I didn’t get much sleep this week, but - whew - no one said “You’re fired!” either.

We enjoyed a wonderful week of reading, discussing, and learning together. I know I learned one thing: Being on Jeopardy wasn’t nearly as nerve-wracking as being videotaped while presenting a lesson to a group of my peers. (And all without the benefit of those lovely Sony makeup artists!)

In addition to Hamlet, we read a book by Scott Crider called The Office of Assertion - An Art of Rhetoric for the Academic Essay. This is perhaps my favorite passage from the book and it well sums up this week plus my goal for the upcoming year.

“The best university (note: I think we could substitute the word “class” here) is a rhetorical community of friends, and the ultimate purpose of this book is to teach the reader how to live within such a community with words so full of care that they release the light of brilliance.”

When we teach, learn, think, and write together, we become better friends.

“It is the mark of an ineffective teacher to answer a question before it has been asked.”

So, dear readers - tell me about your favorite teacher. What made him or her particularly effective?

Alas Poor Yorick Me! Guess who didn’t get the correct information about the reading assignment for the week? Guess who is inhaling Hamlet as fast as she can? Although this feels a little bit like being thrown in the deep end without my floaties, I’m confident that I’ll be ok. The good news is that I did read the play once upon a time (6 years or so ago) and the even better news is that my star student was home tonight to go over it with me. (Katie - you’re the best!)  I’ll let you know if my rudimentary persuasive essay passes or not.

Since many of you who read this blog are teaching in some capacity or another — Bible study leaders, Sunday School teachers, homeschool moms, online tutors, classroom teachers –I thought I’d leave you with one of the profound truths we grappled with in today’s session: The foundation of learning is paying attention. We need to teach our students to attend, and more importantly, what is worth attending to.

Contemplate that…..

No, I’m not worried about a blond guy with a bad comb-over saying “You’re fired!”

So what’s up? I’m heading to North Carolina for a week of teacher training with Circe Institute. I’m excited about the chance to work with other teachers and to become a better teacher myself. I’ll be learning more about the lost tools of writing and how to help students use those tools to become better thinkers and writers themselves.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, the family is going to find out whether mom is indispensable or not. (I have a feeling they’ll do just fine!)

Because I plan to get as much mileage as I can out of our vacation, and because it’s my daughter’s 16th birthday today, and because it’s about time I posted a recipe!

When we arrived at the Hershey Lodge on Saturday evening, the first the the UC and I did was hand the kids a $20 and throw them on the shuttle bus to HersheyPark. The second thing we did was find a place to unwind and eat a quiet dinner. We made our way, through the chocolate-scented lobby over to the Coffee Beanery for a salad and a sandwich. “Hmm….this salad dressing has a certain unique, yet familiar flavor. The salad itself was easy to figure out: spring lettuce mix, toasted pecans, mandarin oranges, and blue cheese crumbles. But what’s in the dressing? Besides the balsamic vinegar, could it be…?” My newly purchased cookbook confirmed that, yes, even the salad dressing featured chocolate.

KritterKeeper requested the same salad today for her family birthday lunch. I reduced the quantity of dressing and changed the cheese from blue to feta. It was a hit!

Hershey’s Chocolate Balsamic Vinaigrette

1 t. finely minced onion

1 t. dijon mustard

3/4 c. olive oil

6 T. balsamic vinegar

1/4 c. Hershey’s chocolate syrup

Blend all dressing ingredients. Add to salad made of lettuce mix (we used baby romaine) tossed w/ salt and freshly ground pepper, mandarin orange slices, toasted pecans, crumbled feta or blue cheese.

Enjoy!

Who am I to write about clothes? Well it’s my blog and that’s what’s on my mind. (Some of you may wish I’d go back to my twice a month posting schedule!)

New York City: For all those people posting over at www.tripadvisor.com who were worried about looking like a tourist, I have one word of advice: relax! The city is so full of people - who will notice?  Just wear comfortable shoes and enjoy yourself.

Washington, DC: Khaki skirts are what everyone is wearing (females that is) in and around the city. They’re short, they’re slim, and they’re classic. Some went the preppy route with sweater sets and oxfords, but my favorite was the gal who wore a bright yellow tank and a leopard print belt with hers. Definitely an individualist.

What not to wear: Unless your name is Russell Crowe and you are wearing that cute little tunic number, please forget about the gladiator sandals. I don’t care how young and cute you are, those don’t flatter anyone’s legs. There is “classic” and there is “historical costume”; please don’t confuse the two.

The uniform of the week here at our house is the VBS  bright orange t-shirt. My brain is so fired, um…fried, that it’s a wonder I’m posting at all. Trying to get 20 four and five year olds to sit still will do that to you!

Hi Everyone! While it is still July, I suppose I should wrap up the trip report. I promise to try to post on a regular schedule. I had no idea I was keeping the ladies water aerobics class of Alexandria, LA in suspense, not to mention those who thought we disappeared into the Spy Museum never to be heard from again!

On Wednesday, we had the opportunity to tour the Capitol. Things sure were different from (gulp!) 32 years ago when I did the same thing as the Arizona representative in the National Spelling Bee. Security was much tighter and crowds were more abundant. Unlike what usually happens when you return to childhood memories, things did not feel diminished! The sense of grandeur, tradition, and awe was just as real today.

After our tour, we headed out to the Mall for a visit to the Smithsonian Folk Life festival. Guess what this  year’s theme was? Texas and NASA! That’s right, we traveled across the country to eat BBQ and see space ships that are at home in our own backyard.

Other highlights of the week were a visit to the National Portrait Gallery, the Smithsonian Air & Space Museum, the Library of Congress, and of course all the monuments. Since we were there over the 4th of July, we couldn’t pass up a chance to enjoy fireworks at the Washington Monument. If you happened to see the Capitol 4th TV special on PBS, we were very easy to spot. Just look for the family with the umbrella. (<G>…it poured rain. EVERYONE had an umbrella!) Undaunted and only a little soggy, we enjoyed our picnic and the spectacular pyrotechnics. What a beautiful end to an amazing vacation!

Hi All!

Yes we made it home and yes, I do have a few more updates and pics to post. Unfortunately I must have imported a germ from somewhere since I’m down w/ a nasty case of bronchitis. Since drug-induced blogging is not my style, I’ll write more when the meds wear off.

Toodles!

Today we went to the International Spy Museum. I’d tell you what we did, but then I’d have to….. (you know the rest!).  Museum rules forbade taking pictures, but as museums go this was a fun one! We added the extra “Spy Ops” option and played an interactive game of “find the double agent” that involved breaking and entering, surveillance, safe cracking, lie detecting… all the usual family vacation activities!

Afterwards we headed down the street to the National Portrait Gallery and met more old friends in frames. I went wild over all the literary connections while my art-loving daughter headed straight for the Georgia O’Keeffee and all the contemporary art. The UC’s* comment: “If I can do it, it doesn’t qualify as art.”

(*Deborah - somewhere in these posts is one called “Cast of Characters”. UC stands for “Urban Cowboy”, the one I’m married to!)

DC’s weather has been unseasonably cool and lovely. We don’t miss the humidity a bit! Imagine sitting outside next to the Washington Monument and not melting.

Next: A Capitol Adventure!

This is fitting isn’t it? For a family who names all their pets for some form of chocolate to plan a visit to Hershey, PA: The Sweetest Place on Earth? (As Alex Trebek aluded, we could have gone to Ghiradelli Square in SF, but last I heard, they don’t have an amusement park.)

On the way to the Hershey Lodge, we drove through Ephrata, PA, home to some of the most beautiful country I have ever seen (outside of the TX hill country of course!). Acres of rolling hills, dairy cows, barns, silos - the things I’ve only seen in paintings up until now. I would have been happy just driving around for 2 days! Our kids, of course, were looking for “hills” and “travels” of the more thrilling sort!

We decided to splurge and stay “on the property” as it were in the Hershey Lodge. What a treat! Yes, the lobby smelled like chocolate. There were kids everywhere when we walked in, but I think that’s because it was time for S’mores At the Lake (a nightly activity). We quickly handed the kids a $20, their park tickets, and threw them onto the shuttle bus for the park “preview”. Then the UC and I managed to get ALL the luggage upstairs. Awaiting us, in our 2 room suite, were bathrobes, chocolate scented soap (not as weird as it sounds), a note from the conceirge and a box of chocolates! This in addition to the Hershey bars given to us by the front desk AND the Hershey kisses on the pillows. Did I say “on the pillows”? Oh yes, even the sheets, pillowcases, and wallpaper were embossed with “kisses.” These people really know how to do chocolate!

We ate dinner in the Cocoa Beanery coffee shop. My salad was topped with, are you ready?, Chocolate Balsamic Vinaigrette. Yummy, and I have the recipe! We finished eating in time to see the last of the fireworks over the lake, waited for the kids to straggle in, and headed off to sweet-dreamland.

Our day at the park started early; all the better to get in line for the roller coasters! Hersheypark (yes, it’s one word) was the loveliest amusement park I have ever seen. (Disney is in a class by itself, but this one is at the top of “the rest of the list.”) Flowers bloomed everywhere you looked, the employees were welcoming and helpful, the grounds immaculate, and the roller coasters were….thrilling! I say this not from personal experience. I’ve reached the age, alas, where the thought of being slung through twists and turns is more than my back and I care to experience. I reached roller-coaster saturation a few years ago! The kids on the other hand rode them all at least once and many 2 and 3 times. Yay for them!

Just to prove that Texas is never very far away, UC and I took in the concert of the day: Pat Green! What an unexpected treat that was. He put on a great show with all his hits. Even if he doesn’t wear boots or a hat - he’s country through and through (although a little bit calmer now that he has kids.)

Two of the kids managed to close down the park while the rest of us headed back to the lodge for some R&R. If Hershey was in my back yard, I’d be there often! The girls and I didn’t get to experience the Chocolate Spa - maybe next time!

The following day, we headed back to DC by way of Lancaster County, the heart of Amish Country. The main drive was full of cute shops (but we only breezed through one. Quilts and pottery aren’t on the family’s “must see” list.) Actually, the back seat occupants were so worn out from the day before, they slept through most of the drive. We took some back roads through the farmland. What a treat! Yes we saw horses pulling buggies, more dairy farms, lush gardens, and my favorite site: clotheslines adorned with orderly rows of black socks, black pants, black skirts, and then POW….splashes of red, green, and royal blue–like a quilt that hasn’t made up its mind yet.

I was sorry when the drive was over, but am looking forward to today’s adventures: Spies and Smithsonian.