Lisa, who writes the blog (😀), is going on vacay to the beach next week, so she decided to make this week's blog shorter but still sweet! She has a lot to do getting plans ready (and herself and Lexi) for next week, when we have some AmAzInG substitutes filling in for her. This will be the last blog posted until Tuesday, September 14, when the gang will help her write a short update about the week she was out. Here's what we were up to as we welcomed September...and we'll see you again on the 14th!
Tuesday
Well, we didn't let another warm and muggy day stop us from having an adventure! We made our way to the Visitor Center at Colonial Williamsburg where the complimentary...and air-conditioned...shuttle awaited. We've never ridden it as a group before, and it was fun! (Sorry we didn't get Lexi and Laura to lean in far enough, but they were with us!)
Our mission was to find Cleveland Bay horses, which Christina had told us about last week. They were a mainstay of the 18th century, including in Colonial Williamsburg, but over a couple hundred years, their numbers had dwindled. Colonial Williamsburg has a successful breeding program, and has helped to increase the Cleveland's population over the years. We were very lucky today. When we got off at the Palace Stop, to check the pasture nearby, we saw a CW stable worker and two horses!
The stable worker told us the colt is 3 month old Vic, a Cleveland Bay! The thoroughbred is Ada, his mom. She was a surrogate mom, as that is how CW's breeding program works. She and Vic don't really understand all that (and we didn't get into it), but they just love each other to pieces! Alexis is our resident "horse girl," and she's been reading up on Cleveland Bays since Christina's lesson. She was very happy to meet Vic!
After meeting Vic and Ada, we hopped back on the shuttle and saw sheep and cows from the comfort of the ride! We got off at the Tavern Stop and walked around the block and down DOG Street a ways, but didn't see any more animals. We did run into our friend Chris K's brother, sister-in-law, and baby niece, who were out for a walk, too! Chris moved to Florida almost two years ago, but we keep up with him by checking Facebook sometimes. We didn't get a picture, but his brother told us he would tell Chris they saw us!
By the time we got to the Market Square Stop, we were good and warm, so we decided to take the shuttle back to the Visitor Center and enjoy lunch at our "hidden gem" picnic spot. Here's a great shot of all the guys waiting for the shuttle with Nan, except Annmarie, who wasn't with us today.
Check out our other ride for today! School has started (summer camps have ended) so we are back to being able to use the Parks & Rec vans. Thanks to JCC Parks & Rec for allowing us to use these, and thanks also to Tracy, who always makes sure they are booked for us!
Back at AFCC we got our September calendar ready. We'll spend the next few weeks transforming our room decorations from "summer-y" to "fall-ish." We know it will probably remain warm for many more weeks, but we are looking forward to enjoying outside adventures in cooler weather!
Last Friday we had so much fun celebrating Beach Day in Yorktown, that we didn't have time for yoga when we got back. Our guys really enjoy yoga with Jaime, so we made time today for a make up yoga session and did chair yoga with her for the last half hour of the day. It was fun, and different!
Wednesday
Look who was busy with Eaton work after dance warm up today...us! Alexis and Liz were applying gaskets, but the rest of us were counting screws and putting them in bags.
See that brown box on Kevin and Abraham's table? It has 10,000 screws in it and we bag them up...50 at a time! All of our counters have mats to help them count a certain number of screws, and when a team reaches 50, they go into the bags.
Our country of the day was Canada, and we learned that a popular pie eaten in the western part of the 2nd largest (by area) country in the world is called "Flapper Pie" or "Lost Prairie Pie." It was a custard pie with a meringue topping, and Liz and Alexis worked (with Nan) to make them. Canada is onto something with this tasty dish!
After we learned what the Canadian flag looked like, we listened to their national anthem which caused Abraham to jump up and salute the flag!
We did partner work to learn more about Canada. We learned its national animal is the beaver, it's dollar coin is called a "loonie," and Queen Elizabeth is not only the queen of England, but she's also the queen of Canada!
Kevin traveled to Boston last week to take his sister Julia to graduate school. Today, he showed us a few pictures from his trip, and told us all about his fun time up there with his family. Here, he's showing us a picture of a cool carousel he rode. Instead of riding a horse, he was riding a fish! This carousel had all kinds of wild animals on it, but no horses!
September is National Square Dancing month, and just as we had begun our lesson on it, the fire drill sounded and we had to rush outside. We were the best-dressed "class" out there this morning!
We quickly reset when the drill was over, and continued our lesson. Our guys had SO MUCH FUN with this!
We taught them that two of the couples are the "heads" and the other two are the "sides." We then practiced a few basic commands like "bow to your partner," "bow to your corner," "heads to the center," "sides to the center," "circle," "do si do," and our version of a "promenade." 😍
Sam and Michelle were getting the swing of things!
While we're not quite ready for prime time, we think we have a lot of potential! Check out our efforts in the following video clips!
Square dancing was fun and if we don't wait another whole year before trying it again...who knows how far we could go!
The weather was gorgeous today; a taste of fall for sure! We went outside for movement for the first time in a couple of weeks. Further evidence that everyone enjoyed square dancing was shown when Devin pulled up "square dance music" on his phone so the guys could walk to the beat! He's got good speakers on that phone!
We got this photo from Moose Patti showing our golf tournament thank you posters and cards on display at the Moose Lodge! We're looking forward to seeing our Moose friends in a couple of weeks to receive their generous golf tournament proceeds donation to The Arc of GW! (We'll do this after Lisa's vacation.) These look fabulous, Patti! Thanks for arranging them so nicely. We'll see you guys soon!
Dismissal is going well this first week of school, combined with the construction work going on outside our door. So far, the parent pick up line for JRES hasn't "trapped" any of us, and the construction guys are doing well trying to curtail their use of the road after 2 p.m. Thanks to all of our families and the WATA drivers for your patience and support during this time! We think our regular 2:45 dismissal start time will be fine from now on!
Friday
Today was pretty laid back, as we had 4 friends (all boys) out for travel! The girls, along with Devin, Xavier, and Kevin held down the fort and we had a wonderful day...even though the boys didn't look too sure about this! 😄
Last weekend, Lisa, Alexis, and Haley visited the Botanical Garden to look for butterflies and check on the trombone squash in our part of the garden. There was a long, beautiful one that Alexis and Haley picked, and Lexi brought it to AFCC this week.
Nan knows a thing or two about cooking squash, so she sauteed the trombone squash for us as a morning snack. She cooked it with onions and it was super tasty! We'd like to thank our master gardener friends, once again, for their support of the Arc of Abilities and for finding ways to keep us connected during the pandemic. We're so happy to have been able to visit and harvest good things from the garden during this time. We are EXCITEDLY looking forward to resuming our regular fall sessions with them on September 14th!
Our next adventure for today was a practice 5k/Fun Mile walk at Newport News Park! Even though our Arc 5k will be virtual again this year, we hope we can count on everyone's support. Please visit this link to register (join Team "AoA for the 5k" if you'd like), and plan to meet us at Veterans' Park at 9 a.m. on Saturday, October 2, from 9-10 a.m. We'll walk, socialize, enjoy treats prepared by our guys, and celebrate our favorite nonprofit, The Arc of Greater Williamsburg!
At Newport News Park we have to walk on wooded trails, which can be tricky with uneven terrain and lots of roots. So, we didn't rush our walk, but we went a good ways before turning around. These friends made it all the way, but a few others turned around before the trail got too tricky.
We returned to AFCC after a pleasant picnic lunch, and enjoyed Choice Time followed by yoga with Jaime. It was "Party Time Yoga" to celebrate her 50th Yoga Club Episode, and it was fun!
As always, a great way to end our busy week!
Wow, what a fun week even if shorter on photos! 😁 We're looking forward to another great one next week, while Lisa and Nan take some time off to be with family. We've got AmAzInG substitutes lined up and it's going to be a stellar week! Here are our plans:
Tuesday: We welcome Tracy to help out today! Thank you, Tracy! We are looking forward to a good weather day as we head to New Quarter Park to do a practice walk for the 5k/Fun Mile! (Meet us at 11 and get your walk on!) We'll also play Corn Hole Challenge and enjoy a picnic lunch. Back at AFCC, we'll have a lesson about Labor Day. Please wear Arc shirts and bring a bagged lunch.
Wednesday: Today we will welcome Lisa P., Laura's mom, to be our substitute! She's a retired teacher and is looking foward to sharing some very cool lesson plans she's put together for us! Thank you, Lisa P.! Wear your favorite wildlife apparel today, and bring your "stuff" to share, because we'll celebrate Wildlife Day (Sept. 5) with Lisa P.! We'll also have fun with a new Bingo game! Lunch will be pizza, salad, and fruit!
Thursday: Welcome to Arc board member and Liz's Dad, Greg, as he steps in to help us today! Thank you, Greg! It's an Eaton Work Day so please wear your Eaton shirt and bring a bagged lunch.
Friday: Our final substitute of the week will be Patrick's mom, Sue! Thank you, Sue! We're going sporty today with lots of fun activities to get us moving. Wear your favorite team's apparel or colors today! We'll also throw in a lesson on Teddy Bear Day, which was yesterday, so bring your favorite teddy bear, too! We will be busy cooking pancakes, sausage, and fruit for lunch! Our friend Cameron is also going to join us today! Can't wait to see him! (His family had a change of plans and he wasn't able to join us last week.)
It will be a busy and memorable week as Carol and the gang welcome our AmAzInG substitutes! Lisa and Nan are very grateful for their help as they enjoy some time off with family!
Have a great weekend and remember, no blog post next week! See you back here on September 14, for a group blog post created by our gang!
Lisa, Carol, Nan, and the AoA Gang
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