Downtown adventure

Oh, I forgot all about our downtown adventure last week. We are headed down the road of orthodontia with James. Oh joy! Cris talked to a few people who recommended the dental school at the U of PA. Before our first appointment, the kids and I took a practice trip downtown. Even natives here shudder when talking about driving downtown. They don’t necessarily recommend the train, though. It can cost more to take the train than to drive and park.

After about 2 miles I realized that while Google maps are accurate, they do not always choose the best route. We drove a long way down Germantown Avenue, which is partly paved in cobblestones. Very narrow, too. I could not imagine driving along there during rush hour. We only got really lost once, but quickly recovered. Got into the parking garage closest to the dental school building; followed the signs and found ourselves back on the street without ever having seen any parking spaces, empty or full! The garage is several stories high, so I must have missed a turn along the way. We went back around the block and chose a different garage (same price). Started walking, discovered we’d gone the wrong way, went back and started over… fortunately it was a nice day.

Finally found the dental building and wandered around trying to find the patient area. After we passed the same group of students twice, one of them separated herself from the group and offered to lead us. I felt like such a country bumpkin. But I was happy for the help and happier that we had come on a day without an appointment. We would have been hours late.

After that we went a little further into the city to see the Liberty Bell. Yes, this has been on our list for a long time. We found Independence National Park without incident. Parking was another adventure… all the garages were full. We finally found a place to park, $12 for 90 minutes. So we dashed to the visitor’s center, found our bearings and headed to the Bell.

It was more exciting than I’d anticipated. The bell is larger than I thought it would be. That is probably because so many people have told me it was smaller than they expected. It was very crowded. The kids noted (indignantly) that people were touching it even though there were signs telling them not to. Yes, well.

We had hoped to get over the Betsy Ross’s house but it was a little too far in the wrong direction. We did step over to the grounds of Independence Hall but did not take a tour this time. We stopped into the museum of the American Philosophical Society. Interesting little place; we became acquainted with a few explorers we’d never heard of (and now have a list for the library, natch), and saw some more Audubon art.

On the way home James hoped for a glimpse of the Battleship New Jersey. He has been wanting to see it since we first talked about moving here, but is waiting quite patiently for Cris to have a break in his schedule to take him. Battleships are much more fun with Dad. As we drove along the waterfront I could see some places I could have turned in to get closer, if I’d only known to do that. But even without stopping he got a good look at it and was so excited! I had been worried it would just make him more anxious for the tour, but he was happy with what he got.

So, we made it downtown twice now. We’ll be going frequently once the braces are on, so we’ll plan to take advantage of the sights on appointment days.

Beautiful Fall

It is so gorgeous here! Really like the falls I remember as a kid, back in Buffalo a long time ago. Crisp, cold air. Leaves crunching underfoot. Red and gold on the trees everywhere we look.

It will be very bleak this winter. In the Northwest there are so many evergreens, so, um, it’s always green. Here, the deciduous trees outnumber the evergreens, so when those leaves are gone, it’s pretty gray. That I remember from our house-hunting trip in February. Wow, that seems like a lifetime ago.

Today the kids and I went to Pennsbury Manor, William Penn’s only home in the US. They had a homeschool event today, so we got to go around to various parts of the estate as volunteers (in period dress) taught us about the house and life during Penn’s time. The house was a recreation; the original had fallen into disrepair and was demolished long ago. It was really interesting and just beautiful, there on the Delaware River.

Cris is still studying all the time. We are all very busy. James is enjoying Cub Scouts, and Eleanor is joining a newly-forming homeschool Girl Scout troop. We’ll see how that goes; I’ve always been a little dubious about the Girl Scouts but decided we can give it a try.

Our one-car family experiment will be coming to an end soon. We have been doing OK sharing the single vehicle, but it’s getting more difficult as the kids have more separate activities. This Saturday James has a scouts hike and Eleanor has a birthday party! So we’ll be looking for a used car soon.

Tomorrow night I am starting a very part-time job as a tutor/companion/encourager for a 12-year-old girl. Staring at 3 hours per week (one evening). She will read to me, I’ll read to her, she’ll play the harp for me. Should be interesting.

A house full of kids

One of the great things about our life in Beaverton was having friends over.  We had space and people to fill it.  Finally yesterday we had a house full of kids.   3 girls, 5 boys (plus my own), 3 moms.   It was interesting finding places for everyone to play; we are still used to a lot more space.  The weather was good so the boys mostly played outside; eventually the girls joined them after they examined Eleanor’s room and dolls sufficiently.

Our property here is between 1/3 and 1/2 acre; paltry compared to what we had before: James does not let us forget that.  But, oh, seeing a different perspective can do a lot for a guy.  When he took the kids out back, he was surprised to hear them all marvel at our huge back yard.  “Wow, is that all yours?  Up to the fence?”  “It just goes on and on…”   “Look at all the trees!”    We have told him that his yard is bigger than most; maybe now he believes it.

………….

Last night was Halloween.  We had always just ignored the day; no trick or treaters braved our road and the friends who did trick or treat didn’t talk much about it.  Hard to ignore it here in the suburbs.  James was feeling a little odd when the kids from the homeschool group talked about their costumes.  It’s a pretty big deal around here.  But some neighbors had an event they call “Light the Night” which is basically nonscary Halloween with games and VeggieTales movies.  James helped them out at the inflatable obstacle course.  Eleanor and I handed out candy.  She was OK with it till the end of the night when the teens dressed like hoodlums (ie. in their regular clothes) came by.  After that she wanted the door locked and the night to be over.

James had hoped the ickiest of the neighborhood decorations would be down this morning, but they were still up when we drove Cris to school.   They’re happy that it’s all over.

They’re not unhappy about the leftover candy, though…

E’s library adventure

Tonight the local library had a book discussion group for kids.  Eleanor read the book and was very excited about going.   So after dropping me off at a lecture at Westminster (on irresistible grace), they went off to the library.

When they picked me up  Eleanor was very excited.  She had had a great time.  She was the only kid who showed up!  So she and the librarian spent the time talking about the book, and other books, and about Oregon.  At some point – Eleanor couldn’t remember when or what the context was – the librarian asked “are you homeschooled?”

After  a while they pulled Cris and James into the conversation – and gave them some cookies.  And a bunch of caramel apples…

Eleanor was glowing when she told me about it.   She has a boatload of new books to read, and a new friend at the library.  She also told me “she was the first grownup outside our family that I really felt comfortable talking to for a long time, except [a certain choir director and her husband].”

While at the library, James read some science books and Cris studied Greek.    Then they came to pick me up and ran around the grounds of the seminary.  It was a beautiful night; cool and pleasant at 9 pm.  Fall is coming!

Falling behind

… on correspondence, mostly.  I need to write to quite a few people!

Seems like we are getting busier. The kids are participating in two workshops with our homeschool group – a book group and a writing group.  They’re enjoying homeschool PE and James is about to join the Cub Scouts.  So Eleanor and I are looking for a club for her to join.  I am not too keen on Girl Scouts anymore.  American Heritage girls looks interesting, but the closest troop is 108 miles away.  I don’t know if I’m up for starting a troop myself, not yet having a church to link up with (and use for a meeeting place).  But we’ll see…  There is a “home ec” 4H club not too far away that we are going to check out.   She has met some nice girls through the homeschool group but hasn’t really clicked well with anyone yet.

We have been participating in a “kids’ club” through one of the churches we’ve been attending.  This is a nice church, and the club is fun, but something’s been bothering me about it.  Today I figured it out.   James and Eleanor have no one to look up to in the club groups (boys and girls are separated).  There are no older kids.  There are no more mature kids.  And, you know when James is the most mature boy in a group, well….  He still needs older boys around to look up to.   In fact, I don’t think there are any older kids in the church!  As far as we can tell, all the kids are 9 and under.  That’s not a good reason to reject a church, of course.  But we do need to find some good companions for the kids. They are still best friends, but face it, Eleanor just isn’t into shooting nerf dart guns and James does not want to play dolls.

So we are slowly finding our way and know that the right church and right situation is there for us.

In the meantime we are enjoying the cooler fall weather.  We are reading a book on puppy training in anticipation of finding a dog.  Cris is studying – lots of reading, lots of writing.

Now you know what’s up with us.  Let us know what’s up with you.

First party!

Last night we had our first party. It was a small party…. for us.   Many of you know that in Oregon I had a lot of space for a lot of people. Not so here. So I was having some trouble figuring out how to handle all the people we wanted to invite: a seminary family (with kids the “right” ages!) who had us over for dinner last week, 3 couples who helped us unload the truck when we moved in, a couple we met at church, and a woman I met at a dinner at Westminster and her family. Hmm… 12 adults, 8 children. Plus us!

The Lord was gracious to me and gave me a slow start in hospitality. Only the family we’d already had dinner with and one of the couples could make it.  Manageable.  We sent the kids to eat outside; the adults fit around the kitchen table.

It was a really nice evening of fellowship and blossoming friendships. The kids had a great time with their new friends. The 9 year old boy was prepared for our back yard: he was armed with his nerf gun setup. Fortunately James had received a set himself for his birthday this year (thanks again, guys!) so they had a great time. Eleanor and her 7-year-old friend did girl things and the younger siblings fended for themselves.

Other social events… a women’s dinner (students, and wives of students and faculty) at Westminster. While there I was confronted with an opportunity to assist in upcoming women’s events and somehow found myself taking it. More park days and some playdates with our homeschool group. A homeschool PE class. Lunch with the family of the pastor of the church we have been most often attending. Friday night “kids’ club” at said church. Oh, and I joined the neighborhood association and am on the “luminary” committee for this Christmas.

Cris is studying hard and we are adjusting to his being home but not accessible. Also adjusting to being a one-car family! Staying home is good!

Ordinary days

With Cris out of school for a few days we’ve been enjoying him more – he’s a bit more relaxed now that he’s not walking around with his Greek flash cards all the time – and having some nice days.

A few social events: An ice-cream social for new students put on by the seminary. A nice evening; a little tough on the kids – no one their age around, or, at least, friendly.  A potluck with a Bible study group – which included a homeschooling family and some seminary students – that was quite nice and is helping us with our church search.

Yesterday Cris took James to the aviation museum at the Willow Grove Naval Air Station. They had a great time looking at the planes – of course. Those little museums are such good places to really learn about something – the volunteers were all veterans who were familiar with the planes, eager to answer questions, and thrilled to see a kid who’s interested. Eleanor wisely said she’d rather stay home (she was given the choice) so she and I made cookies and hung out together. Nice.

It might start to feel almost like home here soon.

A welcoming church?

Yesterday we made a repeat visit to a church that was on our short list.  We went back because we liked the liturgy and preaching (and the music!) and, frankly… because it’s very close to home.  We’d gotten used to living close to church, and all the benefits that go along with that.  On the day of our first visit the pastor had politely asked guests to head down to the fellowship hall directly after the service, while members were to stay for an announcement by the Session.   We didn’t feel like fellowshipping with each other alone (we do that all the time) so we left pretty much right after the service.
Before we left I had a conversation with one of the members, and she subsequently sent me a very nice email with lots of information on local stores, etc.  We also got a nice letter from the pastor, welcoming us and mentioning that the happenings on the day of our first visit were unusual.  So, we figured we should go back.

We still liked the service, and the sermon was good.  It felt a little formal and stiff to me.  Afterwards we stood in line to greet the pastor then headed down to the fellowship hall.  There were a couple of sullen teens in the hall, and some men in the coffee room, and that was it, so the kids and I went in search of moms and children.  I guess the families with kids had left by the time we got outside!  There were some women milling around, but they were in conversation and had that “closed” look about them.  I’d blundered into those situations before and wasn’t about to do so again.  Cris chatted with some fellow seminary students for a bit; we didn’t stay too long.  When we were driving home, I thought about what felt wrong.

I realized later that there hadn’t been any announcements during the service.  No goings-on to report, I guess. But also no welcome to visitors.  If we hadn’t been there before we would never have known there was a fellowship hall and coffee and chatting to be had there.   So I realized that while I didn’t feel exactly unwelcome, it wasn’t real warm and fuzzy either.   It didn’t feel as though  (as a good friend of mine put it once, talking about another church) we’d crashed someone’s family reunion.  But it was kind of close.

It’s been a long time since I’ve been a new person at church, and I’d forgotten how uncomfortable that is.   So that led me to think about all the times I ducked into the kitchen after the service so I wouldn’t have to chat with people I didn’t know.  (I did have work to do, right?)   Or stood in a small closed circle chatting with people I did know.  Shame on me.

On a brighter note, a woman I met at another church we visited invited us to attend a potluck picnic this week.  That church has small-group weekly Bible studies, and hers is having a picnic this week instead.   Even Eleanor was interested in that event, so we’ll see how that goes.  That will be Wednesday.

Tuesday morning is Cris’s final exam – if you’re awake at about 9:30 am (Eastern) on Tuesday and in the mood to pray, Cris would surely appreciate it.   That night the seminary is having an ice-cream social for all the families and everyone is looking forward to that too!

Grocery store musings

It seems whenever I meet a woman, one of the first questions she asks is, “are you finding your grocery stores OK?” Notice “your” grocery stores. Meaning, ones I like. Well, the unspoken answer is “not really,” and who would have ever thought I’d miss Winco?

Mexican food is not popular here. That section in the “ethnic” food aisle is very small. But the array of canned tomato products is huge!

Beef, lamb and pork are cheaper here. Chicken is about the same. Vegetables are much more expensive. $3.59 for a head of cauliflower!

Buttermilk is not popular here. I can only find quarts, not half-gallons. Often that space on the shelf is empty. Sometimes there is no space for it at all.

Many people express great loyalty to Genuardi’s, because it’s a small local chain. But it was bought out by Safeway a few years ago, and the family name is all that remains. It’s really just Safeway. But don’t tell anyone that!

Double-bagging means a paper sack inside a plastic one. No handles on the paper sacks except at Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods. But if you need a bag at Whole Foods, you get a (mercifully short) lecture. Or maybe just a baleful glare.

Bulk bins? Forget about it. Maybe a few with candy and nuts. Way behind the times on that here!

I have yet to find a store that requires me to bag my own!  (The one thing I don’t miss about Winco.)

Couple of bad things about blogs

1.  Once you start a blog, people expect you to update it, even when nothing remarkable is going on.

2.  People who read the blog know what’s going on in the blogger’s life, but the blogger doesn’t know what’s going on in anyone else’s.  (That is a hint, people.)

Let’s see… kids are in a week-long Tae Kwon Do daycamp through the local parks and rec department.  Enjoying it immensely.  Of course these week-long camps are put on to entice the child/parent into signing up for regular classes.  We’ll see.  They did have a bad moment when they were instructed to bow to the American flag before leaving the room.  It was a sign of respect, they were told.  But it seemed too close to idol worship to them…

Cris is in the final stretch of his semester-in-a-month Greek class.  Looking forward to a few (very few) days off before the regular semester starts.  It should not be so intense.   Or so they say…

While the kids are in camp, I have been organizing and moving boxes.  The living room is now box-free but there is still the problem of where to put the rocking chair.

Oh, and I snuck into the library alone.  Don’t tell anyone!