Back to School

Like everyone else we have started back to school. Although as homeschoolers we never really stop having school. We believe that learning takes place all of the time, not just when they are sitting at a desk.

We are trying some new things this year. One thing we are doing differently is dividing the subjects (half one day and half the next). This helps to give Tanek a break from all of the writing he has to do this year and we can concentrate better on the subjects we are working on that day.
Our homeschool group will be getting back together next week to start meeting regularly. We took the summer off so I think everyone is now ready to get going again. We have some great field trips planned for this year and I don't know who is more excited the kids or the adults. We plan to check out the U.S.S. Kidd, a plantation, the Louisiana Renaissance Faire and much more.

Here is to a fun and educational school year!

We See You

My friend AWG is going to love this story. The City of Alexandria has passed a new ordinance. Stores with Class B liquor licenses will now be required to have security cameras. If they don't comply the business could lose it's license and face civil penalties.

You can read the Newschannel 5 report here: http://www.kalb.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=KALB/MGArticle/ALB_BasicArticle&c=MGArticle&cid=1149190154586&path=%21frontpage

How long do you think it will be before every privately owned business will be required to have surveillance cameras? Things that make you go Hmmm.

My Cousin's Band

I recently found my cousin Jon on Myspace. (He's on the far right in the picture) While we don't live very far from each other we don't see each other much. He is about six years younger than me and the entire family doesn't get together very often. After finding him on myspace I got the chance to hear the music his band plays. You can hear some of the bands (Enemy Breed is their name) music here: http://www.myspace.com/enemybreed Also, they list when and where they will be playing.
Interesting sound. It's not what I usually listen to but I figured some of my friends might like to check them out.

Vote Libertarian!

Wednesday we traveled to Baton Rouge to qualify Libertarian candidates for offices that will be voted on in September and November.

Here is a list of our qualifying candidates:
Secretary of State - Rayburn Clipper
Commissioner of Insurance - S.B.A. Zaitoon
1st Congressional District - Peter Beary
2nd Congressional District - Gregory W. "Rhumbline" Kahn
3rd Congressional District - James Lee Blake, Jr.
5th Congressional District - Brent Sanders
6th Congressional District - Richard M. Fontanesi

All of these candidates represent smaller government and individual responsibility.
Pictured above: Libertarian Candidates

On the Bayou

On Monday we took the homeschool group to Kisatchie Bayou. The weather was beautiful until about 2:30 pm. Even though it was the middle of summer, in the woods, it was not nearly as hot as it was at home.
The kids swam and played in the water for hours. They played in the sand and rearranged some of the rocks to build a wall. They even found a funnel of water to ride down. I think they enjoyed the ride the most.
The men barbecued burgers and hot dogs for lunch. After eating the kids ran off their energy waiting for us to give the go ahead to be back in the water. Not long after returning to the river it started to sprinkle and we were just going to wait it out but the sprinkle turned into a deluge. We sat under an umbrella for about 30 minutes and then decided the rain was not going to let up and it was getting chilly so we headed out. Not long after heading down the road the weather cleared but it was 3:30 so we thought it would be best to continue home.
This is definitely a trip worth taking if you are in the area.
Pictured above: Tanek

After the Storm

Vinson and I went to New Orleans Monday to visit with the New Orleans Libertarians at their monthly meeting. The New Orleans Rep. Ray is doing a great job down there. The meeting was interesting and we saw many new faces.
Lee Horne let us stay overnight in his apartment in the French Quarter. We walked down Bourbon Street that night and were surprised at the lack of tourist. Many of the shops were open for business waiting for any passing tourist.
On Tuesday we ate beignets for breakfast and enjoyed the street musician. It was strange to walk in the French Quarter in the middle of summer and only pass a few people. We did some window shopping and I happened to look across the street at one point and saw Mitch Landrieu walking into a restaurant.
If you visit New Orleans anytime soon check out the store Wicked Orleans on Decatur Street. This was a very cool shop. They had some really interesting clothes and the shop owner was friendly. You can find them online at www.wickedorleans.com We will definitely stop by again.
We found a new museum. It is a museum about Hurricane Katrina and is free to the public. We walked around the small museum for a while and looked at the pictures of the flood they had posted around.
After lunch we decided to head back home. On the way out of New Orleans Vinson pointed out areas where they had worked to rescue people during the flood.
Unfortunately we forgot to bring a camera so next time we return to New Orleans I will be sure to pack the camera and share some photos with everyone.