Wildlife Center, Asheville NC

Abby and her friends Winston and Lincoln got a chance to learn 1st hand about the animals at the North Carolina Wildlife Center.

Sliding Rock, Asheville NC

Ok, sliding down a waterfall in late October might not be everyone's idea of fun, but why not??!!



We decided to go to Sliding Rock and although it was only 65 degrees outside and the water was in the 50's, we jumped in and slid down!


Never let it be said that the Bennett or the Sloan families pass by an any opportunity!

LEAF Festival

What a great time we had at the LEAF Festival! We got to see old friends and meet new ones, enjoy all the music and arts, learned to hula hoop, hang out around the campfire, be in a parade, and just generally chill and relax!

Abby's Fairy House Business

Abby has opened her own business - Fairy House. She made homemade fairy crowns & wands to sell in the store and at the LEAF Festival. She created her own business plan, including expense and income reports, and made up posters to advertise for them. She did so well at her business that she sold out of everything this year at LEAF and made $135.

Washington DC block city

I came in one day this summer to see Abby spread out on the floor with her blocks. She built the entire city of Washington DC, including the reflecting pool, Arlington Cemetery, the White House, Pentagon, etc. She even had people driving their cars and walking though town.

Guess she remembered a lot from our trip there two years ago!

Saratoga Springs, Fault Line, Redwoods

Saratoga Springs Campground - a rushing stream running by your camper, the sounds of squirrels collecting nuts, nature all around, what could be better? Our last campground left a lot to be desired, and it is nice to have moved on. We are right on the San Andreas Fault Line, (http://geology.com/articles/san-andreas-fault.shtml) so it's been a great homeschool lesson for Abby, Zoe & Ayden to learn about earthquakes. We all decided to hike up to see the actual fault, but unfortunately we never made it as the earth had shifted too much and had created mountains where the trail once existed.



We did however get to see the Redwoods at a nearby State Park and learn all about the wildlife there.

San Francisco area with friends

San Francisco is a fun area to explore, and even better to do it with friends. We had met Bobbi & Eric at the FOTR Rally and knew they would be in the area, so we decided to hook up with them for a couple weeks and explore. I was also surprised to find an old high school friend who lived near San Jose on Facebook and enjoy a homemade pizza dinner at their house one night.



The Winchester Mystery House was built by the owner's of the Winchester Rifle & Gun Company, and when the husband died, the wife went crazy. Insisting that the spirits of the dead who had been killed by Winchester guns were haunting the house, she was "told" that they could be kept at bay if she just kept building. So she did. Stairways that go nowhere, doors exiting off the second floor with no way out, secret rooms, half finished rooms, etc (notice the door on the second floor in the picture above)



The Santa Cruz Boardwalk was a cool experience. The Harbor Seals slept and played in the framework of the docks, while starfish of all different colors made their home there too.





We also got to go to the Redwood Forest...


learn about the Golden Gate and Suspension Bridges....


have shrimp at Bubba Gump's on Pier One....


see how Boudin's Bakery makes their amazingly cool bread animals.....


and step back in time at Haight & Ashbury

Solvang, California - A Dutch Village in the U.S.

Did we take a wrong turn somewhere and accidentally end up in the Netherlands?? If you can't afford the trip overseas, what better way to get a first hand education of a working Dutch Village than to visit Solvang. This small town is filled with authentic Dutch architecture, food and shops.

Hollywood

Well we didn't make it into the movies, but we did get to see all the glitz of Hollywood. Our friends Bryce & Steve, Kati & Vern, Joleen & Dave, and Pete & Rita all met downtown. Some of the kids went to the Jonas Brother's premier movie, others went thru Ripley's Believe it Or Not Museum, we saw the footprints of the stars, and just generally wandered around. All in all I wasn't too impressed and I'm sure none of the REAL stars would ever be caught dead around all the tourist traps that overshadowed everything. We did miss the big event that night though, when Kati, Vern, Pete & Rita (and the KIDS!!) all somehow managed to get on the A-list and get into one of the hot nightclubs and meet the owners.

West Coast Family's on the Road Rally

FOTR RALLY

If I could have planned out a rally and put exactly the people there
that I thought would be the most fun, I couldn't have made it any cooler
than the California FOTR Rally turned out to be!

We had great fun meeting new friends...

Abby & Cassie Rose

Eddy & Jason, Abby & Auni


Hanging out with old friends....

Eddy, Vern & Steve

Pete, Steve, Rita, Bryce, Gayle, Eddy, Connor

CLICK HERE for More Pictures of our FOTR Friends

Playing music & having fun around the campfire....

Kati & Rita


Music on the beach

Abby playing the guitar

Karen, Steve, John, Gayle, & kids

Jason, Kara & Auni

CLICK HERE for More Campfire Pictures

Enjoying all the fun things there were to do...

Curtis's Music Class

Abby, Cassie Rose, Sierra & Auni blowing bubbles

Exploring Tide Pools

CLICK HERE for More Tide Pool Pictures


Abby & Winston playing in the hot tub

CLICK HERE for More Pictures of FOTR Fun



Visit more websites and blogs about the FOTR Rally

VISIT THE OFFICIAL FOTR RALLY WEBSITE - More Pics

The DeMichiel Family - Great blog, lots of pictures

The Robinson Family

Mali Mish Family

Calico Ghost Town and the Civil War Re-enactment

What a Cool Place!!

We found out that Calico was going to have the Civil War Re-enactment so we packed up our bags and left Las Vegas so we could get there by the weekend. Although the Civil War didn't actually take place in California, it was a good opportunity to re-enforce what Abby learned in Virginia about the Civil War. Abby even got a chance to meet "Abe Lincoln"

Both the Union and the Confederate troops had set up encampments in the ghost town and the streets were full of actors in costume.

Plus, since Calico is actually a working ghost town, Abby was able to experience Pioneer life with the many activities they have there -

like leather working....


and making our own rope jump ropes....


and sitting in on class in the old school house

Yeah, Vegas Baby!

The Volcano at the Mirage - Circus acts and amusement rides at Circus Circus - M&M Factory Tour - Fountains of Bellagio - Aquariums, Robotics & Trojan Horse at Ceasars - Lions at the MGM - Finding pearls in oysters - Gondola ride and dinner at the Venetian - lots of fun!

Things Abby learned:

• how aquariums work
• how robots are made
• about the Trojan horse
• how antiquing is done to make the wood look like marble
  
• where pearls come from and about Oyster farms
• all about lions
• about the Eiffel tower
• plus, she got to visit with her friend Taryn who lives in Vegas!

Things we did:

• got a babysitter (Taryn's mom) and went out for our anniversary to the Venetian - the gondolier sang us songs as we rode down the Grand Canal in Venice, we kissed under each bridge, and we were serenaded at the Italian restaurant where we at dinner
• very little gambling
• same as Abby