April 16th

Now that was a proper Field Trip. We walked a long ways (I think it was around 2 miles to get there, but Joel thought it was more like three, and my rudimentary technological skills have not allowed me to verify it), but anyways, it was a good walk, and every one of these kids is a rock star walker. There is so much to see as we walk, and with twelve eyes looking, we notice all sorts of things that I would never notice alone. It was a little slower coming back, but we stopped for a couple of snack stops and kept on chugging. There was very little complaining. Virtually none. Literally. And everyone was happy with our destination, a little cove along the river: lots of rocks to throw in the water, rocks to stack, rocks to paint, rocks to climb on, ducks to admire and feed (hope it's okay to bend the 'don't feed the wildlife rule sometimes...a little?), and a flat area to sit and eat lunch, play cards, read stories, and create art. I do need to find a picnic lunch that pleases all, because peanut butter sandwiches with honey or jam didn't quite elicit the response I was hoping for. Next time.

We all need a nice bath and an early night, and I think everyone will sleep very well.

Meanwhile, Blue Raven installed solar panels on our roof and the electricians 'did stuff' in our electric panels, and in a couple of weeks when everything is inspected and detected, we will be harvesting energy from the sun and sending it back into the grid.

At least that's how I understand it.