Dad would have gotten into this.
After getting a call from Arthur yesterday saying “Ed I need some help mounting my sugar cane press! I have cane, and I need to press it before it goes bad!!”
Oh boy. We have to build a mount for a sugar cane press and then press it this weekend?? So, We got a couple friends together and made it happen…
So after it was mounted, I got Hannah to drive the tractor around in circles. (We could not find a mule or a horse, so Hannah on a Deere it was!)
Or even better, you can see some action video here:
Then, After, comes the cooking of the cane. To be honest, this would be a little bit funner if these guys drank beer.. 🙂 None the less, It’s fun hanging out in a old shed with (in order:) a PHD (Mike), a JD (Arthur), and a PE (Vince) shooting the breeze over some boiling sugarcane. It was quite an experience.
And here is a picture of a selection of different kinds of cane we got to press and taste. A friend of Arthur’s grows some obscure strains here in little old North Augusta. I have to say, the white cane tasted the best straight out of the press.
Here is the most recent newsletter from the school that Melinda and Rockwell go to. Rockwell is mentioned for showing in a recent Track meet they had. Check out what is going on down there! Click on the picture for a readable larger version.
Well, another chance to brag. (BTW, It doesn’t get old, At least for me!)
Hannah won 3rd place in the “Teen Halloween Writing contest” at the local library with her story “Displeased”! It was open to 8th to 12th Graders. They had 80 entries. They are going to have a presentation at the library on Wednesday. I’ll record it or take some pictures to share here later. Here is a copy of the award itself. I have a video of her reading it that I need to upload. She does a good job reading it.
Did you like the recession? Then vote for this guys team again.
We went the the S.E.E.D Event again this year. I demonstrated magnets and Motors, and how they work.
Hannah helped. Here she was visiting the booth across from us. She has always like snakes… Perhaps she is Slytherin masquerading as Ravenclaw!
Some more Friday night lights. This is the next to the last game.
So, we are selling the back-back yard.. So I had to take the treehouse down. Here it is “up”.
Middle “on the way down”
Bottom floor reached. Watch your step.
This weekend was apple pressing time. We Visited Arthurs again, and helped him press some apples. It was fun as usual. In her wandering, Hannah discovered a caterpillar with some type of parasite. I’m curious about this.. Anyone know what it is?
Such a long name for a high school. SCGSSM.org One of 16 public boarding schools in the country. Consistently ranked #1 in SC scores of all types.
Hannah received a invitation to an informal meeting where they introduce you to some parents of alumni and alumni themselves, and you can ask them questions.
There were ~15 prospective students there, half 9th graders, and half 10th graders. The school is only for 11&12th grades, and the invitation is for both years. The kids are expected to go home one weekend a month.
Its unbelievable. The things they offer are … hard to believe.
100% of the teachers have a Masters degree
80% have a PHD
10 to 1 class size (!)
Summer internships at scientific labs.
Its just crazy.
But besides all those wonderful things… Here is what blew me away. I said there were 15 kids there right? (Kids from Aiken county schools were invited to this informal meeting)
3 of those 15 were Hannah and her small group from school. The kids she eats lunch with. It would have been 4 of 16, but Camara, their 4th friend who was invited was not able to come. (actually not allowed to come 🙁 (
Even if she does not end up qualifying, that little coincidence alone makes me hopeful for the future.
Another thing that is interesting.. I don’t know if it means anything. Hannah’s school has 420 kids in it. North Augusta HS (The school Hannah normally would have attended.. a known decent school) that has 1000 students, Did not have anyone represented at the meeting. I don’t know what that means, but it was a surprise.
Teri: I asked the administrator if Hannah went to Switzerland for 10th grade, would that be a problem, and they said no, not a problem. Her residence is still SC. Just make sure her qualifications are met. 🙂
My SIL Expressed concern that I was taking the responsability of firearms too lightly. ( I am pretty sure she is not “anti second ammendment”.. She grew up around guns) That I should be clear they are not a toy. I did not mean to make the encounter seem caviler.. It was something that Hannah had expressed interest in for a while. We had practiced with an air rifle at home last summer, and figured she was responsible enough to try shooting a real rifle… You are right, firearms are to be seriously respected. I’ll make sure to clearly reiterate the responsabilities to her next time we get the opprotunity to shoot.
Like I mentioned before, Hannah had to write a scary story for English class. If selected, it will be submitted to the county library for their local writing contest. Here it is for your review. She said she would have gotten more descriptive of the monsters if only she had a larger word budget. On a related note, She was selected by her Teacher to enter a state writing contest, “letters about literature” Where she has to write a letter to the author of book of her choice.. Sounds interesting! Ill let you know more about that as it progresses.
Anyway, here is her scary story . IMO, She seems to let the “strange behavior of mom” thing hang a bit. But chances are when I ask her about it, she will say.. “They didn’t let me have enough words!! I was 100+ words over as it was!! Ill get dinged for that alone!” The last paragraph is a statement isn’t it? Seems a little “human condition” ish to me.
Hannah and I were at the grocery yesterday, and she exclaims after seeing some decorations; “Oh, I have to write a Halloween story at school for a library contest soon..” and following that was a grumble of discontent. I asked her if she did not want to write it, and she said she did not look forward to it. I asked her why.
“well, they limit you to 1000 words… you know how hard it is to write a decent story with that few words?”
Tonight was “first friday” in Augusta.. Its sort of a street party downtown once a month. This month, there was also a “Zombie Walk” Organized by my friend Bryce.
Here is Zombie Hannah in front of a nice Zombie family before the event.
Here is Hannah doing the Thriller dance. We spent a half hour the day before trying to learn it. Hannah did better than I…
Here is the leader, my friend Bryce. I like the zombie soldier next to him. Seriously, they estimated >700 Zombies showed up.
I think this is my favorite pic of the night though. As soon as Hannah let her hair down, she really became a zombie!
