Fall gathering

At the end of September, we packed up to head for one of our favorite gatherings....the bi-yearly FLT campout! FLT is a gathering of homeschooling families that meets at various camps in NC in both the spring and the fall. This year they've added a winter gathering planned for January in the mountains (hurray for heated cabins!).

This time, there were the usual cuddle puddles.........




....Always, always, lotsa love, hugs and kisses.





I love seeing how each of the kids expresses themselves in clothing. I broke out the makeup kit one afternoon and we had fairies and butterflies and crossdressers and even some glamorous Mums.:)


Seth ended up with green hair and Oliver with a colorful beard. I had nothing to do with that part. Honest. Step away from the hair dye Felix!




The lake was right in front of our cabin, complete with a rope bridge...technically off limits, but curious kids had to see for themselves if it was really broken.



Novice canoers are really fun to watch from the aforementioned bridge, as they try to avoid a collision.



Jalen checks out something...perhaps the novice canoers are entertaining him? "Hey, check out that canoe wreck Mum."




Girlfriends enjoying some time on the water.

I spent one morning sitting on the floating dock and meditating. I really had my Walden Pond...how glorious it was.

One of the best activities came in the form of an impromptu talent show and play, directed by a wee child of six years. I came upon her a few hours earlier, setting up chairs and preparing the stage with Jalen and another helper. They must have had about 40 chairs set up at that point, all in lines before they even asked for help. It was so dang cute!

The play had something to do with Egypt and zombie/mummy things. That's really all I know for certain. They then opened the floor to anyone that wanted to perform. The below pic is of Jen telling the one joke she knows. I suck at remembering jokes or I'd repeat it for your reading pleasure.... sorry folks.



My favorite memory is our night on the dock with the glowsticks. Pure magic! I had purchased many, many glowsticks of various sizes and colors to share at camp. We hauled them out one night and I immediately felt like the Pied Piper of Hamlin. I had children following me, clamoring for glowsticks. Ah...this is what REAL power feels like. Hmmmmmm.;)

We adorned ourselves with bracelets, necklaces and sticks, walking in a line towards the dock. It looked like an ethereal parade through the woods. Even eerier, was walking through the dark night and coming upon a colorfully lit dock in the middle of the lake. We sat down there for hours. Some of the kids cut the glowsticks open and sprayed the phosphorent material everywhere! Talk about bizarre. We looked like we had some sci-fi version of chicken pox.




This is Olivers hand on glowstick. Veeeeerrrrrry strange. Especially when he left a print on the back of someone's shirt. I'm fairly certain when the package says "non-toxic" the manufacturer did not mean "safe to fully explore in any manner necessary". We should all glow spontaneously after that kind of exposure!



Ciara getting funky with glow....




There's always a good campire going every night. The Dad's gently try to keep things from going to total chaos. Jalen and co. love to throw random things on the fire. There was marshmallow roasting, storytelling, singing, dancing and even a poetry slam by the fire on various nights.

We always come to FLT excited to see everyone. We leave satiated with more great memories, stories and learning experiences to carry with us until next time.....

....happy trails.