While driving around to look for a bathroom in the wilds of western Wisconsin, we found this picturesque lake. It was only 30 or 40 minutes from Lake Pepin (where we had spent a leisurely hour or so), but it was so beautiful (and we were deliberately unhurried) that we enjoyed a long break there as well.
Friday, July 07, 2006
Links - Fellow TAC Alums
- Suzie Andres
- Angela Baird
- Fr. John Berg
- Blessed Among Men
- Catholic Textbooks
- Cozy Tea-Blue House
- Pia de Solenni
- Godsbody
- Hillside Education
- Sean Kelsey
- LaserMonks
- Life in a Nutshell
- Loyola
- Minerals.cc
- Fr. Mark Moriarty
- Mother of Divine Grace School (Laura Berquist)
- ProLife Pages
- Sicut Cervus
- Wash for Life
- Thomas Aquinas College
Links - Friends
This page is somewhat hopelessly out-of-date.
- 4 Real Learning
- ACS Blog
- Ana's Journal
- Bonny Glen
- Catastrophic Pontifications
- Derham Family
- Enbrethiliel
- Every Waking Hour
- Family-Centered
- Flying Stars
- G.K.C's Favourite
- Hedge School
- House of Literature
- I Came, I Saw, I Contemplated
- Karen Edmisten
- Letters to Daddy
- Maureen Wittmann
- Mercy Academy
- Minnesota Mom
- My Secret is Mine
- Real Learning
- Regina Doman
- St. Athanasius Academy
- Stand in the Trenches
- TAC
- The Bookworm
- Thrifty Homeschooler
Pardon Our Dust
I'm working on simplifying all the info in the sidebar by batching a lot of it into posts and providing a special link to those posts. Might look slightly messy for the rest of the day.
Oh yes, and I'm also learning to use flickr so that I can share those promised photos. Perhaps by the end of the day.
Oh yes, and I'm also learning to use flickr so that I can share those promised photos. Perhaps by the end of the day.
Thursday, July 06, 2006
Taking the Long Road Home (Pictures Coming)
On the way to northern Minnesota, where we celebrated our family reunion, our nearly full 15 passenger van (we had lots of relatives caravaning with us) took a slight detour to Caddie Woodlawn's house near Menomonie Wisconsin. It's quite an impressive, though simple, site, with the original house and a log cabin that Woodlawns (really the Woodhouses) built for a needy family. A few outbuildings and an historical marker fill out the site. It's my second time to visit, but it seemed even more amazing and beautiful than on my first visit.
This inspired a more relaxed (and lengthy) drive home with our somewhat smaller group (still had a niece and nephew with us for the ride). We decided to head south on more rural roads (and found a wonderful cheese shop that had fresh, not-yet-refrigerated, muenster cheese curds, yum!) and a few hours out of the way to visit the "Little House Wayside" near Pepin, Wisconsin. This is the actual site of the book Little House in the Big Woods by Laura Ingalls Wilder.
We've talked about visiting for years, but had never yet made it. Honestly I think the rumors I had heard made my expectations a little high. The house on the site is a replica, but it was quite a beautiful spot and just being there was exciting. It's still quite a rural area, surrounded by farms and forests and it's a gorgeous area. Just the drive was a treat. We had originally planned on visiting the Little House Wayside and nothing else, but decided to head into the town of Pepin to see if there was anything else to enjoy on our detour. We did enjoy the Laura Ingalls Wilder Historical Society Museum and Gift Shop where we asked if there was anything else we should see. I'm particularly glad I asked since wading in the waters of Lake Pepin was the highlight of our detour. It has a beautiful, if somewhat rocky (surprise, surprise to those who have read the book) beach and the view around the lake is pristine (unlike many lakes near us that are surrounded with houses and cabins). It was gorgeous and the lifeguards gave us permission to bring home a few rocks and shells as well! :)
This detour kept us on unfamiliar, rural roads for quite awhile before we made it back to the Interstate. We took pictures of one area of farmland with rolling hills that looked like the Shire. As it turned out, our next bathroom break brought us to another picturesque little lake with a gorgeous view that added to our enjoyment of making our drive home a fun day rather than a rush home.
We didn't get back home until about 11:30 pm, but it was a beautiful day full of memories, peace and beauty. I'll be adding some of our pictures to this post later today and will share some info on a few neat resources we found at the Little House gift shop in a later post.
This inspired a more relaxed (and lengthy) drive home with our somewhat smaller group (still had a niece and nephew with us for the ride). We decided to head south on more rural roads (and found a wonderful cheese shop that had fresh, not-yet-refrigerated, muenster cheese curds, yum!) and a few hours out of the way to visit the "Little House Wayside" near Pepin, Wisconsin. This is the actual site of the book Little House in the Big Woods by Laura Ingalls Wilder.
We've talked about visiting for years, but had never yet made it. Honestly I think the rumors I had heard made my expectations a little high. The house on the site is a replica, but it was quite a beautiful spot and just being there was exciting. It's still quite a rural area, surrounded by farms and forests and it's a gorgeous area. Just the drive was a treat. We had originally planned on visiting the Little House Wayside and nothing else, but decided to head into the town of Pepin to see if there was anything else to enjoy on our detour. We did enjoy the Laura Ingalls Wilder Historical Society Museum and Gift Shop where we asked if there was anything else we should see. I'm particularly glad I asked since wading in the waters of Lake Pepin was the highlight of our detour. It has a beautiful, if somewhat rocky (surprise, surprise to those who have read the book) beach and the view around the lake is pristine (unlike many lakes near us that are surrounded with houses and cabins). It was gorgeous and the lifeguards gave us permission to bring home a few rocks and shells as well! :)
This detour kept us on unfamiliar, rural roads for quite awhile before we made it back to the Interstate. We took pictures of one area of farmland with rolling hills that looked like the Shire. As it turned out, our next bathroom break brought us to another picturesque little lake with a gorgeous view that added to our enjoyment of making our drive home a fun day rather than a rush home.
We didn't get back home until about 11:30 pm, but it was a beautiful day full of memories, peace and beauty. I'll be adding some of our pictures to this post later today and will share some info on a few neat resources we found at the Little House gift shop in a later post.
Tuesday, July 04, 2006
Blogging from a Secret Location (heehee)
I've been very much enjoying this time with my family. The big celebration was terrific and most of the family has left (well in fact, all my brothers had to head back home; the girls and families are here for a little longer). In a way it's delightful to see how everyone stays up too late talking (and needs a nap the next day) because we're so anxious to spend precious time together.
I have some very knowledgeable relatives who have been helping me with ideas for good books for our high school plans and I wanted to jot them down here so I don't lose track.
First, a list of books about books to check out (some of these are intended for adults, but seem to have many appropriate suggestions for teens too - besides, I think it's good for the adults to take advantage and do some of their own reading too!)
The first two are published by Ignatius Press, not sure if they're still in print:
Another Sort of Learning: Selected Contrary Essays on How Finally to Acquire an Education While Still in College or Anywhere Else: Containing Some Belated Advice about How to Employ Your Leisure Time When Ultimate Questions Remain Perplexing in Spite of Your Highest Earned Academic Degree, Together with Sundry Book Lists Nowhere Else in Captivity to be Found by James Schall
[I think this might win the prize for best subtitle ever]
Christian Classics Revisited by James J. Thompson Jr.
[This is a collection of essays from New Oxford Review on wonderful books. The essays are very readable and might serve as a useful "prelection" for teens tackling these titles.]
This also reminds me that I want to take another look at Catholic Authors: Crown Edition (Neumann Press)
Here are some specific titles that were mentioned in conversation this weekend - in no particular order...
Compendium Catechism of the Catholic Church
Emily Dickinson
Mark Twain, esp. Joan of Arc
two poetry collections from Ignatius Press (one edited by Joseph Pearce) - I can't remember the titles and haven't looked them up yet
Chesterton, of course (esp. The Everlasting Man, Heretics and Orthodoxy)
Hilaire Belloc
John Steinbeck - Tortilla Flats and The Red Pony
Dickens, of course
Down and Out in Paris and London by George Orwell
short stories of Flannery O'Connor
A Map of Life by Frank Sheed
Short History of the Church by Philip Hughes
Mythology by Edith Hamilton
The Problem of Pain by C.S. Lewis
Kristin Lavransdatter
Edmund Campion by Evelyn Waugh
I'm starting to put together a potential religion overview for the four years. I'm also hoping to include a well-chosen encyclical each year.
Year One: Catechism of the Catholic Church, Part I: The Profession of Faith
A Map of Life by Frank Sheed
Year Two: Catechism of the Catholic Church, Part II: Celebration of the Christian Mystery
The Old Testament
Year Three: Catechism of the Catholic Church, Part III: Life in Christ
The Holy Gospels
Year Four: Catechism of the Catholic Church, Part IV: Christian Prayer
Acts of the Apostles, Epistles and Book of Revelation
I have some very knowledgeable relatives who have been helping me with ideas for good books for our high school plans and I wanted to jot them down here so I don't lose track.
First, a list of books about books to check out (some of these are intended for adults, but seem to have many appropriate suggestions for teens too - besides, I think it's good for the adults to take advantage and do some of their own reading too!)
The first two are published by Ignatius Press, not sure if they're still in print:
Another Sort of Learning: Selected Contrary Essays on How Finally to Acquire an Education While Still in College or Anywhere Else: Containing Some Belated Advice about How to Employ Your Leisure Time When Ultimate Questions Remain Perplexing in Spite of Your Highest Earned Academic Degree, Together with Sundry Book Lists Nowhere Else in Captivity to be Found by James Schall
[I think this might win the prize for best subtitle ever]
Christian Classics Revisited by James J. Thompson Jr.
[This is a collection of essays from New Oxford Review on wonderful books. The essays are very readable and might serve as a useful "prelection" for teens tackling these titles.]
This also reminds me that I want to take another look at Catholic Authors: Crown Edition (Neumann Press)
Here are some specific titles that were mentioned in conversation this weekend - in no particular order...
Compendium Catechism of the Catholic Church
Emily Dickinson
Mark Twain, esp. Joan of Arc
two poetry collections from Ignatius Press (one edited by Joseph Pearce) - I can't remember the titles and haven't looked them up yet
Chesterton, of course (esp. The Everlasting Man, Heretics and Orthodoxy)
Hilaire Belloc
John Steinbeck - Tortilla Flats and The Red Pony
Dickens, of course
Down and Out in Paris and London by George Orwell
short stories of Flannery O'Connor
A Map of Life by Frank Sheed
Short History of the Church by Philip Hughes
Mythology by Edith Hamilton
The Problem of Pain by C.S. Lewis
Kristin Lavransdatter
Edmund Campion by Evelyn Waugh
I'm starting to put together a potential religion overview for the four years. I'm also hoping to include a well-chosen encyclical each year.
Year One: Catechism of the Catholic Church, Part I: The Profession of Faith
A Map of Life by Frank Sheed
Year Two: Catechism of the Catholic Church, Part II: Celebration of the Christian Mystery
The Old Testament
Year Three: Catechism of the Catholic Church, Part III: Life in Christ
The Holy Gospels
Year Four: Catechism of the Catholic Church, Part IV: Christian Prayer
Acts of the Apostles, Epistles and Book of Revelation
Saturday, July 01, 2006
Projects, Writings and Workshops
Projects of All Sorts:
love2learn.net (9 years old)
Love2learn Blog (2 year old)
Reading Your Way Through History (5 years old)
Unity of Truth (2 year old)
Well-Loved Children's Stories on Location (Flickr Pool)
Architecture for Kids
I Contribute to These:
Conference Workshops:
Celebrate the Faith 2005 Conference and Book Fair, Milwaukee, WI
2006 Minnesota Catholic Homeschool Conference [purchase audio][workshop notes]
2007 Celebrate the Faith Conference, Milwaukee, WI
Other "Hats":
ChesterTeens Moderator
Secretary, Friends of the Hartland Library
love2learn.net (9 years old)
Love2learn Blog (2 year old)
Reading Your Way Through History (5 years old)
Unity of Truth (2 year old)
Well-Loved Children's Stories on Location (Flickr Pool)
Architecture for Kids
I Contribute to These:
Conference Workshops:
Celebrate the Faith 2005 Conference and Book Fair, Milwaukee, WI
2006 Minnesota Catholic Homeschool Conference [purchase audio][workshop notes]
2007 Celebrate the Faith Conference, Milwaukee, WI
Other "Hats":
ChesterTeens Moderator
Secretary, Friends of the Hartland Library
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