Can it be?

Can it be? June is hours away from the end. It's hard to believe. So far summer is moving quickly by. I hope the rest of the summer continues to be as good as the first part. It would be nice if time slowed just a wee bit. Wishful thinking, I know.


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Capitol Hill and Beyond

It's been a good day. My last day was spent in D.C. We visited the Library of Congress, saw the Supreme Court building, and wandered through the Folk Life Festival. We paid close attention to the Wales exhibit. It was cool! I have wanted to go to the festival for a few years now and never been in town at the right time. Thanks to Julia, Bruce, and Colter for a fantastic and most excellent (that's for you, Colter) last day in town. Vă iubesc!








Inside the Library of Congress.


This is the Guttenberg Bible



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Montpelier

Julia and I also visited the home of James Madison. Pretty amazing. The exterior rennovations were recently completed and now the interior rennovations are underway. Piecing together the details of the interior from letters will take much longer. Here are a few exterior shots.














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Monticello

Today Julia and I visited the home of Thomas Jefferson. Awesome!! More pictures are coming, but I wanted you all to have a taste.








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The Dress pt. Deux

For those of you dying to see the dress mentioned in an earlier post...here it is...


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Jefferson Memorial

I've seen it many times from across the Potomac River on the Washington Monument side. I haven't paid a personal visit to the Jefferson Memorial until today. It was pretty amazing. Of course, many of the things Thomas Jefferson did were amazing. The memorial is a fitting tribute.











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Iwo Jima: Marine Core Memorial

The recreation of a photograph taken at Iwo Jima during World War II in statue form is a poignant reminder of the cost of freedom. I'm grateful for the price that has been paid that allows me to enjoy living in a free land with all the rights and privileges that come bought and paid for in human lives.








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Air Force Memorial

After many years of service in the Army, my dad exchanged his Army green for Air Force blue. I'm proud of my dad for his service in two branches of the military. Thanks Dad and happy Father's day tomorrow. These pictures are for you.

















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Mount Vernon

I went yesterday to Mount Vernon, residence of George Washington. I will post more pictures, but these will have to do for now.








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Copper Mine

On our way home from G-ville we stopped by the copper mine. My nephew was pretty excited. I didn't have the $5.00 entrance fee and the individual at the gates let me in, which I thought was nice. It was raining so we made it quick.








We mad sure to pay a visit to the small gift shop. It was the least I could do after the kind treatment I received at the gate.

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Fun with Cousins

Today me and the kids (my nephew and niece) went to my sister's house in G-ville. We had a great time!











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Lagoon

Thursday before the 4th of June I went to Lagoon with a few coworkers as part of a supervisory group over 9th graders. It was fun. We are a serious bunch as the following two pictures will prove.





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Day: The Last

The last day of school is bittersweet. Investments have been made in young lives and as a teacher of 9th graders, I have put in blood, sweat, and tears. Literally. I want them to do well as they depart their middle school existence for the greener pastures of high school. I hope they remember what I tried to teach them (and the content is not limited to reading, writing, and arithmetic).

My room is now a shell harboring the tools of my trade. Desks are shoved over and will await the fall with chairs, computers, etc. before feeling used again.

That is the bitter.

Teaching takes a lot of energy and there are some students I am glad to see moving on. I get time to sleep in (if my body permits), time to travel, time with friends an family.
I get a paycheck and it does seem like getting paid for doing nothing (though it's not).

That's the sweet.

Those of my students who came to school today helped me take everything down. They were a big help and I thank them most sincerely.

That's the end. Have a great summer!








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Cloud formations

...are cool. Especially this one. I saw it on the way to work this morning and it was like the heavens were smiling down on earth.



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Final Four

The title refers to the final four days of the 2008-2009 school year. It's an exciting time. It's a challenging time, too, filled with trying to keep minds employed and busy when these young people would rather check out. It's the last week of school so why would one want to bring back packs, paper, pencils, etc.?

In order to add to the feeling that learning is still required, I never take down my room until the last day. Here are some pictures of what it currently looks like and I will post some later, post take down.









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