Science Museum

I wish I could tell you that we are visiting some tropical rainforest where we found these beautiful butterflies fluttering about us, landing on us sometimes even. Alas, that is not the real story.

We visited our new favorite indoor 'playground' around here: Boston's Museum of Science. We have been there several times now in the last two weeks, each time spending more than three hours learning, playing, visiting with butterflies, and lizards, and tamarins.

Today, besides spending a long while in the warm and cozy Butterfly Garden exhibit (why didn't I go three months ago when it was snowing?), the kids got to learn about bees, bee-keeping, and honey collecting. The wonderful thing about this special museum is that there are always educators eager to teach kids about everything. The bee lady patiently tried to explain the intricate ways that bees collect nectar, and produce honey out of that. She had the kids act out a scene as bees and bee keepers: from finding a flower, to collecting nectar, to bringing back to the hive, and beyond.

There was also a 'skull man' today who taught us about the differences to look for in predator versus prey skulls. He was impressed that our children knew the differences between omnivores, carnivores, and herbivores. We were able to identify some of the skulls before he told us what they were! Our many visits to the Natural History Museum at Harvard have paid off!

Woolapalooza

Drumlin Farm held its annual Woolapalooza today, reminding people that wool, its origins and its products, is a crucial material in frigid temperatures of Winter and Spring in New England!

My hands were tingly and numb as I drove home from spending a couple of hours learning about how we get from the raw materials of sheep's wool, to the beautiful warm sweaters, hats and mittens that we so needed during these last few months.

From the sheep shearing, to sheep herding, to dying the wool, to spinning, and knitting and weaving: the event reminded us how complicated and labor intensive these processes can be. The children enjoyed watching the large but relatively calm ewe, getting a 'hair cut'. I was interested in learning about the different natural materials used for the dye. Onion skin gives a brown tint, a type of lichen gives a purplish hue, and beetroot gives a beautiful shade of magenta.

It was all very fascinating, even though it was a rather windy and cold day for late March. Now I just have to sit down and put it into words and produce a newspaper article for others to enjoy!

Springy Day, Springy Play

The kids and I were determined to pretend like today was a summery day. If I had not forced them to wear their fleeces, they would have been in real summer clothes, even though it's barely 50 degrees out there. The enthusiasm for Spring around here is intense: everyone is ready for it!

So what if they are expecting some snow this Friday? We are living in the moment (because we can't afford not to). And today, it felt like Spring!

Bloom

It's coming, Spring, that is. I can feel it in the air...!

Thoreau's Walden

Did Henry Thoreau yearn for Spring then, as much as we do today? Thoreau lived in a tiny cabin that he built for himself by the edge of Walden Pond over a century ago. He did not have to: his home town of Concord was a mere two miles away at most (a long walk by foot), but he chose to do so to experience what was real in life.

Since we moved back here last summer, Walden Pond has become one of our favorite spots to visit. In the summer we came to swim, in the fall we came to admire the foliage, and in the winter, we have been coming to enjoy the cool sun, and the icy pond. Now that it is supposed to be Spring (according to the calendar), we are more than ready to see it here. In full bloom, please!

Spring in the Snow

Happy Spring (?)!

Winter Star

With some imagination, we could pretend this was a real flower! There are some real flowers, actually, out there. I will try to capture some images for you...soon!

Vernal Pool

skunk cabbage - first sign, and smell of spring

Vernal pool at Blue Heron Farm

The kids have been waiting for the seasonal vernal pool to come to life since they learned about it in the fall. You should have seen Momo's excitement when he saw that the 'pool' we saw many months ago at Blue Heron was now filled with water. He thought for sure that he would find some creatures in it last weekend.

Alas, the creatures he was thinking about (salamanders, frogs, tadpoles) are still in hibernation. Apparently they will not find this vernal pool until after the first warm rain of the season. I can attest you that that has not come yet!

We will revisit the vernal pool in a few weeks, so that our little naturalists can get to appreciate this natural phenomenon come to life!

Sap to Syrup

One of my favorite New England products: Maple Syrup, is processed this time of year. In the car, on the way to Drumlin Farm where we were to attend the "Sap to Syrup" fundraising breakfast, Momo asked:

"Mommy, why is it that yesterday was so warm, and today it's snowing?" he asked as he looked at the snowflakes falling down, sticking to our car windows.

"It's March in New England, buddy. This is the perfect weather for tapping maple trees." I replied, pretending to know a lot about the making of maple syrup.

The annual event is very popular with families and children. It's no wonder: they feed you pancakes, home fries and sausages, all laying under their own pure maple syrup. Delicious!

We wandered around learning about how the sap runs out of the maple tree; how the Native Americans used to boil it down to make sugar; and how we do it these days, in the evaporator, concentrating the sugary content of the clear sap to become maple syrup as we know it.

We got to taste the newly made syrup, still hot from the evaporator. We got to watch the sap coming out of the maple tree, and taste it even. Unlike what you would think, the sap itself is not at all sugary. It takes 40 gallons of sap, to boil down to 1 gallon of maple syrup! A true test of patience, and love of this quintessential New England sweetener!

Wintry Walden

When I woke up today and saw the sun shining in the blue sky, I told the kids that we were going to Walden Pond after school. They beamed. They jumped. They were happy.

Then we left the apartment to walk to school. Icicles hung from the garage, and small puddles that the kids played with yesterday after the rain were frozen solid. My heart sank. It was a lot colder than I had hoped. Just because the crocuses are blooming doesn't mean that Spring is here.

As the day grew, the sun did warm up a little. We invited some friends to come with us, hoping for at least a little time outside by our favorite pond around here.

Walden Pond was still half frozen, but that only increased the kids' desire to get in there. And they did. They took off their socks, and boots, and rolled up their pants. I don't know how they managed, but they all played like that for what it seemed like a very long time. I have not felt this kind of freedom and happiness in the children since our visit to California. I look forward to more of it as the weather gets warmer here... When will that be?

Bubble Bath

There's hope

for warmth
and for Spring!

Jurassic Art

If the dinosaurs were still roaming (I am glad they aren't), they would be proud.

All drawings by Momo Yoon MacDonald (4 years old), March 2008

The two

Monterey Bay

watching the sea otters at moss landing...



Before we left California, we visited the Monterey Bay Aquarium. On the way, we stopped by Moss Landing to watch the sea otters resting and swimming near the shore. Two of these cute sea mammals had a baby on their bellies. I was sorry that I could not get close enough to capture the special moment.

At the aquarium, we saw plenty more sea creatures, albeit in tanks and captivity. Our favorite spot was by the largest tank where gigantic tuna fish swam so close to you that you feel rather small, several sharks roamed, and sea turtles gracefully paddled their enormous flippers as though they weighed nothing. We all sat and watched the natural beauty of the sea tell us a story better than any movie ever could.

Remembering...

Just a week ago, the kids and I drove across the Golden Gate Bridge, on our way to San Francisco International Airport. It was dusk, and the kids were sound asleep in the back of the car. In silence, I crossed this bridge one last time before we left the West Coast to come back to New England.

Every time I approach this renowned bridge, I can't help but be in awe of its enormity, its reputation, and yes, its beauty.

Coming from Sonoma, we always get a glimpse of the bridge after coming out of a tunnel. From our view, its sturdy body rises from the mountains, standing elegantly in front of the beautiful city of San Francisco. Within a few moments, we are on that very bridge, crossing the 'golden gate' where the Pacific ocean comes in and surrounds the cities by the Bay.

This last visit to California, we spent a day playing in the shadows of the Golden Gate bridge at Crissy Field. Though the children don't yet know how lucky they are to be running on the beach with the backdrop of the bridge, someday I hope that they will appreciate it. Someday they will look back at these photos, asking us many questions, and perhaps, they will remember the fun times they had right by one of the most well known and most beautiful bridges in the world.