Weekly Wrap Up 1/10/20-- What we did over Christmas break

Happy New Year! The year is already going so fast that I forgot to post last week, lol.  Actually I was still on Christmas break.  We didn't start back until this Monday and we have hit the road at full speed ahead.

The weather was amazing these last two weeks, temps in the high 60's and we took advantage of it

took the dog for a walk

spotted an Bald eagle fishing at the local pond

 

 

 

 

 

The day after Christmas we took the kids to see the Trans Serbian Orchestra.  It was an amazing show.  Lots of lights and pyrotechnics.   The kids want to go next year. 

When the Tesla Coil went up the whole audience was transfixed, including my family

IF they come to your town it was a fantastic show and I highly recommend going:)

I met up with some friends and explored a few new places.  I attended a museum exhibit at one of the local colleges on the Chinese artist Al WeiWei.  I didn't know much about him but my friend had lived in China and knew quite a bit about this artist.

He is very controversial in China and has been placed under house arrest several times and the Chinese government recently destroyed his art studio.  He is known for taking very ancient pieces of art from the Ming and Qing dynasties and making some sort of statement about it. 

Three legged table--is made without nails following tradition joinery techniques.  It is making a statement that due to the radical reforms of the Cultural revolution (1966-1976) these skills were threatened by China's participation in the global move toward mechanized production.

The artist began painting Coca Cola logo onto ancient vases he found in flea markets.  This vase is from the Han dynasty.

 

This pieces is called Grapes -- This sculpture features stools from the Qing dynasty

This was his studio before the Chinese government destroyed it due to the artist criticism of the government's lack of transparency.

The artist salvaged bricks and debris from his studio and reassembled the materials into a solid block in which he embedded an ornate Qing dynasty bed frame

Forever bicycle -- this pieces forms a monumental arch which visitors can walk thru.  Bicycles are affordable and widely available mode of transportation in China

another view of it

 I did a little bit of lesson planning.  I finally finished sorting though Firedrake's 10 year home school journey paperwork.  I sorted, threw away and consolidated all the paperwork and put it into one single box.  I tried to keep samples of her best work for every month of every year since we started this amazing home school journey.  Hard to believe it is almost over for her.  I plan on giving her this box once she graduates and then she can do with it what she wants.  Hopefully she will have fun looking though it one day and remember all the amazing things we did together.  I know I had fun looking through it all and it was very hard to get rid of things. 

 I met up with another friend at a new to me Tea house.  They had the most amazing Strawberry soup!!

 My husband I had a few dates.  We tried an Ethiopian restaurant, it was spicy but very good.

Lastly the family went to the new Star Wars Movie.  It was a busy but relaxing 2 weeks.  Now it is time to hit the books