In Praise of Duct Tape

His pants were made of duct tape. I loved them.  
 
2013 Kinetic Sculpture Race
Baltimore, Maryland

In Praise of Spelling

Now that we live in the age of spell check,  it's easy to fall prey to the tantalizing ease of merely typing and clicking on the red highlight to select the correct word.  And I will confess that there have been times when I found myself wondering why we all torture ourselves with the weekly spelling drills. But, a recent incident has clearly shown me the importance of continuing to teach spelling.

A few weeks ago when I was attempting to make it home for my grandfather's funeral, I sent a text to a cousin. Here's the transcript:

Hi Sharon, It's Lucia. I am wondering if you are heading to St. Martinville tomorrow morning. If so, could I get a ride with you? I am trying to fly into NOLA (New Orleans) tonight.

Wrong # hoe

Thanks for letting me know. Sorry to bother you. I was trying to get to a funeral.

Ya Ya hoe

Thanks to the wonders of autocorrect and/or lack of spelling profiency, the rude texter (clearly and happily NOT my cousin, Sharon) thought that they would be offensive? funny? mean? by calling me a garden tool. 

I wish I had been quick (and brave) enough to have responded with:  Shovel it up yours.

Time Traveling: St. Mary's City, Maryland

One rainy spring day, 3 busloads of fourth graders and their brave chaperones traveled back in time to visit St. Mary's City, Maryland's first capital. Despite the mud, the drizzle, and the noise that fourth graders can produce, it was a surprisingly pleasant day. In fact, I think I enjoyed our trip there even more than our trips to Jamestown and Williamsburg. It is a bit more remote so there weren't swarms of tourists, the staff/guides were excellent, and the whole place had a nice feel to it. Simple, authentic, and without any of the cheesiness or commercial aspects that some living history parks seem to have. As an anthropology student, I had some mixed feelings about this attempt to re-create snippets of time and culture, but as a parent those reservations were quickly tossed out the window. There is something so appealing to kids and adults of all ages about temporarily sneaking a peek back in time and when it is done well, it is really worth the trip. 

***It reminded me of our trip to Houston and how much we enjoyed the Fort Bend Museum and the George Ranch Historical Park.