AHG KCC

Cold, grey day -- hardly the kind of weather that one thinks of going to a Kane County Cougars baseball game. But, the American Heritage Girls troop to which Arianna belongs planned this outing months ago. Who'd have thought Memorial Day weekend temperatures would be in the 50's?

Although the entire family had tickets to the game, Sharon and Bruno decided that it was too cold for them to be sitting outside after dark. So, Arianna and I headed down to Geneva. 

A light rain on the drive down made me a bit concerned, but by the time we'd gotten to the tri-cities (St. Charles, Geneva, Batavia) it had stopped.

Parking was maddening and caused us to be a bit late for the parade of scouts. We scurried to the section reserved for the AHG troops, but found nobody there. Over the intercom, a voice directed scouts to the center-field gate. Arianna and I turned around and headed back toward the main entrance, but not before numerous scout troops entered the gate and paraded onto the field. We stood watching as more and more scouts entered through the gate. I apologized to Arianna for being the cause of her missing the parade. But, when I saw the AHG flag at the very end of the parade, I told Arianna to "Come on!" 

In fact, the parade had not yet started. We weren't the last to enter the field, but almost. When Mrs. M. saw Arianna she gave her a hug and asked if she wanted to carry the AHG flag. As one of the older scouts, she was in fact entitled to be a flag bearer. K.M. at her side, carrying the American flag, both girls led the troop as they marched around the periphery of the baseball stadium.

Arianna was all smiles and at her ease the rest of the evening. She sat next to K.M. shared some laughs and even watched a bit of the game. (Cougars beat the Beloit Snappers, 7-3.)

After the game the Jesse White Tumblers performed a good 30 minutes of fireworks were set-off to the delight of everybody in attendance. When the lights were turned of again, it was time to say good night -- literally; for, the outing included the option of camping out on the ball park. Neither Sharon nor I were comfortable with arrangements for the camp out, so we declined to include Arianna. But, the troop leader's daughters -- K.M. and her sisters -- remained behind when we exited the stadium.

Although Arianna was a bit disappointed not to be camping out, she was practical about the likelihood of her not enjoying sleeping out in 55 degree weather. Perhaps another time.

A nice opportunity to spend time with Arianna -- even if she socialized with troop pals, as would be expected.  

Prepped and Ready for Planting

The bit of rain we recently had made cultivating the vegetable bed easier than normal. I was pleasantly surprised to find that the last couple of years' soil amendments have started to have a positive impact.

Three hours or so of labor and the ground was ready for Bruno's tomatoes.

The weather was so pleasant this evening that Sharon got into the act and removed some spent forget-me-nots from the Cottage Garden at the front of the house.

Mother's Day

Uneventful Mother Day. As we were getting into the car, Arianna let me know that she was suffering from a terrific headache. I turned to Sharon to let her know and . . . we changed plans and ordered Chinese.

Sharon was customarily easy to please, but I'd have enjoyed the opportunity to take her out to dinner.

Arianna's water color . . .

Sharon looking into the large polka dotted bag . . .

The Orange Marmalade cake Sharon thought sounded good . . .

Happy Mother's Day!

Mysterious Find

Of late I've been able to spend an hour or so working in the garden after supper. Naturally, today, I spend more time in the yard than I should. In the process of preparing a spot for pumpkins and winter squash, I struck rock. No surprise there. I've unearthed hundreds of rocks over the years. 

The wall behind me is testimony to the number of rocks I've pried out of the ground.

This one however was curious. And with regards to what it actually was, well, it remains a mystery. After an hour of trying to get sufficient leverage to ease it out of the ground, I conceded it was not possible with the tools I own.

Bloom

Our having the old hickory tree in front of the house tree cut down last Spring was probably premature. Unattractive due to storm damage, it probably would have remained in place for another 5-10 years. But, I made the decision to remove it and so we did.

The Red Bud we planted in its place underwent a terrible growing season last year. The drought invariably called upon us to water, water, water. With snow late in coming this year, I was concerned the tree might not have survived.

But, as Arianna, shows us . . . it's coming up all rosey . . .

 

Illinois Junior Academy of Science State Science Exposition, Continued

Woke this morning at 5:30 am only to find that I'd been abandoned to sleep alone. Hmm. (I'm told I snore.)

Breakfast at the hotel wasn't served until 7 am, which -- unfortunately -- was too late, so we pulled ourselves together and were seated at the Bob Evans shortly after 6:30 am.

Needless to say, Arianna, was not yet her cheerful self . . .

After a rousing, down-home breakfast, we hit the road for Champaign. Last night's rains hadn't completely blown out of southern Illinois, but the drive saw intermittent sunshine. The pasture lands we drove through were as green as any field in Ireland.

Never having been to Champaign or U of I, I imagined the town would be similar to either Ann Arbor or East Lansing. From what I saw, Champaign is more akin to East Lansing. U of I seemed predominantly centrally located. Finding Assembly Hall might have been easy without a GPS, but trips into unknown environs are considerably less stressful knowing that even if I make a wrong turn "Ken" will see us to our destination.

Assembly Hall . . . the college building from outer space . . .

With thousands of kids from across the Illinois, the State Science Exposition is considerably larger than regional competition. Although the number of participants at Northern Illinois in DeKalb were impressive, Champaign is overwhelming. But, after a few minutes of getting our bearings and with help from an aid we were able to locate where Arianna had to setup her presentation.

Assembly Hall . . . main floor . . . where the Behavioral Sciences presentations were judged.

 
Arianna all setup and ready to . . . wait!

Like in DeKalb, parents were asked to leave the main judging area. Since Sharon had volunteered to be a judge, this meant I was alone for the remainder of the morning. I found a seat that gave me a view of Arianna -- albeit at a distance -- but I wasn't sure whether she knew where I was in the crowd . . . wasn't sure whether she really cared, given her focus.

While perched above the main floor, I noticed a line of parents ushering their children to a billboard in front of which they were photographed. Naturally, I wanted a similar photo of my daughter. When the line diminished I walked down to the main floor and got hold of Arianna.

Back in my seat, I read, took photos, watched, waited. It was a dull morning. But, I can't imagine it was any different for the majority of kids competing today.

Arianna chatting with her neighbor . . .

Waiting . . . wondering what's next . . . if anything . . .

The ambiance of the fair, the continuous white noise of chatter was ever present throughout the morning.



Unlike in DeKalb, where Arianna was one of the last entries to be judged, today she was one of the first. This didn't make the morning's wait any less, but at least she was able to present and relax.

Two judges listen to Arianna's presentation, review her board, and quiz her.

Is Arianna looking at me?

After the Arianna's project was judged she still remained near her presentation, chatting with some of the other kids.




It would be several hours before Arianna found her way to where I was siting to ask for a bottle of water. Shortly afterward, Sharon, done with her judging assignment, sought out her daughter. The morning's activities were at an end.

We located a Thai restaurant and enjoyed a hearty lunch. The day seemed to be catching up with Arianna, who, although interested in reviewing some of the other projects on display, preferred not to wait to learn the outcome of judging. Her sponsor, Mrs. R., who instructs her in science at St. Catherine of Siena, would communicate the outcome of the fair.

The judge and the contestant . . .

Arianna and her Daddy . . .

Quiet descended on the car shortly after we got underway. Both Arianna and Sharon napped. It was an enjoyable experience, one, I'm privileged to have had the opportunity to take part in. Perhaps Arianna will advance to state competition next year too. We'll have to wait and see.

Illinois Junior Academy of Science State Science Exposition

Also known as "Science Fair".

In order to ensure a memorable experience, Sharon and I decided to drive down-state prior to the competition. We left Sleepy Hollow after an early supper. Although 'Ken' -- our GPS guide -- would have had us drive into Friday, rush hour traffic, I thought better of it and opted for a slower pace. Route 47 south for the hundred or so miles may have taken us a bit longer (maybe . . . remember, Chicagoland traffic on Friday evening is renown for its congestion), but there were plenty of cows to look at.

I've been told that folks book hotel accommodations as early as January. This accounted for our being unable to find lodging in Champaign. Instead we spent the night in Decatur -- about 45 minutes from the University of Illinois campus.

The sun was just setting when we arrived. The desk clerk, a bubbly young lady, who apparently had recently been hired, shared Arianna's name. The coincidence put a smile on everybody's face.

After we checked in and located our "suite" -- they upgraded us to a two bedroom suite -- Arianna and Sharon went for a swim. I was of a divided mind as to whether I should go into the pool and simply enjoyed watching the girls.

Arianna in a moment of pure enjoyment . . .

Despite our driving to within a leisurely commute of Champaign, in order to feed Arianna and ensure her presentation was setup by 9 AM, she still had to wake earlier than she normally would on a Saturday. Excited though she may have been, her swim relaxed her and she was able to fall asleep. At least until Daddy started snoring, at which time she and Sharon departed the bedroom with two beds and they slept together in the one king sized bed in the other bedroom.