Memorial Day weekend with good friends, and a great TED Talk suggested by one of my students
We met Boo and Miranda at Locust Lake State Park in PA last weekend. The only criteria were pet friendly campsites and equidistant, and that's what we got! It was a nice little park with some good hiking trails. Our neighbors provided a great lesson for me about why some of my students are the way they are. But still, we had some nice fires and a few great "seltzers".
The moon on the lake
Mother Nature's own candle
Flickering brightly
One morning, as I got up, Eva burst out of Sarah's sleeping bag! She's always ready to go!
I enjoyed making coffee for the crew each morning and they enjoyed sitting around chatting. We were all feeling very fortunate for each others company.
We were also glad that we did not have to go underground with whale oil lamps strapped to our heads.
All aboard the mine car!
It was incredible to go underground in a coal mine for the first time. I can't believe I've been teaching about this for a decade, but have never before seen it first hand.
Sarah and Miranda were impressed by the iron ore stalactites and amused by our guide, Larry.
Larry was a real ham!
Being in the mine was really impressive. It seems much worse than I had imagined. I can't believe boys and men spent their lives in such miserable and horrifying conditions.
This is a photo of a photo of the company homes the mena and their families were allowed to rent as long as they didn't cause trouble or try to organize. Sarah told me she read a form that showed a breakdown of the men's wages and costs. Their wages were $36/month, their costs were $35.75. They paid for their rent, their food, their tools, protective gear (if available), and their clothes... unbelievable.
Outside of the mine, there was a car show. We looked all over for a Firebird, but to no avail. So Sarah bought raffle tickets for the next best thing, a 1967 Ford Mustang. The drawing isn't until September, but Sarah says that'll be fine since she's going to drive west and the country will be beautiful in the fall!
Eva and Jonas went with us and really seemed to enjoy themselves. Even if it was a little chilly.
In the evenings we drank some seltzer to keep warm.
I had a geology professor (Jim Teeter, one of the best) who was game for anything related to geology, but always stated he would not under any circumstance venture into a coal mine. He felt that they were incredibly unsafe! Dad
Love your pictures :-) Great way to spend a long weekend. The TED talk was interesting. I don't see how public education, testing, canned curriculum, teacher accountability and timing can meld with the type of education he proposes...Good that I am retiring----6 days and counting :-) Love, Mom
2 comments:
I had a geology professor (Jim Teeter, one of the best) who was game for anything related to geology, but always stated he would not under any circumstance venture into a coal mine. He felt that they were incredibly unsafe!
Dad
Love your pictures :-) Great way to spend a long weekend. The TED talk was interesting. I don't see how public education, testing, canned curriculum, teacher accountability and timing can meld with the type of education he proposes...Good that I am retiring----6 days and counting :-) Love, Mom
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