So Moffat has a crazy cousin named Elliott that randomly shows up on trips with some of my students.  He did it again and is keeping Brooklyn and her family company on their trip to Oregon.  Brooklyn is taking the photography rather seriously and her mom is sending me daily photos of Brooklyn's photography efforts.

I am thrilled with the photos she is sending.  I use these photos to create slideshows and videos for the kids to use in class for research.  I have photos from all 50 states, but am always happy for more!  Go Brooklyn!  Thanks for taking such good care of those rabbits!!!

I am inspired by the photos at Fort Clatsop and can't wait to add them to my Thomas Jefferson  and Lewis and Clark collection of pictures!

We are on a cleaning kick at our house, one of those great things to do in the summer when there is extra time.  For me, the never ending battle is managing the ephemera, photos, class work and paper samples.  My husband has to work to manage his workshop with building materials.

As I was going through a box, I came across this collection of rocks and put them out on top of the washing machine.  My husband came in and asked, "Honey, where did these rocks come from?"

At this point and time, that is a great question.  I have gathered them here and there on our family travels.  Unfortunately, I have not labeled or marked them in any way.

Note to self: Label any unidentifiable objects when they first come home!

If you come to Colorado Springs, there is one thing you cannot miss...the mountain, Pikes Peak to be exact.  It looms over the city as a splendid backdrop.  As a native, I am appreciative of this magnificent backdrop on a daily basis. As a tourist, you might choose several ways to enjoy this majestic mountain that Katharine Lee Bates was so inspired by, she wrote "America The Beautiful".  You might go to the top via the Cog Railway or drive to the top or you might tackle the Manitou Incline.  Oddly, this summer, we have done two.

I do not consider myself to be an athletic person in the least.       I am in reasonable shape, free of health issues.  My husband wanted to tackle the Manitou Incline as a health challenge.  In my mind, it sounds like a great thing.  After all, I am a native to the city and it seems like something I should do. On a physical level, it was brutal and there was a point and time that I was cursing my husband's idea.

We made it!  It took us just under two hours to complete the climb which has a distance of .8 miles. Not much, right?  Well in that .8 miles, you gain elevation of 2,000 and climb almost 3,000 steps.  Along the way, you chat with people as most of them are huffing and puffing and gasping for air just like you.  Can't imagine the people that come from sea level!  You get to hear some of their stories.

There was a woman who had had a complete knee replacement.  A man who had had open heart surgery. A couple from Austin, Texas. A man who had memories of it as a teenager. There was also a seven-year-old boy that had the energy and agility to have done the climb twice as he was circling around us proclaiming how fun the incline was. I did not hear that from any of the adults.

In the end, I am very proud that we made it to the top and that we did it together.  I don't need to do it again.  When my husband first posted pictures, I had not sent him any with Moffat and a parent inquired as to where he was.  He of course went.  That's part of my story.

My morning reading buddy, Henry.

Summer is here!  Yes, I know it is now July 5th, but I taught all of June and am now feeling like I can accomplish some things on my own time.  One of my to-dos is to read everyday.  I know for many, this is not a thing that one must think of, but for me, I have to be very intentional about it.  My creative side prefers to write, create, and do rather than read.

So what's on my list?  Well, you might be surprised.

I have two libraries at our house, filled with children's geography and history books.  I am always looking for new mentor texts and people of interest to share with my students.  With this being said, I have checked out our school's entire collection of Cobblestone magazines for the reading project.  I am also enjoying the collection of books that my students this past year. I have several lengthier books that I am covering in post it notes to take back for teaching resources.  

One of my goals is to continue to find those strong stories to take back to my kids.  As part of our leadership team at school, we are working on character development.  I want to have a strong collection of heroes that I can weave into our school lessons.

I am also enjoying the graphic design and inspiration in so many books.  These books and the Cobblestone magazines are going to serve as exiting mentor texts for the students to show their thinking in new and creative ways.  

Stay tuned as I begin sharing some of my favorites to take back to the classroom in the fall.