field trip

In June 2011, I took Oliver, Fletcher and Desmond to a civil war site in Arlington... and I forgot the name which gives me a lot of motivation to CATCH UP ON MY STORIES!!!! It was a really peaceful park in Arlington, VA. we walked around and looked at cannons and I read all the signs outloud to the kids... Oliver then asked me a TON of questions about the civil war, battlefields, war, weapons, etc.. and I mean A TON OF QUESTIONS...future historian!!!! This is one of the reason I like taking kids to historic and cultural sites THE NEXT GENERATION MUST BE INTERESTED in the past!!!. on a side note they have a really cool house there that is you can rent out for special occasions. That day it had been rented out for a bridal shower..a drunk lady came out and started talking to me about how I was so lucky to be married with kids... and how I did not have to deal with the drama of bridal showers and those kind of things...I said oh no I am single I am their baby-sitter..she said that was still cool because I was so cool...she then gave me some extra sparkling water from the bridal shower and said she wanted to give it to me so she could "stick it to them" all those stuck up women in the bridal shower since I am not like that .. and just seeing me makes her happy..."
and this is my life... having interesting interchanges with people everywhere I go out and about.. :)

field trip

In June 2011. I took Oliver, Fletcher and Desmond to Clarks Elioak Farm in Ellicot City, MD I have some AMAZING pictures from there but I left my camera in Chicago and the pictures on that. The drive to Ellicot City was not bad and when we passed the temple, I said " see that building?" that is where you get married" Oliver said, even me? I said "sure why not?" we arrived at the farm.
ok backstory ages ago in Ellicot City,MD they had something called the Enchanted Forest but it stopped making money and fell into ruin and closed... apparently now you can sneak into the grounds and take pictures and stuff. Well the city and Clarks Elioak farm got together some money and started moving the stuff that was salvagable over to the farm. It is really cool. We saw things like
the three bears house
Jack and Jill falling down a hill
there was some sort of whale sitting in water and a boat called "little toot"
the old lady that lived in the shoe- that had a part where kids could climb in and go down a slide.
Fletcher fell off it once and skinned his knee...
and many many more nursery rhyme things
we also went on a wagon ride through the forest where we had to find different faces on trees..
and walked through a maze with all sorts of nursery ryhme characters.
They had a cow train that we could get on and go on a little train.. Oliver and Fletcher rode by themselves and I rode with Desmond.
they also had a petting zoo with tons of animals.. at one point there was a little goat and Fletcher was petting him and said ..." does he talk??" ... and this is what happens when kids read a lot of books hahahahha I said IDK why don't you ask him? he said do you talk??? Hello hello do you talk hahahahahh
so cute!
it was a great day! :)

field trip

 In June 2011, I took Oliver, Fletcher and Desmond to the B & O Railroad museum in Baltimore, MD. My GPS on my phone took me through ghetto DC and ghetto Baltimore. I did not even know until that day that Baltimore HAD that big of ghettos...it was crazy..tons of people sitting on stoops...boarded up windows..scary...the gps took me to the B & O RR YARDS not the museum..I then called the museum and it took the elderly lady on the phone awhile to figure out how to get me there..while we were stuck in the ghetto.. I saw people walking up and down the street selling "ice cold water" only $1...I thought wow REALLY? how much money can you POSSIBLY make doing that?? then I thought a LOT more than the people sitting on the stoops.
The museum did not have a TON to look at inside, but the boys still enjoyed it.
We then went outside and rode on a 20 minute train ride on a Marc train. the boys REALLY liked that. we then walked around in the HEAT looking at trains..the boys LOVED doing this..the only bad thing that I can say is that is was SO HOT that day..!!!!

Soap boats/ June 2011

In June 2011. I made soap boats with Oliver, (4) Fletcher, (2) and Desmond (1). We went to Target in Falls Church, VA and got some Ivory soap and then we made sails for our boats with each of our names on them. We then walked over to Lubber Run Park in Arlington, VA right by the boys house. We walked down until we saw a part where the water flowed in little waterfalls and under a bridge. Oliver and Fletcher and I let our boats go and Desmond waited in the stroller. We spent a long time watching our boats drift away and then going to retrieve them. After awhile 3 of them disappeared and we only had one left. We packed that in the stroller and walked down to another area of the park and I let the boys play in the water for some more time. IT WAS A GREAT DAY!

Soap boats/ June 2011

field trip

In June 2011. My friend Cherie Jones planned a trip to Prince William Forest Park in Triangle, VA to go orienteering. DO NOT ask me to say that word out loud..cause I can't.
the people that went were
Cherie
Lee
Rich
James
Angelene
Carrie
Martin
ME and
SPIKE!
we went to the visitor center and got orienteering packets. That included maps and compasses. We then had to walk around and follow the map and the compass to figure out how to get to certain posts..the only problem was that these maps were from like 1971ish.. and where there WERE power lines and different things there were not anymore.. so it involved a lot of guess work.. I mostly just walked around with Spike and talked to people and just walked where other people were walking..
When we were done with that, Carrie fed us ALL a lunch that she had packed for all of us.. she even let Spike have some food!
We then went on a couple of other hikes past some old mine ruins and to some waterfalls.
afterwards we all went out to lunch at Subway and went home..
it was a great day!
the picture above is Rich and Carrie with a post that we found :)

Field Trip

In June 2011, I went with Elaine and Ann, another mid-single and Elaine's parents to the Washington DC Marine Barracks to see the twilight tattoo. This is a Nuzzaco family tradition to go and see this. I had never been to anything like it. It was a beautiful night and I really enjoyed myself and The company. Thank  you Elaine as always for inviting me places and helping me to be more cultured.

field trip

 In June 2011, I took Fletcher(2)and Desmond(1) to Gravelly Point in Arlington, VA.
Gravelly Point is a park on the GW Parkway in Arlington, VA.
we sat on the pier and where people were taking their boats in and out of the water. While we were there a tour bus boat thing came along it was a a DC Duck Tour Bus it goes on the water and the land. When the people on the bus/boat saw Fletcher and Desmond they honked on these little horns that they had it was so cute!
BUT the main attraction was Gravelly Point is RIGHT by National Airport so we were able to see planes take off and land THAT CLOSE TO US.
VERY COOL..
there was a paved trail ( probably part of the Mt. Vernon trail) and we walked on that under several bridges for awhile.
If I had brought a double stroller I think that I would have walked with them all the way to DC.
It was a great day.
also please ignore how my eyes are shut it was hard enough to find someone that could speak English enough there to take a picture of me...I had asked three different people that took VIDEOS of me.. I am just glad that we got a picture!

milestone

and after SEVEN tries this was the best picture I could get of the Black boy's on the day that Oliver graduated from Pre-school.

Fletcher age 2, Oliver age 4 and Desmond age 1

June 2011

Arlington, VA

milestone

In June 2011, Oliver Martin Black age 4 of Arlington, VA graduated from PRE-SCHOOL!!!! I was subbing for his hanny Kia at the time so I was able to attend his pre-school graduation.

Oliver went to a Christian pre-school. The graduation was held in the chapel. it was PACKED..! it was so packed and Oliver went up there so fast I was not able to get a picture of him getting this little diploma.

After the graduation. Oliver and his little brothers, Fletcher and Desmond and I went down to the church's cultural hall and had a great lunch and chatted with the other families.

It was also Desmond's 1st birthday that day so it was a milestone day for the Black family.

I am grateful for the opportunity that I had to baby-sit for the Black family.

Happy Memorial Day 2011 part 3

I like to celebrate Memorial Day by going to the cemeteries where my families are buried and honoring them.

This year I went up to Middleburg, VA and met my Uncle Eddie and Aunt Bryan. We drove out in the country...way.. way.. out in the country.. of Loudoun County and went to Ebenezer Cemetery. My grand-parents, great-grandparents, and great-great-grandparents are buried there. There are five generations of my family buried at that cemetery. It was so peaceful to walk around there and see all the American Flags and all the Confederate Flags for people that had fought in wars. My dad's first cousin Ralph Houston Crouch was killed in WW2 during Iowa Jima.. My great-great grandpa Elijah Hall was in the confederate army during the civil war.. so was my other great-great grandpa "fiddlin" Billy Wright.. but he may have died in battle...

We put flowers on the graves and then headed over to the "black cemetery" remember this is VA and once upon a time..black and whites were segregated.. apparently even in death..

My great-grandma Dora Hall Wright took in a young black boy she found on her property named Walter Young. He became a part of our family.. and now he really is because several years ago I sealed him to us too.. So we always go and put a flower on Walter Youngs grave too.

When we went to that cemetery.. there were two old black gentlemen sitting outside. You have to pay a donation to go to that cemetery. My uncle gave them a $20.

He then talked to one of them about the dangers of smoking and how it is bad for you and can kill you. The man said that he was in his 80s and had not died yet.. My Uncle then said well.. I guess that is true.. but it is still not good for you.

My Uncle then asked why there were no confederate flags at that cemetery because there were a LOT at the cemetery that he was just at...................................................

I was like OMGOSH! um let me think...those men looked at my Uncle like IDK you tell me... there was civil war soldier buried there and he fought for the Union army.

My Uncle then stood in the heat and humidity and talked to those men for awhile about people they both knew.

After that we went back to their house where My aunt fixed us a wonderful lunch and we had a great chat. My Uncle has dubbed me the family historian .That makes me happy :)

Later in the day I went by my grandparent Sines graves in Vienna, VA.

I did not have any real flowers this time for any graves so I made flowers out of fabric and put them on the graves.

I have a lot more pictures from this day. but my computer is having technical difficulties so this is all you get for now.

I am so grateful for my family. I am so grateful that we were able to go and visit the cemetery and have such a great day.