Master Gardeners Appreciation Day!

This week we were excited to welcome our master gardener friends to a luncheon in their honor!  We also enjoyed bowling, a visit from Yogi Kiley, practicing a special Halloween yoga sequence with Patti, a great time with Christina at the Art Museums, and some beautiful weather (along with the much needed rain).  As October rolls along, so do we!

Tuesday was a bowling day, but we made a stop at the Botanical Garden on the way so we could pick zinnias to decorate with on Thursday for our master gardeners appreciation luncheon.

It has been a great Summer and Fall for the zinnias, and we have enjoyed being able to harvest them to share with others and brighten our room.  We also picked marigolds and lantana, but it's the zinnias that are the stars!

Can you spot some of our friends amongst the trees, blue sky, and shadows?!  It was a gorgeous morning at the garden!

There was a mixup about us coming to bowl on Tuesday, so our usual lanes were being used by others.  But not to worry, we handled the move to lanes 9-12 well!

The racks were also temporarily unavailable, so Annmarie had to bowl without one.  She did very well and decided she would rather not use the rack anymore!  

This shot is a little blurry because an excited Kacie was jumping up and down over having just made a strike, and Kevin (who also bowled without a rack) was dashing up to the line to roll his ball!

Maybe lane 9 is Cameron's lucky lane!  He bowled a 164, which is the highest any of our guys have ever scored!  YAY, CAMERON!! 🎳🎳🎳

Of course, our pizza lunch hit the spot, even if we did have to wait for the kitchen to send someone to Food Lion because they were out of cheese...what?!  LOL!  Many thanks to Alexis and Lisa's neighbor Teddy for sponsoring our pizza this week!  We appreciate her support of the AoA! 🧡🍕

We returned to AFCC after bowling for a yoga session with our friend and yogi, Kiley.  Here, she pulls up some perfect music on her phone, so we can focus on a meditation, which she said she begins each day with herself.  

Kiley got a "little" lost coming to AFCC for the first time, so we didn't have time for a full session today.  But she taught us that even 10 minutes of deep breathing and stretching is very good for us!  We agree...it felt great at the end of a busy day!

We're so excited that Kiley was able to visit us.  And the best part, now that she knows exactly where we are, she'll be back next week for a longer session!  Thanks, Kiley! 💘

It was a dark, rainy morning when we arrived on Wednesday, but we were happy to see the rain!  It was needed, so we didn't mind that we would be inside all day.  Kate brightened things up a bit during our dance warm up with a cool flashlight/disco light she brought.  It is hand-held, but works great, and really shows up on a dreary day!

Liz, Kacie, and Bo were hard at work shelving library books while the rest of us were dancing!

Thursday is our appreciation luncheon for the master gardeners, so we started prepping food on Wednesday.  Kacie and Liz baked brownies.  Carol and a few others made chocolate chip cookie bars, but we didn't get a picture.  Later in the day, we also cut up the chicken and cooked the pasta for the casseroles. Planning ahead is a good idea!

We also worked in the computer lab on Wednesday to write letters of appreciation to the MGs.  Bo and Drew worked together.  Bo was spelling words for Drew to type.

Devin and Abraham worked on another appreciation letter.  They took turns typing, and then chose pictures from online to insert into their note.

Jeff, from the Rotary, worked in the foyer with us to create even more appreciation letters.  Here, he's helping Patrick brainstorm some nice thoughts while Alexis works on making the font in her letter very colorful.

In between working on our appreciation letters, we were also busy working on more decorations for our room and for the luncheon.  Everyone was busy and we can't wait to pull it all together on Thursday!

Cameron created a pretty banner that says "Happy Halloween!"  He colored, cut, and assembled it on his own.

After focusing on writing and creating decorations, we needed some movement, so we worked out to a fun and energetic video that cycled through familiar exercises like windmills, jumping jacks, and push-ups.  In this picture, you can see how our guys modify the push-ups in ways that work for them, with some even using the wall instead of the floor.  We encourage them to find ways that work so they keep moving.

The U.S. Navy turned 244 years old this week!  We are proud that the world's largest and strongest naval base is right here, in Norfolk, VA!  Annmarie and Alexis sported Navy fashion and looked great in it!

During yoga with Patti, we continued to choreograph our "Thriller Yoga" steps.  Patti took our ideas and turned them into cool movements.

We have one more week of practice before the big event! 

After yoga, we had time to create one more decoration.  First, we colored a pumpkin that we had printed on cardstock.

Next, we used a variety of foam stickers to make faces and turn the pumpkins into jack-o-lanterns.

How cute are these?!

Look who ran into each other at The Price is Right show at the Ferguson Center on Wednesday night!  Devin and Drew reported they had A LOT of fun, but neither one came home with a new car!  Maybe next year!

On Thursday we had to finalize our preparations and plans for the master gardener appreciation luncheon.  We practiced reading the appreciation letters we wrote during computer lab time yesterday.  Devin and Abraham projected their voices and smiled during their rehearsal.

We also wrote an acrostic-type poem to decorate the white board.  We came up with wonderful words that came to mind when we think about our MG friends.

Next, we hung a few more pictures on the walls, set up extra tables and put colorful coverings on them, added the zinnias we had cut in the Botanical Garden on Tuesday, and put away our "stuff" that was all over the place!  The room was bright and tidy, and we were ready for our guests!  

We almost forgot...we also cooked lunch during the morning!  Our gang always wants us to include a picture of our food, so here's the Caesar salad and chicken ranch casserole we made for the luncheon!

We enjoyed chatting with our MG friends before eating...

...and during the meal!

We read the appreciation letters to the MGs after lunch.  Liz and Laura kicked things off for us.  The MGs enjoyed tributes to them!

We weren't the only ones with a presentation to make.  Look at the beautiful gourd birdhouses Karen brought to us!  She took them home last week to put in strings for hanging and to apply a finishing coat of clear gloss.  She told us her husband trouble drilling the holes evenly for the string, and she had a few challenges getting the strings in...but she persevered!  We are grateful for her hard work.  The birdhouses are truly "gourd-geous!"

Karen was all smiles as she gave Drew his birdhouse!  What a very special project this was, and one we will remember for a long time.  Some of the guys took their birdhouses home, while others left them at the center.  We plan to ask around if one of our family members (or other friends) could help us build a frame to put them on in Spring.  We would like to set up a gourd birdhouse community outside our window.  

Happy Master Gardeners Appreciation Day!  We love you guys!

We had a relaxing day on Friday!  First, we learned about the 14th state to enter the Union, Vermont.  It's one of the six states in the region of the U.S. known as New England and it gave us two presidents, Chester A. Arthur and Calvin Coolidge.  Our guys had not heard of either of them, and we ran out of time before we could "Google" them, so we will do that next week. We also learned that Vermont doesn't allow billboard advertising and its state capital, Montpelier, doesn't even have a MacDonald's!  It's also home to the beautiful Green Mountains, which put on a display of Autumn "splendor" (which was our word of the day).  Here, Sam and Xavier worked on coloring Vermont's state flag and other symbols.  Our guys have enjoyed learning the story behind each state's flag.  

Since we were going to the park for a picnic lunch, we didn't cook one of Vermont's signature dishes.  We did, however, sample their signature ice cream, Ben & Jerry's!  Needless to say, it was a big hit!  We even had a non-dairy flavor for our friend Xavier, who adheres to a dairy free diet.  Yes, it may cost a little more...but it's worth it for a special treat!  

Around mid-morning we headed to New Quarter Park for some fresh air and fun.  It was a beautiful, sunny day with a slight breeze and high around 63 degrees.  Luckily, the playground was empty so some of our guys took advantage for climbing and sliding.  Devin looked on as Drew and Alexis slid together.

Why, Hello, Annmarie!  What a pretty smile on a pretty day!

Around the corner on the curvy slide, another pretty smile from Laura!

Abraham and Patrick preferred to shoot hoops.  The basketball court was empty, too!

Back on the slides, Drew decided to race Kevin...it was a tie!

Meanwhile, Sam, Liz, Kate, and Xavier accompanied Becky and Carol on a walk down to the lake.

We all met back up to have lunch at one of the shelters.  

Learning about Vermont, getting fresh air and exercise, and having a picnic at the park was just the first half of our day!  After lunch, we traveled to the Art Museums of Colonial Williamsburg for a delightful visit with Christina.  We looked for trees at the museum today, beginning with this one found on cloth. 

In this painting by Polish immigrant Karol Kozlowski, we noticed the detail with which he painted each leaf on each tree.  In fact, the entire picture is full of intricate detail.  We also learned that Kozlowski, who died in 1969, was likely autistic.  This was interesting to us since we have recently spent time learning about the autism spectrum.

We looked at a picture on an iron plate, which showed a tree with a pair of breeches hanging from one of the branches! Explained on the description card below, Christina told us the story behind the art.

After spotting many trees on many forms of art, we went to the education room to create a work of art.  Christina had drawn trees on cardstock for each of us, and in the background, she had also drawn a series of squares.  She led us through steps so we would end up with a unique picture of a tree in Autumn.  First, we outlined the tree.

Next, we colored the squares with various shades of green (grass), and blue (sky), and then filled in around the branches with Fall colors.

Wow!  What works of art we created!  Each one just as unique as the artist who created it.  We love them!  Thank you, Christina, for dedicating your time and talent to make this a project we could work on with you.  We know it took a while to draw one for each of us, and we appreciate it very much!  What a perfect ending to our week. 

Here's our agenda for another busy week coming up, beginning on Tuesday!

Tuesday:  It's time to wrap up our Fall sessions with the master gardeners, so wear your Arc shirt and bring a bag lunch as we'll head to the Botanical Garden.  The forecast suggests it may be rainy, but if not, we'll eat outside and enjoy the park.  Back at AFCC, we'll welcome Kiley (who now knows the way!) for a yoga session, too!  (Dress in comfy pants or bring some to change into.)

Wednesday; Yesterday was National Color Day so we will learn about feelings associated with different colors and how color impacts our world.  We will also paint rocks with a Halloween (or colorful) theme, which we will send home to be hidden in time for trick or treaters to find.  Patti will be here for our last "Thriller Yoga" practice session so don't miss it and dress to stretch!  Lunch on your own.

Thursday:  Eaton Work Day!! Wear Arc shirt and bring a bag lunch!

Friday: It's time to celebrate Kevin's birthday!  His official day is Sunday, so we will party with him and enjoy Chick fil A for lunch!  Thanks to Kevin's family for treating us! We'll also learn about Kentucky, the 15th state to join the Union!  Plus, it's United Nations Day, so we will talk about international peace and security as we learn about that organization.  Busy, educational, and fun, Friday!

Additional Notes for Planning Ahead:

The end of October is inching ever so close.  That means Halloween is around the corner, so we want to remind everyone that we'll have our 4th annual Halloween Party on Thursday, October 31.  Costumes are optional!  If you wish, you may wear one for the day, or you may bring it to the center and change for the "official" party time of about 11-2.

Thanksgiving will be here before we know it.  As is our custom, the Arc of Abilities will be in session on MONDAY and TUESDAY of Thanksgiving Week, November 25 and 26, in order to have a two day week.  We will be closed, along with the school, on Wednesday-Friday.  We will let the WATA drivers know, but families, please follow up so transportation will be provided on Monday, November 25.

Enjoy the weekend,

Lisa, Carol, Nan, and the AoA Gang