Charlie always takes good care of Charlie.

I kid you not – he arranged the sleeping bag the way it is. Then laid down to his delight.  Now he thinks he is set for the night – hah!  Click on the pix for the full effect!

So, Regan has been done with work – Braeden almost.  Regan is into her Spanish now as well as a writing project using American Girl books as a focus.

We had an open afternoon; a car getting brakes – so it was time to ride the bus!  Yep.  We walked to the stop about 1/2 mile away and headed for the mall – where else?

When you walk into the center of the mall, there is a display by Reactrix.  They had an interactive display going on – on the floor.  You could put your foot “in” a koi pond and see the koi move.  The children played a video game by using their feet to navigate.  Well – that was quite a hit!  The kids even let some adults play – lol! 

After some pretzel stix from Auntie Annie’s, we went to the bookstore.  They could just move in if we let them.  Mom, can we please go to the bookstore?  We love it.  Please?  Like I’d say no – lol!  We spent about a half hour there and then off to wait for the bus home.  And we got lucky. The rush hour schedule had begun and we got the bus that goes by the house about a block away. 

I think if anyone wants to see people who live in their community – they should take the bus.

This is what happens when the little brother HAS to be included in the big sister’s playdate.  He promised he’d just watch and not say a word.  So here he is, the statue!  LOL!

… by Regan.

On Thursday, September 28th, Daddy had the afternoon off.  They went to the FONZ offices and Regan adopted the Red Panda.  The staff was so impressed with Regan that they gave her a couple of hats and t-shirts to share with Braeden.  Regan is a true animal lover. For her birthday, last March, she expressed a wish to join FONZ (Friends of the National Zoo), which they did in April.  Free parking, FONZ only events; it is a real value.  Since then we have gone several times to explore the entire National Zoo.  Braeden loves the reptiles and invertebrates, especially the crabs. Regan, well, she has fallen in love with the Red Pandas! 

When she discovered about the Adopt a Species Program, where you can directly support a particular animal, and the Red Panda is on the list, she was determined to adopt one.  Since May she has been forgoing Slurpees and self bought treats (though Mom and Dad do treat a lot); she advertised as a pet sitter, 50 cents a day for fish, $1 for dog and cat walking, she saved $65!!

Go, Regan!

We have a chipmunk. This is exciting because this is the first time in 5 years that we have seen a chipmunk here.  So welcome to our new friend, who likes the leftovers from the bird feeder!

Oh, he is so handsome and ever ready to defend me. 

We had a lovely meal Tuesday night, courtesy of my youngest cooks.  The pizza crust was the best I’ve tasted, yet.  Daddy’s taking notes   Mommy got out of eating Braeden’s creation (hamburger meat).

 (Regan’s) raindow dragon creation 

I love routines – guess it shouldn’t be odd that my children, do, too.  We did our regular Monday Park Day, then our Tuesday Park Day (Regan had gone back to Nana’s and Pip’s on Monday with them), and then we drove up to Halfmoon, NY, where my parents live, on Wednesday (Brae and I did, that is). 

Today we went to a place I went to all the time as a kid growing up – would get on my bike and go. On the other side of the river was one of my girlfriends.  Peebles Island State Park now even has a visitor’s center – lol!  It’s just a beautiful place where the Hudson and Mohawk rivers come together, and where the Waterford lock is on the Erie Canal.  Not a wonder why I love water and need it near me.  I grew up on an island, myself, Van Schaick Island.

It was a beautiful day and a nice way to spend it.  I also brought them by the house I spent most of my childhood in.  As we were driving away, Braeden said, “Thanks mom, for bringing us to where you used to live.”

We arrived at God’s Katrina Kitchen around 10am.  It’s like the pix on their web site.

It was pretty empty.  Most people were out working on homes, be it demolishing or rebuilding.  Just driving there we saw a lot of piles of debris, homes being rebuilt and homes that needed to have something done to them.The Gulf water is closed – there is staph infection and flesh eating bacteria in the waters.  There are heavy fines for going into the water.  You can go on the sandy beach.It’s warm but there is a breeze.  We helped tidy up the dining room before the lunch crowd came.  Lunch starts at 11:30am.  Today was beef enchilada, refried beans Spanish rice, chips and ice cream.  There is lots of water, iced tea and Gatorade.  We met with Vickie, the office coordinator, at noon.  She showed us to our bunkhouse – an Amish shed with a two windows, one of which has an ac unit in it. There are 3 sets of bunk beds there – Braeden calls the top.  We are sharing with 3 other young women, making it a full house.

After lunch, we did some tidying up again of the dining tent and because nothing was officially assigned until Saturday, we decided to go for a drive.  Pass Christian on Route 90 which is the beach drive, is just gone.  Tall Rite Aid and McDonald’s signs, with no signs of where those buildings once stood except for the foundations they once stood on. We had to go all the way done to Rt 49 and north on it before there were businesses functioning.  This is close to the Gulfport-Biloxi Airport.  Lots of hotels.  So we pulled over, and used one of their pools.  An Air Force base is nearby, and several AF jets flew right over the pool. The kids enjoyed them. We also enjoyed the hot tub – that made me happy.  Thought I’d slowly acclimate them to what this is going to be like for a few days. The work is not hard – the heat can be a challenge – maybe some benadryl would help them out?  LOL!

 Rite Aid  Debris that collected on a fence

 McDonald’s

On the way back, we took lots of pictures.  Things just gone.  Trees – most are gone once they are 20 feet high – from the storm.  It looks like a ghost town here.  Once we returned, things went smoother.  The three girls we were sharing the cabin with were there.  Our roommates, Braeden says.  2 have just graduated high school – one will be a senior.  All from Poughkeepsie area.  Braeden is doing his stalking thing – lol!  Where’s the girls? Where’s the girls?  Dinner was fish, hush puppies, fries, coleslaw and milk shake.  We spent time on the beach and the temp and breeze felt wonderful. 

 Scrabble at dinner with the girls

We went to the beach after dinner. 

  what’s left of the pier

We get to help with sack lunches and kitchen duty tomorrow – and then time off, again.  Sunday we don’t start working until 2p.