Happy Anniversary!

My Wonderful Mother
who started me on blogging
Guess what? Today, one year ago I started blogging!

We were living in Texas at the time. Mom got me started. She says, "I didn't know what I was getting into!"
Starting, a had a different blog because I lived in Texas. It was fun! Now, I have gone though at least 4 blogs, and now have two. They are:

www.tennesseephotographer.blogspot.com (this blog) and
www.thebibleiscool.blogspot.com.

Blogs are a lot of fun for me-
I post at least 5 days out of the week!

Anyway, just wanted to let you know!

Tennessee Photobug

Pumpkin's Place

By Punky, the WILD cat!
Post #2

"Hi, there, everyone!!! Guess what I've been up to?? Trouble!! Yea!!

"Okay, okay. I'll come down to earth. But not for long! This month some people ("relatives", I think they're called) came to my house. I did not invite them! Some of them seemed to move real fast. So, what did I do? Problem solved already - I hid and rested and slept on beds as well as underneath them. I just didn't stay in the living room for any length of time. But when they left you should have seen me! I raced and ran all over the place! It was fun!

"My humans also went on a trip this month. One of Mommy's friends came over and took care of Felix and me, but I was really super-cat glad when they got home.

"That brings me to my next point. Felix - the cat. Shall I add, the SLEEPY cat! Felix sleeps all his days away. He is NOT my brother - he is my STEP brother. (He thinks that the relation is the other way around, as he was here before me.) Felix is mostly black. He is Dad's cat; I'm Mommy's cat. She calls me "kee-kee".

"My favorite place to be is on the table. You see, I'm not allowed to be on the table. But my friend Kiryl is allowed on his table. Why shouldn't I have that 'right' as well? Mommy doesn't like when I'm on the table, so I'm pleading and protesting for 'Equal Cats' Rights'. Sounds good, doesn't it?

"Well, guess that's it for now, with one exception: ruling from the computer top. You see, I'M king here and rule from the computer top! Sometimes when my humans are using MY computer, I put my down and THUMP my bony tail on the screen.

"Better go-gotta get into some more trouble!"

Signed,

Punky the WILD cat!

Revision on last post...

A crystalline, quartz, or sand. "Tail" is probably a piece of grass.
A ciliate or rotifer, probably
Update on last post:
Mom and I e-mailed the Apologia Help Line and we got these answers:

1)What we thought was an paramecium was actually a ciliate or a rotifer. (whatever those are, we saw them!)

2)The other unidentified organism was probably sand, quartz, or a piece of crystalline.
Anyway, good to know!!

More Microscope Fun!

Today in Biology I looked at my biology curtures. We actully found some live organisms. On two different ocassions Mom and I think we saw some Paramecium. (pictures). Enjoy!

Top to Bottom, pictures.
1)A Paramecium, we think.
2)An unidentified bacterira. We are going to learn what it is. Any ideas? Just click "0 comments" under this post. Thank-you!

Tennessee Photobug

P.S.-these photos were also taken by my mother. :)

Its Bloody, but Fun!!

About a month ago, Mom bought a microscope for me to use with my Biology class. Even though Biology isn't my favorite class (it's very hard and challenging) playing with the microscope is the highlight and fun part of the class for me.

WELL. Last night Mom fell and scraped up her knee. Thankfully, she is okay. But befor Mom cleaned all that blood up, she said to herself, "I think Austin might like to see this under the microscope". So that's what we did. We put some of Mom's blood on a slide and looked at it under the microscope. It was really neat. As Mom put it, "Why waste perfectly good blood?"

But here's the really cool part. With her point-and-shoot camera, she was able to take photos of what we saw though the microscope!!!!:) I had tried with my big camera, but it didn't work. My camera lens was too big. But Mom's smaller lens worked perfect!!

Here's some of the pictures Mom took:(top to bottom)
1)Mom's blood cells
2)Some blood cells up close

That's all-but isn't it neat?!?!

Tennessee Photobug

P.S.-I humbly admit that all photos in this post were taken by my wonderful mother!;)

Alison's Angle

August 2007
by Alison (my play name is "Poke");)

Guess what I did this month? We went to Michigan in our big red car!! (van) It was a lot of fun.
We went to Grandma and Grandpa's. I REALLY like Grandpa! Shhhh....don't tell Daddy, but I think I like playing with Grandpa better then playing with Daddy!!!
While we were at Grandpa's, we went to Greenfield Village and I rode the merry-go-round!! Yea!! I rode the roos-ter! We went to Frankenmuth, too. One really fun thing I did was pet Grandpa's neighber's cat I got a good laugh out of that one.
I think the only thing I didn't like was the LONG hours of being strapped in the car.

This month also Brother started his school. I'm doing school, too! I'm a BIG girl!!
I finger paint, and do lacing cards. I like to color and cut & I also do puzzles.

But let me tell you about my favorite school class. Its "Play with Sister time"!!!!
Play with Sister time is when Brother breaks half-hour from his school work anhd plays with ME!!! It's FUN!!!

I'm trying to learn to be an obeying girl even if I don't want to. It is very hard to learn. But I'm doing pretty good, Daddy says.

Well, guess that just about all.
See ya'll in September!!

Alison (my play name is "Poke")!!

Back 2 School

Well, in our family, it's that time of year again....you know, BACK TO SCHOOL!!!
HELP!!!;) Really,its kinda nice. (WHAT? ME LIKE SCHOOL?!?!)

Seriously, though, I'm glad. It's been a good, but BUSY summer. With moving, swimming lessons, company, vacation, and MORE company!!

Mom's sister and her family just left today. I played a lot with her kids Jared and Emily. We played Spy, Hide and Seek, and played TONS with Lego's. It was fun. They are coming back in a couple of weeks.

I'm homschooled at Quail Ridge Academy, our own home school with 2 pupils-my sister and I. Alison, my sister is entering Pre-K. I'm now in 8th grade.
Here are my subjects for this year:

MATH-I'm doing Math-U-See's "Pre-Algebra" book. (www.mathusee.com) At least for right now, it pretty fun. I'm studying exponents and the like.

SCIENCE-I'm doing Dr. Jay L. Wile's "Exploring Creation With Biology" textbook. It's very challenging, but very good. Dr. Wile's website is: www.highschoolscience.com

ENGLISH/SPELLING-I'm doing some review in Houghton Mifflin English.
I'm also starting "Apples", which is daily spelling drills.
I'm continuing Wordly Wise 3000 Book 2, A reason for Handwriting, and Spelling Power.

The last big class is TENNESSEE NATURAL HISTORY-is a self-made class which I'm collecting pictures of different native Tennessee animals and plants. I'm also going to be drawing some plants and animals. I'll learn about Tennessee History, and at the end of the 2007-08 school year, I will give a speech on what I've learned about Tennessee Natural History.

Guess that's all for now-this is gonna be a great year!!

Tennessee Photobug

Come on, get happy!

Yesterday our family went to Lake Winnepesaukah Amusement Park, a.k.a. "Lake Winnie".
We went because Southern, the college where Dad works was treating us to the park and a picnic.

It was fun, but hot.
The park had a miniature train which we rode twice. We also rode the Carousel and the Antique Cars. The cars were very exciting!

Dad, Mom, and Alison rode on the "Wacky Worm", which is kinda a small kiddie roller-coaster. They also did the "Super Slide". Everyone did the flying elephants, which was fun. Alison wanted to do "everything"!!!

After about 2 hours of seeing the park, we went (With Southern) to a catered picnic. There was hot dogs, hamburgers, coleslaw, and chips. With another chance of fate, My swimming teacher Matt showed up again!

The park was fun. Mom also got me some postcards.

www.lakewinnie.com

Tennessee Photobug

What's Happening Today

TODAY-We're going to a amusement park soon.

We have company now. It's Mom's sister and her family. Her son Jared and I have been playing "Hide and Seek" and he made a super-duper LEGO plane. It's been a lot of fun. Our company came last Wednesday, and are here until this coming Tuesday.

This is the same sister we saw in Michigan. See a photo of them in the article "Vacation Photos #3".

Guess I better go now,

Tennessee Photobug.

P.S.-Please check out my NEW Bible blog at www.thebibleiscool.blogspot.com!

Helicopters and Fire Trucks

Yesterday Mom and I went to the Duck Pond to see a helicopter.

The helicopter wasn't there yet, but there was a fire truck. I was taking pictures, and who walks out of the truck but my former swim teacher Matt!!! ;) It's a small world. It was fun seeing him, and Matt showed me in the truck. It was fun.

I learned about the Tri-Community Volunteer Fire Department. (TCVFD)It was founded in 1952 when the towns of Collegedale, Ooltewah, and Apison wanted a fire department. The TCVFD also serves the hamlet of East Brained too.

Finally, the helicopter came. It seemed to pose exactly right for me!! I got several nice shots. I even got to sit in the helicopter. My sister did, too. The helicopter was doing a practice or something with the fire truck. It was a lot of fun.

I hope the helicopter comes again soon.

Pictures, Top to Bottom:
1) Fire Truck #44.
2)My swim teacher Matt.
3)The helicopter.
4)Alison in the helicopter.
5)Quack, quack, here. Quack, quack, there. Funny ducks!!!

Tennessee Photobug

Vacation Photos #3

Still more photos of my trip!!
My grandparents and my family went over to visit my aunt and uncle in Berrien Springs, MI.

Top to Bottom:
1)My cousin Jared and I playing Rokenbok. Photo by my father.
2)My cousin Jared.
3)My mother and her sister.
4)My aunt, uncle and family. (who's coming to our house today!!)
5)A woodchuck. Photo by my mother.

That's all the pictures of my vacation, though I have many more photos of The Henry Ford. I will post those later.
I took some pictures of a hellicoper today-I'll post those later too.

Tennessee Photobug.

Vacation Photos #2

More photos of my Michigan Vacation.

Top to Bottom:
1)Grandpa and I in his reproduction 1935 Auburn car. He drives this car around.
2)Grandpa and me-best friends! It is a LOT of fun to be with Grandpa.
3)Vroom, vroom! Grandpa's Auburn.
4)One of Grandma's pretty yellow roses.
5)Grandpa and Grandma.

More photos coming!

Vacation Photos #1

THE PICTURES ARE HERE!!!!!!!!!!!! YEAAAA!!!!!!
After much delay, my Michigan Vacation Photos are here!!! Enjoy this pictural version of my trip.

Top to Bottom:
1)Grandpa and Alison riding the tractor.
2)Tractor riding is fun!
3)Grandpa and Alison walking down the driveway.
4)Playing with the neighbor's cat is LOTS of fun!!!
5)Lauren looking attentivly at a squirrel or something.

More photos coming!

Homeward Bound!

We are leaving Michigan tomorrow, so I wanted to post one last time.
Let me give you an overview of my past weekend.

Friday-Grandpa, Dad and I went to "the Henry Ford". To those of you who asked, I DID see everything I hadn't seen the other 2 days I went there.
We went did Greenfield Village in the morning, and Henry Ford Museum in the afternoon.
I took 265 photos, and that's not including the other days we went to "the Henry Ford". The other days I probably took 300-400 photos together. With two previous years of taking photos at "the Henry Ford", I have well over 1000 photos to make my PowerPoint!!

Sabbath & Sunday-We drove over to Berrien Springs, MI to see my aunt, uncle, and cousins. It was fun. We slept there overnight, and left my aunt and uncle's place at about 11:30. We arrived here at my grandparent's a little after 3:00.

Everyone is packing now, as we are leaving at about 6:00am tomorrow morning. Hopefully we should be home in Tennessee at about 6:00pm.

I wasn't able to find a way to post photos on vacation, but the first chance I get to post at home I will post LOTS of photos!!
Prepare yourself to be bombarded with TONS of Vacation photos!!

That's all!
See you in Tennessee!

Tennessee Photobug

Frankenmuth!

Today all of us went to Frankenmuth, Michigan. It is in Saginaw County.

I have always thought that "Frankenmuth" was an interesting name. Mom and I searched the Internet and came up with this handy blurb:

"The German word "Franken" represents the Province of Franconia in the Kingdom of Bavaria, and the German word "Mut" means courage, thus the city name Frankenmuth means "courage of the Franconians"."
~from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frankenmuth

Frankenmuth was very fun. We got there about 10:30 or so, and went to Bronners,
"the World's Largest Christmas Store". Bronners is fun. Grandpa got me some postcards.

Then we went to Zehnders, a restaurant in Frankenmuth.
There we met and ate with a great-uncle and two great-aunts of mine. It was fun.

After lunch, Grandpa, I, and "Uncle Steve" went to Rau's Country Store.
Rau's Country Store is a really neat store. Grandpa offered to buy me a something, and after much debating I chose a "Route 66" sign.

Then we parted ways with my relatives and we headed home to Grandpa and Grandma's. It was a very fun day going to Frankenmuth and I hope we can go there again in future trips.

Tennessee Photobug :)

Greenfield Village-time #2!

Yesterday we DID go to Greenfield Village! Thankfully it WASN'T raining!
Everyone but Grandma went.
Grandpa bought for everyone a "Ride Pass", which means you have free admission ALL day on ALL the rides. That was definitely the way to go.

Greenfield Village has many fun rides.
They have a steam train ride, motor bus, horse-drawn carriage, carousel, and replica Model T rides.
All of us went on as many rides as we could.

First, we rode on a train pulled by an steam engine. It is named "Edison", after the great inventor Thomas Alva Edison.
Then we all rode on the Model T rides.
This was the first time I had ridden in a model T. Even though these cars are replicas, they are authentic. I now that at least 4 out of the Village's 15 Model T's are made from the original blueprints.

We wandered around before eating our delicious picnic lunch.
After lunch, we rode the carousel. It was fun. The carousel is the big thing for my sister. We came to Greenfield Village last year and she rode it. And even know she still remembers the merry-go-round!
The carousel was built in 1913 by the Herschell-Spillman Co. Unlike many carousels which only have horses, this one features tigers, pigs, and even a frog dressed in human clothes! It was LOTS of fun.

My ride total was this:
4 times on carousel
2 times on train, and
2 times on Model T's!
Unfortunately, I wasn't able to go on the motor bus or horse-drawn carriage. But Mom, Dad, Alison and Lauren did.
We figured it out if the ride pass was worth it. It was. The pass is $10, and my riding was well over that.

We also did some other things. We saw a play on the Wright Bros., and one about "The Disagreeable Customer".
Its about a "Mrs. Cleavland" who comes into the general store but buys almost nothing and nothing by cash. It's very entertaining.

Grandpa and I went though Edison's lab, and I was able to record on an 129 year-old phonograph! It was much fun.

And, and, and.....I know. I'll stop. It's just that this place has SO much history and is SO much fun....
You know, I'm beginning to realize that 2 days at "the Henry Ford" is not enough. I just haven't seen EVERYTHING...Guess what?
Grandpa and I are going back a 3rd time later this week!
YEAAAAAAA!!! WHAA-HHOOOOOOOOOOO! YEEE-HAAAAA!!!

P.S. Here's "the Henry Ford"'s website:
www.TheHenryFord.org

Will post later. (Pictures coming soon!)

A very happy Tennessee Photobug!!

Henry Ford Museum!

Today we went to "the Henry Ford", meaning Greenfield Village, etc.

Since it was raining, we went to Henry Ford Museum first.
We looked a different rock stars' cars, the chair our past president A. Lincoln was assassinated in, and many other artifacts.
We saw the Rosa Parks Bus, and there even was a place where you could go into an antique car and get your picture taken. It was fun!
We even saw something called a "Goldenrod", which is a rocket car that went over 400 miles per hour! The "Goldenrod" (at 409 mph) has the record for something on wheels.

In the afternoon we went to Greenfield Village. Thankfully, it had stopped raining. Alison rode the merry-go-round, and I took some pictures.
We took part of a class that happened in a school where Henry Ford went to.
The class "happened" in 1871.
We also saw a play on the music composer G. Gershwin.
We went to the gift store and I got a biography on the Wright Brothers. It is very good, but in-depth. Grandpa bought me some postcards.
Unfortunately, I wasn't able to see everything. But good news! We're going again tomorrow!!! YEA!! Tomorrow shouldn't be raining.

I just hope I can sleep though tonight!!
More later,
Tennessee Photobug

Check out this website!

http://www.birdsandblooms.com/photos.aspx
GORGEOUS photos! Birds, Blooms, Butterflies!

I'm in Michigan!

Yes! I'm in Michigan! Everything is going well.
Yesterday we drove up-taking exactly 11 hours, 15 minutes!
This morning Grandma, Mom, Dad, and Alison went shopping. I stayed hone with Grandpa and then we browsed at some stores.
I've been taking pictures, but I don't have the time to post them now. Sunday we are going to Greenfield Village.
Will post later,
Tennessee Photobug (who's now in Michigan!)