Summer Soul Quest: Part I The Obvious

"Once a Selkie finds its skin again, neither chains of steel nor chains of love can keep her from the sea" - The Secret of Roan Inish

I knew it the moment I said yes. This wasn't just a vacation, it was a soul quest. There is much to tell. There was the obvious and there was the hidden...there was the seen and there was the unseen, but lets start with seen, shall we?

With my eyes, with my cameras, with my heart....

(I will share what was hidden beneath the surface in Part II)

The first morning at his grandmother's house on Long Island he ran outside in his pajamas looking for worms and bugs.

There was a dinner date with his grandma and an evening walk by the bay, and a mysterious fairy door at the base of an old tree covered in ivy, and there were fake mustaches and a Chaplin impersonation...

and bonding with a cousin, and light-up cars to race along the driveway under the night sky and sleeping bags, and little boy secrets whispered in the dark, and mischief of one kind or another...

There were sand castles on the south shore...

and the seaweed that he lifted gently from the surf and squealed, "Look...Mermaid hair!"

There was a visit to Peppermint Stik Farms where my childhood memories linger along with my gratitude...

There was a family BBQ at my childhood home and there was a short jaunt to Mannahatta my second island home....

where his honorary sister "poofed" him into a prince and they roared like lions and laughed about things known only to them...

















To the sprinklers in Tompkins Square...

and to the Doughnut Plant for a sweet nosh before heading back to Long Island once again...

where we began a new day with a run down the giant dunes that I once ran upon with my late dad...

















and onto the rocky northern shore where I once searched for colorful quartz for polishing and hematite for painting...

where Satch insisted that he would catch a crab...and he DID, with his bare hands...

a spider crab that he named, "Fergy" with whom he played gently and talked to for quite some time.

He cried when it was time to let Fergy go. I said, "I'm sure Fergy is telling his whole family about his adventure...and how he met a REAL boy who was gentle and kind".






















And the night before we left for home, there was feasting and laughing with 12 friends and one VERY long table...

and a stop in NJ on the way back to VA for a pizza party with cherished cousins. Memories of our grandmother (their great grandmother) were shared and her presence felt...

And woven within the fabric of these outings and innings was a 30th high school reunion where I went to celebrate life with old friends, and took a dip into the sea of the past where I was reacquainted with my skin...

"Into the blue again
in the silent water
Under the rocks and stones
there is water underground...." - Talking Heads

Hittin' the Road: New Yawk

"City of hurried and sparkling waters! City of spires and masts!
City nested in bays! My city!" - Walt Whitman (Mannahatta)


















Satch made this drawing for one of his chums yesterday. I love the detail...the reflection of the buildings in NY Harbor, Lady Liberty, trees dwarfed by skyscrapers, pigeons, a helicopter, a taxi, sidewalks and bridges. He even drew our Echo!

We're off to New Yawk to see family and friends. I thought you might like to know what I've picked up to keep Satch amused during the road trip.



Peel & Stick Mozaic by Numbers by Lauri...GREAT for fine motor skills! The foam tiles are very small so this will kill a LOT of time!




Tangoes People Puzzles...Satch LOVES Tangoes puzzles. Tangoes are based on Chinese Tangrams, a geometric puzzle consisting of seven pieces. Travel Tangoes are smaller, magnetic so it's perfect for the car!


More about Tangoes here!

Roger Burrows Images! Geometric patterns for coloring. Altair designs were created to stimulate the visual imagination. You might see familiar images, or abstract patterns. You can color them any way you choose, it's limitless! Another gem for fine motor skills.

More about Roger Burrows Images here! AND Fractiles comes in a travel version that we love!


*We use Crayola Pip-Squeak Skinnies markers on the road because they are small and promote correct pencil grip.

Satch has Sensory Processing Disorder and needs gum in the car in order to settle himself. We keep a stash of B-Fresh Bubble Gum in the back seat. It does not contain any preservatives and is sweetened with Xylitol. Other sugarless gums make Satch bonkers because of the artificial sweeteners.

Lollipops are also soothing for Satch during long trips. We usually opt for natural pops made with juice, but Satch has been begging to try a Ring Pop because he says, "It's like a marrying ring except it's bigger AND you can EAT it!"

He pleads a good case, so I got him one, but will save it for when we're near our destination so he can run around and burn off the sugar. (As for my car munchies, I go hardcore...Salazon organic salted chocolate, and the Great Robinsky can't get behind the wheel without Werther's.)

When all else fails, we break out the DVD player. I borrowed Legend of the Guardians from Chicken Run our local library, and a back-up just in case... Fantastic Mr. Fox.

I think we're ready to roll. See you in two weeks!

They Know

There is a place where the sidewalk ends
And before the street begins,
And there the grass grows soft and white,
And there the sun burns crimson bright,
And there the moon-bird rests from his flight
To cool in the peppermint wind.

Let us leave this place where the smoke blows black
And the dark street winds and bends.
Past the pits where the asphalt flowers grow
We shall walk with a walk that is measured and slow,
And watch where the chalk-white arrows go
To the place where the sidewalk ends.

Yes we'll walk with a walk that is measured and slow,
And we'll go where the chalk-white arrows go,
For the children, they mark, and the children, they know
The place where the sidewalk ends. - Shel Silverstein (Where the Sidewalk Ends)

Power of Stillness

mantis: "type of insect that holds its forelegs in a praying position" (esp. the praying mantis, Mantis religiosa ), from Greek. mantis, lit. "one who divines, a seer, prophet," from mainesthai "be inspired," related to menos "passion, spirit"

Every summer we watch and wait for hundred of itsy bitsy mantids to emerge from their egg case. It's a lesson in patience, and a gift of wonder.

So tiny and still, this baby creature, sitting on the tip of my son's pinky finger - click on photo to enlarge!

Here is a video of our annual mantid release, (and S's happy dance)....

They Carry Me: Butterflies & Feeder Tutorial

Our butterfly feeder was featured on Parents Magazine Website!

I have only this breath
and this presence
for my wings
and they carry me - David Whyte (House of Belonging)

A video of our butterfly release...



And here's a nifty tutorial on how to make a butterfly feeder:

















1. Cut 4 loops of string at least 3 x the length of your jar

















2. Tie each string around the neck of the jar making sure the knots are opposite each other






















It should look like this...

















3. Now flip over the jar and knot the adjacent strings approx 1 inch up from the mouth of the jar. Then repeat a second row of knots near the base of the jar. Kind of like the macrame plant hangers I used to make in the 70's. I'm dating myself, right?

















It should look like this...






















4. Wrap the ends of your string together tightly with a piece of masking tape. Thread the strings through your wooden petals and wood bead. Tie the strings around a ring for hanging or just make a big knot.

5. Thread a cotton ball through the hole in the lid to form a wick. Fill your jar with sugar water. Cap tightly. Hang in garden. (Yes, the jar will be upside down)

(1 Tbsp sugar + 9 Tbsp water, bring to boil, then cool)






















You did it! In truth, I prefer my feeders with just cord and perhaps a few glass beads, but the flowery bits are a big hit with kids.

Our bedtime favorite, The Story of the Butterfly Children, has new meaning now and we'll think of our Painted Ladies every time we read it. The illustrations are exquisite and the story is oh so enchanting.

*Featured on C'e 'Crisi C'e 'Crisi and The Crafty Crow

Satch Alchemy

“You have to take risks. We will only understand the miracle of life fully when we allow the unexpected to happen.” - Paulo Coelho (Warrior of the Light)



"Mama, I'm making a flower remedy!"

3rd Annual Pursuit of Happiness Potluck Picnic

Sacred and undeniable, we hold these truths: prayer flags, vegetarian feasty, family & friends, homemade organic lemonade, trampoline, water balloons, handmade hula hoops, bubbles, glow rings, fireflies and lakeside fireworks. (scenes from our 3rd annual Pursuit of Happiness Potluck Picnic)

7 kids + 7 grown-ups = happiness