tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-39903694356126668362024-03-21T09:00:28.461-07:00Roxanne's Dog BlogRoxanne's blog is an educational site for children. It looks at the world through the eyes of this remarkable Golden Retriever as she discovers the wonders of creation.Roxannehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15292820452358499962noreply@blogger.comBlogger220125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3990369435612666836.post-4778219948634347652023-07-16T15:59:00.006-07:002023-07-19T16:26:30.984-07:00When Smoke Gets in Your Eyes<p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMwigUfgFZdom0ijSYgM-RktVKBgt8Xu4jFS2_QqIjcXaz1rUJ40PH7SciAtis67Kmbz--DhZEzyNa9Uas9vWpO1946nNdpKf6YssUFsB4gmYp18zBG_JFLoHwEKQyEGL_aLJxTj4M6Qc4Vj9PtaS-IEFD7qq1ZbSP0DItgtR2xNNLKT7Ml_oXmgbZq4zx/s432/Deen's%20Inlet.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="288" data-original-width="432" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMwigUfgFZdom0ijSYgM-RktVKBgt8Xu4jFS2_QqIjcXaz1rUJ40PH7SciAtis67Kmbz--DhZEzyNa9Uas9vWpO1946nNdpKf6YssUFsB4gmYp18zBG_JFLoHwEKQyEGL_aLJxTj4M6Qc4Vj9PtaS-IEFD7qq1ZbSP0DItgtR2xNNLKT7Ml_oXmgbZq4zx/w400-h266/Deen's%20Inlet.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View of Deen's Inlet from Blue Jay Lake, BC<br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table></p><p><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 24px;">When we reached Prince George, the smoke from the many wildfires in British Columbia was so thick, we could hardly see a football-field length in front of us. Weather reports rated the air as toxic. </span></p><p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvKpZBjgODhzteXaMCT-1k-PlFroQinukxysbmj4F822Qp9-rUtUdfM4MS_uW96NkFq1BSkiQMs8EqDpY0UAWrqScewoMU3Hj7UwsqsZ8veVmjHMg9WXlFwoOYCcQPrWWvxWg34NuWpzP_Y4BYIz67Qtyf6XdpVEvoROHB1Yw1SaMidVK5TmZjClYrvK94/s4032/Smoke.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvKpZBjgODhzteXaMCT-1k-PlFroQinukxysbmj4F822Qp9-rUtUdfM4MS_uW96NkFq1BSkiQMs8EqDpY0UAWrqScewoMU3Hj7UwsqsZ8veVmjHMg9WXlFwoOYCcQPrWWvxWg34NuWpzP_Y4BYIz67Qtyf6XdpVEvoROHB1Yw1SaMidVK5TmZjClYrvK94/s320/Smoke.HEIC" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Smoke from BC wildfires near Prince George<br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 24px;">Needing to catch our breath from all the driving, we decided to slow down for a day or two. We also hoped the air would be clearer on the other side of Heckman Pass. So off to Bella Coola, we went. Thankfully, the air was, indeed, much clearer.</span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 24px;"> </span></p><p><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 24px;">Bella Coola is a small, Nuxalk First Nation town along the western coast of Canada, with just over 2,000 in population. Besides its beautiful scenery, Bella Coola is known for the “Hill” or Freedom Road. It is a steep, gravel road that connects the coastal town to the mainland. The Hill drops from Heckman Pass at about 5,000 feet to sea level in just over nine miles. Parts of the road are only wide enough for a single vehicle. With hairpin turns and switchbacks, there are no guard rails. The crazy part about the road is the grade… in some places it can be as high as 18 percent. Good brakes are absolutely essential!</span></p><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 24px;">Legend has it that the townspeople got tired of waiting for the government to build the road, so they took it upon themselves. With experts saying it was an impossible endeavor, they set a bulldozer on top and one at the bottom, each working until they met. In 1953, the road was opened. </span><br style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 24px;" /><br style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 24px;" /><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 24px;">While David was in the Visitor Center, an elderly First Nation lady in a walker came by the truck, admiring Sam. She stopped to talk. Her name was Cindy. </span><br style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 24px;" /><br style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 24px;" /><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 24px;">Cindy began to tell me her story. When I couldn’t understand her pronunciation, she explained that when she was young, a drunk beat her so badly and her jaw was so broken that her brother had to pull most of her teeth with pliers. She didn’t trust the dentist, so she drank until she couldn’t feel the pain. Evidently she passed out during the first extraction. She only had seven teeth remaining. These encounters and stories people tell me touch me so deeply. I wish I could have spent hours learning more about her and how her life has turned out. Cindy left me to enjoy the music festival. </span><br style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 24px;" /><br style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 24px;" /><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 24px;">At the visitor center, David learned the ferry was due to land in the afternoon. Coupled with the small music festival scheduled for the weekend, accommodations were scarce and crowded. We found a place to camp the first night just out of town. The next morning we decided to leave the hustle and bustle and take the Clayton Falls Forest Service Road to Blue Jay Lake, about 14 miles south of Bella Coola, along Deen’s Inlet (off Whisky Bay). We had attempted the road during our last trip to Bella Coola in 2011, but we had a late start and turned around about midway. </span><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg56IP_yPHJ51v5zMjRqOpD6pgJV5trePHM_3BkNLR2fel3EUiA5B0b3DjGpf0rUgvVHZg7PY1FG4qqjOFxutvp9o9UWZ1gAUdoPbZJmXeR5Xu9Udkq4dN8F5EKkZMY2kn63Yj4L9AiPzEhPk9v6ChN_Qh58iG6qYplAJxasAZmnrgXTFILHk4Xh5zMJ556/s432/Descent%20Blue%20Jay.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="288" data-original-width="432" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg56IP_yPHJ51v5zMjRqOpD6pgJV5trePHM_3BkNLR2fel3EUiA5B0b3DjGpf0rUgvVHZg7PY1FG4qqjOFxutvp9o9UWZ1gAUdoPbZJmXeR5Xu9Udkq4dN8F5EKkZMY2kn63Yj4L9AiPzEhPk9v6ChN_Qh58iG6qYplAJxasAZmnrgXTFILHk4Xh5zMJ556/s320/Descent%20Blue%20Jay.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Road to Blue Jay Lake</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 24px;">The road to the lake was extremely rocky and rough, with deep ruts and many washouts. It took us three hours to go just over fourteen miles and gain 4,900 feet in elevation. The lake and view of Deen’s Inlet, however, made the trip worthwhile. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 24px;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFU0ozXbcHWNudFYgM3j-8wnZjyJ6nu9efvxuiLGHb4Ll3FwFdEHeaJsBHJb_p08j2HZ3GnnGZiYIP86p7czFteq6ER0epM_TRpPnfZ8LlvTyutpgi11DcAdW07a-XJR5Du-eW79XAdnN_D9_5AJjWUoCZrcicoTrrA-75HTtfEAxspCTC4_LQ19ZDoSwk/s4032/Deen's%20Inlet2.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFU0ozXbcHWNudFYgM3j-8wnZjyJ6nu9efvxuiLGHb4Ll3FwFdEHeaJsBHJb_p08j2HZ3GnnGZiYIP86p7czFteq6ER0epM_TRpPnfZ8LlvTyutpgi11DcAdW07a-XJR5Du-eW79XAdnN_D9_5AJjWUoCZrcicoTrrA-75HTtfEAxspCTC4_LQ19ZDoSwk/s320/Deen's%20Inlet2.HEIC" width="240" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 24px;"><br /></span></div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYLKDZQl1_Bvfj6iYQfZjA5bW_VTpZEJlS2rLMuM_NoVrnM4WFEJDmErwAKyupnM_97HmC8D65rZC9hRDVmS2X-2TJmjFEcoEVua3wKrvIFyJVwAOpn_rmEWdAzLhesiqs2zeUc3NxM5ybW-xDNHaa8oCCbMgiA1_3AWCS8xA5cXok7hrs7JU_pU3CVqzK/s4032/Sam%20and%20David%20at%20Blue%20Jay.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYLKDZQl1_Bvfj6iYQfZjA5bW_VTpZEJlS2rLMuM_NoVrnM4WFEJDmErwAKyupnM_97HmC8D65rZC9hRDVmS2X-2TJmjFEcoEVua3wKrvIFyJVwAOpn_rmEWdAzLhesiqs2zeUc3NxM5ybW-xDNHaa8oCCbMgiA1_3AWCS8xA5cXok7hrs7JU_pU3CVqzK/s320/Sam%20and%20David%20at%20Blue%20Jay.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">David and Sam at Blue Jay Lake</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 24px;">We spent the afternoon letting Sam swim, taking walks, and soaking in the fresh, brisk air.</span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 24px;"> </span></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQchb22_nkNCd9RHEuo5UiJfOQ_NhlZ2WddDs6pOs68G8u2Swx0xbzotXo332QgbMXD-ouJycUxllB1yVkszFLI_x9-9p8Lh7QzxDg32RO_kSu_8p9K1TSCqgA5YbgRz0Hogcrlwdueh-96WP3upIAVYwAfo0Cm0r-3qtLcJN1DjarAoUF1jC5_mtr8Ae2/s432/Sam%20at%20Blue%20Jay2.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="288" data-original-width="432" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQchb22_nkNCd9RHEuo5UiJfOQ_NhlZ2WddDs6pOs68G8u2Swx0xbzotXo332QgbMXD-ouJycUxllB1yVkszFLI_x9-9p8Lh7QzxDg32RO_kSu_8p9K1TSCqgA5YbgRz0Hogcrlwdueh-96WP3upIAVYwAfo0Cm0r-3qtLcJN1DjarAoUF1jC5_mtr8Ae2/s320/Sam%20at%20Blue%20Jay2.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWI3E3fsSTVu4IPAVac6qEtZTYJggQL0eOBxyzCD_xAQxbqWHxWp02ixkM9dt0oieW-KTLMzLRBsBjanl6Shxho2yBRp_Y4ACZeYFuVZlwulHhLkRr7ZNZmB2TDDIySVu5Gpj20_WHORNDkAu8nXgKcQuVcBHNsGnXLPAodokezpQ0_z33F-1VZdSun9eQ/s432/Sam%20at%20Blue%20Jay.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="288" data-original-width="432" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWI3E3fsSTVu4IPAVac6qEtZTYJggQL0eOBxyzCD_xAQxbqWHxWp02ixkM9dt0oieW-KTLMzLRBsBjanl6Shxho2yBRp_Y4ACZeYFuVZlwulHhLkRr7ZNZmB2TDDIySVu5Gpj20_WHORNDkAu8nXgKcQuVcBHNsGnXLPAodokezpQ0_z33F-1VZdSun9eQ/s320/Sam%20at%20Blue%20Jay.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 24px;" /><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 24px;">Another early morning wake-up call by Sam put us on the road by seven. Onward we go, hoping to slow down once we get past the fires and on the Cassiar Highway.</span><br style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 24px;" /></div>Roxannehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15292820452358499962noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3990369435612666836.post-3728360680310070552023-07-14T15:23:00.001-07:002023-07-19T15:58:16.543-07:00Welcome to Our 2023 Trip<div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM9pAiWxrMmwPRF9tFsgRy33X2A4Ei_UEsxyVymSWRNR3CVWHvO_OwDeT_zW5s_bcA6sHGi0LDCeNG0B3liKnr8bACAXrBBwIiH4FIDZ4cyxiGSUd8jf7RoAVCW0T3Tu7Y_sUOGHmTWqJqZfPFRMnIUmmuO07lVuljGzGCgjlx4mqedsa22SLaVAdn1jzQ/s320/DSC03160%20(1).jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="320" data-original-width="214" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM9pAiWxrMmwPRF9tFsgRy33X2A4Ei_UEsxyVymSWRNR3CVWHvO_OwDeT_zW5s_bcA6sHGi0LDCeNG0B3liKnr8bACAXrBBwIiH4FIDZ4cyxiGSUd8jf7RoAVCW0T3Tu7Y_sUOGHmTWqJqZfPFRMnIUmmuO07lVuljGzGCgjlx4mqedsa22SLaVAdn1jzQ/s1600/DSC03160%20(1).jpeg" width="214" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Meet Sam, our newest addition to the family.</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 24px;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 24px;">Welcome to our travels! It’s been five years since we visited Alaska. In 2019, we journeyed to Australia. Then the pandemic hit, and the Canadian border was closed. We are excited to be on our way north once again. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 24px;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 24px;">We’re also breaking in our new traveling companion, Sam. Six years after losing our beloved Roxanne, we decided to open our hearts to another Golden. Samantha is not quite two years old and still a handful. Goldens are slow to mature, and Sam seems to be stretching the limits, but she’s ours. Hope springs eternal that she will soon settle from crazy dog to obedient. Hopefully this trip will be a positive for all. </span><br style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 24px;" /><br style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 24px;" /><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 24px;">Summer came early to Texas. We broke 100 degrees in early June. Normally those temperatures are not seen until July. As a result, we have been pushing hard to reach cooler climes. It has already been a journey. It has taken six days for us to reach the Canadian border.</span><br style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 24px;" /><br style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 24px;" /><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 24px;">We steered through the Fish Creek wild horses and Steen Mountain wild horse areas. But wild horses are elusive and take time to find. We decided to just mark their territories and move on, saving them for a later date. At least we did find five wild burros during our search. </span><div><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: large;"><br /></span><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuf3P-m-z2tZfYzpnAgDZP8oL-RIF8Q4LILuBhB4PnCFCPcntySm4EMoyoQS_9QZNpvqvW6XNplAx_d0aNHa-5zFOIYTDoaroQ3GkLzAcS4xMe_VbC4TsJ02gFer2ttWuPXLs7gTYiRhuKYkG5mU-OcDFpUZa1cL7Xy3jFWGg3Y4lRSr38Mjvj3YOzcTmO/s432/burro.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="288" data-original-width="432" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuf3P-m-z2tZfYzpnAgDZP8oL-RIF8Q4LILuBhB4PnCFCPcntySm4EMoyoQS_9QZNpvqvW6XNplAx_d0aNHa-5zFOIYTDoaroQ3GkLzAcS4xMe_VbC4TsJ02gFer2ttWuPXLs7gTYiRhuKYkG5mU-OcDFpUZa1cL7Xy3jFWGg3Y4lRSr38Mjvj3YOzcTmO/s320/burro.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wild burro near Fish Creek, Nevada</td></tr></tbody></table><div><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 24px;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 24px;">We have also felt like we were traveling through the plagues of Eqypt. We drove through a Blood-red Mormon cricket invasion in Nevada. The road was so thick with the insects crawling over one another that you could actually hear their carcasses hit the undercarriage of the truck. Our tire treads were full of their squished bodies… pretty disgusting. Some parts of the road were so thick with crickets that some drivers have reported hydroplaning on them. To give you an idea of how bad the invasion is, Nevada’s DOT has actually used snow plows to clear them from the road. (See a news report link at the bottom of the post.)</span><div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHvR4bzvL-vqw-6aEK0ZqjeXX4OW8ZjwU_D2DNDN9rMRNDRSgUtWeDLhWrxDldM9gOPwY1n72uTn9JDtXYHFD_KdcY2jdgSXPHdgEUsltWSBpVTkuvwpDrOCjG7aZ9xekJdSdrRO7fgAqZb9lvPAn9W3mUDYan2BAlWD9NeAlacjzpvItWzE0AIihpGTsX/s4032/Mormon%20cricket.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHvR4bzvL-vqw-6aEK0ZqjeXX4OW8ZjwU_D2DNDN9rMRNDRSgUtWeDLhWrxDldM9gOPwY1n72uTn9JDtXYHFD_KdcY2jdgSXPHdgEUsltWSBpVTkuvwpDrOCjG7aZ9xekJdSdrRO7fgAqZb9lvPAn9W3mUDYan2BAlWD9NeAlacjzpvItWzE0AIihpGTsX/w240-h320/Mormon%20cricket.jpg" title="Wild Burro" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Blood-red Mormon Cricket</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 24px;">Then we ran into a grasshopper invasion in southern Oregon. We would run through waves of grasshoppers jumping, flying, and hopping across the road. Sadly, many are still stuck in the truck's grill.</span><div><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 24px;"> </span></div><div><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 24px;">On we traveled. By the third morning, I was looking for my sweatshirt to ward off the chill… always a good sign. </span><br style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 24px;" /><br style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 24px;" /><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 24px;">Sam is still adjusting to our travel schedule. And the time change! She begins to whimper about five a.m., which is seven at home. Hopefully she’ll get the idea soon. It’s comical to watch her in the truck as we drive long days. Like a toddler, she flops from one position to the next, with heavy sighs and lots of drama. We try to hike with her in the evenings or camp near water so she can swim. She seems to be getting the hang of it. </span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 24px;">I’ve been concerned about crossing into Canada after their long border closure. I am happy to report, however, that it was as easy as in the past… a few pertinent questions, and we were on our merry way. It’s so good to be back in this beautiful land. </span><br style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 24px;" /><br style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 24px;" /><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 24px;">We invite you, once again, to join us on our adventure. Life is good, we are blessed, and can’t wait to see what happens next! </span></div><div><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 24px;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 24px;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 24px;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 24px;">NOTE: To learn more about the cricket invasion, here's a link to one of the news feeds: </span><a href="https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/nevada/articles/2023-06-20/blood-red-crickets-invade-nevada-town-residents-fight-back-with-brooms-leaf-blowers-snow-plows" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 24px;">https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/nevada/articles/2023-06-20/blood-red-crickets-invade-nevada-town-residents-fight-back-with-brooms-leaf-blowers-snow-plows</a></div><div><p> </p></div></div></div></div>Roxannehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15292820452358499962noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3990369435612666836.post-66531882238760414572017-06-27T10:32:00.000-07:002017-07-15T10:35:46.187-07:00First Day in Denali<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ_FGVV4CefdLbcx_V0bR1nOplRZgyIPOUvq-p4MZiT4Vnt-Ca0_qG5TRdoMJMF9V5Nir2gCkcUKBvI9IsE6GQkojYMvtGh9LaBXau5pYCkeN_kI8i8XiauJB1qKSUniX4aM6mZADajmvb/s1600/DSC03736.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="127" data-original-width="320" height="158" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ_FGVV4CefdLbcx_V0bR1nOplRZgyIPOUvq-p4MZiT4Vnt-Ca0_qG5TRdoMJMF9V5Nir2gCkcUKBvI9IsE6GQkojYMvtGh9LaBXau5pYCkeN_kI8i8XiauJB1qKSUniX4aM6mZADajmvb/s400/DSC03736.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mount Denali</td></tr>
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At Denali, we spent three days at the Teklanika campsite, and two days in the Savage River campsite. The sky was mostly clear for our whole stay there, and we even saw Denali three out of the five days! Did you know that only thirty percent of people that go to that national park get to see Denali? This is because Denali creates its own ecosystem because of the snow evaporating, resulting in the mountain covering itself in clouds.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Morgan at the beginning of the eleven-hour bus ride</td></tr>
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On our first day in the park, we decided to take the eleven-hour bus ride to Wonder Lake. We got the whole package with that decision, including bumpy roads and multiple sick and crying babies (for the whole eleven hours). But there were also amazing things I saw on that ride. Starting with the animals, the first one we saw was probably an Arctic Ground Squirrel. Those little things were everywhere, I would look one way and there would be two darting under the wheels of the bus and the next minute there would be one sitting on a bridge watching the bus drive by. I don't remember the order of the rest of the animals, but we spotted many Dall Sheep (those sheep are the reason that the park is here) and Bald Eagles.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Denali Caribou</td></tr>
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Close to the third hour of riding on the bus I had seen three caribou -- one of them was even walking on the road in front of us for nearly a half mile which reminded my of the Polar Express movie getting stopped by caribou. Shortly after that, on the left side of the bus, was a herd of caribou running north to get away from he blistering hot forty-degree weather and to find some new grass to munch on.<br />
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When we were riding back to our Teklanika campsite, someone spotted a blonde grizzly bear on the right. I was at the front of the bus, so I looked towards the bear through my binoculars and realized the bear was really just a bear-shaped rock. They have a lot of those in Denali. I mentioned it to the bus driver, and she started to move on until Mrs. Virginia snapped a picture and blew it up as much as possible which blurrily showed a mama bear's nose and eyes and her two cubs sleeping with her. Oops, I was wrong. We stopped to watch them for a little bit even though all you could see were blonde blobs from the distance we were at.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Grizzly bear and twin cubs</td></tr>
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I think the animals were the best part of the bus ride but seeing Denali was awesome! Another part I really liked were the wildflowers that grew alongside the road. The bus driver (she was really nice) gave me a wildflower guide so that I could identify some of them. The most abundant and easy the spot were Shrubby Cinquefoil, Blue bells, Arnica, Wild Rose, and Eskimo Potato.<br />
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One animal that we didn't see on the bus was a moose. Which was interesting because coming into Denali, we saw a moose and her calf swimming in a pond and a mama moose with twins grazing on grass coming out of Denali. I guess moose don't like buses.Roxannehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15292820452358499962noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3990369435612666836.post-31254071175856971712017-06-24T15:16:00.000-07:002017-07-05T15:19:22.393-07:00Palmer Highland Games<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJPukQwFpw74EhhEqtPi3klIgiwgRNYNQvxF8ELGsUPUs2hElc_eoH-Zjfw4vFjGc1wsgM-iW52eR2RTlSi4HPe3rD13OyAQ_YYGPm9H0FD8QqBoVgIMt01670-f2GcU0fxp3wkDTG8caY/s1600/DSCN1003.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="320" data-original-width="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJPukQwFpw74EhhEqtPi3klIgiwgRNYNQvxF8ELGsUPUs2hElc_eoH-Zjfw4vFjGc1wsgM-iW52eR2RTlSi4HPe3rD13OyAQ_YYGPm9H0FD8QqBoVgIMt01670-f2GcU0fxp3wkDTG8caY/s1600/DSCN1003.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bagpiper at the Palmer Highland Games</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "uictfonttextstylebody"; font-size: 16px;"> Liz and Walter are some of Mrs. Virginia and Mr. David's camping friends they met earlier in their trip. They decided to head up to Palmer for the Highland Games and the three of us voted and decided to tag along. This would be the Staat's first time seeing clans from Celtic countries compete for various events in skills such as strength, baking, and piping and drumming. I, however, went to a Highland Games two years ago back in North Carolina, but I was excited to see what they had in store for my second visit.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "uictfonttextstylebody"; font-size: 16px;"> We arrived a couple hours late because it started <a dir="ltr" href="x-apple-data-detectors://0" style="-webkit-text-decoration-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.258824); color: black;" x-apple-data-detectors-result="0" x-apple-data-detectors-type="calendar-event" x-apple-data-detectors="true">at eight am</a>, when we were waking up. But luckily, most events hadn't started yet. The big, heavy men in kilts were in the field warming up with the weight for distance while the musicians with snare drums and bagpipes were tuning.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "uictfonttextstylebody"; font-size: 16px;"> We stopped to observe the tuning of the bagpipes until the competition of the men's weight for distance began. Basically, an 28(light hammer) or a 56 pound(heavy hammer) ball on a chain thrown from one hand, whoever throws the farthest wins. I thought that it looked funny because the wind-up to gain momentum consisted of many wacky twists and turns, but they could sure throw that thing far.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "uictfonttextstylebody"; font-size: 16px;"> While the men continued the weight for distance, women started the Scottish hammer. Throwing a 12 pound(light hammer) or a 16 pound(heavy hammer) ball on a stick- they competed for the place that could throw it the farthest.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Big guys at the Palmer Highland Games</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "uictfonttextstylebody"; font-size: 16px;"> Many events went on like this but my two favorite strength events were the weight for height and the caber toss! The weight for height is a weight(56 pounds) thrown, well, for height. At this Highland Games,you weren't allowed to use a spinning technique so the men had to stand still, throw a weight over their head, backwards, and over the bar. This event is also referred to as Weight Over the Bar, or WOB. Jody Potosky won that event reaching almost 19'6"!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "uictfonttextstylebody";"> About halfway through the Highland Games, we decided we were going to get something to eat. With many vendors to choose from, we settled on German food. We had spatzel on a stick and schnitzel smothered in onions and cheese. I thought it was funny that we were eating German food at the Highland Games.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Eating German food at the Scottish Games?</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "uictfonttextstylebody"; font-size: 16px;"> I think the Caber Toss is just crazy (Mrs. Virginia thinks so too) -- especially considering how big and heavy the pole is. A caber is a little shorter than a telephone pole, and not as big around either, but just to get the idea, the athlete picks up the caber without any assistance, runs forward to gain momentum, stops, and throws. A successful throw includes the caber going end over end straight in front of the athlete. The judge decided how many points the person gets based on two things:</span><span style="font-family: "uictfonttextstylebody"; font-size: 16px;"></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "uictfonttextstylebody"; font-size: 16px;">1. If the person flips it and,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "uictfonttextstylebody"; font-size: 16px;">2. The angle from how far away the caber <a dir="ltr" href="x-apple-data-detectors://5" style="-webkit-text-decoration-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.258824); color: black;" x-apple-data-detectors-result="5" x-apple-data-detectors-type="calendar-event" x-apple-data-detectors="true">from 12:00</a>(straight foward) when it lands.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "uictfonttextstylebody"; font-size: 16px;"> Sometimes the case is that nobody can flip the caber and the judges get out a different, smaller or lighter caber, this is why there can be no world or country, but only field records, every caber is a different size.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Caber Toss</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "uictfonttextstylebody"; font-size: 16px;"> Nearby the Tea Tent, were Celtic Dance Performances. An Irish dance academy with many girls were dancing to upbeat music and afterwards a group called the <a dir="ltr" href="x-apple-data-detectors://6" style="-webkit-text-decoration-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.258824); color: black;" x-apple-data-detectors-result="6" x-apple-data-detectors-type="calendar-event" x-apple-data-detectors="true">Midnight Sun</a> Cloggers performed for us with many songs including an acapella piece. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "uictfonttextstylebody"; font-size: 16px;"> The best music I heard all day though, were the bagpipes and snare drums. They had many band competitions and solos, which we unfortunately missed, but the opening of the ceremonies(before Caber Tossing and WOB) was amazing. Every clan had their own band of pipes and percussion and then they joined together. They played Amazing Grace and Scotland the Brave before leaving us to enjoy the rest of the afternoon.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "uictfonttextstylebody"; font-size: 16px;"><br /></span>Roxannehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15292820452358499962noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3990369435612666836.post-20772606778418253342017-06-23T13:15:00.000-07:002017-07-05T15:19:54.916-07:00Morgan's First Post<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj49cVlTtqP4K_rFMwoGFjQGZJvx7O7dx-C7focj6Uxyqhn9Djz89RnegeFy-ajIvAZNnzzqurxrY3_VE_kjzk9Qtr5nToXTTEV4k_vANOo6xZb2cN0AP3LyFjDSRTe0wjX_k0Ir8hyphenhyphenfZpV/s1600/image1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="320" data-original-width="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj49cVlTtqP4K_rFMwoGFjQGZJvx7O7dx-C7focj6Uxyqhn9Djz89RnegeFy-ajIvAZNnzzqurxrY3_VE_kjzk9Qtr5nToXTTEV4k_vANOo6xZb2cN0AP3LyFjDSRTe0wjX_k0Ir8hyphenhyphenfZpV/s1600/image1.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My first airplane ride by myself!</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "uictfonttextstylebody"; font-size: 16px;">Hello everyone, my name is Morgan and I'll be writing on Roxanne's blog for the next three and a half weeks.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhehhWlc2-kme17N0iq7g1ieyVTmYBpnUizK36y48Ez3RpGRj60ln8LLHk8ospsdAjoM6W2P4qFzh2saWEnUwCfy7h8hZVAohNCMnG6PNzTLj79a1ld-0G7oPCbiUtCyKoS_thh1MdFZYqb/s1600/DSCN1000.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="240" data-original-width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhehhWlc2-kme17N0iq7g1ieyVTmYBpnUizK36y48Ez3RpGRj60ln8LLHk8ospsdAjoM6W2P4qFzh2saWEnUwCfy7h8hZVAohNCMnG6PNzTLj79a1ld-0G7oPCbiUtCyKoS_thh1MdFZYqb/s1600/DSCN1000.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My first view of Alaska from the airplane window.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "uictfonttextstylebody"; font-size: 16px;">My flight from North Carolina to Atlanta was my first time flying. It was really fun, until my next flight that day to Anchorage, Alaska which was eight hours long- and I changed time zones.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0icKfijQChFmKK-nLJ8-oUE-Bowt1m0CTP6l47OSvymzpqFFGjIcWrsgaB3itEbSX5ow1ABO-JTC_fMLKA9tOtThr1qx0vshMCwmZuJcgLRc0ryECatt_cIqj91DtNrGwClQWi7OkCUDu/s1600/image3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="320" data-original-width="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0icKfijQChFmKK-nLJ8-oUE-Bowt1m0CTP6l47OSvymzpqFFGjIcWrsgaB3itEbSX5ow1ABO-JTC_fMLKA9tOtThr1qx0vshMCwmZuJcgLRc0ryECatt_cIqj91DtNrGwClQWi7OkCUDu/s1600/image3.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me in the airplane's wheelchair. </td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "uictfonttextstylebody"; font-size: 16px;">After what seemed like forever, the plane landed safely and I was welcomed by a wonderful greeting committee of two- Mrs. Virginia and Mr. David, who I will be camping with for about a month. I forgot to mention that I am still recovering from a broken ankle from a trampoline accident- hiking in a boot with crutches will be interesting, I will be walking in four days, I can't wait!</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me and part of my welcoming committee</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "uictfonttextstylebody"; font-size: 16px;"></span>Roxannehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15292820452358499962noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3990369435612666836.post-44096370286961288312017-06-22T12:11:00.000-07:002017-06-22T12:11:07.194-07:00Exciting News!Dear Friends,<br />
<br />
A very dear friend of ours has volunteered to take over Roxanne's blog during the next several weeks. Morgan will be traveling with us in Alaska. She is 13 years old and a very talented writer. We hope you enjoy reading about her travels as much as we will enjoy traveling with her! We invite you to join us for the adventure!Roxannehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15292820452358499962noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3990369435612666836.post-6165891733871047992017-06-22T12:00:00.001-07:002017-06-22T12:05:48.148-07:00Roxanne... a Tribute <div style="color: #1b1b1b; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15.84000015258789px; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEH0S8zPgcl9SwjCwcWi-4wkXow6VWHoXI_1357-VU4KfY7RKm4GiPnf-sPkrAuDH8vnkdFD8hunHbiqXXsltcMPh7N7MzV2jOXI9k-VabxpB53RVAN3t3zhZmfTeX8Mh_EBT0Zfz_heI/s1600/Rox+collage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="color: #060606; text-decoration: none;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEH0S8zPgcl9SwjCwcWi-4wkXow6VWHoXI_1357-VU4KfY7RKm4GiPnf-sPkrAuDH8vnkdFD8hunHbiqXXsltcMPh7N7MzV2jOXI9k-VabxpB53RVAN3t3zhZmfTeX8Mh_EBT0Zfz_heI/s280/Rox+collage.jpg" style="border: none; box-sizing: border-box; max-width: 100%; position: relative;" width="280" /></a></div>
Roxanne (2001-2016)</div>
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We called her the 98-pound Wonder... Circus Dog... Roxanne. She could yodel, hop through hoops, climb ladders, and make a six-foot vertical jump from a sit. She only chased golf balls. She crossed the Arctic Circle six times, traveled over 500,000 miles with us, and loved the smell of bison and bears. She thought horses were big dogs but could never figure out what a little dog was. She hiked hundreds of miles with us and loved to swim in freezing water. She had the courage of a lion. She rode in canoes, ferries, hay wagons,and elevators and laid at my feet at conferences, expos, and restaurants. She was a therapy dog, helping the sick, elderly, and foster youth. She was a Canine Good Citizen and too smart for her own good. She was the quintessential Golden, always loving, gentle, adaptable, and happy. For 14-1/2 years, she brought us love, service, loyalty, and joy... our Roxanne.Roxannehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15292820452358499962noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3990369435612666836.post-8443667331752176222017-06-22T11:36:00.000-07:002017-06-22T11:45:56.586-07:00RoxanneDear Friends,<br />
<br />
It has been some time since we posted on Roxanne's blog. We lost our beautiful Golden Girl last year, in May, 2016. Rox was nearly 15 years old. It has been such a sad time without her, but we know we will see her again in Heaven.<br />
<br />
Rox's blog will continue. We will have guests to write posts, as well as us. One day we hope to have a new Golden to carry on the blog. Our next post will be a tribute to Roxanne. Then we'll share some exciting news. Thanks for joining us!Roxannehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15292820452358499962noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3990369435612666836.post-40462524001364212862014-04-05T10:16:00.000-07:002014-05-06T12:01:28.253-07:00The Amazing Honey Bee<div style="text-align: center;">
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfoq14rVolzm-nTHHa240k_npAf1wnnlBVv109CHhqoXYaK2-3Ovm6XdcF1nA1-1hhbUT3S9jdzvM4uV-KsIVcyIblvOsuv_YeRPI9keKcJ4LqT4Zd8K95NJjsK9grn31eCAXDDLGs6Sto/s1600/bees+knees+(1).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfoq14rVolzm-nTHHa240k_npAf1wnnlBVv109CHhqoXYaK2-3Ovm6XdcF1nA1-1hhbUT3S9jdzvM4uV-KsIVcyIblvOsuv_YeRPI9keKcJ4LqT4Zd8K95NJjsK9grn31eCAXDDLGs6Sto/s1600/bees+knees+(1).jpg" height="320" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Honey bees with pollen on their legs</span></td></tr>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Honey bees
are truly amazing creatures.</span><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">They are
called the most useful insect in the world.</span><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> One third of all the food that we eat is pollinated by honey bees.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Bees gather pollen. They may visit as many as 50 to 100 flowers each trip. In the process, they pollinate the flowers and help them to make more fruits and vegetables, like apples, oranges, almonds, and tomatoes. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">They also take nectar from flowers to feed their young.</span><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Bees make honey from nectar. It takes 5,000 flower visits for bees to make one teaspoon of honey.</span><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Here is what the inside of our beehive looks like...</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj03w6ut6pNavSiojxglhtgwUPiGM88qgv-8wPUiKsQ6LzfO_tCAOUkn7OnmtDZphFHb_1NOE6HtfvKXwI8oTo9yKGvQo2GwagD7ia5xvmAUewPbm4AFzlyH0b_YXp7bsC6JplyyvMMee1z/s1600/bee+cells+and+words.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj03w6ut6pNavSiojxglhtgwUPiGM88qgv-8wPUiKsQ6LzfO_tCAOUkn7OnmtDZphFHb_1NOE6HtfvKXwI8oTo9yKGvQo2GwagD7ia5xvmAUewPbm4AFzlyH0b_YXp7bsC6JplyyvMMee1z/s1600/bee+cells+and+words.jpg" height="397" width="400" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Bee keepers
raise bees to harvest honey and to pollinate crops.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>During the summer, beekeepers take the extra
honey that the bees make from the hive.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>They cut off the waxy top from the honeycomb and drain the honey into
jars. When we harvest our honey, we'll tell you all about it!</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Each
beehive colony can have as many as 60,000 bees during the summer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The colony needs as many bees as possible to
gather honey for winter.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They must have
at least 70 pounds of honey stored in their hive for the winter months.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Beekeepers must be careful not to take too
much honey during harvest so that the bees will have plenty to eat when it is
cold.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Bees have been
mysteriously dying at an alarming rate over the past few years. Scientists have become bee detectives to
determine why the bees are dying. </span></span><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">If you
would like to read more about bee detectives, check out this great book from
your library:</span><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span><i style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The Hive Detectives: Chronicle
of a Honey Bee Catastrophe</i><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> by Loree Griffin Burns.</span><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #1a1a1a;">We found some fun activities to help you learn more about bees and honey. Just click on one of these links:</span></span></div>
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<li><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.umpquasoilandwater.com/docs/BeeBook_Kids.pdf" target="_blank">Bee Activity Book</a></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.apiterapia.biz/pliki/beefit.pdf" target="_blank">Bee Nutty, Bee Cool, Bee Fit</a> (learn how healthy honey is to eat!)</span></li>
<li><a href="http://www.clemson.edu/extension/county/oconee/programs/beekeeping/Honey_Bee_Life_Cycle_in_Pictures.pdf" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Honey Bee Life Cycle</span></a></li>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">If you would like to read more about our amazing honey bees, check out this book from your library:
<i>The Life and Times of the Honeybee
</i>by Charles Micucci.</span><span style="font-family: Comic Sans MS;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
Roxannehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15292820452358499962noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3990369435612666836.post-39992530856192850672014-04-03T10:15:00.000-07:002014-05-06T12:01:38.582-07:00Fun Bee Facts<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-size: large;">Fun Facts about Bees</span></b></div>
<ul>
<li><b><span style="font-size: large;">One third of all the food that we eat is pollinated by bees.</span></b></li>
<li><b><span style="font-size: large;">In a bee’s short lifetime, she flies the equivalent of one and one-half times around the circumference of the earth.</span></b></li>
<li><b><span style="font-size: large;">Bees can fly as fast as 15 miles per hour.</span></b></li>
<li><b><span style="font-size: large;">It takes 5,000 flower visits for bees to make one teaspoon of honey.</span></b></li>
<li><b><span style="font-size: large;">A bee can only sting once. When she stings, her stinger remains in her victim’s flesh. She dies shortly thereafter.</span></b></li>
<li><b><span style="font-size: large;">A queen bee can lay up to 3,000 eggs per day.</span></b></li>
</ul>
Roxannehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15292820452358499962noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3990369435612666836.post-12438870283171846642014-03-21T18:31:00.000-07:002014-05-06T12:02:09.371-07:00We are Bee Keepers!<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD8sll-4i78UNWykBnPT7QyxEHRgXfQAIzOXqylyZ1KJhVO-iyQF4oBeRm-MaURjvJ809wuRTKjXpcNHRr0RlTG4B20bcBzHXupYUOmj5lEkJJ8WXiuBD52HOul6gZDTjJMUYLH4Ciy1TU/s1600/Apiary.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD8sll-4i78UNWykBnPT7QyxEHRgXfQAIzOXqylyZ1KJhVO-iyQF4oBeRm-MaURjvJ809wuRTKjXpcNHRr0RlTG4B20bcBzHXupYUOmj5lEkJJ8WXiuBD52HOul6gZDTjJMUYLH4Ciy1TU/s1600/Apiary.jpg" height="400" width="298" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Missy at the BeeWeaver Apiary</td></tr>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Today we went to an apiary near Navasota, Texas. An apiary is a bee farm. We bought a hive of bees for Opa and Omi's farm. We will take care of the bees together. When it is harvest time, we will share the extra honey that the bees make.</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We loaded the bee hive in the back of our pickup. When we arrived at the farm, we placed the bees on the platform in their new home.</span></span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Opa and David move the bees to their new home.</td></tr>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The next morning, we looked at each frame inside the beehive.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We wanted to make sure that the bees were healthy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To keep from getting stung by the bees, we
wore special hats with veils.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We wore thick clothes and put rubber bands around our wrists and ankles to keep the
bees from crawling inside our clothing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">David lights the bee smoker.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">David smokes the bees.</td></tr>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We also
lit a smoker.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then we smoked the
bees.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Bees send out an attack alarm from
their tentacles.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The smoke keeps the
bees from communicating with each other.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Opa and David check each bee frame.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">What a bee frame looks like...</td></tr>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We are happy to report that nobody got stung!<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #1a1a1a;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJDxaQuv059kJJPC2rgZiILE1aO0mHGwFAeejfMOV7SAHIz3WcMtuhf9MulCSP9B_5vzuEy4Ot4Bo0yEZNzrDEUeYyI8Soen0ziYjuVLYfKsMlwTxKjpgDpZgNvMkcXQ0lLQbmIhYyav4S/s1600/with+missy+small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJDxaQuv059kJJPC2rgZiILE1aO0mHGwFAeejfMOV7SAHIz3WcMtuhf9MulCSP9B_5vzuEy4Ot4Bo0yEZNzrDEUeYyI8Soen0ziYjuVLYfKsMlwTxKjpgDpZgNvMkcXQ0lLQbmIhYyav4S/s1600/with+missy+small.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Missy checks out our new bee hive.</td></tr>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">In our next post, we will tell you more about our amazing bees!</span></span></div>
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Roxannehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15292820452358499962noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3990369435612666836.post-853227198713162912014-03-17T11:44:00.000-07:002014-05-06T12:06:04.765-07:00Nature Detective<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiByqyyrQg8fIrapAxxFfp4wyYzkHCZ4lLMmrW5B25nubsh1v_ytrxLL2wsD3XPxNiHSYH5J6W3Ft83NXdG84SUcaHv2xfcdRclnyLUk8RPKpXKLxOpInRMlshBHG-FMjcCic74dzdezOV2/s1600/Nature+Detective.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiByqyyrQg8fIrapAxxFfp4wyYzkHCZ4lLMmrW5B25nubsh1v_ytrxLL2wsD3XPxNiHSYH5J6W3Ft83NXdG84SUcaHv2xfcdRclnyLUk8RPKpXKLxOpInRMlshBHG-FMjcCic74dzdezOV2/s1600/Nature+Detective.jpg" height="400" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Missy, the Nature Detective</td></tr>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We wanted
to help Missy learn more about Texas animals, so we decided to have an
adventure. We became nature detectives!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We began
looking for animal signs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We took a walk and looked closely
at the path.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Near a
muddy bank, we saw deer tracks and raccoon tracks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb4aDPGTshFjMEKVv1ac_Ts6-2i7sUNqxTFCrYQfHsTTKwZv14mvGCxan2th5G9cDT42dKPyj3FSsXIfe7WCHAY7vFaS3Jfz3diGLGE_zeKxq-12Zf-v3glq05yuH_KQ-KEAecausWWT_s/s1600/dual+tracks.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb4aDPGTshFjMEKVv1ac_Ts6-2i7sUNqxTFCrYQfHsTTKwZv14mvGCxan2th5G9cDT42dKPyj3FSsXIfe7WCHAY7vFaS3Jfz3diGLGE_zeKxq-12Zf-v3glq05yuH_KQ-KEAecausWWT_s/s1600/dual+tracks.jpg" height="222" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><o:p><br /></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #1a1a1a;">We looked high and saw a squirrel’s nest. </span><span style="color: #1a1a1a;">We passed a pond and saw turtles sunning themselves. We found a bird feather.</span><span style="color: #1a1a1a;"> </span><span style="color: #1a1a1a;"> </span><span style="color: #1a1a1a;">We heard buzzing and discovered bees in the cherry laurel flowers.</span><span style="color: #1a1a1a;"> </span></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilxWDLaetxXtm7_lIPhK7urliGAPgYZuchKCHO-HpWPsf8XtwCQlWRwx2yd61bL63P9aUO3o96AxTtWhDyGdZqDf4XyCNFxox2ZUiYCtRckjxKMNtnjdfdWMYXmjdItBy4qDkyiwLTxSCA/s1600/turtle+and+nest.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilxWDLaetxXtm7_lIPhK7urliGAPgYZuchKCHO-HpWPsf8XtwCQlWRwx2yd61bL63P9aUO3o96AxTtWhDyGdZqDf4XyCNFxox2ZUiYCtRckjxKMNtnjdfdWMYXmjdItBy4qDkyiwLTxSCA/s1600/turtle+and+nest.jpg" height="222" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Have you ever
become a nature detective?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Missy thought it was great fun! </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #1a1a1a;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #1a1a1a;">If you want
to read more about being a nature detective, see our post here: </span><a href="http://roxannedogblog.blogspot.com/2012/08/nature-detectives-know-your-tracks-scat.html">Roxanne's Nature Detective post</a></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">You can also check this great book out from
your library: </span><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i style="color: #1a1a1a;">Animal Tracks and
Signs: Track over 40 Animals from Big
Cats to Backyard Birds</i><span style="color: #1a1a1a;"> by Jinny Johnson.</span></span></li>
</ul>
</div>
Roxannehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15292820452358499962noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3990369435612666836.post-83791125466118533452014-03-10T21:01:00.002-07:002014-05-06T12:09:49.903-07:00What's Next for NASA?<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5C0iihPOOdMmR6WLazy_phar2Q7FzlMf_t1Fs5wlw-xLMcxVpsdVTHoBCbW8iUgdFondnmjDQZMlp7Mk6HeYbAgGlYb4jk6YEUYRqPZOQxCj17K77OwP5EqAkGaPKAsfFcII4Ur4vSZWx/s1600/shuttle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5C0iihPOOdMmR6WLazy_phar2Q7FzlMf_t1Fs5wlw-xLMcxVpsdVTHoBCbW8iUgdFondnmjDQZMlp7Mk6HeYbAgGlYb4jk6YEUYRqPZOQxCj17K77OwP5EqAkGaPKAsfFcII4Ur4vSZWx/s1600/shuttle.jpg" height="265" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Atlantis Space Shuttle courtesy NASA</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
It was a sad day for America when the space shuttles retired. They were magnificent flying machines. They were the first flying machines that went into orbit and returned to earth. We learned so much when the space shuttles flew.<br />
<br />
Now our wonderful space shuttles are in museums. After 30 years of service, in July 2011, the last shuttle flight flew to the International Space Station. The Atlantis space shuttle astronauts gave a flag to the crew on the International Space Station. It was an American flag that flew on the first space shuttle. It will return home on America's next spacecraft. (To read more about the flag, just click here: <a href="http://roxannedogblog.blogspot.com/2011/07/star-spangled-banner-in-space.html" target="_blank">Star Spangled Banner in Space</a>.)<br />
<br />
When and what will be America's next spacecraft? NASA is working on many different ways for America to get back into space, including the Orion spacecraft. <br />
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Orion will combine the best of the space shuttle and the Apollo moon mission spacecraft. It will be able to supply the International Space Station or travel to Mars. Orion will take astronauts deep into space and bring them safely back to earth. <br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeM4ZlfqoVXjshMIu_sKLCFEWCgsHsg_Nf3o4ymmZkkxHYpHTk7-0EQSuZFR2ahDInSg_CYoT8ikOHxgIk3NVkyDrndjMwPrAEuXEJZxhdIQwGFb9ZaWibZAb0MV-ydDJg9h_sFuc059ne/s1600/299746main_Orion.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeM4ZlfqoVXjshMIu_sKLCFEWCgsHsg_Nf3o4ymmZkkxHYpHTk7-0EQSuZFR2ahDInSg_CYoT8ikOHxgIk3NVkyDrndjMwPrAEuXEJZxhdIQwGFb9ZaWibZAb0MV-ydDJg9h_sFuc059ne/s1600/299746main_Orion.jpg" height="313" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Orion spacecraft courtesy NASA</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Orion's first test mission is scheduled for September 2014. NASA plans a four-hour test flight from Cape Canaveral in Florida. One day, Orion flights may fly from Houston's Ellington field near Space Center Houston. It will be exciting to see America back in space!!!<br />
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<div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #555555; font-family: inherit; font-size: 14px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black; font-size: small; line-height: normal;">For more information about Orion, just click here: <a href="http://www.nasa.gov/pdf/306407main_orion_crew%20_expl_vehicle.pdf" target="_blank">Orion vehicle</a></span></div>
<br />
Here's an Orion activity page for you: <a href="http://www.nasa.gov/pdf/704736main_OrionActivitySheet-revised10-16-12.pdf" target="_blank">Orion Activity Sheet</a><br />
<br />
Here's a paper model of the Orion spacecraft that you can build: <a href="http://www.nasa.gov/pdf/714676main_Orion_Model.pdf" target="_blank">Orion paper model</a><br />
<br />
Here's a coloring page for the Orion spacecraft: <a href="http://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/files/imonboard_coloring_sheet.pdf" target="_blank">Orion coloring page</a><br />
<br />
If you would like to build a paper space shuttle, just click here: <a href="http://www.aiaa.org/uploadedFiles/Education_and_Careers/STEM_K-12_Outreach/Kids_Place/Gliders_Activities/Space_Shuttle_Glider[1].pdf" target="_blank">Space Shuttle Glider</a><br />
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<br />Roxannehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15292820452358499962noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3990369435612666836.post-55923205740587000082014-02-27T13:41:00.000-08:002014-05-06T12:08:42.516-07:00Astronaut TrainingWhen we visited Space Center Houston, we saw the Johnson Space Center (JSC) astronaut training center. Astronauts learn to do many things at JSC. They learn to space walk, fly, and operate all of the equipment needed to live in space.<br />
<br />
At JSC, the astronauts train in the world's largest swimming pool. It is called the Neutral Buoyancy Lab. The pool holds 6.2 million gallons of water. It is more than two football fields long and 40 feet deep. At the bottom of the pool, there is a true-to-life model of the International Space Station. When the space shuttle was flying, they use to have a full size space shuttle model under the water. <br />
<br />
To train in the pool, astronauts put on their spacesuits and swim underwater. They learn to use equipment underwater. They also practice space walks. Astronauts train about ten hours under water for every one hour that they spend walking in space.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmVPfcA4Z9UxjU_hACdu8HNnuzCNI3clDnWgHd8IcZrYldHB-3xh0FH0AO2ATtwH8do6NCsF7K-XqY0dMMpeqZtWah7KxRoo9_2hJTPPo3pf-UTkOrcDIetpYS78Ox8elx5N1pEiZpN7pY/s1600/NBL-ISS-Pool.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmVPfcA4Z9UxjU_hACdu8HNnuzCNI3clDnWgHd8IcZrYldHB-3xh0FH0AO2ATtwH8do6NCsF7K-XqY0dMMpeqZtWah7KxRoo9_2hJTPPo3pf-UTkOrcDIetpYS78Ox8elx5N1pEiZpN7pY/s1600/NBL-ISS-Pool.jpg" height="179" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Neutral Buoyancy Lab and Mock-up International Space Station. Photo courtesy NASA.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
There is also a true-to-life model of the International Space Station on the ground. Astronauts can learn everything about the International Space Station here.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrF71XUpnGdPmON-8xvXGHV1SgU7e03XJdJNDM_A6eAO6rjjet6mu7xQsOGd06PWX6b0SDOuSFf5joEpxZ1HxopcHxw-rAY4RcoB6_USQYPQHzcVIbgSir2pVFCtY5Ljiaj-fi6KjYV8Jh/s1600/Building-9-ISS-Mockup.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrF71XUpnGdPmON-8xvXGHV1SgU7e03XJdJNDM_A6eAO6rjjet6mu7xQsOGd06PWX6b0SDOuSFf5joEpxZ1HxopcHxw-rAY4RcoB6_USQYPQHzcVIbgSir2pVFCtY5Ljiaj-fi6KjYV8Jh/s1600/Building-9-ISS-Mockup.jpg" height="179" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">International Space Station full size model. Photo courtesy NASA.<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Before astronauts go into space, they must train for over 300 hours at JSC. To learn more about the Johnson Space Center's training facilities, click here:<br />
<a href="http://www.nasa.gov/centers/johnson/pdf/160410main_space_training_fact_sheet.pdf" target="_blank">JSC Space Training</a><br />
<br />
Did you ever want to be an astronaut? I wanted to be a Space Dog! The first dog in space was named Laika. If you would like to learn more about Laika and other animals in space, just click here: <a href="http://roxannedogblog.blogspot.com/2009/11/space-dog.html" target="_blank">Roxanne the Space Dog</a><br />
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Would you like to train like an astronaut? We found two NASA videos just for you! <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dxMM8p-qKp0ztkXcn4vs3tcGDPkiaC0wJYkl1Di6kETi7UFCpVSpgF8bFsbKUmPNqkpMZqqaYwJfekWLY7M' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dzf2oN-sfIGBEGPOlhZwyXpOHy9egttu5KH0cwyRSDYo238E4-B2tCfAxmw5oCw1zhsKV8_PG6qGrVNqbXjvA' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<br />
For more fun videos, you can click here to go to NASA's website but first please ask an adult if it's okay! <a href="http://www.nasa.gov/audience/foreducators/trainlikeanastronaut/home/" target="_blank">Train Like an Astronaut</a><br />
<br />
You can also check out these great books at your library:<br />
<ul>
<li><i>Astronauts: Training for Space (Countdown to Space) by Michael Cole</i></li>
<li><i>Career As An Astronaut: What They Do, How to Become One, and What the Future Holds! </i>by Brian Rogers</li>
<li><i>I Want to Be an Astronaut </i>by Stephanie Maze</li>
</ul>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"></span>Roxannehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15292820452358499962noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3990369435612666836.post-21985374806980795832014-02-24T14:09:00.000-08:002014-05-06T12:06:54.804-07:00Johnson Space Center <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPQJ1BkRa8BgKskoo0FgS7YfSjcYD5PcoCbaUoFdCQTVrNaR6BKowIPJeKAU0ququazpx3YQGyL7kKRKlBM_Z_yJYvtxI_8ejg9hz8DGvGaTc8on2QSj-jyxrXlZnSvmAgsOWNssUQrf2H/s1600/rockets.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPQJ1BkRa8BgKskoo0FgS7YfSjcYD5PcoCbaUoFdCQTVrNaR6BKowIPJeKAU0ququazpx3YQGyL7kKRKlBM_Z_yJYvtxI_8ejg9hz8DGvGaTc8on2QSj-jyxrXlZnSvmAgsOWNssUQrf2H/s1600/rockets.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Entrance to Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Today Missy visited the Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center (JSC for short). JSC is part of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). NASA takes care of our nation's science and technology for air and space.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMvkb8GNn90E-ryRT1iX6ZNfkRE4Cqtj0JP9pcylvW56B2Ci7aavdtTIMqk0lX7D9qpx1JIjUPAdUuVFunxwxaPVGlnIXs6Fi3FAuVmX6pL8Js9IKXxhz8QxRi9UjemUnvKo5qA28_MkOs/s1600/Rocket+Park.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMvkb8GNn90E-ryRT1iX6ZNfkRE4Cqtj0JP9pcylvW56B2Ci7aavdtTIMqk0lX7D9qpx1JIjUPAdUuVFunxwxaPVGlnIXs6Fi3FAuVmX6pL8Js9IKXxhz8QxRi9UjemUnvKo5qA28_MkOs/s1600/Rocket+Park.jpg" height="400" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Missy at Rocket Park, Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center, Houston, Texas</td></tr>
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The Johnson Space Center is home to Mission Control. Since 1965, Mission Control has been at the center of our space explorations. Mission control specialists take care of astronauts and their flying machines. They make sure that the astronauts are safe and healthy. They also watch over the International Space Station. They want to know where it is and they want to make sure that it is safe and working as it should. <br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoufvnKgampt8IRnV8Lr344F1k4AIuja8WS_SYKMvz5tfqeL_Wg0H2QukgiOklLNBZ0-1XUDLHrbAyTHghOMGcTLnIypV3Wm_wtN7vPM_sUbCL6SWNhVIYPn34qmVsU99UlkvM1XsPtdQx/s1600/space+station+mission+control.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoufvnKgampt8IRnV8Lr344F1k4AIuja8WS_SYKMvz5tfqeL_Wg0H2QukgiOklLNBZ0-1XUDLHrbAyTHghOMGcTLnIypV3Wm_wtN7vPM_sUbCL6SWNhVIYPn34qmVsU99UlkvM1XsPtdQx/s1600/space+station+mission+control.jpg" height="270" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">International Space Station Flight Control Room</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCzWjUK5Tbat-uWEqwWJ9HM4Sy1FWhRJjDZJipdQhQjIxs5G_p30byq6HqBagLZ3Y5tn1ufsYNCacyzMmXe2qd3cP7-b2yElcA37lXxJFSf4R0_SyPY10h5UjXFBBb8PNx147g53TAEUKr/s1600/space+station+map.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCzWjUK5Tbat-uWEqwWJ9HM4Sy1FWhRJjDZJipdQhQjIxs5G_p30byq6HqBagLZ3Y5tn1ufsYNCacyzMmXe2qd3cP7-b2yElcA37lXxJFSf4R0_SyPY10h5UjXFBBb8PNx147g53TAEUKr/s1600/space+station+map.jpg" height="216" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">International Space Station Map</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
JSC is also home to Space Center Houston. Space Center Houston is the JSC Visitor's Center. It has many attractions to help us learn more about space travel. <br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib_btNgTxkPBD2rEESZQSfZHneMc8nqvGCUm2B2IcMLmukZ8mm9Tx-Sy2vJC1BU0gPLxaY6Hos3Uc83uZS2x0JUhr_FZFi9mbHiXkwqlHU42GwzAlVV1Mc-w83PpNllD3g6roT2EW3I3it/s1600/Space+Center+entrance.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib_btNgTxkPBD2rEESZQSfZHneMc8nqvGCUm2B2IcMLmukZ8mm9Tx-Sy2vJC1BU0gPLxaY6Hos3Uc83uZS2x0JUhr_FZFi9mbHiXkwqlHU42GwzAlVV1Mc-w83PpNllD3g6roT2EW3I3it/s1600/Space+Center+entrance.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Entrance to Space Center Houston</td></tr>
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While we were at Space Center Houston, we saw movies, took a tram tour, and learned about astronauts, how they live in space, and all about the rockets and spacecraft that they fly. We also saw the astronaut training center. Here are just a few photos that we took:<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiscbKBCuiSYbKMcXIC2aKjYX1vPSalWxzKXxhdUdJXzVX1o0OIczxFuBH4NCCG8HShmEc-ywBH_fNdlJdSFNpsT3vvAEFcw7yBAbl2UcHOAvCMfh-dcSOlEYsqbQPggiCjB_n89TjH0JgI/s1600/astronaut.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiscbKBCuiSYbKMcXIC2aKjYX1vPSalWxzKXxhdUdJXzVX1o0OIczxFuBH4NCCG8HShmEc-ywBH_fNdlJdSFNpsT3vvAEFcw7yBAbl2UcHOAvCMfh-dcSOlEYsqbQPggiCjB_n89TjH0JgI/s1600/astronaut.jpg" height="400" width="270" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Astronaut Spacesuit</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaMkb4p4iRUESj3Vl__NM1TkBgZF6cIZH5_TinMtbKkyuu7ua0SXk6NHpy7xtNaVvhtpKeQZsYudutOTUYnwTJrRIDLMA9vJU1wVWEUYm2858b3P0Jk5n_2u5M3TYCG0jWyWqiefIPw7R1/s1600/apollo+capsule.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaMkb4p4iRUESj3Vl__NM1TkBgZF6cIZH5_TinMtbKkyuu7ua0SXk6NHpy7xtNaVvhtpKeQZsYudutOTUYnwTJrRIDLMA9vJU1wVWEUYm2858b3P0Jk5n_2u5M3TYCG0jWyWqiefIPw7R1/s1600/apollo+capsule.jpg" height="270" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Apollo Capsule</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcLN3PTHqaskq6HCSd6dmrCKK1ZV_TGvOu4kiGvbS56pSdc6aUrWXBWsBb_Ud7eMtu9ahL1Y8MQGFdRdhdcdhkMRFq4zlLd9zLm64vo_ZXsMGV16u5s7Vcd373ibW0Qu7mDf2zZAciDZ7m/s1600/shuttle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcLN3PTHqaskq6HCSd6dmrCKK1ZV_TGvOu4kiGvbS56pSdc6aUrWXBWsBb_Ud7eMtu9ahL1Y8MQGFdRdhdcdhkMRFq4zlLd9zLm64vo_ZXsMGV16u5s7Vcd373ibW0Qu7mDf2zZAciDZ7m/s1600/shuttle.jpg" height="268" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pretend Space Shuttle</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Over the next few posts, we're going to talk about some of the things that we learned at the Johnson Space Center. It was OUT OF THIS WORLD!!!<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwJlSQEXLr0skBaY4LzVMzoZdmUgUaK_wOqpfR6IlH1bhnOp-0KgTLS3aCGZ1j5APb2iyBCjjm7QLXDXgJ9Izg3u3XL6mtTjS7doF7d4L3nIjPkLeNM7dyI2CnTcebZB3URaEXU9pkO2AA/s1600/Missy+capsule.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwJlSQEXLr0skBaY4LzVMzoZdmUgUaK_wOqpfR6IlH1bhnOp-0KgTLS3aCGZ1j5APb2iyBCjjm7QLXDXgJ9Izg3u3XL6mtTjS7doF7d4L3nIjPkLeNM7dyI2CnTcebZB3URaEXU9pkO2AA/s1600/Missy+capsule.jpg" height="400" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Missy in front of a test Apollo spacecraft</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
If you would like to read more about the Johnson Space Center, just check out this book from your library: <i>Bluebonnet at Johnson Space Center</i> by Mary Brooke Casad<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"></span>Roxannehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15292820452358499962noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3990369435612666836.post-30725869557139030742014-02-20T08:44:00.000-08:002014-05-06T12:03:26.101-07:00Opa and Omi's Farm<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw1eNaw1D_ZwTTcaEGizQWgr_GYpZfakTHC4yhMhl_lV1hA0bgZpuPAstzCj_Zfm27Rg0WxuldifithRohuVBm3xsZh0mWC0qpvCCVltczCGf2mSqwuyAaU2X78hi2RrYPFGKii90kslel/s1600/climbing+fence.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw1eNaw1D_ZwTTcaEGizQWgr_GYpZfakTHC4yhMhl_lV1hA0bgZpuPAstzCj_Zfm27Rg0WxuldifithRohuVBm3xsZh0mWC0qpvCCVltczCGf2mSqwuyAaU2X78hi2RrYPFGKii90kslel/s1600/climbing+fence.jpg" height="400" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Missy climbs the fence at Opa and Omi's farm.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
Today we took Missy to Opa and Omi's Farm. We wanted Missy to learn all about farming. <br />
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Farming is one of the most important jobs in America. Farmers grow our food, food for our animals, and all kinds of things that make our lives better. Opa and Omi's farm has a pasture that is planted in a special grass. Opa cuts the grass and dries it. When the grass is dry, it is called hay. Opa uses the hay to feed cattle and horses.<br />
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Opa has a big tractor. He uses the tractor to cut the hay and do many other things on the farm. He let Missy sit in the tractor. I was there to help Missy climb up to the seat.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIK-h0jNbmsPogcIJU16yAEh93UO_uA8tUoDhnh-dcPGFtVT_zSlzdJACrqorgMqDFbjlggzqbbv1ZGS_gCgb0bjYyZuMlAG8pMq5qIt8Wy3kSo1Wu7mSoSEyLHz5DZngLX9E94HB6n6tm/s1600/tractor+with+Rox.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIK-h0jNbmsPogcIJU16yAEh93UO_uA8tUoDhnh-dcPGFtVT_zSlzdJACrqorgMqDFbjlggzqbbv1ZGS_gCgb0bjYyZuMlAG8pMq5qIt8Wy3kSo1Wu7mSoSEyLHz5DZngLX9E94HB6n6tm/s1600/tractor+with+Rox.jpg" height="400" width="266" /></a></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi79t4TbW_gte7jP4XnN_KHvX1ezhVUtHHW0JRPxIEebogPIRXxA2WOOZ-r0GRTgHT7wc9SKvhwJMjYbMLq02SEn8w1sutMN2KSUuKhh00iGGboyT4QoadpwjCo3_-EFk4c4Zsjicio2cAy/s1600/tractor.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi79t4TbW_gte7jP4XnN_KHvX1ezhVUtHHW0JRPxIEebogPIRXxA2WOOZ-r0GRTgHT7wc9SKvhwJMjYbMLq02SEn8w1sutMN2KSUuKhh00iGGboyT4QoadpwjCo3_-EFk4c4Zsjicio2cAy/s1600/tractor.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Opa's tractor</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Opa also has an ATV. ATV stands for "all terrain vehicle." An ATV doesn't need to be driven on roads. Opa uses his ATV to drive all over the farm. He and Missy took a ride down to the pond on the ATV.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0JSKmlysydgFC6cSR3jwE91Rl98T0PHu-NSUOQgwljIaJPsdq21ZTw6iz1dtG8BUSu7_xPHZcO-zm2n_TVfMgi6b-ApPhB1UQJc5o115bd8xGYGTH0M4xnBiUBN4KVOe7NMOsbi18C7RW/s1600/ATV+house.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0JSKmlysydgFC6cSR3jwE91Rl98T0PHu-NSUOQgwljIaJPsdq21ZTw6iz1dtG8BUSu7_xPHZcO-zm2n_TVfMgi6b-ApPhB1UQJc5o115bd8xGYGTH0M4xnBiUBN4KVOe7NMOsbi18C7RW/s1600/ATV+house.jpg" height="400" width="400" /></a></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjktK1ElH0gw3UUD1gTZwC9K0EwbpTQ-vRHW0ns7e3Y-hu4ng_puMdawFwBaJ6LHXpbzGf_ZNdLRS1cbFzoGCiATB71N2bK0W7TyLKzdvoCEIGCRxR6mQfZ6N34OOjXzW6BcDL_7KFsRpyG/s1600/ATV+by+lake.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjktK1ElH0gw3UUD1gTZwC9K0EwbpTQ-vRHW0ns7e3Y-hu4ng_puMdawFwBaJ6LHXpbzGf_ZNdLRS1cbFzoGCiATB71N2bK0W7TyLKzdvoCEIGCRxR6mQfZ6N34OOjXzW6BcDL_7KFsRpyG/s1600/ATV+by+lake.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Missy at Omi and Opa's pond</td></tr>
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The pond was so pretty. We saw thousands and thousands of tadpoles living in the pond. Soon they will all become frogs!<br />
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Opa said that one day he hopes to raise bees on his farm. He also wants to grow a vegetable garden this spring. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTGYZd9Sp4IsaczxWCU_hijIsZSXLBUtYtnhLYIhAJ2EB5_kW_tzuQ5oiDrbzeZSwTXH8W2e_mecASjOI_yG33lE_PWg0FywxLmsCjaS5H7AUmB9RTUaxe9WVU_wt0odqMQTX_OpITYPX1/s1600/firewood.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTGYZd9Sp4IsaczxWCU_hijIsZSXLBUtYtnhLYIhAJ2EB5_kW_tzuQ5oiDrbzeZSwTXH8W2e_mecASjOI_yG33lE_PWg0FywxLmsCjaS5H7AUmB9RTUaxe9WVU_wt0odqMQTX_OpITYPX1/s1600/firewood.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Missy gets wood for the fireplace from the woodpile.</td></tr>
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By evening, it was starting to get chilly outside. While Omi made a delicious pot roast supper, Missy and Opa gathered wood for a fire.<br />
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We were tired after such a busy day at the farm. After supper, Missy and I laid in front of the fireplace and fell asleep.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS-9iJCws7oHH14mLSxbolONRWzv4hlt05ikCBUWb_LehiQWWuqczOigwnQRqqnEACUXZ79E3JJOzAZlCyD6fSXBfPlpgjBgX9vb7Xd0qvplZdnOkVQ9VPbrPRAc3sFDC_GoVgPV1LV0yN/s1600/sleeping+by+fireplace+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS-9iJCws7oHH14mLSxbolONRWzv4hlt05ikCBUWb_LehiQWWuqczOigwnQRqqnEACUXZ79E3JJOzAZlCyD6fSXBfPlpgjBgX9vb7Xd0qvplZdnOkVQ9VPbrPRAc3sFDC_GoVgPV1LV0yN/s1600/sleeping+by+fireplace+%25281%2529.jpg" height="400" width="266" /></a></div>
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Have you ever been to a farm? Here are some great activity books to show you more about farms and what farmers do:<br />
<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.creativityinstitute.com/eproducts/Farmers_Market.pdf" target="_blank">The Farm and the Farmer's Market</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.whayne.com/AboutUs/Documents/AGCO%20Activity%20Book.pdf" target="_blank">Fun on the Farm</a></li>
<li><a href="http://americanagriwomen.org/files/Activity%20book2009_0.pdf" target="_blank">All about Agriculture in the U.S.</a></li>
</ul>
You can also check out these great books about farming at your library:<br />
<ul>
<li><i>Farming</i> by Gail Gibbons</li>
<li>A<i>merica at Work: Farming</i> by Ann Love</li>
<li><i>Life in a Farming Community (Learn about Rural Life)</i> by Lizann Flatt</li>
<li><i>Jobs on a Farm (World of Farming)</i> by Nancy Dickmann</li>
</ul>
Roxannehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15292820452358499962noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3990369435612666836.post-62030406438814568252014-02-18T13:44:00.000-08:002014-05-06T12:10:56.858-07:00Eagle Sighting!After church on Sunday, Mom told us that there was a special place that she wanted to go for the Great Backyard Bird Count. When we arrived, Dad was the first the spy the bird. It was a BALD EAGLE!<br />
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We saw the eagle roosting in a pine tree. It was a beautiful bird. It had yellow eyes, a yellow beak, and yellow feet. The bird's head and tail were white. The body feathers were dark brown. The eagle was about 3 feet tall from head to tail. <br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-h9WSeLymuNZuO20xloFSEa6rkeUjxeXzsZGVUdrqrcFp-gVTLrlhtZ_fIlrKyJx2ekvOoa_J_8lSkiyP4yyNpzW5IEFShjb6wxpCyFKLdu7fP9g431bFbzm6hukkZOXvlSrMnuLWiPac/s1600/eagle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-h9WSeLymuNZuO20xloFSEa6rkeUjxeXzsZGVUdrqrcFp-gVTLrlhtZ_fIlrKyJx2ekvOoa_J_8lSkiyP4yyNpzW5IEFShjb6wxpCyFKLdu7fP9g431bFbzm6hukkZOXvlSrMnuLWiPac/s1600/eagle.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Resident Eagle in Spring, Texas</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Before too much longer, we spied the eagle's nest. The nest was high up in a pine tree, not too far behind the adult eagle. <br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgVQluGYvVnH0zS1eeTHG3GzXTWkvGJ7txYwP6uOnk_bVEztLZ9iyRlip3VbynEgx0aVumix82726H4nnzo1gzwNpng56mrK9HIihNA5UcF8e9LhyH0eWg-UnkBfjxbOo_rkTKhwNN0A-b/s1600/nest.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgVQluGYvVnH0zS1eeTHG3GzXTWkvGJ7txYwP6uOnk_bVEztLZ9iyRlip3VbynEgx0aVumix82726H4nnzo1gzwNpng56mrK9HIihNA5UcF8e9LhyH0eWg-UnkBfjxbOo_rkTKhwNN0A-b/s1600/nest.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Eagle's Nest</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
When we looked closely at the nest, we could see some flapping wings. It was a baby eagle or eaglet!<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBjgXujTuYO5qFoQ6fhZNMtUY1HMro7pwR_HPQtaYmWPXUEoT90B5TBGE9uwyM__aOyrngN24jo2f3Cx4exOT9ofvY8T2Kt8cKBuKTJw2kJBkyeMBxT2SVcVPVuxDkMlYaCGX8d_jQuJsi/s1600/eaglet.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBjgXujTuYO5qFoQ6fhZNMtUY1HMro7pwR_HPQtaYmWPXUEoT90B5TBGE9uwyM__aOyrngN24jo2f3Cx4exOT9ofvY8T2Kt8cKBuKTJw2kJBkyeMBxT2SVcVPVuxDkMlYaCGX8d_jQuJsi/s1600/eaglet.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Look closely under the large limb to see the outline of the eaglet.</td></tr>
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It was an amazing sight to see such beautiful birds. Mom told Missy and me that this pair of Texas bald eagles have been nesting here since 1999. They have fledged at least 28 eaglets.<br />
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After we went home, we decided to learn all about bald eagles. Bald eagles are birds of prey. That means that they hunt and feed on other animals. Bald eagles like to live near lakes because they eat lots of fish.</div>
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A mother eagle begins building her nest in early October in Texas. By December, she lays one to three eggs. The eaglets hatch in January. The babies fledge (learn to fly) in about twelve weeks. </div>
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An eagle's nest is very large. Since the parent's wing span is about six to eight feet across, they need a very big nest to hold themselves and their babies. Sometimes the nests can be more than nine feet across!</div>
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We also learned that the bald eagle is the national emblem or symbol for the United States of America. Our leaders chose the bald eagle as our national emblem on June 20, 1782. </div>
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If you would like to read more about bald eagles, just check out my August 10, 2010 post here: <a href="http://roxannedogblog.blogspot.com/2010/08/bald-eagles.html" target="_blank">Bald Eagles</a> (it includes bald eagle fact sheets) <br />
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Here's a great activity book to learn more about bald eagles: <a href="http://www.mvr.usace.army.mil/Portals/48/docs/Recreation/ODM/pdf/Bald%20Eagle%20Activity%20Guide.pdf" target="_blank">Bald Eagle Educational Activity Guide</a><br />
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If you would like to color an eagle, just click here: <a href="http://homeschooling.about.com/library/bald-eagle.pdf">Eagle Coloring Page</a><br />
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<br />Roxannehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15292820452358499962noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3990369435612666836.post-43189282639803040912014-02-17T19:16:00.004-08:002014-02-17T19:25:00.758-08:00Cedar Waxwings Visit Our HouseWe had some beautiful visitors during this year's Great Backyard Bird Count. During our early morning bird count, we saw a large flock of birds roosting in a sweet gum tree in our yard. <br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDiqMC5o09ZIP3hhprlI-etRKK9SjH5pZo5Inn3tZnnze8FyZv_ls6_5DCp2w-6Avn8T9uufHT-zI2HwPwogMIM12ov9pqTL270InhjzHetvXc6sTcxrHpcE96lBwd1K5H5hz0ydBCYqW4/s1600/Cedar+Waxwing+group.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDiqMC5o09ZIP3hhprlI-etRKK9SjH5pZo5Inn3tZnnze8FyZv_ls6_5DCp2w-6Avn8T9uufHT-zI2HwPwogMIM12ov9pqTL270InhjzHetvXc6sTcxrHpcE96lBwd1K5H5hz0ydBCYqW4/s1600/Cedar+Waxwing+group.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Birds roosting in sweet gum tree.</td></tr>
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The sun was behind the birds, so we had a hard time trying to figure out what kind of birds they were.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8etORxoxM7Efp-HiLaqfQQ6t8ORj56jWpFSHDcYTZYMRemY87wKQV5SOKtOAXKs8IJ82_3KXprjCZl-l6kmZ3koJnEG6UhEppgBMIGaUTTNLfj1a2DflvpeIo-odRXbXnurfHQZdFpTT2/s1600/waxwing+background.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8etORxoxM7Efp-HiLaqfQQ6t8ORj56jWpFSHDcYTZYMRemY87wKQV5SOKtOAXKs8IJ82_3KXprjCZl-l6kmZ3koJnEG6UhEppgBMIGaUTTNLfj1a2DflvpeIo-odRXbXnurfHQZdFpTT2/s1600/waxwing+background.jpg" height="320" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cedar Waxwing in silhouette</td></tr>
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Later that afternoon, we were working on a project in the garage. We have three yaupon holly trees that hang over our driveway. This time of year, the trees are filled with red berries. We heard a rush of wings. The yaupons were covered in birds!<br />
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These were the same flock of birds that we had seen earlier in the day. They were the beautiful Cedar Waxwing. They came to eat our yaupon berries!<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7Ir0hwlpXElX21pHO5h58njuL3dNmt8w1iv7a2zm8hTp-m5KuAQ8FZmPVQJyUhnngSeAPAhjK_HYKKMwEInbxlzMHL9bazdyATZzVD4wU9fXeIt3STGMyozVd3MO-fH8XzUaYBpzyyOjp/s1600/Cedar+Waxwings.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7Ir0hwlpXElX21pHO5h58njuL3dNmt8w1iv7a2zm8hTp-m5KuAQ8FZmPVQJyUhnngSeAPAhjK_HYKKMwEInbxlzMHL9bazdyATZzVD4wU9fXeIt3STGMyozVd3MO-fH8XzUaYBpzyyOjp/s1600/Cedar+Waxwings.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cedar Waxwings</td></tr>
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We watched them for over an hour. They gobbled up the berries, eating them whole!<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrx4aN3ZO32sLIJPt-EBQrVW4OlYBZSF3mn2CXeIb51lOr_AaCwTvND99hfN04qF5s2ro0k5GFTVk_-7AreA-jPS5i-glk9vy93-MOeA6WhJggTEEBW__EryOF85kF6_er2TYg3tPMQo5o/s1600/eating+berry.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrx4aN3ZO32sLIJPt-EBQrVW4OlYBZSF3mn2CXeIb51lOr_AaCwTvND99hfN04qF5s2ro0k5GFTVk_-7AreA-jPS5i-glk9vy93-MOeA6WhJggTEEBW__EryOF85kF6_er2TYg3tPMQo5o/s1600/eating+berry.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cedar Waxwing eating a yaupon berry</td></tr>
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Dozens of birds would fly in to eat the berries. Then that flock would fly away and another group would come to eat. Today, our yaupon holly only have a few berries left on them!<br />
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Here's a very short video of a waxwing eating berries:<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dzeTO36tWK5FaZiTjjmk5rMtYHeh00wbnOFu8wr76waCOngsQeja05CRI4yu54e08RyUC64JJgybZkhBr2zwg' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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Cedar waxwings winter in Texas. They migrate here from northern states and Canada. These birds love to eat berries. They come to our yard to eat our yaupon berries and cherry laurel berries. <br />
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It is important for those of us with yards to plant native trees, bushes, and plants that help birds and animals survive. If you would like to learn more about gardening for birds, please click here: <a href="http://www.nwf.org/pdf/Garden%20for%20Wildlife/Bird%20Friendly-web.pdf">Building a Bird-friendly Yard</a><br />
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<br />Roxannehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15292820452358499962noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3990369435612666836.post-10222533788809856532014-02-17T11:13:00.002-08:002014-02-17T19:50:06.698-08:00Fun Counting Birds!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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We have had lots of fun counting birds for the Great Backyard Bird Count.<br />
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On Saturday morning, we filled our bird feeders. Then Missy sat on the kitchen counter and waited. I sat by the dining room window and waited. Both of us could see the bird feeders from our windows. Before long, we began seeing birds!<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIhvZQUPSCrwI0lx3S6Vx08trUvvngOEzK9OQzjOZi789wRveUCbrTq8irhelsBLUCIyZqiVOxbvbeG2Qr1SDAvNz2TAdCp4QPF4H7qnv_I1yzZcYqySueUNKwbzuvqLud2v3h0vgB_0vZ/s1600/Missy+watching.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIhvZQUPSCrwI0lx3S6Vx08trUvvngOEzK9OQzjOZi789wRveUCbrTq8irhelsBLUCIyZqiVOxbvbeG2Qr1SDAvNz2TAdCp4QPF4H7qnv_I1yzZcYqySueUNKwbzuvqLud2v3h0vgB_0vZ/s1600/Missy+watching.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Missy watching for birds during the Great Backyard Bird Count.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYyhkYirOgjqusRaUpT_UZguh0yerTyaxSj6tYnhwHWBo5kc9Jd5x7sdNLSFjig9a-9J_Ad0m90woydZYIBiyBOWIE9__WotuVodJJgUKx1QrPEBM73XXy1lFGQac9o-14a1cf5abDzGas/s1600/Roxanne+watching.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYyhkYirOgjqusRaUpT_UZguh0yerTyaxSj6tYnhwHWBo5kc9Jd5x7sdNLSFjig9a-9J_Ad0m90woydZYIBiyBOWIE9__WotuVodJJgUKx1QrPEBM73XXy1lFGQac9o-14a1cf5abDzGas/s1600/Roxanne+watching.jpg" height="400" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Roxanne watching for birds during the Great Backyard Bird Count.</td></tr>
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We saw doves and wrens. We saw finch and blue jays We saw cardinals and woodpeckers. A flock of starlings came into the yard. A group of geese flew overhead. Here are a few of the birds that we saw...<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixGH9h1D7dVQ0fIyBdtSXy0sqvjsfIhiQS4oKlUvlu8hw6-iNvvQ4GZ4SBumEDlA__YRuj71GP-BlQd8cE2wnaoun7YQtOFwf-VOBAuoqfxBKprVGWs__54Z61ZDWquY0NlSBrfsXFmj04/s1600/doves.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixGH9h1D7dVQ0fIyBdtSXy0sqvjsfIhiQS4oKlUvlu8hw6-iNvvQ4GZ4SBumEDlA__YRuj71GP-BlQd8cE2wnaoun7YQtOFwf-VOBAuoqfxBKprVGWs__54Z61ZDWquY0NlSBrfsXFmj04/s1600/doves.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mourning doves</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsis_qy92Cz_5ihjYgMGlRNS2ioO5ttc0-YJtNMXhk9klmNkvnfh59Sf0XZwSblBr0fW0_VpFXoMTDPOJq56pZpWBqCg193qe16tSyRZjhhxzTuuUzyBa4kPfzU35ITdfI_OOdjDcdtm9a/s1600/Carolina+wren.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsis_qy92Cz_5ihjYgMGlRNS2ioO5ttc0-YJtNMXhk9klmNkvnfh59Sf0XZwSblBr0fW0_VpFXoMTDPOJq56pZpWBqCg193qe16tSyRZjhhxzTuuUzyBa4kPfzU35ITdfI_OOdjDcdtm9a/s1600/Carolina+wren.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Carolina Wren</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSxM9ebRlGKRTMlHq-ftMZprclclN4_2dcE3cj3o_RgfiPVRInfYA5-sNwQY3hHuY1MmmuRm840DgeQvwN70UxW0Jo_-X3Uhyh0uORFs1i97LJacCV6LgIYZ7MTcrIkAj9n6nG78auck7t/s1600/flicker.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSxM9ebRlGKRTMlHq-ftMZprclclN4_2dcE3cj3o_RgfiPVRInfYA5-sNwQY3hHuY1MmmuRm840DgeQvwN70UxW0Jo_-X3Uhyh0uORFs1i97LJacCV6LgIYZ7MTcrIkAj9n6nG78auck7t/s1600/flicker.jpg" height="400" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Common Flicker</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm1tHgkAoTIednFDo0b-94Op0ZDwEuaaytIbzBdLprEim3W-U4Ya-FRS72XhmyXubpFFO1QEZCyB01vmTjkeD4-wMfOGNHGnRUjJo-Gp7naS9D1Q4MH4NrYkWdSzn5hGW_yVp2VejY_m6G/s1600/finch.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm1tHgkAoTIednFDo0b-94Op0ZDwEuaaytIbzBdLprEim3W-U4Ya-FRS72XhmyXubpFFO1QEZCyB01vmTjkeD4-wMfOGNHGnRUjJo-Gp7naS9D1Q4MH4NrYkWdSzn5hGW_yVp2VejY_m6G/s1600/finch.jpg" height="400" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Goldfinch</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikPVgYYFIhVsQhzCxrXhtK4bqQD42Blr2OEd026R26SHu-3EhhjfHsHqUgLSBO0LQKluIcClvg2xOv8ixnBCgwXqwCsvTe9HeQCGV0IQA4qZPcHFGNUy25TSFWfJDiXV7dN6z6uOW5jOtA/s1600/downy.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikPVgYYFIhVsQhzCxrXhtK4bqQD42Blr2OEd026R26SHu-3EhhjfHsHqUgLSBO0LQKluIcClvg2xOv8ixnBCgwXqwCsvTe9HeQCGV0IQA4qZPcHFGNUy25TSFWfJDiXV7dN6z6uOW5jOtA/s1600/downy.JPG" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Downy Woodpecker<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0eHq7d4HtOKXPeWmyV6KraQW91R-5NZgwgnvuWvYBTB4LL9vi4OMl4Tbc_l-3RQixfnDsbusNyZdAjDaPfCwjM8mFbZW9xUkxMq1YgIQRNsh8vKWFJQ7hitgyeXZTLgKtz4luYaniirYn/s1600/cardinal.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0eHq7d4HtOKXPeWmyV6KraQW91R-5NZgwgnvuWvYBTB4LL9vi4OMl4Tbc_l-3RQixfnDsbusNyZdAjDaPfCwjM8mFbZW9xUkxMq1YgIQRNsh8vKWFJQ7hitgyeXZTLgKtz4luYaniirYn/s1600/cardinal.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Female Cardinal</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifrCutK90ket80An1EwqDtFugzjlGcwk3OaKnHXeJB042As_GxUhs9VkicxbAqKLD_GCPtgS09IGMMEL0cva03VtUeKYMRS5r77Rqgdc3gZrMerXxuCaDNi7EvPPV4eisDnVQKkyQ1I-hd/s1600/Squirrel+in+feeder.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifrCutK90ket80An1EwqDtFugzjlGcwk3OaKnHXeJB042As_GxUhs9VkicxbAqKLD_GCPtgS09IGMMEL0cva03VtUeKYMRS5r77Rqgdc3gZrMerXxuCaDNi7EvPPV4eisDnVQKkyQ1I-hd/s1600/Squirrel+in+feeder.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Oops... don't count this bird!</td></tr>
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We counted birds four different times during the Great Backyard Bird Count. We counted 24 different species of birds!<br />
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I hope that you tried counting birds for the Great Backyard Bird Count. It's not too late for you to start. It ends tonight (Monday, February 17, 2014), so if you have some free time this afternoon, go out and count some birds!<br />
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In the next two posts, I'm going to tell you about some VERY special birds that we saw!<br />
<br />Roxannehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15292820452358499962noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3990369435612666836.post-24990435309994696272014-02-14T10:48:00.000-08:002014-02-18T19:32:24.009-08:00Time for the Great Backyard Bird Count!Today is an exciting day. Not only is it Valentine's Day, but it is also the beginning of the Great Backyard Bird Count! The Great Backyard Bird Count begins today, Friday, February 14. It ends on Monday, February 17.<br />
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The Great Backyard Bird Count is important because it helps scientists to learn more about birds and where they live.<br />
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We have been part of the Great Backyard Bird Count for many years. It is easy to do. We simply count the birds that we see in our backyard for fifteen minutes. We can count for a longer time if we want to. We count the different birds that we see in our yard. We count the number of each kind of bird.<br />
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Each time we count birds, we go to the GBBC website and tell them how many birds we saw and what kind of birds we saw. <br />
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You don't need a backyard to count the birds. You can go to the park or your school or anywhere in the world. <br />
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If you want to be part of the Great Backyard Bird Count, please ask an adult to help you. For more information, just click here: <a href="http://gbbc.birdcount.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/2014GBBC_DownloadableInstructions_NewHeader_time.pdf" target="_blank">Great Backyard Bird Count Instructions</a><br />
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This year Missy will help us count birds. We hope that you count birds, too!<br />
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P.S. If you don't know the names of the kinds of birds in your yard, here's a great poster to help you: <a href="http://www.birdsource.org/gbbc/CUBsGBBC_CommonBirds_Poster-2013-02-04.pdf" target="_blank">Guide to Common Birds</a>Roxannehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15292820452358499962noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3990369435612666836.post-17590946854998548842014-02-12T17:31:00.000-08:002014-02-12T18:27:14.425-08:00Missy and the Children's Museum<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgghX_0_r1efjEbeu80FZ8qCDIxz8yoDukb33Uzq7m7jbNzJlQ5n2KngLAVnpdxopbunrLMatffxTZpbdjgBtUpppB1vJ2G_WuF3pKhxCpZgLJYjft6oj-HMyY7AN0dqN7Fz0qIIyxTtC-D/s1600/Museum+sign.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgghX_0_r1efjEbeu80FZ8qCDIxz8yoDukb33Uzq7m7jbNzJlQ5n2KngLAVnpdxopbunrLMatffxTZpbdjgBtUpppB1vJ2G_WuF3pKhxCpZgLJYjft6oj-HMyY7AN0dqN7Fz0qIIyxTtC-D/s1600/Museum+sign.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Missy visits The Woodlands Children's Museum</td></tr>
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Today Missy visited The Woodlands Children's Museum. This museum is a special place for children to learn by play. Missy played a lot!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The aquarium at the Children's Museum</td></tr>
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The first thing that Missy saw was the aquarium. It was filled with lots of beautiful fish. It reminded Missy of her visit to Galveston beach.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Al Robb's mask collection</td></tr>
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Along one wall, she saw many beautiful masks. The masks belong to Al Robb. He is a world traveler. He collected the masks from many countries. Some masks are from Alaska. Some masks are from Africa. Some masks are from Europe. Mr. Robb ran out of room in his house to show his masks. He loaned his masks to the Children's Museum so that children could enjoy them. </div>
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There were also many places to play at the children's museum. Missy played in a big playhouse.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnu9_8wlvyBRd8iMmGsrR29yqk5B6AnEW5L88k2WP8qAVatwb8nu3DwIcdIPHMKPSD6-qdInzqy-L-wRjyTQE5SqoaFCrJppXfMFGuf1B686tMPICymRdRqgW66yTlN_XSXybBS2Tlo4mc/s1600/playhouse.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnu9_8wlvyBRd8iMmGsrR29yqk5B6AnEW5L88k2WP8qAVatwb8nu3DwIcdIPHMKPSD6-qdInzqy-L-wRjyTQE5SqoaFCrJppXfMFGuf1B686tMPICymRdRqgW66yTlN_XSXybBS2Tlo4mc/s1600/playhouse.jpg" height="400" width="266" /></a></div>
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She also played with a giant light puzzle.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVQtzCU69_uaTaesnKXWSouBoYNNjD0KglZslrSyHp7Ki3AhdEqZv5O1kRlf7gMgxQc-tWahbRmaG3v6uRb9U23y32m3L4OiPu1bGdeWlIfuZ4gC6O5LgVG8hBaExpUYCQU2By_CzcSEg4/s1600/Missy+lights.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVQtzCU69_uaTaesnKXWSouBoYNNjD0KglZslrSyHp7Ki3AhdEqZv5O1kRlf7gMgxQc-tWahbRmaG3v6uRb9U23y32m3L4OiPu1bGdeWlIfuZ4gC6O5LgVG8hBaExpUYCQU2By_CzcSEg4/s1600/Missy+lights.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></div>
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Then she found a castle!</div>
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It had a throne for a king and a queen. Missy sat in the queen's chair. A cat played the fiddle for her!</div>
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When Missy came home, she told me all about the museum. She liked the aquarium and the masks best. She even colored a mask for me to wear. How do you think I look?</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4TCLHloh_hVcj1pCGWsmvLnnQwnljudAJfgx4BxoXFVcQ37J34-qadYsyggC9KTMCXbd2tm5kbgCL3l-pXNPD8wt1Do7qsYx1WVk0HQ4pqRPzqpVf4pTUiZW_ZMErqRmP-211XChKet9p/s1600/Rox+in+mask.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4TCLHloh_hVcj1pCGWsmvLnnQwnljudAJfgx4BxoXFVcQ37J34-qadYsyggC9KTMCXbd2tm5kbgCL3l-pXNPD8wt1Do7qsYx1WVk0HQ4pqRPzqpVf4pTUiZW_ZMErqRmP-211XChKet9p/s1600/Rox+in+mask.jpg" height="400" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Roxanne wears a Barton Springs salamander mask.</td></tr>
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If you would like to make a mask, Mom found two great Texas animal masks for you to color. Just click here:<br />
<ul>
<li>This is the salamander mask that Missy made for me: <a href="https://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/publications/pwdpubs/media/pwd_un_w7000_0029e.pdf">Salamander mask</a></li>
<li>This is a Monarch Butterfly mask: <a href="http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/publications/pwdpubs/media/pwd_un_w7000_0029h.pdf">Butterfly mask</a></li>
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<br />Roxannehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15292820452358499962noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3990369435612666836.post-42919991308488424002014-02-10T14:04:00.002-08:002014-05-06T12:04:12.907-07:00We Love Ice Cream ANY Time of Year!!!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Missy wears a Blue Bell Creameries Hat.</td></tr>
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Today Missy learned about Blue Bell ice cream. It may be cold outside, but it is NEVER too cold for ice cream!<br />
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The Blue Bell Creamery is over 100 years old. Blue Bell was named after the Texas bluebell wildflower. The company was started in 1907 in Brenham, Texas. Brenham is located about an hour's drive north from our house.</div>
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Blue Bell ice cream is famous in Texas. We think that it is the very best ice cream in the whole world. The people at Blue Bell told us that they know why their ice cream tastes so good. It is because the cows that make the milk for their ice cream think that Brenham is heaven!<br />
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Blue Bell ice cream is only sold in 19 states across America. I feel sorry for those folks who have never been able to eat Blue Bell!<br />
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When you visit the ice cream factory, you can take a tour of the manufacturing plant. We watched a short movie about Blue Bell Creameries. Then we visited where they make and pack the ice cream. We watched workers pack ice cream bars. At the end of the tour, you get a scoop of ice cream. You can choose from over 32 flavors! Missy chose chocolate.<br />
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Blue Bell makes old-fashioned ice cream. It tastes GREAT!!! This afternoon, Missy tried two of our favorite flavors... Homemade Vanilla and Peppermint.<br />
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Missy chose the vanilla ice cream. She covered it in sprinkles and chocolate syrup. She put a cherry on top. She said that it was the best ice cream that she has ever tasted!<br />
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If you like ice cream, here are two pages for you to color. Have fun!<br />
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<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.leehansen.com/coloring/Parties/pages/icecream-coloring-poster.pdf" target="_blank">Ice Cream Cones</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.bluebison.net/books/coloring_books/2013/0313/ice-cream-island.pdf" target="_blank">Ice Cream Island</a></li>
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Roxannehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15292820452358499962noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3990369435612666836.post-16473095636028013222014-02-06T17:50:00.000-08:002014-02-06T17:50:22.363-08:00Missy Goes on a Nature Hike<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG861_tRpO-9YE3Gb997zEu4xaNkAOMYKS1scW7Mm-OezVvCyJ0N7CEj0Qd1dgrVX7XxK_llQFAqST7NyfdnxyfAWaAgn40OsSCMyDCvpUKYYTp_NmxWmmCdylZ7rVhkS2cPxX6Q1HPsJ8/s1600/Missy+Rox+hiking+closeup.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG861_tRpO-9YE3Gb997zEu4xaNkAOMYKS1scW7Mm-OezVvCyJ0N7CEj0Qd1dgrVX7XxK_llQFAqST7NyfdnxyfAWaAgn40OsSCMyDCvpUKYYTp_NmxWmmCdylZ7rVhkS2cPxX6Q1HPsJ8/s1600/Missy+Rox+hiking+closeup.jpg" height="400" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Missy and Roxanne go for a hike.</td></tr>
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This morning when we woke up, the sun was shining. It was another beautiful day in Texas! It was a great day to be outside. We decided to go for a hike. <br />
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We drove to the George Mitchell Nature Preserve, one of my favorite places. The preserve is deep in a thick forest. It has a beautiful hike through the pine trees and hardwoods. Hiking is one of my favorite things to do.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Missy at the George Mitchell Nature Preserve</td></tr>
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While Mom took this photo of Missy, I was already on the trail. I was ready to go hiking! </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNWXP8HCAEnP0SBFCFszcgtFoM0_EoIRF4YYtvXjJo7A7-oG27uPF1vVgQWfmyJDYKb25YyNEIAtPrRAxreGwEKv1srJ_hUyWlhJ8LH6oBz9tVEUOSEHeUKECHmQgj1ZgmNHLmHPpB9hFB/s1600/Rox+leads+(1).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNWXP8HCAEnP0SBFCFszcgtFoM0_EoIRF4YYtvXjJo7A7-oG27uPF1vVgQWfmyJDYKb25YyNEIAtPrRAxreGwEKv1srJ_hUyWlhJ8LH6oBz9tVEUOSEHeUKECHmQgj1ZgmNHLmHPpB9hFB/s1600/Rox+leads+(1).jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Roxanne is ready to hike!</td></tr>
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The hike is about a mile and a half long. It goes through the woods and to a beautiful little lake.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial, verdana; line-height: 20px;">Bedias Lake at George Mitchell Nature Preserve</span></td></tr>
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While we were hiking, we saw the first sign that spring is on its way... flowers!!!</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsKD_bsNUmDfXlbH8xwjuTxoufjaSFZiwLafzDeq9y6L6J2WxCrQRRkzlX4FxxMdrUvRyQdHQ1ONQZclzTmc9ULhRtbJ25j7PAzheuFUMHvNcd1hVc9JU21Ve-ld_GtKzjpqTwpJvsDw-s/s1600/first+signs+spring.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsKD_bsNUmDfXlbH8xwjuTxoufjaSFZiwLafzDeq9y6L6J2WxCrQRRkzlX4FxxMdrUvRyQdHQ1ONQZclzTmc9ULhRtbJ25j7PAzheuFUMHvNcd1hVc9JU21Ve-ld_GtKzjpqTwpJvsDw-s/s1600/first+signs+spring.jpg" height="320" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">First signs of spring.</td></tr>
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Then Missy saw a new plant that she had never seen before. It is called a saw palmetto. Palmettos only grows in southern forests from Texas to Florida. Here's a photo of Missy and me in front of a palmetto.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJfY6vqYQPro8TOO_aLIBRfTyWE1Y1y4MAqpSHfugYfXMqpNryq8jd5Xg_zuv-qKefA0jDghyphenhyphenQLLx58Vz7IBiWX_MRzFG4L2KhZq-Yqd0EXPzum3LdZkwQnk1LATcZ5LW0mpPXhXZR0kIp/s1600/Missy+Rox+palmetto.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJfY6vqYQPro8TOO_aLIBRfTyWE1Y1y4MAqpSHfugYfXMqpNryq8jd5Xg_zuv-qKefA0jDghyphenhyphenQLLx58Vz7IBiWX_MRzFG4L2KhZq-Yqd0EXPzum3LdZkwQnk1LATcZ5LW0mpPXhXZR0kIp/s1600/Missy+Rox+palmetto.jpg" height="400" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Missy and Roxanne in front of saw palmetto.</td></tr>
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We had a long hike today. It was so much fun!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuE-2jzQvJB91KO3qxAEP7U1FDU9kRxpoCTty9nQrBu7sIpj6g_0XPDGPq2ZQSNqSBtryzZfYQkRpxQa3mb11SdNg0htnr6k9KaYdMSAdJV2N9QfOOnRZCQTsQunXhN3Oca-At6ZF1fLA2/s1600/Missy+Rox+hiking.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuE-2jzQvJB91KO3qxAEP7U1FDU9kRxpoCTty9nQrBu7sIpj6g_0XPDGPq2ZQSNqSBtryzZfYQkRpxQa3mb11SdNg0htnr6k9KaYdMSAdJV2N9QfOOnRZCQTsQunXhN3Oca-At6ZF1fLA2/s1600/Missy+Rox+hiking.jpg" height="400" width="265" /></a></div>
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Roxannehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15292820452358499962noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3990369435612666836.post-8515121681338849862014-02-05T17:42:00.000-08:002014-02-05T20:13:07.417-08:00Texas, Our TexasWhen we left Galveston beach, we drove to the San Jacinto Monument in LaPorte, Texas. We wanted to help Missy understand why Texas is such a special state.<br />
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San Jacinto is a famous battlefield in Texas. It is where the Texas army won our independence from Mexico. <br />
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The fight for independence had been very difficult for the Texans. Six weeks earlier at the Alamo, every single soldier fighting for Texas had died. Sam Houston led the charge at San Jacinto. It was a surprise attack. The battle took just 18 minutes. On that day, April 21, 1836, Texas became an independent republic. Texas joined the United States in 1845.<br />
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Because San Jacinto has such a special place in Texas history, Texans built a monument here. The wind was still blowing really hard, so Dad took hold of Missy when Mom took this photo. We didn't want her flying up in the sky again!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE5AR6qNCtjzNPL_p34nf1DMrD235kKFHpuHwADokQaY2JykDkLsFuYCQgBL1G2N9r78Dle5JmP_VC3FS8T7tcRyyKaSU1dISfGlHtZ0r_YXRrMx1iRCVYxlBKtB6auAd32c_QMUhfR-Dv/s1600/Missy+%2526+San+Jac+monument.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE5AR6qNCtjzNPL_p34nf1DMrD235kKFHpuHwADokQaY2JykDkLsFuYCQgBL1G2N9r78Dle5JmP_VC3FS8T7tcRyyKaSU1dISfGlHtZ0r_YXRrMx1iRCVYxlBKtB6auAd32c_QMUhfR-Dv/s1600/Missy+%2526+San+Jac+monument.jpg" height="640" width="425" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Missy in front of the San Jacinto Monument</td></tr>
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They say that everything is BIG in Texas. Here are some fun reasons why...<br />
<ul>
<li>Texas is the second largest state in the United States of America. Only Alaska is bigger. If you want to know HOW BIG TEXAS IS, just check out my post by clicking here: <a href="http://roxannedogblog.blogspot.com/2009/11/how-big-is-texas.html">How Big is Texas?</a></li>
<li>Houston, Texas, is the largest geographical city in the United States. Houston has over two million people living in it, making it the fourth most populous of all U.S. cities.</li>
<li>The Texas state capitol in Austin is the largest capital building in all the states.</li>
<li>The San Jacinto monument is the world's tallest war memorial and stone column, standing a little more than 567 feet tall.</li>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1NcT5xIm6anGt_9n0VpExMUVsBaLpew7vecR-C4dHVX4GjH6oOL5dDn37sujdCSJvFG-nv_hFLz3EBChzjdfBDhKR7CYJOS5Zo97ojbY_A-JCB3i2T8BWZ6dvYNYA7CSoTau69pZFnyuY/s1600/San+Jac+monument.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1NcT5xIm6anGt_9n0VpExMUVsBaLpew7vecR-C4dHVX4GjH6oOL5dDn37sujdCSJvFG-nv_hFLz3EBChzjdfBDhKR7CYJOS5Zo97ojbY_A-JCB3i2T8BWZ6dvYNYA7CSoTau69pZFnyuY/s1600/San+Jac+monument.jpg" height="320" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The San Jacinto monument is the tallest war memorial and stone column, standing at 567 feet tall.</td></tr>
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There are so many more things that make Texas special. Here are just a few more facts:<br />
<ul>
<li>Texas is the #1 state in the U.S. in production of oil, cotton, wool, hay, and cattle. </li>
<li>Texas is a word that means "friendly" in the Caddo Indian language. </li>
<li>Texas is called the Lone Star State because its flag has one white star. </li>
<li>The Texas state flower is the bluebonnet. Bluebonnets only grow wild in Texas.</li>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTj7R7MnOWNytHs5Yz0jmzf48O6aO4whugP8SmUJSlkXV8OaKfEafTRQTSf9mqReB7x5ls6RSiojDDCkvYno9NuhBc324fdtuYTfQlfAiehM2d2Kff1hJl64XvqxtO4MFpZUbI_elM9IEx/s1600/bluebonnets.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTj7R7MnOWNytHs5Yz0jmzf48O6aO4whugP8SmUJSlkXV8OaKfEafTRQTSf9mqReB7x5ls6RSiojDDCkvYno9NuhBc324fdtuYTfQlfAiehM2d2Kff1hJl64XvqxtO4MFpZUbI_elM9IEx/s1600/bluebonnets.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Texas Bluebonnets</td></tr>
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Would you like to learn more about Texas? Here are two great coloring book about Texas facts and symbols:<br />
<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.texasbob.com/documents/texascolor.PDF">http://www.texasbob.com/documents/texascolor.PDF</a></li>
<li><a href="http://kids.house.state.tx.us/worksheets/symbols.pdf">http://kids.house.state.tx.us/worksheets/symbols.pdf</a></li>
</ul>
Here is a great book about symbols of Texas State Parks: <a href="http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/publications/pwdpubs/media/pwd_bk_p4000_1181.pdf" target="_blank">Symbols of Texas State Parks</a><br />
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Our state song is <i>Texas, Our Texas</i>:<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;"> </span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Texas, Our Texas! all hail the mighty State!</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Texas, Our Texas! so wonderful so great!</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Boldest and grandest, withstanding ev'ry test</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">O Empire wide and glorious, you stand supremely blest.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Chorus</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Texas, O Texas! your freeborn single star,</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Sends out its radiance to nations near and far,</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Emblem of Freedom! it set our hearts aglow,</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">With thoughts of San Jacinto and glorious Alamo.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Chorus</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Texas, dear Texas! from tyrant grip now free,</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Shines forth in splendor, your star of destiny!</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Mother of heroes, we come your children true,</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Proclaiming our allegiance, our faith, our love for you.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Chorus</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">God bless you Texas! And keep you brave and strong,</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">That you may grow in power and worth, throughout the ages long.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">God bless you Texas! And keep you brave and strong,</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;">That you may grow in power and worth, throughout the ages long.</span> </span></div>
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Roxannehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15292820452358499962noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3990369435612666836.post-88172993756452306482014-02-04T08:36:00.000-08:002014-02-05T14:46:49.149-08:00Sea Turtles and the Texas Coast<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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When we visited the beach today, Missy learned a lot about the Texas coast and its sea turtles.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC-tfFz4P_o6FH41j1D_E-xy9wwRwjAsxZnMYvtGTbiUwaUNZiLb2adJmIY18v_cnRYnCI48SeGjgDN-F-5PivlmZtr91mQkNJPVXuoKy-3ah-Tq2Idsqty1kICw123J1T_8aKjmwe2ZM9/s1600/beach.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC-tfFz4P_o6FH41j1D_E-xy9wwRwjAsxZnMYvtGTbiUwaUNZiLb2adJmIY18v_cnRYnCI48SeGjgDN-F-5PivlmZtr91mQkNJPVXuoKy-3ah-Tq2Idsqty1kICw123J1T_8aKjmwe2ZM9/s1600/beach.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Turtle sanctuary on Galveston island.</td></tr>
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While we were walking, we found a turtle sanctuary along the beach. This is a special part of the beach where sea turtles come to lay their eggs. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhctrBMMpftotYKdaqwBlt_fcvpRomsD8QXXc6V-J_vs-gvc41c44N8uGG4X-4gavo975DlpTFRNB-KXMnCmmkab0qnBEyQqGigsLuLQXEHZxxsirIVw3kLNd9uw9lE1PGElrnd3YBvTftq/s1600/sea+turtle+sign.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhctrBMMpftotYKdaqwBlt_fcvpRomsD8QXXc6V-J_vs-gvc41c44N8uGG4X-4gavo975DlpTFRNB-KXMnCmmkab0qnBEyQqGigsLuLQXEHZxxsirIVw3kLNd9uw9lE1PGElrnd3YBvTftq/s1600/sea+turtle+sign.jpg" height="320" width="213" /></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span">Turtles visit many places along the shores of the Texas Gulf Coast. Kemp's Ridley sea turtles are the most common turtles that come to lay their eggs in the sands of Galveston's beach. </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC47Z6JTCA7UVpydQsj6FXPeIMbeTxTmSKC_tWrOsK3WzT_uRXn9uA5zEw-lYEsHzEeMB5Yu__jKy-E0mRJBhQJDsUQTZQX937H7zYPbNR6PkNkV56TZt3rcO0NI5Zy8R3Yw4w-oiF2MN7/s1600/coastal+plains.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC47Z6JTCA7UVpydQsj6FXPeIMbeTxTmSKC_tWrOsK3WzT_uRXn9uA5zEw-lYEsHzEeMB5Yu__jKy-E0mRJBhQJDsUQTZQX937H7zYPbNR6PkNkV56TZt3rcO0NI5Zy8R3Yw4w-oiF2MN7/s1600/coastal+plains.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sand dunes on Galveston beach</td></tr>
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All sea turtles live in the open ocean. Female sea turtles only come to shore once a year. They come at night to lay their eggs. Their nesting season is from April to August when the sand is warm. The sea turtles may lay as many as 120 eggs at one time.</div>
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About 60 days later, tiny turtles emerge from their shells. They normally hatch at night or during a rain storm. Then they scurry to the water as fast as they can. They must make it to the water quickly to keep safe from predators.</div>
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The Kemp's Ridley sea turtle is very special. It is the smallest sea turtle. An adult can weigh 100 pounds and is about 30 inches long. Kemp's Ridley sea turtles<span class="Apple-style-span"> are also the most endangered of all sea turtles and must be protected. For more information, click here: <a href="http://www.texasthestateofwater.org/screening/pdf_docs/fact_sheets/kemps_ridley.pdf" target="_blank">Most Endangered Sea Turtles</a></span></div>
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You can help to save sea turtles. You can help by keeping beaches clean. You can help by protecting beach vegetation. You can help by not disturbing a turtle if you see one. If you would like to learn more about helping turtles, click here: <a href="http://www.fws.gov/northflorida/SeaTurtles/20090700_You_Can_Help_ST.pdf" target="_blank">Protect Sea Turtles</a></div>
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We didn't see any sea turtles on the beach today. Here is a photo that Mom took a few years ago of an injured turtle at the Houston Downtown Aquarium. Soon after this photo was taken, the turtle was well enough to be released back into the ocean.</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinbJyOgcjXEjgII86gMJ-nqpSiEPjuXVvCMmwvfrZyronIZ-EQBbANdZ4QwbKRqpSkRjpIC-4LuqF23Sc_8JQ6uCgkKiHZc4WQDQbxz74YvGmUbbTtaL0jNJRR3W-rr0Yhl8FpEVywPaWZ/s1600/Rocko+turtle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinbJyOgcjXEjgII86gMJ-nqpSiEPjuXVvCMmwvfrZyronIZ-EQBbANdZ4QwbKRqpSkRjpIC-4LuqF23Sc_8JQ6uCgkKiHZc4WQDQbxz74YvGmUbbTtaL0jNJRR3W-rr0Yhl8FpEVywPaWZ/s1600/Rocko+turtle.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sea turtle at Houston's Downtown Aquarium Restaurant</td></tr>
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After our trip to the beach, Missy wanted to know all about our Texas turtles. Here is a photo of Missy coloring a Kemp's Ridley sea turtle. She is a very good artist!</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3_k8Gi1R6lfUrgotz9QOJOsPHa3YEGml3pVe7xaTJn7UtIn_nDIyP2VikiDrqesW1IBc2y1uZpCrjDDQid4retP3rpite5FiHBZojicsDtCyHA4_b4xThyphenhyphenlZm16GHNVllE2qJW5rCnmUo/s1600/Missy+turtle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3_k8Gi1R6lfUrgotz9QOJOsPHa3YEGml3pVe7xaTJn7UtIn_nDIyP2VikiDrqesW1IBc2y1uZpCrjDDQid4retP3rpite5FiHBZojicsDtCyHA4_b4xThyphenhyphenlZm16GHNVllE2qJW5rCnmUo/s1600/Missy+turtle.jpg" height="400" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Missy learns about Kemp ridley turtles.</td></tr>
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Would you like to learn more about sea turtles? To learn more about Kemp's Ridley sea turtles, click here <a href="http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/pdfs/education/kids_times_turtle_kempsridley.pdf" target="_blank">Kemp's Ridley Sea Turtles</a> or here <a href="http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/publications/pwdpubs/media/pwd_bk_w7000_0013_kemps_ridley_sea_turtle.pdf" target="_blank">Kemp's Ridley Sea Turtles TPWD</a></div>
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Here are three great activity books about turtles: </div>
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<a href="http://hotopics.askcarlos.com/coloringbooks/seaturtle.pdf" target="_blank">Texas Sea Turtles</a></div>
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<a href="http://www.chnep.org/Grants/POG/TurtleTalks-Sea%20Turtles.pdf" target="_blank">Sea Turtle Activity Book</a> </div>
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<a href="http://www.usm.edu/gcrl/public/kids/docs/coloring.and.activity.book.turtle.pdf" target="_blank">All Kinds of Turtles Activity Book</a> (Missy colored the Kemp's Ridley sea turtle picture from this activity book.)</div>
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You can also check out these great books from your library:</div>
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<li><i>I'll Follow the Moon </i>by Stephanie Tara</li>
<li><i>National Geographic Readers: Sea Turtles </i>by Laura Marsh</li>
<li><i>One Tiny Turtle: Read and Wonder</i> by Nicola Davies</li>
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Roxannehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15292820452358499962noreply@blogger.com0