Saturday, June 30, 2018

Small Spaces and Fun Places

This week we found ourselves relocated to the media center (aka library!) at JRES while the entire rec center side of the building was being cleaned from top to bottom.  All the floors, including those in the the gym and locker rooms, were being refinished and even the walls were getting a scrub!  So we hung out as little as necessary in smaller spaces and spent as much time as possible at fun places!  It was a successful week!

On Tuesday morning, everyone found us at the library after coming in through the school's front door.  We quickly filled up the space with all of our stuff, but still managed to get our dance on!



Next, we headed to the bowling center. Our guys did well and had lots of fun!  We caught Sam giving Laura a little advice about keeping her eye on her target.  She thanked him for his help! 


Kevin continues to use the rack, but he moves it in and out of place on his own.  Here, he was saying something to himself about the ball being off the mark.  For his next roll, we helped him realize it might help if he moved the rack over a little bit.  Our goal is to teach him to use the dot marks when setting his rack in place.


We love to observe the body language when our guys watch their balls go down the lanes.  Chris was leaning left in hopes of guiding his ball to pick up a spare.  Chloe took a less animated stance as she watched her roll.  Kacie prepared to let the ball go, hoping her position was the same as her last roll, when she had scored a strike!


Kate had a nice follow-through on her roll.  Xavier waited for her to finish before he took his turn.


Cameron and friends wondered where the pizza was?  It's funny how we regularly eat lunch at noon when we're at AFCC, but as soon as we enter the bowling center at 10:30 they start reporting how hungry they are and asking where's lunch?!


Yum!  It's always worth the wait!  Thanks this week to Cameron's family for sponsoring our lunch!  It was enjoyed immensely!


We were SO lucky that it was a "cool" day on Tuesday and we could take a great walk.  The sun was behind clouds and there was a slight breeze, but best of all, the humidity was low.  Here we are as we began walking down Richmond Rd. toward Merchants Square.  We were headed to hide the patriotic rocks we painted last week.


Acting on Chris's advice, Patrick decided to leave his rock on top of this fence.  It looked nice there!


Walking and hiding!  Look at us on the move!


Wow!  What is this big tree that has long, string-bean looking pods growing on it?  We were headed up the Palace Green when the girls spotted these large trees lining the path.


Still walking...stretching our legs and taking in fresh air!  Let's find someone who could tell us about these trees...


Liz and Kacie chatted with this knowledgeable interpreter who told us that the trees are catalpa trees and the long pods that look like string beans are not tasty if cooked!  He added that Colonial Governor Gooch ordered these trees be planted along the Palace Green.  He also said that a particular caterpillar enjoys the leaves of this tree, and that fishermen (and women?) enjoy using those caterpillars for bait!


Still walking...which way back to the vans?!  We're very proud of our guys for pressing on and realizing how good this movement is for them!


Look what we found Wednesday morning on the Facebook page we follow!  Chris's patriotic rock had been found!  We also saw that Becky's rock had been posted again, after being spotted in North Carolina last week...and this time it was in Alabama!  


It was a great day for a pool party on Wednesday and Kevin and his parents were wonderful hosts!  This is the third year in a row we have enjoyed a day at their home, complete with grilled burgers (and this year, chicken!) for lunch.  Enjoy our day in photos...it was fabulous!

Kevin's pool is the perfect size for us, with shallow and deep ends.  In this shot, Sam had just jumped off the diving board.
  

Kate made sure it was clear beneath before taking a running leap!  Xavier noticed when she hit the water!


Some of our friends enjoyed relaxing on the deck, as Chloe demonstrates!


Others did the same in the hot tub!  Laura, Bo, and Sam enjoyed the bubbles.  Ahhh....


Kevin, we thank you and Mom and Dad for having us over!  Friends rock!


Can't think of a better way to spend a warm summer day!


Sam demonstrated "pool yoga" by balancing on the underwater noodle!  Creative, Sam! 


Hi from Drew and Laura!  In the background, seated beside Liz, is Kevin's mom, Debbie, our wonderful hostess!


Cameron loves the water.  He even liked floating under the fountain!


Twins!



Here's Kevin's dad, Wayne, in the orange shirt.  He was cooking the burgers and chicken for our yummy lunch!  To the left, in the baseball cap, is Kacie's dad, Frank.  He and her mom, Stacey, were on hand to help and hang out with us.  We thank Frank and Stacey, too!  The ice cream was delicious!  Sam and Chris enjoyed chatting with Wayne and Frank!


Here we are enjoying lunch.  If you look to Carol's right, you'll see Stacey.  We appreciate Wayne, Debbie, Frank, and Stacey for their help and company.  Our guys enjoy being with you!


Look at Chloe, stylin' in her cute socks!  She was about to take the camera and get a few pics of her friends!


Great shot, Chloe!  Kacie told everyone to peace out!



More chilling...what a relaxing day!


Credit to Chloe for the photo, but filters for giving us a "tan!"😎


Our Master Gardener friends would be thrilled to see that the impatiens Kevin brought home recently have taken off in Debbie's big pot!  So pretty!


Finally, our annual group picture.  The steps on the deck are perfect for getting us situated.  Thanks, Frank, for getting the perfect shot!  And thanks again, to Debbie and Wayne for welcoming us to their home and to Frank and Stacey for the extra sets of eyes!  A GREAT time was had by all!


We were excited on Thursday morning to find that Sam's and Kacie's rocks had also been found in CW and posted on Facebook!  Both posters commented about us having a patriotic theme and how it was just in time for July 4th!  


The pictures aren't great because we couldn't get it very dark in the library.  There is a huge skylight in the ceiling!


Since we had limited space this week, we decided to show a movie we have wanted to share with our guys about Temple Grandin, a woman with autism.  First we read a book about her, and then watched the film.  It was an HBO Original biography and we highly recommend it!  Temple Grandin's story is extraordinary.


Here we are eating lunch in the school cafeteria.  It was commented that we missed the "comfy" chairs in "our lunchroom!"  The cafeteria tables are definitely made for little kids! 


We had to sit for a while to play Bingo, and the tables and chairs in the library are better suited for younger folks, too.  Not that we're complaining!  We were grateful to have a space for the week and the office staff, Mr. Howard, and Heike COULD NOT have been more kind, helpful, and welcoming!


Look at our Bingo prize shelf!  We've received a few donations lately, and the selection was pretty good!


Amazingly, the humidity level went down ever so slightly on Friday morning as we headed to Pirates's Cove for mini-golf.  We were pleasantly surprised by how shaded it is there and we even felt an occasional breeze.  We felt fortunate to have another outing during the week of Small Spaces, and we enjoyed it!  Thank you so much, Liz and family!  Your generosity made our Friday extra special! 

Good thing these guys were still on the practice green...Drew got a lesson on using the correct end of the club!


We split into groups of four players and pretty much had the course to ourselves.  No one felt rushed!


Kacie was pretty excited to make the day's first hole-in-one and Liz celebrated her success!!


These handsome dudes enjoyed playing together!


As did these fair maidens!  


This picture shows a lot of greenery and also the seeming vastness of the course.  We got a pretty good walk in, as we had to climb up and down several sets of stairs.


What a sweet team!  Smiling in the bright sunshine!


Sam got the only other hole-in-one and his came on the last hole of the course, so he won a gold coin which is good for a free game!  Congrats, Sam!


We had some fun sticking Kacie and Chris in the stocks.  Kacie seemed to be a little put out that Chris only had one hand in!


Aye, Maties!  Fun with friends!!


We only had a delightful dozen in attendance today.  Here's the obligatory group shot!  Thanks again to the Klines for sponsoring this adventure!  It may have been shorter than others (our guys are speedy quick putters!), but it was just as sweet!


Nothing else we did on Friday seemed to warrant a picture, so that's it for this week in small places but traveling to fun places!  We look forward to getting back to our space!  Remember, the Arc of Abilities is closed for summer break next week.  Thank you, families, for giving us this time of R&R.  We hope you enjoy the same!  

πŸŽ†πŸŒ­πŸ”πŸŽ†There's a fun social opportunity coming up on Saturday, July 7th!  Our friends at the Williamsburg Moose Lodge are having their annual Independence Day Cookout from 4-8 at the Lodge on Richmond Rd.  There will be live music, activities, hamburgers, hot dogs, and sides!  Arc clients are free; $10 for others.  Alexis and Lisa will be there around 5, so stop by to see Patti and friends and support a great cause!  πŸŽ†πŸŒ­πŸ”πŸŽ†

Here's what's up when we return the week of July 10th:

Tuesday:  We'll welcome everyone back to our space at AFCC with a trip to bowling and pizza for lunch!  Let's hope for a cool weather return so we can also get in a walk at one of our favorite trails!  Please wear Arc shirts!

Wednesday:  It's July 11th, which is also known as 7-11...and isn't that a convenience store that happens to give away free Slurpees on this day?  We won't have transportation, but word on the street is that our favorite staff members may find a way to get Slurpees in our hands...🍧 We will also welcome Patti back for YOGA, so dress to stretch!!  Lunch on your own.

Thursday:  It's Paper Bag Day!  We're going to make our own bag lunches!  There will be PB&J sandwiches, chips, veggies, and fruit.  It's also Jell-O Day, so we'll make a fun dessert, too!  We will learn about paper vs. plastic bags, and have some crafty fun as we try to make our own paper gift bags!

Friday:  Watch out...it's Friday the 13th, so we will be careful all day as we learn about superstitions.  It's also one of our favorite "food" holidays, so for lunch, it's Beans and Franks!  

Please save these dates for opportunities to support The Arc of Greater Williamsburg:

Saturday, August 4th - The Women of the Moose are sponsoring a golf tournament at the Kingsmill River Course that will benefit The Arc!!  This has potential to be a HUGE fundraiser for us, so please consider signing up or being a sponsor.  ALSO, we will need some of our AoA associates to volunteer on that day. 


πŸƒπŸƒπŸƒ Not to be MISSED, our 9th Annual Williamsburg Landing 5K for The Arc is on October 6 this year.  This is our biggest and most important fundraiser, so please save the date and plan to run/walk with us!  Information will be posted in the next blog update (July 14) about signing up to be on the Arc of Abilities Team!  We are actively seeking sponsors for this event, so please contact Lisa, Carol, or Pam for more information!  Thank you! πŸƒπŸƒπŸƒ


Hope everyone enjoys the Summer Break!  We'll see you back at AFCC bright and early on July 10th! (No blog update next week!)

Happy July 4th!

Lisa, Carol, and Nan