I started the Science Sleuths camp with a long hike, during which we spent time being aware of our surroundings. We saw a family of deer by the fairy ring. They quietly circled around us through the trees before vanishing down one of the trails. We continued up the trail and visited the creek with the Pacific Giant Salamanders. Another camp group had beaten us there, and who should be in that group but Salamander Girl, who had spent her week in my camp obsessing over amphibians. She was busy again catching salamanders.
In the end, we spent most of the day in the woods, playing little games and observing its denizens. It seems like a decent group of kids so far. Time will tell.

We saw Whale Rider yesterday and, as Jen has also stated, it is excellent. Lots of great performances and well rounded characters. It could have been full of cliches, but these were wisely avoided. It might be a good film to show the kids when they are older (if they don't get too upset at the lack of "bad guys".) It's a moving film, and deserves to be seen by more people than it will.

I keep having this idea that if we could only get organized things would run so much smoother around here. We're planning on starting with the garage. We're also going to need to come up with space to accomodate the King snake that our snake connection is bestowing upon us later this week sometime.

cds I listened to while wondering where the summer went: Thrones "s/t", Throwing Muses "Counting Backwards", Tarnation "Gentle Creatures", and Earth Monkey "Audiosapian"