Exploring

Have I ever mentioned home much I like my kids?
Have I ever mentioned how much I like homeschooling my kids?
Sure, there are days when they drive me up a wall. But then there are days like today!
The two at home and I went exploring. There are a number of little towns that we often drive through on our way to somewhere else, so I've decided that we are going to take some time to explore these drive-through places.
I had them look up some information before we set out so we had some idea about the history of the town - who founded it; what there is to see/do; if there are any historical markers.

Our first stop today was in a little town called Amity. And it is little. We found an antique store that looked dusty on the outside, and wasn't open. We found a cool old cemetery with a plethora of "names to use in stories" according to my 13 year old. Next to it was a pretty nice city park, but we didn't take the time to stop in. I knew we would be at another park later. We then walked down to a restaurant/farm stand. The Blue Raeven was recommended to us for pie. We were hoping to just buy a slice and share, but it didn't appear that we could do that. So we opted for a giant cookie for each girl, and they shared bites with me. They were delicious bites too! After a nice walk back to the car, we took off to our next destination.
The Brigittine Monastery.

Outside of Amity just a few miles, my GPS lady, I've named her Delores, directed us to go down a gravel road. At first I was hesitant, but upon seeing large signs pointing us to the Monastery I decided to take the chance that she was actually right on target. We made it to the monastery with no problem, although it looked a little strange smack dab in the middle of a huge hazelnut orchard. It was so quiet. and peaceful. I could have sat out there for a long time. My girls ... not so much. We found the gift shop (again, good thing there are signs) and found some delicious fudge samples! They also sell books and other items. As I stepped into the room my eye honed in on a hand-painted sign of my favorite Bible verse. I have never seen this printed out before. I was so excited I had to get a copy!

Once we were back in the pickup with our fudge and print, Little K said, "Can we talk now?!".

Off to our next destination, Dayton, Oregon.

This town wasn't quite as little as Amity, but still small. However, it had a lot more historical places to see. We grabbed a Walking Tour brochure, and set out. We peeked at the Joel Palmer house - founder of the city.

 So then it was time for lunch. A nice little cafe next to the park offered ice cream and sandwiches. Delicious sandwiches. Sadly, the sign on the door says they are closing at the end of October! So if I get a chance before the end of this month, we're going back to Archie's in Dayton! After eating, we explored the park and its historical fort, along with it's playground.

We looked at the other historical buildings near the park. By then, mama was tired and needed to actually get some groceries before heading home.

So today my girls got lessons in history, following directions, exploring the world, figuring out how to make it right after making a wrong turn, how to go on a car ride without reading a book, and plenty of other skills. I'd call that a win for the day.