My Favorite Photos - May 2023

 This month I didn't take nearly as many photos as I have in past months. It's felt like I've been working a lot and have little time to take photos of things beside work (with the exception of Sophia's graduation from college). 

The month of May started out with an event I coordinated at the museum - the season's open house. There were lots of hands-on activities - some old favorites (like "milking" a cow) and many new ones.

The museum partnered with the Living History Society of Minnesota. There were about a half dozen volunteers who dressed in outfits typical of the late-1800s. The women sew all the clothing they wear which is very impressive!

After the open house, there was a 51st birthday party for the museum. My sister and nephew were there. A friend who I've known for many years also showed up and we all had a nice conversation that evening.

The following week, I was assigned to go on a field trip to the Minnesota Zoo because there was a student who has a track record of just getting up and leaving when he no longer wants to listen or be a part of the activity. He and I get along well, so we go to spend the day together. I brought my camera and let him use it. He had never held or used a camera before. 

Within a half hour of being at the zoo, another student who I enjoy working with asked if he could be chaperoned by me. The teacher gave her permission, so the two sixth-grade boys and I spent the day together. Between the two of them, they took over 400 photos. 

We enjoyed exploring the zoo together at our own pace and having lunch together. It was starting to sink in that we only had a few more weeks together before summer break and of them both going to middle school next year. 

One of the things that saddened me was the snow monkey who somehow found a piece of gum and was playing with it. I later found out it was one of the sixth grader's chewed gum that the monkey had. I'm not sure if she spit it into the monkey's enclosure or if it fell out of her mouth. Regardless, it showed me how careless and thoughtless some kids can be. I'm glad I was with the two boys I was with that day. They, like me, were sad about the snow monkey and how a lot of kids were laughing at it as it played with the gum. 

Back to more cheerful subjects. I got assigned again to help the two sixth-graders on track and field day. Both challenged themselves to do the hurdles which was something neither had done. They both did well. Did they receive a ribbon? No, but they pushed themselves to do something different. 

Around the 20th of the month, I went to an exhibit at the county historical society. The museum is very well done.

Fast forward to the end of the month. Sophia's social work pinning ceremony was on the night before she graduated from college. Each of the social work students had a display board that presented their research findings based on their senor field work. 

That evening, we went to dinner at a Thai restaurant. The spring roll were delicious! I would definitely order them again. 

On Saturday, May 27th, Sophia graduated from college with a 3.94. So, the top honor: summa cum laude. 

The purple stole is for being a Page Education Foundation scholar. The foundation provided funding to Sophia to help with her education.

  

It is so hard to believe that she was once a little girl who I homeschooled. We learned, laughed, and discovered so much together. Now, she far exceeds me academically and did work that was out of my realm of experience and knowledge.

After graduation, we all went to dinner at Namaste, an Indian restaurant. It reminded us of our trip last year to London where there were a lot of Indian restaurants. 

After graduation, we moved both the girls out of their dorms/suites. Olivia was done right away. Sophia, on the other hand, had a much more extensive packing and cleaning job. It took much of the day to get her moved out. This is Olivia by the dorm she lived in during her freshman year.

After dropping off Olivia at home, I went to the museum for Immigrant for a Day. I had planned all the activities, but others (staff and volunteers) set it up for me. This was one of the activities - a miniature box baler. This (on a larger scale) was how hay and straw was baled. 

Another activity was writing on a slate like they would have done on the late-1800s. 

On Memorial Day morning, Sophia - who just had graduated from college two days earlier - was headed to the Baltics with the Wind Symphony. It was their final international trip of their college career.

While she was flying overseas, I was at the local cemetery listening and watching the Memorial Day ceremony. When my dad was buried at Fort Snelling, there was a multi-gun salute. I kept two the metal cases from the bullets...just like I did with the bullets from the salute to him. 

And that's May. 

Birds - At Home and at the Minnesota Zoo

For this swap on Swap-Bot, the focus is on birds and photographing three images of birds in the wild or in captivity. 

The first image is of a red-winged blackbird at one of our suet feeders. The red-winged blackbirds came back in mid-April this year and there was not a lot of food available for them. They flew from our pond to the backyard to eat seeds and suet. I always like seeing and hearing these birds because they are often the first signs of spring.

This is a Common Shelduck that is at the Minnesota Zoo. They are commonly seen in Europe, Asia, and the northern parts of Africa. Young shelducks are able to fly at only seven weeks old. 

These are Lesser Flamingos that commonly live in Africa, south of the Sahara Desert. Although they are the tallest birds at the Minnesota Zoo, they are the smallest ones among flamingos. In the wild, Lesser Flamingos travel at night in a V-formation - just like Canada Geese.

Back to yard photos. These aren't great photos, since they are taken from a distance on my phone. That being said, this one is of two orioles - a male (by the orange on the feeder) and a female (waiting on the top of the metal pole). I am so happy to have the Orioles back again this year. They have beautiful songs and are such colorful birds.

This is the Pileated Woodpecker. It is the largest woodpecker in Minnesota. Comparing this bird to the Red-Winged Blackbird in the first photo is a good way to see the size of these birds. 

These photos are not my best work in terms of photography. With working multiple jobs, I have not had the time to take my camera and spend time photographing the birds around our yard. Hopefully, with the school year ending, I'll have more time to take better photos. 

Field Trip to the Minnesota Zoo

 There's a swap on Swap-bot that I signed up for with a focus on sharing photos of three animals. As I went back on my photos over the past month, I realized I didn't take any pictures of our dogs or wild animals that I've seen around our home. Instead, these are all photos of animals I saw at the Minnesota Zoo.

I went to the Minnesota Zoo on a field trip with the sixth-grade class and was assigned to a student in special education. It ended up that another student I work with wanted to join us, so the three of us explored the zoo together. It was a lot of fun, especially since I gave them their own photo disk and let them borrow my camera. They took over 400 photos of the experience there.

So, I had very little time to photograph animals myself, but to see the joy of the boys as they took documented their trip was well worth it. 

At any rate, below are some photos I took that day. The first two are of snow monkeys. Snow monkey are from Asia and they live farther north than any other non-human primate. In Japan, they are able to survive the cold northern temperatures because of their long, thick fur and occasional dip in a volcanic hot spring. 

Snow monkeys have long canine teeth and are very strong which helps keep them safe from predators when they are on the ground. They also have special cheek pouches. While foraging, they stash extra food in their pouches and chew it later.  

It was a beautiful, sunny day when we were at the zoo, so the brown bears (grizzlies) were resting. Brown bears are among the biggest animals on earth, and they are particularly large in Kamchatka, in Russia’s far east, and on the coast of Alaska. They may grow to be ten feet tall and weigh 1,300 pounds.

This is an Amur Leopard. These leopards live in the eastern part of Asia and are on the brink of extinction. With deer populations declining and their habitat being disrupted, the leopards are in a precarious place with fewer than 50 individuals living in the wild.

As we were walking on a path, a chipmunk came running out. It stopped in the middle of the sidewalk and it watched us as we watched it. Chipmunks have either seven or nine stripes depending on their type (Eastern or Least) and weigh only from one to four ounces. They have short lifespans - up to two years. 

Like the snow monkeys, chipmunks have cheek pouches too. However, with chipmunks, the cheek pouches can enlarge to three times bigger than their heads.          

Zoos, for me, are challenging. Although I love to see different types of animals and appreciate that they are keeping some species from extinction, it is difficult for me to see animals in captivity - especially large ones with small enclosures or land space. I'm not sure the solution to this issue because, in some cases, the animals are safer than in the wild where poachers will kill them. 

So, for the time being, I need to focus on the gift of being able to learn about and see these animals; and for being made aware of the challenges that they face in the wild. 

Hobbies that Begin with "A" - Blogging from A to Z Challenge

During the 2018 Blogging from A to Z Challenge, I will be focusing on hobbies that I have introduced to my daughters to through their childhood and teen years.

Some were done as part of homeschooling, while others were areas that we explored because we were interested in the subject or activity. These are hobbies that anyone of any age could try as well.

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There are seven hobbies that begin with the letter "A" that we have explored: acting, animals, aquariums, archery, arts, astronomy, and aviation.

Acting

When the girls were younger, they were introduced to acting by being in the Almost Angels children's choir at church. There were plays that the children did. It was a great way to gain confidence in talking and being in front of an audience.

The girls also participated in a play at the St. Croix ArtBarn and had roles in "The Chocolate Milk Cow."

June 27, 2009

Each year, the children's choir put on a play around Christmas. The girls had different roles each year.

December 16, 2011

December 8, 2013

When they were in a book club that I organized, they brought their love of costumes and acting to the club; and they acted out scenes from the play. All the kids had a fun time.

August 23, 2013

Animals


Appreciation and enjoyment of animals; and animal care are what I think of for this hobby. The girls have enjoyed having dogs for their entire lives. 

February 23, 2013

When they were 6 and 8 years old, we adopted two horses from a rescue organization. The girls have cared for them since August 13, 2009. The horses were about 3 years old at that time and from different neglectful situations. 

April 30, 2011

One of our favorite field trips is to the Minnesota Zoo. Here the girls were watching the sea otters. We had an up-close view of this one as it swam right by us.

February 13, 2009

We have taken trips that have focused on animals. In February 2014, we visited the International Wolf Center in Ely (Minnesota) and then went on two different dog sledding trips. 

February 23, 2014

We seek out places to learn more about wildlife. Olivia is fascinated with this juvenile skunk. 

June 16, 2016

An important part of our lives is spending time with dogs and cats waiting to be adopted at Northwoods Humane Society. Sophia plays the harp for the dogs while Olivia and I pet them.

January 19, 2018

We originally brought cats into the room, but found that they are more relaxed in their kennels. The dogs, on the other hand, love getting out of their kennels and getting on-one-on attention while listening to music.

Aquariums

Visiting aquariums and watching aquatic life is the extent to this hobby so far. We have not had fish, though we all would enjoy having them.

January 31, 2008

We have enjoyed learning about sea life - like the urchin pictured below with Olivia.

January 18, 2011

Having the opportunity to touch stingrays and starfish is something that was a highlight of our visit to an aquarium.

  

September 5, 2011

Being able to observe a variety of fish in large aquariums continues to interest us.

March 16, 2017

There is always something new to see and fish that capture our attention each time we visit the aquarium at the Minnesota Zoo.

Archery

Sophia and Olivia both took archery lessons through 4-H in 2016. They enjoyed it and did very well.

May 17, 2016

They liked practicing on the indoor targets and challenging themselves to get closer to the targets at each practice.

May 17, 2016

Arts

The arts and visiting museums have been an integral part of our lives and homeschooling. When the girls were younger, we did artist studies where they observed pictures of art work by various artists and would recall what they saw.

September 15, 2011

We would visit sculpture parks where they could walk and run; and have hands-on experiences with large-scale sculptures.

December 3, 2011

We have enjoyed many visits to the Minneapolis Institute of Arts. A favorite exhibit was one about China - where the girls were born.

January 11, 2013

A very memorable experience was when we took my mom to the Minneapolis Institute of Arts for a tactile tour since she was essentially blind. We each got to wear gloves and touch the sculptures. Below we are touching a sculpture created by Picasso. 

May 10, 2013

Sometimes two hobbies are combined - animals and art. The bear sculpture is at the Minnesota Zoo. Each time we go there, I take a photo of the girls to mark how they have grown. 

March 16, 2017

Franconia Sculpture Park has provided many opportunities to enjoy seeing contemporary sculptures as well as ways to practice our photography skills. Below Olivia is taking photos of Sophia for a photography class she is in during the 2017-18 homeschool year.

March 9, 2018

Astronomy

Living in the country, we have enjoyed many clear nights where we can observe constellations. The Big and Little Dippers and Orion are clearly visible from anywhere on our farm.

The girls noted this in their nature journal.

October 16, 2011

They drew the star placements of these constellations that they've seen frequently through their childhood.

October 16, 2011

Sometimes we have gone out at night to observe the stars. It must have been a warm night on December 20th because we were headed out to look at the stars. The girls are dressed in pajamas and sweatshirts; and Olivia has a light coat on.

December 20, 2011

Aviation

I've taken the girls to aviation shows at local airports since the girls were young. They have seen single-engine planes...

September 8, 2007

and helicopters used for medical transportation.

October 14, 2008

They have flown across the country; and to/from other countries from the time they were infants. Their first international trip was flying from China to the United States. Since they, they have enjoyed trips that have taken as far east as New England and as far west as California.

September 11, 2011

Even at 12 and 10 years old, the girls enjoyed looking at helicopters and other small planes.

September 7, 2013

 So, those are some of the hobbies that begin with the letter "A" that we have explored throughout the years.