Hi guys!
I was so excited to see updates from so many of you. I'm glad to see you're all up to fun things this summer, and very happy that some of you are choosing to share them with us on the blog.
We went to Natural Bridge at the end of June, and were only there a few days. Some of the pictures are from this year, and some are from when we went last year.
Natural Bridge, VA, is very different from Natural Bridge, Utah. My apologies again to all the kiddos who used their savvy research skills to go back to Landform Detectives to check into the processes that created Natural Bridge - that's the wrong one! However, even though they are actually VERY different landforms - as we'll discuss in a minute - any type of landform that looks like this has to have a few similarities. You can always know from looking at something like this that it was originally built up somehow (as it is much higher than the land surrounding it), usually through sedimentation, and then the "tunnel" part of it was somehow worn away, usually by water.
Natural Bridge, VA, is really cool because it is pretty much entirely
limestone. Limestone is a sedimentary rock that is nearly always made of fossilized aquatic life - hmm... what might that tell us about this area? The "tunnel" area underneath was originally a cave, and a river that flowed through the cave wore it away, sculpting the formation that we see now. The river is still there, but it's pretty shallow for the most part. You can see the water in this picture.
Your classmates have been blogging! Check out some of what they're working on here:
It sounds like you guys have all been up to some fun things! Even if you haven't gone anywhere else this summer, there is so much fun to be had in your own back yard! We've been having a great time observing the critters we can find out here - of course, we are very lucky to have woods in our back yard! We've seen snakes, frogs, butterflies, and a variety of lizards. Perhaps Jack's favorite thing so far this summer is the fireflies! Until this summer, his bedtime has been to early to get to see them - he thinks they are AMAZING! And I think he is right.
We have also been raspberry picking - a really fun family activity on a Saturday morning. We go to Plum Granny Farms in King. They also have blackberries to pick, and they sell garlic, potatoes and flowers. The people who run the farm are VERY nice.
Plum Granny Farm
Here's a picture of Jack picking raspberries last summer (I need to upload my more recent pics!):
Last but not least, we got to have an ultrasound check on the baby last week. Everything is going really well, and she's still on track to arrive at the end of August. I can't wait to start sharing all the wonderful books you and your families picked out for her. What a LUCKY baby she is, to have such a great community of people you already care about her!
Here's a picture:
She looks so calm and peaceful - this was during "naptime," I guess! Pretty cool that they can get such clear pictures with ultrasound technology now. I have to say, I was amazed!!!
Keep enjoying your summers! I will keep trying to check in and post occasionally. I'll be posting a parents link again soon, and one for everyone in the next few weeks!
