Scribblings from a twenty-year homeschool veteran about homeschooling, life after homeschooling, occasional peeks into the world of writing for children, and the ups and downs of life in general.
I suppose the "Great Field Trips" category is a little over the top, but it was a field trip and it was great....
When Ryan and I arrived in El Gallito (the little rooster) neighborhood of about 40 dwellings, we were surprised to see that the dwellings are all stuck together--a bit like row houses at the top of some steep steps--all around a fairly large "block." Every dwelling has a patio, and they all meet at the backs. High walls keep you from seeing your neighbors, but doesn't keep you from hearing them. The Corderos (our hosts) had turned their patio into another big room, in which Blanca had her washing machine and hung all her clothes on a few lines spread across the "indoor" patio. You can see behind this group of ladies the clothes hanging. It's basically an enclosed patio and works well in this 70-degree-all-year-long part of Costa Rica.
The next surprise was the 3 or 4 "anti-burglar" bars and alarms in front of their windows and doors. Bars, mind you! That sort of caught me by surprise. But so many neighbors' homes get broken into that the Corderos weren't taking any chances.
Each neighborhood (barrio) complex here has it's own: school, medical clinic, corner market, meat market, and police station. And everybody walks! I never saw so many moms walking their children to school every morning and afternoon; people are outside walking up and down the sidewalks (very hilly), and greeting everybody with the Costa Rican greeting, "adios." It's just as likely that a greeting turns into hugs and a lengthy conversation. Nobody is ever in a hurry. Everybody was so friendly! Not many mothers work outside the home in this neighborhood, and it was a joy to meet ladies from the church who live there, too. A real outreach opportunity for the Corderos--reaching people in their own barrio! Folks just stop by the house at odd hours---who knows why?---and everybody stops what they're doing and just visits awhile. This family just dropped by one afternoon, and I never learned why. But it was great fun, and on-the-spot ministry just "happens."
Here is produce hanging from the corner market. There is an inside part, too, about the size of a 7-11 or gasmart. When we wanted orange juice for breakfast, we walked here (takes less than a minute) and bought the oranges to make the OJ. Everything tastes better here--where it grows naturally. I never tasted better food in my life! One morning I learned that Erick had been up during the night. He went out and called the police because this little store was in the process of being robbed.
As a break for the mid-winter blues, I've decided to revisit Costa Rica. No, not in person (I wish), but to remember it and share what a great field trip this little country is. I will make these entries brief, as long blog posts tend to make my mind wander, and I'm sure they do you, too. In March 2004, 12-year-old Ryan and I set off for a 2-week "field trip" to San José, Costa Rica. Our goal was to see the "real" CR through the eyes of our hosts, Pastor Erick Cordero and his wife, Blanca, and their 2 great kids. Of the 4, only Erick speaks English. I also wanted Ryan to be immersed in Spanish, as he'd been exposed to the language from early childhood. And it was my big test, too (which I failed in some respects, but more about that in later posts). Here is San José from the plane. A mild 70 degrees year-round, situated in the mountains.
We took a midnight flight--very bad mistake, especially if one cannot sleep on the plane. By the following evening I didn't care where we slept, so long as there was a bed. The time zone in CR is Central Time, so it was only a 2-hour difference to us, but the flight was so long, with a layover in Houston at 9 a.m.
The airport in San José was nice but small. I had to trust that we would be met by Pastor Erick (no cell phones), because the airport personnel might as well have been speaking Chinese for as much as I could understand them. It was a warm, lovely day--the rainy Pacific NW left far behind.
As we left the airport, our eyes were wide open to take in the sights and sounds of a new country (first time I'd ever been anywhere outside the U.S., except for Canada). The biggest surprise? Whenever the car stopped at a traffic light, street peddlers weaved in and out, hawking their wares. You name it; they sold it--wallets, food, scarves, knick-knacks, etc. It was amazing that they were never run over.
I thought we'd never get to El Gallo, the Corderos' neighborhood in Granadilla, a suburb of San José. It all just ran together for me.
Next . . . A peek into a neighborhood the tourists don't see when they visit Costa Rica . . .
I thoroughly enjoyed meeting and fellowshipping yesterday with another blogging buddy I met right here on HSB. She is Marie, Troopers for Christ, and also manages the Homeschool Nations blog for our state, WA. We met at The Secret Garden tea house in Sumner. This is an old Victorian home (they built 'em big in those days!) remodeld to serve tea and High Tea and all the fancy doings that I know close to nothing about. It was delightful! Here is a picture of The Secret Garden, still decked out for Christmas:
We had soup and scones and then a chocolate tea cup with cranberry mousse! Now this is high living--Victorian style. As soon as Marie posts her pics, you can see a closeup of this decadent dessert. We met at high noon and didn't leave until 3:30! If you can see the "sun room" sticking out on the left of the house, that was where our tiny, quiet table for two sat.
Marie is on the left; I'm on the right. Such fun to meet HSBers. And to think--all this time she lived only 40 minutes from me and I didn't know it until she found my blog because I was HSB blogger of the week last month. One never really knows the connections because of "chance happenings." What a blessing she is, and so very, very funny!
We left The Secret Garden and swung down to Puyallup (try pronouncing that 5 times real fast) so I could grab a snapshot of the Meeker Mansion. I need some old-Victorian style mansions to think about a new cover for my next (as yet uncontracted) Andi adventure.
Marie and I had fun taking shots and generally tramping around the closed mansion (reopens for tours in March). And a good thing, too, as I bumbled around and looked like an idiot trying to get a bunch of pics. Here are a couple. The place really WAS a mansion. And I'm sure every good homeschool family knows about Ezra Meeker and his trips up and down the Oregon Trail, right?
WARNING: If you’re afraid of the dark, do NOT read this entry! If you don’t like cold breezy places, do NOT read this entry! If you want to find out about apes living in caves, you won’t learn it from this blog. However, if you are full of adventure, like to explore deep, dark interesting places, or love to read about volcanoes, today's blog entry is for you. It’s all about lava tubes.
Lava tubes? Volcanoes? Ape Cave? Is there a connection here? The answer is: YES! The Ape Cave is the name of the longest lava tube in North America and the second longest lava tube in the world. You can visit this underground wonder at Mt. St. Helens. Yes, that's the volcano that erupted on May 18, 1980. Lots of people visit the remains of what was once a perfect, snow-capped "ice cream cone" mountain in SW Washington.
Mt. St. Helens before the 1980 eruption
Mt. St. Helens after the 1980 eruption
Fewer travel to the south side of St. Helens and stroll into the mouth of a huge cave, down a path, and descend 40 feet of metal stairs to "monkey around" in the dark, hollowed-out remains of a tunnel once filled with lava! The lava shot through the tube so fast that it left behind the hardened, round shell of cooled lava--just like a straw.
Gulp! The entrance to the Ape Cave. It's always 42 degrees down there--summer or winter.
In addition, the lava caught the surrounding forest on fire, but the lava hardened before the trees burned up, so there are "mini" lava tubes throughout the forest.
Andrew loves going inside the Ape Cave, but Ryan is less certain.
However, Ryan loves the "mini" lava tubes (where the tree trunks used to be).
This is part of the 2 and 1/2 mile long Ape Cave. Looks light? Look again. This is a stock photo. The Ape Cave gives new meaning to the biblical verses about being "...cast into outer darkness, where there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth." Believe me, Ryan was doing his share of teeth-gnashing and actually refused to go down the second time we visited the Ape Cave. There is no place blacker in all the earth than being here with our Coleman lantern turned off. When Jesus talked about being the Light of the world, I wonder if He was comparing the darkness of the world with a place as black as the Ape Cave lava tube . You don't realize that we never truly experience a total absence of light in our daily lives!
So if you ever get the opportunity to visit Mt. St. Helens, take the time to drive to the south side and visit the Ape Cave.
Oh...and the name? A local boy scout troop who were the first to explore the cave named it after themselves (The Mt. St. Helens Apes). Where they got their troop name is another story....
My Spanish is not so good. I admit it. I can get by one-on-one, as long as the native speaker is patient and not in a hurry. When my son and I visited Costa Rica (the ultimate homeschool field trip), I discovered that lack of good communication can be dangerous, but obedience can save your life.
During our two-week stay with a dear Costa Rican pastor and his family, Ryan and I had occasion to visit Tarcoles, on the Pacific Ocean. This is not your usual tourist spot, but the "real" Costa Rica. A poor town, the fishermen resort to smuggling drugs from Colombia when the fishing is bad. But the water is like a sauna! I've been to the Pacific Ocean many times (living in WA state), and only the brave put a toe into the frigid water. In Tarcoles, with the heat and sun melting me, I ventured farther and farther away from the shore and into my own personal bathtub. It was a delicious experience.
A little while later, Ryan swam out to where I was lying on my back, soaking up the waves and the heat. "Erick says you have to come back to shore." "Why?" I asked my son. He replied, "Erick says there's a dangerous undertow out here." Well, I know about undertows, having experienced them with my own little piece of the Pacific, and we were so deep, the water so still, I thought, "What is he talking about? Undertows are closer to shore."
However, I decided to put my trust in a person who was familiar with his own country and obey his warning. Reluctantly I swam back to shore. Erick speaks pretty good English, and he explained how just last year someone had died in the dangerous undertow here at Tarcoles.
When we returned to San Jose the following day (after Erick had preached at his little mission church in the village), I tried to retell our experience to his wifeBlanca, my dear friend, who speaks no English. She confirmed all that Erick had said about the "undertow," but of course she said it in Spanish. Determined to find out exactly what this danger was, I grabbed my Spanish-English dictionary and looked up the word Blanca used. The word in English was "whirlpool." The light went on, and I got a sick feeling in my stomach. Tarcoles is noted for its whirlpools off shore, not its undertows! A whirlpool can come up and snatch you in a moment and drown you. Erick had mistranslated the word into "undertow" in English when speaking to me. Big difference!
I praise God that I obeyed, even though it made no sense to me at the time. Later, the Lord showed me that this incident is a picture of how sometimes we have to obey God, even though it might not make sense at the time.
I'll take you back to this delightful Pura Vida! country another time, with more stories and pictures of the "real" Costa Rica and its people.
OK. I've started a new category: Great Field Trips. I'll try to hop around and not limit myself to Washington State, but I'll start here.
Did you know there is a waterfall ten times the size of Niagra Falls? Dry Falls is thought to be the greatest known waterfall that has ever existed on the entire planet! Geologists think that during the last ice age a catastrophic flood channeled water at 65 miles per hour through the Grand Coulee and over this 400-foot rock face. They figure that the flow of the falls was ten times greater than the current flow of all the rivers in the world combined. What a Great Flood run-off! See some great pics by clicking the virtual tour.
Secular scientists insist the run-off is from a huge lake trapped behind an ice dam in Montana (Lake Missoula) that broke and went rampant. The interesting part is that they agree it is possible to have a catastrophic flood! If they could only hear themselves! How hard is it to conclude that this could be run-off from a global flood? From the air, the area around the Palouse (wheat field land in E. WA) looks like giant waves have rippled there.
Our family has spent many happy summers camping at Sun Lakes State Park. This is the setting of my Rattle(snake) in My Pocket story from the S&T last Friday. The "left-over" water and what little rain that falls here has stayed in a number of small lakes, making it a skiers and water-lovers' playground.
A game of Water Keep-Away in Park Lake
Andrew cliff jumping at Deep Lake
When I stand at the observation deck and take in the enormity of the falls, where once tumbled millions of cubic feet of water, all rushing to the sea, I feel awed by the evidence of God's working on the planet. I always see it as the Great Flood Run-Off.
Along the "coulee," not far from the main campground, are a number of caves, which served as homes to many wandering Indian tribes. Here are my 4 campers enjoying a "side trip" to the Lake Lenore Caves.
So...when you think about touring Washington State, don't limit yourself to Mt. Rainier and Seattle! See God's mighty hand at Dry Falls and the Lake Lenore Caves. Good news: it doesn't rain much in Eastern WA so you're pretty much guaranteed terrific weather!
You can see behind this group of ladies the clothes hanging. It's basically an enclosed patio and works well in this 70-degree-all-year-long part of Costa Rica. 
This family just dropped by one afternoon, and I never learned why. But it was great fun, and on-the-spot ministry just "happens." 
Here is produce hanging from the corner market. There is an inside part, too, about the size of a 7-11 or gasmart. When we wanted orange juice for breakfast, we walked here (takes less than a minute) and bought the oranges to make the OJ. Everything tastes better here--where it grows naturally. I never tasted better food in my life! One morning I learned that Erick had been up during the night. He went out and called the police because this little store was in the process of being robbed. 
In March 2004, 12-year-old Ryan and I set off for a 2-week "field trip" to San José, Costa Rica. Our goal was to see the "real" CR through the eyes of our hosts, Pastor Erick Cordero and his wife, Blanca, and their 2 great kids. Of the 4, only Erick speaks English. I also wanted Ryan to be immersed in Spanish, as he'd been exposed to the language from early childhood. And it was my big test, too (which I failed in some respects, but more about that in later posts). 
Here is San José from the plane. A mild 70 degrees year-round, situated in the mountains. 
You can visit this underground wonder at Mt. St. Helens. Yes, that's the volcano that erupted on May 18, 1980. Lots of people visit the remains of what was once a perfect, snow-capped "ice cream cone" mountain in SW Washington. 
Mt. St. Helens before the 1980 eruption
Mt. St. Helens after the 1980 eruption
Gulp! The entrance to the Ape Cave. It's always 42 degrees down there--summer or winter. 
Andrew loves going inside the Ape Cave, but Ryan is less certain.
However, Ryan loves the "mini" lava tubes (where the tree trunks used to be).
This is part of the 2 and 1/2 mile long Ape Cave. Looks light? Look again. This is a stock photo. The Ape Cave gives new meaning to the biblical verses about being "...cast into outer darkness, where there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth." Believe me, Ryan was doing his share of teeth-gnashing and actually refused to go down the second time we visited the Ape Cave. There is no place blacker in all the earth than being here with our Coleman lantern turned off. When Jesus talked about being the Light of the world, I wonder if He was comparing the darkness of the world with a place as black as the Ape Cave lava tube . You don't realize that we never truly experience a total absence of light in our daily lives!
