from one to three over and over to cajole him down."
To his credit, he came right over and came down.
"I was being careful. I was keeping my balance," he kept telling me. I didn't want to yell at him because, really, it was not clearly marked that you weren't allowed up there. But then again, I wanted to impress upon him that he had been in the wrong place. Poor guy. He definitely got the message, but I think he was a little confused.
Now aren't you sorry you missed that?
And if you're not sorry you missed that, aren't you sorry that you missed the forced hiking we insisted our kids do?
But we did see some cool animals. Even some that weren't wards of the nature center. For example, we saw either the fattest otter known to humankind, or the least beavery-tailed beaver.
And even though it was dicey for a while, we didn't lose a single child. Although mine were definitely the most ill behaved. And most likely to wander off.
It was definitely, finally (mostly) a Camp Stimey Ology week SUCCESS! Thanks for coming, E and Urban Mama! Team Stimey had a great time with you!
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