Tigre, Argentina

We spent about 12 days in Buenos Aires in mid February, 2013 with Grandpa Milt. One day we took a commuter train from the beautiful old BA train station (now if all of Buenos Aires looked like that building it might have been a pretty city!) north to the town of Tigre on the banks of the extensive delta of the Rio Plate. We boarded the  beautiful wooden water buses and set out. We rode on the bus for about 1/2 hour before getting out on a island that had a long walking loop around it, a couple restaurants, the local public school, and lots of muddy river water sloshing around it. The restaurant had one of the better meals we ate in Argentina. And we even got to see a witch:)

Water bus along the canals out of Tigre

Awesome sculpture of a witch hitting a electric pole.

Sculls and motorboats cruised by every few minutes

The path the lead around the island, most of the time the path was  leading you right along lots of cute little vacation houses.

Bus stop

Don't throw stones at glass houses, or is it don't throw stones at houses in glass boxes?
The first house built in the deltas, and now preserved in a box. 

Most docks were private, but thanks to some local advice we found the dock of the public school and enjoyed swimming in the muddy thick water. It was another ridiculously hot day. 

Owen going in

Avery debating getting in the "gross" water, but she did it. Couldn't resist the fun Dad and Owen were having, plus the ability to cool off!

Poetry

 A Fall Caribou Hunt with Dad

By Avery Mozen

Lakes and hills of the tundra

Where the wind winds around ya

The ground is made of still fire

The purple bushes rise higher

The blueberries of cold flame

The cranberries of hot color

Swans up-high graceful in flight

Not a caribou in sight

I decide to climb a hill

Now up high we see our fill

This is were beauty stands still

As we sit there watching 

(First Place Award for Level 7/8

Descriptive Poetry Contest

Focus Homeschool May 2013)

The American Plains by
Owen Mozen

The American Plains 

where the buffalo roam,

 the American plains
that the Crow call home. 

The American Plains 

where the gold grass grows, 

where the white wolf howls

 and the raven crows. 

Where the prairie dogs chatter,

 and the antelope race. 

Where the grizzly fights
to keep his space. 

Where the fox pounces
on a furry vole,
before it can get
to its sacred hole.
And may these things

 happen for ever more,

 and frolic by the river shore. 

(Second Place Award for Level 3/4
Descriptive Poetry Contest
Focus Homeschool May 2013)

Hiking in El Bolson, Argentina January 13 to Feb 8th 2013

We spent a month or so in the El Bolson area of Argentina, joining up with our friends the Loso's who wintered there. We did several multiday back packing trips up into the mountains, utilizing the wonderful reffugio system that is set up there. These pictures are just a glimpse of some of the fun adventures we had. 

Hanging at Retemal, one of many wonderful refuggios in the mountains, around El Bolson. 

Ruby, getting ready to show Robin Hood how to use a staff. 

Lap time along the trail with Howard

A whole bank of trees that tipped over in a wind storm, pulling the shallow roots up.

The kid gang at top of Cierra Lindo, a good full days hike from the Refuggio of Cierra Lindo.

Always adds to the adventure when your swaying plank bridge is missing a few planks......
Crossing the Rio Azul.

Yup, came all the way from Alaska to hike up to a glacier,
Karen, Owen, Elizabeth, Harlan, Avery and Ruby

Howard dipping in one of the many crystal clear streams that we enjoyed for our water sources.

Rio Azul, wonderful swimming holes! Owen taking a splash.

Avery in her corn row braids, courtesy of another hostel dweller. 

Cool water falls up near Ceirra Lindo Reffugio. Owen and Harlan.

In Cordova for the Bird Festival, May 2013

It rained non stop for the first 2 days,
and the wind was blowing really hard.
So when we went to look at birds there
were not very many to see.  Though we
saw about 20 lapland longspurrs they
were really cool.

After 2 days of rain it started to clear up and there was
a beautiful rainbow.

Now that the rain was gone birds started to arrive. We walked around for hours looking
at all sorts of birds.  We saw western sandpipers, northern pintail, white-winged
scoter, american golden-plover, 1 black oystercatcher, dunlins, and 1 merlin catch
 a western sandpiper! While it was raining for 2 days we saw about 14 trumpeter swans,
we saw great white-fronted geese, dusky canada geese, mallards, buffleheads, 1 osprey,
eagles, common raven, fox sparrow, commmon redpoll, and a couple arctic terns.

We went out on a boat with a friend to see sea otters. We found
pods of about 50 sea otters it was really cool.  Owen fished alittle
but did not cetch any thing.

On the fairy ride back we saw these 2 sea lions on this bouy.

On the fairy we drove close up to
some cliffs there were hundreds of
black legged kittiwake, and 2
mountain goats.

Any one know who Owen is hanging with?

Getting Ready for Cordova

One of our final field trips for this school year will be a trip to the Migratory Bird Festival in Cordova, AK.  We have been studying some if the birds that we hope to see while we are down there.  Each student picked a bird to focus on and then made posters about that bird. Avery chose the Red Knot, Owen chose the Arctic Tern 

Male vs. Female

Habitat

Migration

Breeding

Diet

Out in the snow!!!!

 

Even if this looks blank or black, hit play, there is a video in there! Really good crash scene: by Owen. Video editing by Howard.

Crust skiing is just amazing!!

Ski recess on 4/18