It seems the children have begun to wind down towards the school vacation already, with increasing numbers of field trips and special events. On Tuesday, E5N1 took to his wheels, along with the rest of his school, for a bike rodeo. He is now the proud possessor of a bike safety license which, he was a little disappointed to discover, does not entitle him to drive the family car. Thursday, he and his class serenaded the high-school graduates of our town as they prepare to head off to college.
But before that, on Wednesday, I joined his class for a trip to the nearby salt marsh. They have been studying this eco system and were quite the experts but I, being new to the area, appreciated the primer and the fun that comes with accompanying numerous 6 and 7 year olds on a yomp into nature. Despite a few objections to mud and fearful glances at poison ivy, they soon threw themselves into things, searching through algae for scuds (teeny shrimp), spotting the many snowy egrets, blowing cattail (bulrush) fluff into the wind and watching with amazement as the guide pushed her five foot pole all the way into the layers of decaying grass. Apparently if she'd had one 15 ft long, she could have kept on pushing. Undoubtedly the hit of the day, though, owing to their adorable name were the mummichogs. These are small, fairly plain looking fish that inhabit the marsh and keep the many birds well-fed. Not much to look at but no one seemed able to resist the opportunity to say their name, nor could they say it without a smile.
Not to be outdone, Exile #4 headed off to a wildlife park on Friday. The park is home to species native to Maine and so it was all bobcats and fishers and bears (oh my) but at the end of the day, she could boast that she was the first of the Exiles to see a live moose. Now we all look forward to seeing one in the wild one day.
You will pleased to know Exile #3 will not be missing out on all the fun; but before that, we have some birthday business to attend to...
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