“Like Walking on Wedding Cake”

Guanacaste Province in northwestern Costa Rica has welcomed us warmly.

The Roadschool Goes International

We’re setting off for Guanacaste Province in Costa Rica. Passports? Check. Spanish dictionaries? Check. Bug spray and sunscreen? Double check.

Hell—Bumpass Hell—at 8,400 Feet

Late summer in the High Sierras and South Cascades are such heaven——and so we had to switch it up, and give ourselves a little hell. The name of the place on its own was enough to bring us here!

Horseshoe Crab Studies

Our wonderful cousins invited us to visit Barnegat Light, New Jersey with them. Three cheers for the warm Atlantic! Long Beach Island is a big migration area for horseshoe crabs. We even found a little baby one smaller than my thumbnail. We kept him in a shell for a while, seeing how he burrowed into […]

Modern Art for Modern Boys

How odd, really, that my kids, who are being schooled to do art in a very grown-up way, are having to come to New York to see a bunch of grownups’ art that is outside the lines…that breaks the rules…like what a kid would do.

Raspberries and Wildflowers

We’ve been getting our berry fix, now that summer has decided to begin in the Pacific Northwest. First some fabulous and HUGE Hood strawberries, and now, phase 2: raspberries! Nothing beats farm-to-table like skipping the table part——like when the food goes straight from the farm and into your mouth! Last year, I chided the kids […]

Rattlesnake Country

The silence along that dusty road, the calm approach of the mules to the wire fence, a pat on the muzzle.

Zine Production

The Portland zine scene—can it include us, too?

Farmstay Weekend

There’s a lot of down time when one visits a farm in late winter. A person who is used to a scheduled life—one with school bells, bus stops, club commitments, and that familiar “get in the car or we’ll be late!” voice—will find a quiet weekend stay on a farm rather confusing: What am I supposed to be doing now? What’s next?

Just being here…that’s what’s next. Opening up our senses and taking in this beautiful place.

At Sea on Board the MV Sundance

An early-season “school at sea” experience where we learned from the captain and the crew how their 72-foot vessel operates.

Sushi School at The Merry Kitchen

In a class at the Merry Kitchen, you’ll learn why Julie Merry does not own a microwave. You’ll slice, dice, mince, mix, time things, add seasonings, and think about presentation and coordination. You’ll come away a happy kid.