Chalk Mandalas

I had never heard of a mandala until a month ago when my daughter got a very cool Ravensburger Deco Mandala-Designer Drawing Machine for her birthday. We both had fun creating designs with it. Then a homeschool group we just joined had a chalk and nature mandala making event today. (It's funny how once you are introduced to a new idea it seems to pop up again and again.) I'm not very good at coming up with ideas for art activities. Having been just introduced to this art form, I doubt I would have thought to create them with chalk. (When I refer to mandalas here, I simply mean art with radial symmetry.) So it was nice to jump on the bandwagon of someone else's idea who has a lot more art knowledge than I. We came up with our own unique designs and then bailed due to the heat. I do hope to do more art and art appreciation this year for all of our benefits. I love learning new things with my kids and this is a subject in which I feel particularly deficient.

ART soothes the SOUL

(somebody get me a coloring book.....)

Jonah's white chalk mandala

Elisabeth and I worked on this mandala complete with mushrooms and a few leaves

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Beating the Florida Heat in Cape Canaveral

An rainbow over the Jetty Park Pier

Florida summers can be brutal and this one is no exception. Instead of spending all summer hibernating in air conditioned buildings, we decided to schedule some trips near water. My husband works remotely and thus it is a little easier for us to take in a change of scenery. The downside is that he only gets to fully enjoy our locale in evenings and weekends.

This past week was spent a mere hour away from our homebase at Jetty Park in Cape Canaveral. The campground is decent and the beach and pier are walking distance away. So I was able to take the kids to the beach most mornings and the hubby and I got in a little fishing from the pier in the evenings. The afternoon sun in Florida is blazing hot, but it is often followed by some fairly intense thunderstorms sometimes lasting into the early evening. While the storms themselves can be a nuisance, their remnants make for dramatic sunsets. On this trip, the evenings were my favorite part of the day particularly near the water where the cool sea breezes keep the bugs and humidity at bay.

Elisabeth inspecting a spadefish

Sunset from the Jetty Park Pier

Besides swimming and fishing, we were fortunate enough to witness the launch of a Delta IV Rocket during our stay from Cape Canaveral Air force Base - the launch site is only 6 miles away. The coming and going of various large ships from Port Canaveral especially the massive cruise liners provided a novelty for us as well. To top it off, we just happened to arrive at the inlet in time to see a trident submarine enter and then 30 minutes later depart the base across the inlet.

Watching a Delta IV launch from Jetty Park

The view from our campsite of a Carnival cruise liner leaving Port Canaveral

There are other great destinations in the area some more kid-friendly than others. We ventured out to the Brevard Zoo - a 30-minute drive from Jetty Park. The Dinosaur Store in Cocoa Beach provided some entertainment during one particularly rainy afternoon. There is a mall and movie theater in Merritt Island and a free Air Force Space and Missile Museum thought daddy was more interested in that venue.

Celebrating 7 Years of Joy

Happy Birthday to my adorable, sweet-natured, self-assured little lady. She makes my heart smile.