One photo, so many things to love:

*300 year old barn
*Intergenerational experiences
*Esme’s braids
*Hidden, surprise turtle guest

*Polly Hill Arboretum
*Nursing mama and baby
*Shade on a sweltering Summer day
*Mossy, by Jan Brett

It was sunny this morning when we left home for the beach. A short bike ride and a walk through the dunes later, however, the sky looked much more foreboding. We got a swim in and a walk to the end of the jetty before the sky opened up and the rain started.

Since we were already wet from swimming we weren’t too concerned about ourselves, but we did bring lunch and eating in the rain didn’t sound too fun. I originally spread a towel from one rock to the other, but Catherine had other ideas.

She dragged over pieces of driftwood and set them on top, making a wider framework to hold up the towel. She later added a perpendicular piece to the back for a second towel to block the rain and ‘more room’.

I think she spent more time building the shelter than we actually needed to use it. I loved her quick thinking and creativity and her perseverance through the trial and error phase. We left it up even after the rain stopped and I sat in its shade for a long time. I’m so thankful for the rain as it sparked her creativity and gave her a great reason to build something useful.

The whole process made me think about Island of the Blue Dolphins. I didn’t remember until today that it had been based on a true story, but I remembered loving Karana’s will to survive and her self sufficiency. We’ll probably look for it at the library soon, I think Catherine will identify with her unique ways of solving problems and creating useful things.

While walking home from sending Peter off on the ferry, our eagle eyed girls discovered a faerie door on the docks. What joy a tiny door can bring!

Peter snapped this great shot of me and my girl. Just this week she has gained a confidence in the waves that we haven’t seen in her before now. I am having such a great time watching her test her bravery and boundaries. She’s doing so great! She definitely inherited my love of the water!

Speaking of games- we’ve had a lovely time playing a few new games with Melanie and Allison. New to the girls, of course, but not to us.

This great game, Wide World, was a staple of our summer game playing in the late eighties. Melanie’s version of the game, Canadian, from the seventies, was well loved by us and it was sooo fun to introduce the girls to it.

They felt the simultaneous joys and hazards of rolling a six. They flew to Perth and circled Venezuela far longer than anyone really wanted to. They learned that cotton was an important product of the US and that Lenningrad was an outdated place name.

The game, originally published in 1957, has certainly lasted the test of time with our little test subjects! I alway have my eye trained to find the game at thrift shops, but now I’m feeling the urge to start stalking ebay!

How, you might be asking yourself, did we end up sitting on the porch, accusing Mrs White of killing Mr Boddy in the hall with the lead pipe?

I’m glad you asked! One of the performances at Built on Stilts earlier this week used some of the soundtrack from the Clue movie as their music. The girls read it in the program and asked what Clue was. That led to discussions about weekend parties at country houses and murder and ‘who-done-it’ and lead pipes.

Having never played the game, I sought out my old clue playing partner, Melanie, who brought over the whole kit and caboodle.

It took a game or two for them to really get the hang of it, but they definitely enjoyed the game. Who would have thought that a dance festival would have led us to murder mysteries which led us to logic puzzle type crime solving. Unschooling is the best.

Catherine, engrossed in the annual painting of the lantern for Grand Illumination.

Here a great post by local artist Susan Branch about our little festival.

From the beach on Monday.

Sun, blue skies and a new place to climb and pose. Perfect for our beach girl.

We arrived on Island today in time to catch the last three days of one of our favorite summer happenings, Built on Stilts.

This multi night, homegrown dance festival can only be described as amazing. Each night begins with a improve drum circle while the dancers warm up. It is followed by two acts, each with five to seven different dance performances.

The performers range from little kids to senior citizens. They are short, tall, thin and heavy set. Their performances are hip hop and ballroom and modern and eclectic. The music choices are as broad as the performers themselves.

For free, just feet from us, we were able to watch these amazing dancers do what they love. We talked about dance style, music styles and the concept of performance art. The girls sat transfixed through traditional-type dances and were completely unfazed by the more conceptual pieces. They made connections with what they were seeing to other performances or shows or ideas they already had a handle on.

I love that we get to see the drumming- the random, yet intentional rhythms changing subtly over time. The mixed ages of the drummers and their varying styles of dress and instruments bringing together many different people.

I love that we can see the dancers warm up- not yet in costume, joining with other dancers, showing us the preparation and ‘work’ of performance, not just the finished product. The dancers join together in a circle and share the task of leading the warm up, one new move per person as the role moves around the room.

I love the variety of personality, dress, hairstyles, music and genre that we are exposed to. I love the questions and comments that arise and I love being part of an amazingly supportive and welcoming audience.

I wish I could share more photos, but the event is very specifically no-photos allowed. We’re asked to be present in the moment, and it couldn’t be a more awesome moment to be present in.