Sports

Swimming, cycling, skating, games, and other sports.

Caribbean Beach at Tortuguero Island

After eating some lunch and getting settled in our hotel, we went straight for the beach.  It had soft, dark grey sand.  We quickly realized why no one was in the water.  It was a windy, stormy day, so the waves were large and there were warning signs about the

Whale-watching, Dolphin-watching cruise in Quepos

We boarded a catamaran on the pacific coast near the town of Quepos mainly to see whales, and it turned out that we ended up seeing whales and dolphins. and there were drinks served on board, andthere was swimming and snorkeling offered andthere were nets on the front of the

Selvatura Zipline

Keith, Nan, Melvin, Savannah and Tucker went on the Selvatura ziplines. There were 13 platforms; the last line was 1 kilometer long (3280 ft) and was high above the treetops. There was a 'tarzan swing' included, where you jump off a platform and swing for a few minutes

Soccer in San Jose - Saprissa vs Santos

In San Jose, everyone loves the Saprissa professional soccer team.  They haven't lost a home game since 2016 and their games are always packed.  You regularly see people wearing Saprissa shirts around San Jose.  So we decided to go to a Saprissa game.  We purchased tickets online (in

Family Soccer League

Our house has a large, grassy, flat area -- perfect for soccer.  So we bought a soccer ball today and Savannah and I challenged Tucker and Carson to a game of soccer.  Savannah and I won 2 to 0, but the boys have requested a rematch.  (We actually played width-wise

Playing at Tamarindo Beach, Costa Rica

We went for a quick overnight trip on Friday, stopping in Liberia, Guanacaste, Costa Rica for some lunch, then proceeding to Tamarindo Beach on the Pacific Coast.  It is only about 130 miles from our house, but takes about 4 hours to drive there due to slow, windy, steep roads

El Salto (Rope Swing) Swimming Hole Near La Fortuna

El Salto (The Rope Swing) is a nice swimming hole on the edge of La Fortuna.  After finishing school work, we tried it out today.  It had beautiful waterfalls, and as the name implies, a rope swing that would launch you about 20' into the air.  People would swing

Swimming in the Rio Fortuna

There is a river near our house, so the kids went for an afternoon swim:

Parque La Sabana - The Central Park of San Jose

The central park of San Jose is called Parque La Sabana, pronounced just like Savannah's name in Spanish.  There were quite a few people riding bicycles and walking through the park.  Some people were playing soccer and there were quite a few street vendors.  Much of the beauty

Playing in the River Machuca

Leaf-cutter ants on the trail we took to get to the river. We heard there were some good swimming holes on the river next to the community we're living in, so we took a trail and found one. Then we took a different trail and found some

Gray Family Friends, Fairfax, VA

The Gray kids invited the Knight kids to go swimming

Homeschool PE Class Goodbye Party, last day

Coach Zack let Carson, Tucker and Savannah choose the sports they would be playing during the last week before the holidays, since it would be their last classes. They played dodgeball on their last day. Then coach announced that there would be a surprise: pizza, cookies and cupcakes after class.

Savannah's friends

sledding at the Gray's house with Priscilla, Lydia and Leisel, and Abigail with the Curds: Alice, Meela and Juju

RockCreek Family Retreat - Salamander Resort

RockCreek held a family retreat last weekend at the Salamander Resort in Middleburg, VA.  The Salamander Resort is an upscale hotel and resort on 340 scenic acres.  It hosts many equestrian and other unique outdoor experiences. Angela and Carson participated in the Falconry course.  It included an hour long class

Washington Nationals vs Cincinnati Reds Baseball Game

The kids each earned two tickets to a Nationals baseball game, courtesy of the DC Library system Summer Reading Program.  Fortunately, the we chose one of the few nights that wasn't pouring rain.  Unfortunately, it was really hot and humid.  But we had a good time at the

Horseback Riding at Rocking S Ranch, Winchester, VA

We drove about an hour and a half northwest to get to Winchester, VA to visit the Rocking S Ranch. Bill owns the Rocking S Ranch and was our trail guide (and he took most of these pictures). He was very friendly and made us feel welcome. He adjusted each

Shopping for bike helmets

We got bike helmets for all the kids a few weeks ago. Savannah had fun trying some on (she didn't end up buying this one :))

Horse riding class at Stonelea Farms

I had seen some horsemanship classes offered through the Fairfax County Parks and Rec department, but they're all for kids. Before I signed up one of the kids for a daycamp type thing, we thought it would be better to try Stonelea Farms homeschool class, to gauge interest.

Launch Party

Some PE class friends had a birthday party at a trampoline park called Launch.

savannah

Random Events

Savannah at the grocery store yesterday: Our kids archery bow is in a storage unit, so Tucker decided to make his own bow:

Bethany Beach, DE

On the drive to the beach, we had to cross over water and had to go on these crazy bridges. The drive there was beautiful, as always, the countryside is full of green fields and lots of old farmhouses. In order to find parking, you have to get to the

Nationals Baseball Game

The Washington DC Library summer reading program is pretty amazing.  After eight hours of reading, they reward each child with a book of their choice, a voucher for a meal at Chipotle, and two free tickets to a Nationals baseball game.  Each of our kids completed the reading easily, leaving

Carson's Time at Goshen Scout Camp

I went to scout camp two weeks ago. It was fun. I earned five merit badges: Rifle shooting, Robotics, Canoeing, Space Exploration, and Chess. We woke up at about 6 in the morning and ate at 8. Then we went to Rifle shooting then Robotics. After that we went to

PE class at nZone

It's about a 30-minute drive from our house; the kids go to a PE class twice a week at nZone in Chantilly. This is the main hallway towards the fields and workout facilities. The kids all love to look at all the stuff in the vending machines

savannah

Learning to Ride Bicycle

We didn't have a good area for the kids to ride bicycles in Atlanta, so Tucker and Savannah didn't get much experience until we moved to Fairfax. A few weeks ago, Tucker said, "I don't want the training wheels on my bicycle anymore.