Summer's Start

CAMPFIRE TIME: For the next two nights, the student body of MPA is at a camp on Mt. Rainier. 

Specifically, they're at Mount Rainier Institute. A cooperative effort of  theUniversity of Washington and Mount Rainier National Park, the camp program provides nature-based education rooted in science during an immersive experience.

I'm looking forward to their reports upon their return. For today, I settled for a photo a friend texted me. :)

DISCO PARK: Yesterday afternoon, we took a short walk through parts of Discovery Park. 

We mostly wound our way around the former military housing (which is now expensive/exclusive private housing in the midst of the public park). 

The picturesque park never fails to disappoint. Below, we caught peaks of Puget Sound and the Olympic mountains through the branches of a spindly, spiky evergreen. 

SHARK ATTACK: I keep forgetting to post the photos of the fruity shark the kids made for a pool party last Friday.

First, we had to cut a slice off one end of the watermelon. Then we cut an opening where the shark's mouth would be.

 The watermelon was emptied of its fruit. It made for some delicious shark guts!

 The kids carefully carved teeth.

 Below, sharky's smile is about halfway done. 

I stupidly forgot to take photos of the finished project (doh!), but here's one we made before.

Picture it with lots of little gummy fish in the 'water' and in its mouth, because that's what we did this go round.