The Granite State

When we left Maine we headed east, over the mountains and through the woods... and pulled into our campsite in New Hampshire. It felt like we were in a forest of trees, with a chorus of crickets and other foresty serenades out there. As we pulled in Shayna said "oh, we are camping for real this time!"

The next morning was our first official day of "Winnie Road School". We are following the Seattle schedule, and the kids were so excited to start school!! So far Greg and I are humbled and encouraged by their enthusiam...
Our first day we learned all about New Hampshire, the Granite State, and the revolutionary war hero John Stark who coined the phrase "Live free or die" that is printed on all the NH license plates. We are all about experiencing, making connections, and following our interests. So far the kids make it easy!! (and Greg and I are pros at making connections, just you see.) We took our first recess down at the lake...

Where we checked on some fish traps, enjoyed the scenery, and then met this sweet gentleman who told us all about the famous Face Rock mountain here (which is now collapsed). You can see the profile on all the freeway signs, and he gave us a commemorative shirt from his days at the post office.

We're not sure which is better... all the scenery we are seeing on this trip, or the wonderful people we meet along the way. Both sides are so sweet. Each contribute with their own stories and local flavor that help us digest our nation, even if for a short time!!

We took the rest of the school day finishing up our work on the road, then stopped for PE at a little creek. We thought we should experience the granite state a little more first hand.
It was called, "test out your new LLBean shoes and see how far you can jump!"

We are also noticing more effects of fall... the changing leaves are sparce but stark. Part of me wants to see fall in all its glory right away, but of course, these things take time!
Right about when we were ready to wrap up school for the day, the kids go "mom.... we have just one more question..."
"What exactly is granite?"