My Summer Vacation

For the first time in several years, I didn't travel out of state, but for a long time I've been wanting to spend time in San Antonio and Austin. I lived in Austin for four years (college), but I hadn't visited Mt. Bonnell since my freshman year and I never had seen the bats. I decided to finally cave and check them out. They're not nearly as smelly as the bats we have residing under the Waugh bridge along Buffalo Bayou. That's just my opinion. :) In San Antonio I enjoyed the Riverwalk and the view from the Tower of the Americas in Hemisfair Park. Check out the pool on the top of the hotel! I'm not a water person, but that's pretty cool!

Summer Critters

Spending time in Weimar, at the farm near Flatonia, and in San Antonio and Austin this summer I came across several Texas "critters." My nieces and nephews insisted I take a picture of the snake killed in my parent's backyard, and I figured I'd share. I'm not a fan of snakes, but they are on the move in this drought. The last picture was my table-side visitor as I enjoyed dinner on the Riverwalk. I did cave and provided some chips. :)

Summer with my Family

My brother and his family drove down from Indiana in June and we spent a week together at my parent's house. In the first picture you'll see that my youngest niece, who is 5, wanted to copy my drawing as I worked. I love her expressions! Thought I'd also share some pictures from the farm where my Mom grew up. There we spent some time on the tractor (yes, I drive it), in the 1951 Chevy pickup, and trying to stay out of the heat!

5th Grade Literature Circle

Now that you have completed your project, what are your thoughts on your Literature Circle novel? Please comment and share your opinion. Make sure you justify it by giving evidence to support how you feel. Don't forget to post your first name underneath and rate it on a scale from A-F.

6th Grade Literature Circle Review

What was your opinion of your Literature Circle novel? Please give your honest judgment and justify your opinion. Please also rate it on a scale of A-F. Remember to post your first name under your comment.

Sting Ray and more of our trip

Here you will find pictures of us pulling in the nets from fishing, checking out what we found in the water sample under the microscope, and viewing the sting ray that we caught.

A Lesson on Crabs

Here's a brief video about a crab from our marine biologist.

A Fishin' We Will Go

Today we went on a field trip to Galveston. Our first stop was the Seagull II Harbor Tour. We did some dolphin watching, practiced our knowledge of ornithology (bird-watching), found some baby jellyfish detected under the microscope, and did some fishing. Here is a video of some of our catch!

Literature Circle...First Impressions

So, you've just read a tidbit of your book so far, but as they say, first impressions are everything. What are your first impressions of the novel you are reading? In your comment, please post the name of the novel and don't forget to add your first name at the bottom so I know who wrote it. :)

Capitals Song

Cartoons teach, too! Here's the Animaniacs video on YouTube with the full 50 States and their Capitals. Enjoy!