The Start of the Next Adventure

I wasn't planning on starting to post until we'd been on the road for about a week, but the start of the next adventure feels like the end of the previous one, and today's outing seems fitting as a bridge between the two.

For those of you who don't know us I'll start with a little background and introductions. We're been married almost 13 years, and have four boys, two from my husband's first marriage and two together. Our oldest is married and on his own, the second is 20 and in college, but taking a semester off to travel with us, the third is 10, and the youngest is 6. I taught in as Montessori school for about 15 years before the second set of kids came along. Just prior to that we bought a farm, I'd always wanted to have a Montessori school on farm, so after our third son was born I shifted to teaching from home. I found my toddler learned very quickly just from being around while I taught the others, so that by the time he was school aged he knew too much for traditional first grade. I didn't much like the idea of the daily commute to my former school, where he could have been self paced but with peers, though I did remain involved with that program by leading groups for farm days weekly in the spring and fall, the fourth boy had arrived by then and I was doing a lot of caretaking for my mom, so homeschooling just seemed like the best idea. We rounded out our Montessori work with lots of adventures both on and off the farm. Son #3, C, was really into planes and we're within day trip distance from many of the Wright brothers historical sites, so we did a lot of that. Generally it was just me and the younger two kids though, as J and big C were at work or school. Then of course the pandemic hit and we pretty much stuck to the farm.

One site we had never made it to was Huffman Flying Field, where the Wright brothers tested their latest designs hidden from view. In fact, the guide at the Wright Brothers Bicycle Shop said, I now think rather unfairly, not to bother as "there's nothing there but an old field." Just recently a friend went and told us how special it really is and we put it on the list of things to do before we go. We're still very cautious about spreading covid because the younger kids can't be vaccinated yet, so we're pretty much avoiding indoor attractions and will continue to do so as we travel. I'm not terribly concerned about our family getting severely sick since we're all vaccinated except the kids and we're fairly certain we all had it early on before testing was available and they weren't bothered by it in the least, but we still will travel responsibly so as not to endanger others. Yes, I do question the sanity of traveling at all, but we committed to a farm sitter who will be living here before delta got so out of control, and I'm beginning to wonder if this will every end, so we're grabbing the opportunity while we can, but taking all precautions. Therefore an outdoor outing fit the bill and we needed to get away after packing and finishing homeschool and farm projects all week. Is had been a pretty long time since the five of us had been anywhere together, and the first thing I noticed is that big C is a regular grown up man and can't fit in the middle of the back seat between two booster seats anymore. We're all short, so the two younger are booster seat material still. So I squeezed in with them and Jay drove with big C in front. We did get lost, but a phone call to our friends set us straight. Most importantly, we all got along and enjoyed each other's company. It was a lovely evening and a lovely spot. The prairie is beautiful with wild flowers and wonderful smells. Pollinators abound, and the Wright brothers' hanger had been restored and has plenty to see. I'd still recommend the bike shop and Carilon Historical Park as first stops, and indeed I learned tonight that the brothers' use of Huffman field actually occured in 1904-1905 after their famous Kitty Hawk flight, but Huffman field is certainly worth a trip, both for the history and the botany/ecology value. Both the young boys want to go back. Well, that won't be happening for a year I guess.

It kind of gave me pause though, and made me think about something I have found to be true. No matter how much you travel, you can always find something new and interesting right in your own back yard. I do think there is value in learning first hand about the world, but I think this trip will actually teach us more about ourselves than anything else.

Next week we'll be in Iceland!