Plllll-ease Can We Drive the bus?

If you don't know who Mo Willems is then you will have no idea what the heck I am doing in this page of a book....

When I was in Boston I sweet talked The Captain into going to the Eric Carle Museum in Amherst. (Eric Carle wrote the Very Hungry Caterpillar and illustrated Brown Bear, Brown Bear.) I have always wanted to go to the museum and finally go the chance. The bonus was, a Mo Willems' exhibit. I was in teacher heaven....more photos to follow and details of my trip but I have to pack because we are leaving tomorrow for...BACKPACKING in the Channel Islands!!

And I will return to this:

 There are 38 boxes...10 more arriving from the heat sensitive area AND everything from my classroom that was carried over on the last day. I had to be out of my old room by 1 p.m. on the last day of school...anything left was thrown in the dumpster.

I am moving into a portable classroom..so the principal told me that the rest of my items didn't have to be packed for storage...I could just move them into the portable. Great plan...BUT, the speech teacher used the portable last school year and she wouldn't pack her boxes. Then she wouldn't let my volunteer parents in the room to put my teaching items in the cupboards...she was very uncooperative to say the least. On the last day, 20 minutes before saying good bye to my students, each child and parent carried a item over to the portable and set it on the floor, or on a table or counter top...and that was how my room was left. The other teacher's items were in boxes but she did not have them sent to storage...she said the janitor told her to leave them in the classroom- which he did not. There was a party for teachers afterwards...where the janitor told me my new classroom would not be cleaned this summer because there was too much stuff in the room! We are not allowed in the classrooms due to construction, but last night after the workers were gone I went to drop off supplies I purchased for the school year. I wanted to cry...my room is so full of boxes and my students desks and chairs are not in the classroom yet! There is a giant rust stain on the new vinyl where the teacher had her file cabinet and she must have spilled tea....this portable is only one school year old! She has locked the giant teacher cabinets because her files are inside...and I cannot move anything into those cabinets. I have next Friday after teacher meetings to prepare my classroom. So for now, I am heading to the island and erasing this mess from my mind until I have to be back to work.

*LIVESTRONG*LOVESTRONGER*LAUGH HARDER*HIKE AN ISLAND*DON'T

 THINK ABOUT WORK*

The Berlin Wall...

... in Portland, Maine!

Crappy cell photo

We had a great time at the Waterfront...onto Boston via Amtrak today.
Just 1 lost camera, 1 flight delay, 1 rental car fiasco...but lots of good times.

*LIVESTRONG*LOVESTRONGER*LAUGH HARDER*A PIECE OF HISTORY THAT

 IS BETTER TORN DOWN* 

9-11

The Captain and I had a blast in NYC. We had an amazing hotel right over the 9-11 Memorial. In fact, it was the only place we could see Ground Zero. When I booked the hotel on Priceline, (Yep, name your price,) I knew which hotel it was before we paid for it because of the description. Our room overlooked the sight and we could see the people lined up to get into the park and view the reflecting pools. But it wasn't until I was actually down there that it hit me. People on this very spot jumped from the inferno... out the blown out windows, to their death. It was a choice- burn to death or jump- holding the hand of someone they knew- or didn't know until that moment. The very spot where terrorists crashed planes full of innocent people.

Although it was almost 12 years ago I vividly remember listening to the radio that morning as I was lying in bed. When I heard the news I jumped up, switched on the TV...and then the second hit. I woke up my children and had them come down. The Captain was on his way to work. I didn't want to send my kids to school...I didn't want to go to work...but I tried to keep things as normal as possible. That day the kindergartners didn't know much about what had happened. As I worked parents filled me in on other flights that were off course and eventually of what had happened. All flights were ordered to the closest airports....it was eerie at recess with no planes overhead...my school was right under the flight path...so we were used to the noise of planes coming and going from SFO.

The next day children were talking....we were told to keep things normal and try not to let the younger kids discuss what had happened. Our school and community seemed to unite that first week. Flags were flown and cars and had decals and USA!! stickers on them. Fire trucks flew the American Flag on board and wore NYFD on their sleeves.

On the first anniversary of 9-11, Daughter #1 was in the hospital with a cancer diagnosis. I bought little flags for every child on the cancer wing's IV/med pumps. I hung a full size flag from her window which overlooked the hospital parking garage. Again our community was united. I didn't think about the people who jumped, or the little children who were born and would never know their fathers...I just kept going.

But yesterday, I had a hard time sleeping. I kept thinking that right there, where I had walked, people died....LOTS of people. And it wasn't an accident- or mother nature, or a freak happening...it was on purpose. 3,000 people were murdered. I am happy there is a memorial there...but I am unhappy that the entire thing happened and we have a reason to have that memorial. I am sure my father felt that way when he returned to the places he was actively fighting in during WWII. So very sad.

On a happier note, Amtrak was only 1 hour behind today and we are at

Viagara Niagara Falls!

This is the Canadian side from our hotel room!

*LIVESTRONG*LOVESTRONGER*LAUGH HARDER*DON'T GO OVER IN A BARREL*

We walked in her crown today....

And it was awesome!

*LIVESTRONG*LOVESTRONGER*LAUGH HARDER*CLIMB A WHOLE LOT OF STAIRS*

Another item checked off my bucket list....

Although it wasn't the old stadium where the Babe played, it is still Yankees Stadium.

And although my Angels lost miserably, I managed to get myself there via subway, buy a ticket, watch the game and get myself back- through the not so nice neighborhood, and safely back to the hostel...with my souvenir cup!

*LIVESTRONG*LOVESTRONGER*LAUGH HARDER*LOVE  BASEBALL*

I looked for Jerry and Elaine...

but didn't even see Kramer or George...I guess they are still in jail?

*LIVESTRONG*LOVESTRONGER*LAUGH HARDER*MY BRAIN IS FULL*

Oakland, Denver, Phillie and Newark

I airport hopped today...Phillie wasn't in the plans, but what the heck...I have never been to Pennsylvania so why not cross that state off my list?! 

As we approached Newark, 30 minutes early the radar went out for all New York Airports. We circled...and circled until we were out of fuel....so we went to Phillie, landed, got fueled up and headed back to Newark. 

Loooong day. I am at the hostel now and boy I got some looks....like...what is that old lady doing here? But for $50 in New York City, right near Columbia....I am doing the same thing they are...N.Y. on the cheap!

*LIVESTRONG*LOVESTRONGER*LAUGH HARDER*AIRPORT HOPPING IS NOT 

ALL IT IS CRACKED UP TO BE*

Welcome to Denver....

...Now wait 2 hours for you connecting flight.....

 

 

 

*LIVESTRONG*LOVESTRONGER*

LAUGH HARDER*TRAVEL ALL DAY TO

GET TO NEW YORK!*

N Zed- Round Two

We dropped her off at SFO and she flew Air New Zealand....the finest flight I have ever taken, to Auckland. 46 pounds in the backpack, 24 in the carry on and another 15 in the small backpack...enough for a year!

Have fun kiddo!

*LIVESTRONG*LOVESTRONGER*LAUGH HARDER*TRAVEL WHILE YOU'RE YOUNG*

Ready, Set.....

                            .... BACK TO SCHOOL      NO!    GO ON VACATION!!

It feels like summer is just beginning for me....Sunday I leave for New York. I will spend a week at Columbia University's Teacher's College for the Reading Institute. I am soooo excited.

When it ends on Friday, I will meet up with The Captain at a hotel. I am sure I will be ready for our own room after staying in a hostel all week. On Saturday we have tickets to the CROWN of the Statue of Liberty and then we will take in a Broadway show that night. Then on Sunday we will take Amtrak to Niagara Falls in Ontario. That is what we have planned so far....and our return tickets. We will be home for two days and then we will leave for backpacking on Santa Cruz Island, in Channel Island National Park.

School does not begin for kids until September 11, due to the remodeling of all the schools. I am sooooo enjoying this long summer. All my bloggy friends are getting their classrooms ready and I am going on vacation! I am sure I will be posting a different version of this next June when everyone is out of school and I am still working until JUNE 25!! But for now I will enjoy my summer.

I usually don't post my vacation plans but we have people staying at our house and taking care of the animals...so if you planned to steal my Pez collection you'll have to try another time.

Today I finished canning the last of the salsa thanks to a friend for bringing me a ton of tomatoes! I also canned tomatoes with basil and garlic when I ran out of the rest of the peppers and celantro....that will make for some great spaghetti sauce and chili! I just wish I had apricots to make jam.

*LIVESTRONG*LOVESTRONGER*LAUGH HARDER* ENJOY THE LONG SUMMER*

Le

Tour de France Peninsula...as close as I got to France this summer....but it was an adventure.

We usually ride the 62 miler...but we have friends coming over and we needed to get home...so we opted for the 31 miler. Good move on our part- It wasn't crowded  at the finish and for the first time, I got the correct size t-shirt...usually everyone who does the shorter rides take all the size small shirts....and I get stuck with a men's medium or an XL- even though I put down a small on my entry form. There were lots of freebies from the vendors and they hadn't run out of tri tip sandwiches at the food booth.

This ride benefits the county parks and is my 5th year participating. One area of the ride was through an area closed to cars on Sundays which is sponsored by the parks...so we had the entire road to ourselves. Another part of the ride was through Sawyer Camp Trail along the reservoir, which is for bike or foot traffic only BUT for today was closed to the public and open only for the riders...so we didn't have to worry about pedestrians or cyclists coming the opposite direction. The bonus is that I am not tired like I would be if I rode the 62 miles.

*LIVESTRONG*LOVESTRONGER*LAUGH HARDER* RIDE THE RIDE*