Monday Musings... Kinetic Carnivale and More...

Out and About...
This weekend, we went to the 4th Annual Willits Kinetic Carnivale for some Steampunk fun! It was a decently sized event, under trees in a park, with plenty to see, hear, taste, and touch.

We had quite a lot of fun, but I will say that overall, the Wunderkammer event here in Sonoma County was even better, and we really, really hope they bring it back this fall or next. The weekend did re-inspire The Boy's love for Steampunk art, so he's been creating all weekend, in between homework for his machine class.

Education - Home & Otherwise...
Speaking of which, the first week of college is done! He loves both his classes, and--so far--doesn't mind the homework load. He read his text, took copious notes (which they are allowed to use on tests) and took an at-home safety test. He's also been working, on his own, on pen and ink sketching with library books: Pen & Ink Sketching: Step by Step, and Pen & Ink Sketching. Additonally, he's reading Animal Farm, alongside The Red Pyramid. Very busy boy!

The Girl's been reading a fair amount too, mainly nonfiction books, such as The Chameleon, Fossil Fish Found Alive, and Stingrays. And she's built an amazing fantasy world in Minecraft. We're going to start reading The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making this week.

Together, the three of us are going to start studying the Renaissance period, with plans to head to the Norcal Renaissance Faire in October. I found this book -- The Time Traveler's Guide to Elizabethan England -- which looks both educational and amusing (always a good combination in our house!), so we will start with that. Over the next couple of weeks, we'll be adding in the other subjects (mainly math and writing).

Creating...
The Girl has been working with her clay again, creating unique little people (bottom right is the back of the sculpture on the left... she wanted you to see the polka dots!)...

And I realized I still have a gift certificate to a yarn shop, so I think some knitting is in short order. I also have been measuring windows, and searching out fabric, as Jessica's recent post has inspired me to make some new curtains as a quick and easy upgrade to our home. 

Around the House & Garden...

M has been removing all the dead plants from our yards, front and back. The drought has been rough on us! We spend a lot of time talking about what we will be doing with the yards later this fall, and we are hoping that current predictions of a wet winter are accurate.

We're also tackling some relatively minor home repairs before winter, and we're trying to work out the kinks in our new housecleaning plans.

On the Agenda...

I meet my students today! Well, one class's worth of them. We're still getting the hang of our new, very busy Mondays, but I am sure we will figure it all out. The Boy has fencing this week, and The Girl derby practice. I will likely be grading papers this week, and I start my class (on "Gothic British Commonwealth lit") too.

Have a good week!