Onward Trails, Upward People

Well.

That was a nice break.

I hadn't thought it would last for nearly 4 months.  And to the extent that this blog is a journal of our family exploits, these past 4 months were the wrong ones to sit out.  We were plenty exploited this summer.

But good writers know not to start out with apologies, right?  So I'm not sorry.  I'm just back. 


And I'm up with people!

This past week, we hosted 3 cast members/students from Up With People.  Long-time readers will be relieved to know that they were not Chinese nationals, so Bryan's security clearance remains clear.  But I read in our paper that Up With People was coming to town and that they needed host families for 40 more people. 

I called right away and placed an order for some Americans. 

They placed 3 men with us, Hans, Taylor and Drew.  They slept here for 7 nights, I drove them to where they needed to be each morning at 7:15 and Bryan did the picking up at 6:15 each evening and their goal, as they live with host families all over the nation and unto the rest of the world, is to "live as we live."

That means no cable, guys.  When I broke that news to them on the car ride home there was a. . .certain kind of silence.

Later in the evening when I took out the password for our wi-fi internet access, their look of relief was coupled with a passing glance of, 'Why didn't you say so?. . ." 

It was a delight to have them here.  I wasn't at all surprised by how much I enjoyed it.  And since dropping them off this morning, I've been puzzling through why I wanted to host in the first place and why it was such a great week.  Yes, yes, they were very good guests, very nice men, very fun to be around--especially for the kids. 

(Joshua and Gemma engaged them in a light-saber battle that careened into mayhem--Jedi against Jedi, Syth against Syth--it was the Center Falling Apart in the backyard that night. . .) 

What I've come up with is this:

1. We have an enormous home.  "Nice" by American standards.  A palace in comparison to almost all other people worldwide and across time.  Generally, we live in every room every day (except for the guest bedroom).  But it is satisfying to see the home be used even more.  Good for the kids, too, to have to share their space, if even in a little way like this.

But mostly:

2. Homeschooling is an insulated experience.  This is a good thing.  This is one of the chief blessings of the lifestyle.  We have lots and lots of friends.  Lots of them are also homeschoolers.  Some are not.  But all of the families we make an effort to be around regularly are very similar to our family. 

It's a good thing for all of us--especially the children--to be around different people with different perspectives.  These guys are performers, all in their 20's, one from DC, one California, one South Dakota.  Their voices and hearts and eyes were a giant burst of different, fresh air for all the superheroes this week. 

It was time well spent.

There's more to say about Up With People.  Check tomorrow's blog.  (Yes! For a while, anyway, we're gonna hit it daily.)

For now, photos from our hike on Sunday, designated as "Family Day," whence the host families have their guests to themselves.  They elected to hike and we were glad to oblige.

My first hike since breaking my ankle in October of 2008.  That sounds ridiculous. . .3 years with no hiking?  But that next summer was the cancer thing, and last summer, we were out of town for all but 2 weekends.  And this summer?  Well, you don't really know what we've been doing for 4 months, do you, so don't judge me for not hiking. 

For my triumphant return to the trails, we selected the very one where I broke my ankle.



I don't know why this pic is sideways. This hasn't been a problem for me before on blogger.  Nice one of us all, though, no?




Drew, Hans and Taylor against a lot of Colorado.



The law says I have to feed them, and they keep sleeping almost half the day, and so they keep growing.  It's both perfect and horrible.

Overlooking Cheyenne Canyon

This looks more dangerous than it was.  I swear.

If this tree doesn't have a geological-landmark name among people who names things like this, it should.  Plenty of the soil it has grown through has been washed away, but the roots remain.  Now more beautiful than ever.