We hope everyone enjoyed the Labor Day Weekend. Summer is unofficially over, but as you'll see, we're still in shorts because the weather is still warm and sunny! We wonder how long some of our guys will wear shorts into this fall?! Sometimes it almost seems as if some of them go year-round in shorts! But, we digress. We had a wonderful first full week of September. Here's what we were up to on our four days together!
Tuesday
Today at bowling we had to play on lanes 21-24, which are right in the middle of the facility. We had other leagues on either side of us, and it was loud and busy. But our gang fit right in, and we had a fun morning. Erik, Devin, Sam, and Adia bowled competitively, yet with constant cheers for each other, on lane 24!
Michelle's ankle was bothering her today, so instead of bowling, she helped Nan cheer and keep everyone taking turns in the right order. These two fellas, Devin T and Kevin, each bowled a couple of strikes today!
Kate, Abraham, Liz, and Drew all bowled good games today! Being at a lane that we aren't "used" to didn't faze them. We're much more adaptable than we were "back in the day." 😊
Alexis and Patrick were so happy for Annmarie when she picked up a spare, and Annmarie was just as happy for Alexis and Patrick when they did the same! 🎳
Pizza from the bowling snack counter is one of our favorite lunch treats, but the prices have gone up quite a bit this year. Today, since the weather was nice, we picked up pizzas from Domino's, using a promotion they had going. We enjoyed lunch at nearby Kiwanis Park, and saved a bit of dough! (Pun intended!) 🍕🍕🍕
Maybe it was because school has started, but no one was at Kiwanis Park today except us! After eating, our guys enjoyed using the equipment for fitness and fresh air! We had merry-go-rounders and swingers, here.
We had sliders here!
Several tried the many pieces of fitness equipment that surround the playground area.
We're going to try to come here more often during the cooler fall months! It's a fantastic playground and fitness area that was upgraded in the past year or so. The best part? A soft, rubbery surface that means little chance to encounter critters!
Looks like one was chilling on a bench, too!
More swingers. Very popular with our group!
And finally, one more swinger, thanks to a little help from her friend!
When we returned to the center, we had Choice Time and time to make thank you cards for Devin B's parents, Scott and Roxanne, whose Jersey Mike's sub sandwich treat last Friday was still fresh in our memories! 😋😋
Aww, look at Sam during Choice Time! He hung in there today at bowling and the park, but clearly he's still a little wiped out from his shingles bout. We were so glad he was back today!
Wednesday
Today began with the first fire drill of the school year. Luckily, Sevarina only stopped by to give us "advance" warning about 1 minute before the alarm sounded, as it causes a couple of our guys anxiety as they wait for the blare. All's well that ended well, as we got a short, but brisk walk and some fresh air with no one having to fret for very long!
Later, we went back outside to enjoy a slight break in the weather. It was warm in the sun, but it seemed less humid and we found ourselves walking with friends...
...and shooting hoops with friends!
Back inside, we worked on a craft project for our fall wall, which is still in the planning stages! Today we wound orange and white yarn around a small cardboard triangle to make cute fox faces. Kate was focused on getting to the end of about 8 feet of yarn!
Sometimes the boys don't get into the craft projects all that much, but today they seemed to enjoy making foxes. Sam wound his yarn from side to side and up and down in order to make a pattern that covered nearly all of his cardboard.
Kevin was delighted to have Adia's help with the wrapping of his yarn. Next, she would help Xavier, who can be seen in the background waiting patiently!
After we added tails and eyes, we ended up with these fellas! They will be part of the fall wall, we're just not sure how!
Our state of the week was Georgia. Adia pointed it out on the map of the southeast, and then we learned some cool facts. Most people know that one of Georgia's nicknames is "The Peach State" and that they grow a lot of tasty peaches there. But Georgia is also known as "The Empire State of the South" because it is rich in natural resources such as marble. In fact, if you've ever seen the Lincoln Memorial, then you know it's carved from marble, but did you know it's marble from Georgia?!
Thursday
We were back to our regularly scheduled visit with Mike at the Watermen's Museum (2nd Thursday of the month), and we couldn't wait to see what his topic was since he didn't let us know in advance!
Turns out, Mike was going to give us the scoop on the Yorktown Windmill. It was built on the bluff in Yorktown in 1711 and served as a guidepost on the York River for almost 200 years!
The mill provided most of the flour for Yorktown during that time. This fully functional replica was completed in 2011 and has had its home at The Watermen's Museum ever since. The beautiful woodwork and gears were made by a boy for his Eagle Scout project!
Mike asked if we knew what the white thing with blades is that was attached to one of the smaller buildings. We all said windmill, but Mike explained that it's a wind turnbine. As wind turns the blades (turbine), it's able to create electricity which can be stored in batteries.
We took a walk with Mike to look for birds and signs that they have been around. When Mike mentioned that he saw a brown thrasher, our guys perked up and told him we just learned that the brown thrasher is the state bird of Georgia! Yay, us! 👏👏
Birds depend on wind, too. It helps them glide! For our project today, Mike provided materials for us to create colorful birds, which would become part of a beautiful bird mobile!
We set up games, too. Annmarie concentrated on her toss and it almost landed on the board this time!
Patrick had a nice arc to his toss, which landed on the board for 1 point!
Devin T, Xavier, Abraham, Liz, and Kevin played a game of bocce.
After we returned to the AFCC we completed a "homework" assignment for the master gardeners, whom we will see on Tuesday, and made birthday cards for our longtime friend and supporter, Nina (Sam's grandmother), but don't tell her. It's a surprise!
We had a great day and look forward to more time spent outside as fall rolls around in the weeks to come!
Friday
What a quick week it was, and now it's Friday?! We sent a crew to PSP today, and the rest of us split up the tasks of preparing The Arc's October mailing and cooking lunch. As part of the mailing team, Alexis put address labels on envelopes and Drew was a runner between tables, delivering what was needed to each group.
Nan and Michelle stuffed envelopes, Kevin sealed them, and Devin added a stamp. Now they are on the way to all the Arc members. Be sure to check out the activities for October and sign up before the deadline!
Today's lunch menu included rice, which Xavier and Devin T measured and put into our rice cooker.
We also needed sauteed chicken pieces, and for that, Abraham was our man! Later, he and Devin T also helped whip up a honey and soy sauce mixture, which we added to the sauteed chicken, along with broccoli. Our finished product will appear a few pictures below!
At PSP today, we were on cleaning duty. Patrick and Kate dusted shelves. We're going to change our work day to Thursdays later in the month, because the big delivery of product is now coming in on Wednesdays, and will need to be put on the shelves on Thursdays. PSP needs us more for stocking than cleaning. ✅
Erik and Sam dusted, and Liz swept. The gang also checked product on the shelves to make sure it was "front facing," neat, and straight. PSP is having a sale this weekend, and we made sure it looked spiffy before we left!
Speaking of sales, PSP is having an end of season sale on life jackets for your four-legged friends! Tell them the AoA sent you for these, and many other fine pet products! 👍
On Tuesday next week, we begin our fall sessions with the master gardeners. Since we enjoy puns, we made "punny" cards to give each of them that also say we thank them and enjoy our time together! A "day in the leaf" with the MGs, is "never a dill moment!"
We had a serious moment when we reflected on the life and reign of Britain's Queen Elizabeth. 👑 Over the years, we have taken note of moments in her life, such as her 90th birthday, her recent celebration of 70 years on the throne, or when another great-grandchild was born. Our own "Queen Elizabeth," Liz, always kept us informed with news of the royal family. We will miss hearing about her, but look forward to seeing what King Charles III will do that catches our attention!
Here's a picture of our Honey Chicken with Broccoli. Nothing fancy, but it hit the spot after our busy work morning!
September 9 is Teddy Bear Day. Some of our friends brought a teddy bear, and Alexis brought her entire collection! We shared the story of how "Teddy Bears" got their name with our newest friends, Adia and Erik, who weren't familiar with the story about President Teddy Roosevelt refusing to shoot a bear on a hunting trip in 1902. After news got out, a toy-making couple in NY wrote the president to ask him if they could name their stuffed toy bears "Teddy" and he said yes. The rest is history! Read all about it here, if you'd like more info: Story of the Teddy Bear
Our first full week in September ended after yoga. Carol will be away next week having a reunion in Minnesota with her siblings, all four of whom happen to be brothers! We hope you have a wonderful trip, Carol! You will be missed! Here's what we'll be doing in Carol's absence at the Arc of Abilities:
Tuesday: It's time to begin our fall sessions with the master gardeners! We'll meet with them twice a month in September and October for fun and engaging times in the garden. Today's topics: pawpaws, pumpkins, and rosemary! If the weather cooperates, we'll eat lunch at the park and take a walk before returning to the center to celebrate Peanut Day. Please wear your Arc shirts and bring a bagged lunch!
Wednesday: Today we will celebrate National Eat a Hoagie Day. We're going to put a spin on it and make hoagie dip with crackers for lunch, along with fruit and veggie sides. We will also study the 5th state today, Connecticut. According to some sources, the snickerdoodle is the state cookie of Connecticut, so we will be baking, too! We'll also celebrate Live Creative Day by making marbled fall leaves for our fall wall.
Thursday: Today is National Linguine Day and the gang has been talking about celebrating it (no surprise)...so we will make linguine with alfredo sauce (their choice) and seasoned mixed veggies for lunch. We are having a "signature" AoA celebration next week for a **special** friend, so we will work on making cards and decorations for that today as well!
Friday: We are hoping the weather is nice because we plan to spend the morning at New Quarter Park looking for early signs of fall and getting some exercise. We will return to AFCC for lunch on your own. The JRES Cafeteria is available and the choices are cheeseburger or fish sticks, both with fries and fresh veggies. After lunch we'll celebrate Play Doh Day by figuring out how to make autumn colored and scented dough! We'll end the day with yoga, so dress to stretch (no need to wear Arc shirts unless you want to)!
September 21 - 6 p.m. @ The Williamsburg Moose Lodge for the presentation of the check from the Women of the Moose (WOTM) Golf Tournament! Moose Patti and many other WOTM friends will be there to make the donation to The Arc of GW and The Arc of Abilities! Please join us and show Patti and the Moose how much we appreciate their support! Those of you who are attending the Best Buddy event at W&M can head over to campus after the presentation. There is plenty of time for both events!
October 1 - 8:30 a.m. @ The Landing for the 13th annual 5k! Many thanks to those of you who have signed up! Lisa, Alexis, and Nan will be walking virtually as they will be in Rhode Island, but Carol and Moose Patti will be there to rally the AoA Team and help everyone celebrate the retirement of our beloved Bette Faye! It's going to be epic!!
Have a great weekend,
Lisa, Carol, Nan, and the AoA Gang
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