Sunday, September 16, 2012

Adventures in Italy


Our family went to Italy for two weeks this summer. We lived in Italy for two years before Jay started kindergarten at McDonald Elementary School.  So it was very nice to be back to meet Jay's old classmates and teacher in Trani, the town we lived in, in Southern Italy, Puglia province.  If you look at a map of Italy, many people think it is shaped like a boot kicking a soccer ball.  The heel of the boot is Puglia, where we lived.



This is a street in Trani. As you can see, the road is made of cobble stones. Italian small towns have very narrow streets because the towns were formed a long time ago before cars were made. So, many of the streets only allow one car to drive down them. The result of that is that most of the streets in the town are one way streets so it's like a maze because the buildings were made out of  stone, and there are no clear landmarks!



We also visited an island, Sardinia, which is situated in the middle of the Mediterranean sea, closer to Africa than Italy.  The color of the sea there is a blue that we had never seen before. Jay and his brother went to the beach for most of time during the day.








We took a boat to visit the Gulf di Orosei, on the east coat of the island.






These are houses in Cagliari, Sardinia's capital.




We could see wild flamingos resting in the city.


They are flying wild flamingos!




This is the Sardinian bread, "Pane Carasau". Sardinia has more sheep than it has people. The bread was conceived for shepherds, who used to stay far from home for months at a time. Pane carasau can last up to one year if it is kept dry. This bread is flat and very light. We couldn't stop eating!




Gelato!




These are basics of Italian cusine: tomatoes, olives, and mozzarella on the Italian bread!

Tuesday, September 4, 2012

Interior videos of opening day...

For those who missed opening day and want to look inside the new school...

The hallway...


Room 206, 2nd Grade Literacy, Ms. Kathleen's room, Part I


Room 206, 2nd Grade Literacy, Ms. Kathleen's room, Part II



Monday, August 20, 2012

Saturday, August 18, 2012

Sneak Preview - Ms. Kathleen's Room 206 (2nd grade Japanese)

The school is closed to the public but teachers have limited, restricted access so we can finally UNPACK all the classroom supplies and set up our rooms.  I was there Friday, 8/17th on that 92F day.  The room in the morning was quite pleasant.  The old fashion ceiling fan and open windows air conditioning worked beautifully and keep the room temperature cool.  The hardwood floors were gleaming and everything looks lovingly restored; it was a welcoming space.

Here is a video overview of the room with furniture.


Here is a video of a really cool feature of the room.



September 5th, here we come!


Wednesday, August 8, 2012

Bruno



Their soles were completely ripped out and strewn in little pieces all over the bed.  They were my favorite shoes.  I thought the house was abnormally quiet when I walked in.  After a long day, all I wanted was to plop down on my bed and hang with my dog. 

"BRUNO!" I thundered.  I tumbled down the stairs yelling, "BAD DOGGIE! COME HERE!".  I crossed my arms and grimly waited.  His paws scraped the hardwoods as he reluctantly dragged his feet to me.  His body posture screamed GUILTY.



His head drooped.
His tail drooped.
His belly sagged.

Now I was the one who felt bad.  I reduced my happy puppy to this lump of misery.  "Oh, Bruno", I sighed.  I sat down and we snuggled.  He ventured a kiss.  No reaction.  He laid his head on my lap.  My hand automatically lifted to stroke his back..  I felt him relax under my caresses.  We knew he was forgiven.

Thursday, July 26, 2012

Jetty Island Day Trip - July 26th

Charlotte, Josie and our friend, Fiona (1st Sp) are pictured here on 
the ferry to Jetty Island, just off the Port of Everett. 

We went over on the ferry today to Jetty Island with our younger siblings and our moms. It's super fun and the beaches are really beautiful. There are no buildings, no electricity and no plumbing on the island (just a bathroom by the dock). We want to come back every week!

Jetty island is a man-made island composed of river sediment. The Port of Evertt gained ownership of Jetty Island in 1929 and, with the help of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, built a new marsh of dredged river materials in 1889. 

Juvenile salmon, waterfowl and bald eagles are just a few examples of the wildlife currently living on Jetty Island. 



Monday, July 16, 2012

Celebrating Canada Day in Canada

Whereas July 4th is considered the birthday of the United States, July 1st is the birthday of Canada!  We vacationed in Canada on July 1st and stayed at a condo right on the inner harbor where they set off the fireworks.  We had a perfect view of the water.


We watched the fireworks from the lawn outside of the condo...


It was very beautiful to see them against the background of the lit up parliament buildings...