"Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened." ~ Dr. Suess

Today we leave Virginia. Too many times have I left fond places only to feel sad to say good-bye. None of that today. Now we look forward to going home, spending time with family, and the holidays. There are always new adventures waiting, even in the seemingly mundane necessities of life.  Dr. Suess sums it all up for me, short and sweet.

"Today was good. Today was fun. Tomorrow is another one." ~ Dr. Suess

{this moment}

  As inspired by SouleMama:

"A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember."

“You cannot teach a man anything; you can only help him discover it in himself.” ~ Galileo

I think the biggest misconception I had as a parent, and still struggle with, is that I know more about my children, than they know about themselves. No doubt my experiences can predict tendencies, protect, or help anticipate problems and results (ie. if we don't eat breakfast, we get cranky later).  But I have found that despite all my experiences and best intentions, children still desire to know for themselves by their own experience what is right or what is wrong for them, what works or doesn't work for them, and of course, what they can or can't do.

As I eluded to in a previous post, my 8 year old son has learned two very exciting skills in the past 3 weeks: whittling with a very sharp knife and starting a fire in the fireplace.  Though my fears wanted to take me to the moon, my husband, at his side, thoughtfully, carefully and lovingly showed him all that he wanted to know.

It's an intricate balance observing self-discovery while knowing what the consequences may hold.  By giving them the benefit of the doubt, by believing them when they say "I can do it, Mom", and by being there without judgement no matter what the consequences, the gifts of courage, self confidence and trust far exceed any skill accomplished.

"When one tugs at a single thing in nature, he finds it attached to the rest of the world.” ~ John Muir

If I need an attitude adjustment, there are two, fast, surefire ways that will do. Music and going outside. Usually, just stepping outdoors can create an amazing feeling of being uplifted, as if being connected to something natural and good.  But when I get to step outdoors in a place such as this, in the woods, the feeling that I will always be okay, even more than okay, prevails.

Recently, I have been trying to share this phenomena with my children.  We have done this at home in Florida, but the impact is different when you are surrounded by nature. They, too, can feel the connection and their entire spirit changes. When they ask me why that is. I tell them that it is simple, really. 

I tell them that we are no different from the trees, squirrels, or any other life form from this planet.  I tell them that we need air, water, and food from the earth and sun to live, breath and acquire energy.  The energy we feel is the energy this planet gives us so freely, continuously and generously. When we go outside, we are reunited, we are linked in, we are truly going home.

"Everything that is really great and inspiring is created by the individual who can labor in freedom." ~ Albert Einstein

This is our last full week in Cville and I can't help feeling reflective. One of the things I love about unschooling is that there is no separation between learning and living. By living this way, few moments are wasted and the opportunities to just live in the moment are more present.

One of the promises we had made to the kids is that their agenda is as important as ours. If there is something the kids' value for themselves, then it is of value to us. We may not hold their interest, but we respect that it holds theirs. This means that learning to whittle or learning to make a fire in the fireplace has become as valuable as reading a story or writing a thank you note. A visit to the skatepark is as important as taking a hike in the mountains. What happens, as a result, is a mutual respect for each other's needs as well as empowerment to speak and think freely, knowing that each of us will be heard.

"Never underestimate the power of passion."~ Eve Sawyer

Passion is such an amazing thing. It can take you places and lead you to meet people that you never imagined you would. Today, it was my growing passion for handmade and understanding how and where things come from that brought us to Rivanna River Alpacas.

Today, we met Dee Dee and Bill. Transplanted from Chicago nearly 9 years ago, Dee Dee and Bill are alpaca breeders and fiber producers. Having left successful and busy lives, they decided to follow their own dreams and passions to have a farm and raise alpacas.

Alpacas are beautiful, gentle animals belonging to the camelid family (with camels and llamas). Originally from South America, they look quite a bit like llamas, yet smaller. The most distinctive thing about alpacas is their fleece. These animals have the softest, loveliest fleece I have ever felt. If you can imagine how a cloud would feel, this is how I would describe alpaca fleece. Sheered once a year, the fleece, now called fiber, gets washed, dyed, and spun into a high quality yarn, used in knitting, crocheting, or weaving.

Alpaca love...

Touching clouds...

Alpacas live in herds...

Teenage alpaca...

A completely computerized loom.  A far cry from the one we saw a few days ago.

To not touch was very very very difficult.

Staunton, VA

Polyface Farms and the Frontier Culture Museum were the two stops we made in the little town of Staunton (pronounced "stanton").

Polyface, owned and family run by Joel Salatin, has received much attention since appearing in the documentary Food, Inc. . More recently, he was featured in Fresh the movie. If you truly want to know what has happened in the food industry in the last 50 years, and how it has affected our culture,  please watch these films. It takes courage to face these truths, but it is well worth the time.

Mr. Salatin was not at the farm the day we visited. He has quite an extensive speaking schedule since he became the face of successful, responsible and sustainable farming. Tucked away in the hills outside of Staunton, his farm was modest, honest, and observably hard working. It was quite clear that as much notoriety as they have received, the Salatin's have stuck hard and fast to their authenticity, making it clear that they are a"transparent" farm, and we were welcome anywhere on it.

An intern peels ground tomatoes--a hybrid of grapes and tomatoes. A tasty invention.

After leaving Polyface, we ventured to the Frontier Culture Museum in the town of Staunton. This museum offers a look into life in the early 1700's to late 1800's of families that immigrated and first settled in present Virginia, from Ireland, England, West Africa, and Germany. With mock homesteads (including live animals and gardens) from each culture, this farm museum beautifully demonstrates how the American culture arrived from the hard work and survival of these settlements hundreds of years before.

We learned about cloth making and spinning flax, oat cake and bread making, blacksmithing, farming, house building,  and early schooling. We played with handmade wooden toys, listened to live folk music while trying to learn how to square dance. We ground corn and beat down flax. We swept using simple brooms of stick and hay and we fetched water from a water well. More than anything, we learned just how much "starting from scratch" and  what "self sustaining" truly meant for these settlers 300 years ago.  We truly are a spoiled lot.

A look over the field to the English homestead.

The Blacksmith's Lodge

Making nails

Spinning flax.

The feel of wooden German shoes...

Making corn meal.

“Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better.”~ Albert Einstein

I cried deeply the first time I returned to my father's grave a year and a half ago.  It had been 10 years since he was buried in Arlington National Cemetery, and they were tears that had not been shed since then.

I had no idea how I would respond to being here again. But, I was surprised to find no tears of sadness, only feelings of great satisfaction and happiness that my children, finally, can see the resting place of their grandfather.  They seemed to understand the great honor of being here. The vastness, the beauty, and the quiet of the grounds spoke for itself.  There were very few people around, but a glance was enough to know that we all shared a common loss as well as the definitive pride of having a loved one buried here.

That is the majesty of Arlington. We don't see death here. We see honor, we see pride, and we see the ultimate sacrifice of so many, recent and long before.  The past taught a lesson to the future today, a lesson beyond words, beyond fear, loss, sadness and pain.  A lesson about dedication, commitment, sacrifice and freedom. I can only hope that it is a lesson that will last.

“He who can no longer pause to wonder and stand rapt in awe, is as good as dead; his eyes are closed.”~ Albert Einstein

Sometimes, something so simple, yet so very special catches my eye, inviting me to come in. And if I stop to take in that special thing, and it meets all of my expectations, I am suddenly filled with joy and awe laced with gratitude, for just having stopped at all.

That something simply special turned out to be a little grocery store just outside of Cville. Greenwood Gourmet Grocer brought more pleasure to my senses just by looking at it from the road.  But once inside, it did not disappoint with the aromas of fresh ground coffee and pastries and with visions ranging from fresh cheeses and eggs to colorful varieties of apples, to locally made jellies and preserved fruits and finally to exquisite chocolates and fine local and international wines. It was a perfect combination of the appreciation for gourmet with a deep respect for the locally grown products. As if this weren't enough, we began to hear some music coming from outside. Sure enough, two gentlemen with guitars, singing about hearts and love, were sitting on the porch on a quiet Sunday afternoon.

The Finest Day

“Many fine things can be done in a day if you don't always make that day tomorrow.”~ Unknown

The day started with gem mining. The process of digging up rocks in hopes that one might glint just the right way and bear good fortune. For kids, the entire process from start to finish is a gold mine, regardless of any fortune. From getting dirty and digging in mud, to washing the finds out in screens and water troughs, to finding a beautiful shiny stone, gem mining is a child's playground.

We drove a total of 4 1/2  hours for gem mining (to and from), and the treasures I took home (along with a lovely, genuine, VA speeding ticket), were more of the memory kind.  The happiness, the engagement, and the joy on the faces of my children were all I needed to know that the drive (and speeding ticket) were well worth it.

On our drive home, we decided to swing by a beautiful vineyard not far from where we are staying.  We left with two bottles of red. Never in my life have I ever tasted a red wine of chocolate and raspberries that tasted exactly like chocolate and raspberries. Called Aurora, it is a perfect combination and I love this wine. Hubs did not share my affinity so brought a nice bottle of cab home.

When we did get home, our evening was topped off with a nice walk around the neighborhood and a quiet sunset.  With such a fulfilling day, it would be easy to pick a favorite part. But my favorite part was not any of the above.  It was the four of us sitting together in front of the fire this evening, each of us doing our own thing, but together. Now that makes this, the finest day ever.

“Even if I knew that tomorrow the world would go to pieces, I would still plant my apple tree.”~ Martin Luther

Apples, ahhh, they have always been my favorite fruit, and apple picking was on our list of "must-do's". We went to Carter Mountain Orchard which is located right next to historic Michie Tavern near Jefferson's Monticello.  High upon a mountaintop, the views were an added delight. The kids had a wonderful time climbing the trees to reach the highest apples.They slid down muddy hills from an earlier morning rain, and now have eaten more than their share of an apple a day.
I see baked apples, caramel apples and possibly apple pie on the horizon...

Autumn

"Every leaf speaks bliss to me, fluttering from the autumn tree." ~Emily Bronte

It's happening all around us up here in VA. We are basking in its orange glow. I have never underestimated autumn's power to reinforce change and renewal, but I never considered how it's lack may affect me just the same.  Having lived without autumn's colors and change for 27 years, I am learning lessons all over again. 

John Muir said it best:

"Keep close to Nature's heart...and break clear away, once in awhile, and climb a mountain or spend a week in the woods. Wash your spirit clean."

Have a lovely autumn weekend...

"In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks."~ John Muir

I took over 70 pictures on our hike to Crabtree Falls the other day.  This was one of the most beautiful and enchanting hikes I have ever done. The forest and its peaceful hums create such an awareness of your surroundings, there is no room for thought. These feelings of peace mixed with waves of happiness and serenity are why we are here. The joy on my children's faces as I watched them discover caves, rock, and falls, only confirmed our resolve.

I could have taken more pictures if my battery had not run out. Even as I stood clicking away, trying to capture these beautiful moments, I knew that the same images on the screen would never evoke the same visceral response it did the moment the picture was taken. Memories, yes, even the fondness for the memory, but not the same beautiful intensity of actually being there.

It was for this reason, in the past,  that I hardly ever used a camera. Birthdays and holidays were the only days that received this special attention, and that was even more out of a sense of duty than desire.  But something has changed, despite my awareness of its lack. Maybe it is something about getting older. Maybe it is something about wanting to recapture old longings for childhood memories or emotions.  Maybe it is my growing ability to stay in the present moment and perhaps, the actual act of taking a picture is what signifies the moment, not the picture itself. Regardless of the reasons, shooting these images has only intensified my experiences and for that, I am grateful.

"The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes but in having new eyes."~ Marcel Proust

Since we arrived three days ago, we have been busy exploring the home and the 3 acres that surround us. It is absolutely lovely around here and it seems that the trees have kindly waited for us before changing their leaves.  We have already hiked twice in the Blue Ridge mountains and visited the outdoor downtown mall in Cville (as the locals affectionately call it). With feasts for our eyes as well as the rest of our senses, I admit all of this has been quite overwhelming.  To be overwhelmed with discovery though? I am not complaining.

Fairymen by Eric

Well known music man in town, 4 instruments, one voice, huge talent.