Fort Ridgely

With the predicted temperatures yesterday, I gave the kids two options for state parks we could visit - Fort Ridgely or Flandrau.  The boys both wanted to go to Ridgely, so we were off (I think they expected some sort of a fort they could play in).

We parked near the amphitheater and picnic area.  Which is just a short walk to the old fort, our first stop.  Kieran really liked reading the signs and learning about the Dakota attacks on the fort -- it appeals to his interest in history and facts....

 Luke enjoyed reading the sings too, but he really liked wandering around the foundations of the buildings --- like these for the officer quarters...

Lex would do either - if Kieran or I would read out loud to her, she would listen or she could just wander...

Like I said, Luke liked the old foundations...

But sometimes he would read or listen to the stories being told by the park service...

After a while, it was time to start hiking...though Luke & Lex were ready long before Kieran.  Look closely here, we had already started hiking and Kieran had to catch up...

It was over fifty degrees, but there's still snow on the ground in places.  Or there's standing water because the ground is still frozen or it's just mud.

But there were golfers out golfing (in February...in Minnesota) --- Ridgely has a nine-hole golf course --- you might be able to see them above Luke's head...

In some of the ravine trails, there was quite a bit of snow and ice...

But soon the trail opens up and crosses the golf course (pretty sure this is the only state park in Minnesota that a hiking trail crosses a golf course)...

We were surprised by some of the elevation changes we had to hike...some were not easy...

But soon the trail got to the top of the bluff and it was all prairie...easy walking...

Of course, given the opportunity, the kids will sit for a rest...

But I did laugh at this sign...

Hiking with Lex is an experience for us.  The boys like to move fast, Lex is almost always at the back.  But she doesn't care, doesn't whine or cry ---- she'll just putz along, tellings stories to herself, singing songs, etc.  You tell her to hurry up and she'll catch up to you.  Seconds later, she's several hundred feet behind you.

The downside for her is that the boys get longer breaks than her...they rest while waiting for her and when she's caught up, they're off again...

It was a long hike yesterday.  The hiking club said it would be a 2.6 mile hike, but after finding our password, we deviated and went our own way...the trail outlined in pink was the path we took.

And yes...we got a picture at the sign...

And yes...we got our passport stamped...only thirteen more until a free night of camping!

A good, but muddy day...

Record Warmth - February 27th

Record high temperature for Minneapolis/St. Paul on this date was 54 degrees, set in 1896.  Today we hit at least 58 degrees and because of that ---- we took a long hike at Fort Ridgely (post coming soon -- maybe tomorrow when its more seasonal and rainy), took in a waterfall at Minneopa, opened the windows for the first time in months, grilled outside for dinner tonight and Lex wanted to go for a bike ride....

She and I took off late this afternoon for almost an hour ride (I walked and ran beside her).  She's getting much more confident and we need to raise the seat, but...

I don't remember any of the kids riding their bike during the month of February before, but it was really nice.

There's Lex and her bike, named 'best friend' -- as she said while we were riding/walking, "today's a perfect day dad....".   It wasn't bad...

Pennies for Patients

Every February our students at Delano Middle School collect money for Pennies for Patients, through the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.  Back in December, a few students of mine asked if they could shave my head if we reached our classroom goal.  I said sure....the kids were pretty excited (not knowing that I've shaved my head before) but they asked me to grow my hair out.

My last haircut was November 9.  It got long over that time...

I've rather enjoyed putting my hair up in crazy looks for some school days during Pennies for Patients (i.e. 'get up and go day' or during the triscuit eating challenge --- which I ate 24 triscuits in 3 minutes and still lost --- go ahead and try it, good luck)....

Not the best picture, but you get the idea....my hair was long!  And trust me, it sucked working out (running or lifting)...how ya'll do it with long hair is beyond me...

My class set a goal of $250...reach that and my head would be shaved.  (the highest total I've ever had in class was $140).  They ended up donating $287.87 during the 2 1/2 week period...wow...

Once the students reached the goal, they voted on what they wanted to do to me.  Options were:  shave my head, a mohawk, dye my hair pink or make me grow it out until April (that was the worst idea...man did I sweat with long hair).  

Shave my head received 11 votes, let it grow was 9 votes and dye the hair was 7 votes (no votes were cast for a mohawk --- though when I said it would only last for 5 days that might have limited votes).

I'm hair free for now, the kids did the majority of the shaving....though no pictures...its really not that  much different from 2+ years ago...plus, it'll be back in a month or so.

The overall goal for Delano Middle School was $7,000.  We ended up raising $7686+!  That is much higher than our number last year when we were in the top 5 for schools our size.  Not bad...

Building a Dinosaur

What do you do when you have no school on President's Day and you woke up sick in the morning?  If your Luke...you dig out a dinosaur and put it together....

He had received a dinosaur dig kit from Papa last fall, but had it taken away from him because of one thing or another.  We remembered it today...worked out great that he could do it today.

The kit has the 'fossils' embedded in a soft plaster type material...with a little chiseling and digging, you have to find and remove the 'fossils'...

This is right up Lukie's alley...

Of course, Luke draws a crowd when he's working...note - this is the only picture I could show with Lex, from any other view it would not be internet appropriate (apparently, Lex thinks plumbers and paleontologists are the same)...

He really gets into it...note the pile of 'fossils' building in the lower left of the picture.

Here's the tools of the trade...

All of the fossils have been removed...

After a little cleanup, our budding paleontologist has all the fossils ready to be assembled...

Assembling doesn't take him too much time...

When he's all done...he has a T-Rex!