This Blog's History: Glanni Waterfall

In case you missed it last time, for This Friday in This Blog's History I point you back to the post I wrote on our visit to Glanni Waterfall in Iceland. A beautiful waterfall we had all to ourselves because it was raining and apparently we were the only ones willing to do the small hike in the rain!

Trip to Iceland Post #13: Glanni Waterfall

Facebook Book Challenge Day #5

On the fifth day of the Facebook Book Challenge, I posted a picture of "How To Tell If Your Cat Is Plotting To Kill You" by The Oatmeal. I love The Oatmeal comics! I could have chosen any The Oatmeal comic book, but I chose this one because I have a cat and I can relate to these comics. See the post from the other day on my cat dragging up paint rollers from the basement! Cats are cunning, sneaky, and yes, sometimes evil. :-) So this book was perfect for the Facebook Book Challenge.

Trip to Iceland Post #19: Gljufurarfoss

After visiting the beautiful waterfall, Seljalandsfoss, we walked a short 0.5-1.0 km hike to Gljufurarfoss, another beautiful, but less populated waterfall. Most of the people on the tour buses don't make the walk to this second waterfall due to time constraints, thus there are fewer people. It's also a bit difficult getting to this waterfall. It's not difficult walking on the main path that leads to the waterfall, but once you get to the waterfall, to really see it in full glory, you need to walk through part of a small river leading away from the waterfall. There are sets of rocks setup up making a path to walk along to keep your feet dry, but you have to have some balance and only one person at a time can walk along the path.

I made the walk along the path, but my wife and kids stayed behind. It's not a dangerous walk, but you'll be ankle deep in the water if you step or slip off the rocks. It takes a bit of balance and we were positive the kids were more than likely to soak their feet than not. Given it was the start of our day, we didn't want them to be miserable for several more hours. If this was the last stop of the day before heading back to our rental house, I would have been more inclined to allow them to go back.

Once back, the waterfall is amazing! The rushing sound of the falling water is intense and the mist from the spraying water provides an experience you will never forget! I encourage all to walk to this waterfall, but use your best judgement to decide whether it is worth it to walk back to fully see it. Again, not really dangerous, but more your comfort level if you end up stepping ankle deep in the water.

Our Silly Cat - Paint Rollers

Earlier this summer I shared that we moved from one house to another house a mile or two down the road. Moving brought a lot of work, including the painting of several rooms. Summer is only so long, and although I made quite a bit of progress, I didn't finish painting all rooms. I still have two bedrooms and two bathrooms to finish. Our cat, Newton, has decided it is now his life's mission to remind me I still have painting to complete. How does he remind me? Well, each day he goes downstairs and hauls up at least one paint roller and leaves it lying on the dining room floor.

Not helpful cat. Not helpful. LOL! What a silly cat!!!

Trip to Iceland Post #18: Seljalandsfoss

Our second to last full day in Iceland took us to Seljalandsfoss, a beautiful waterfall along the southern ring road highway (Highway 1). This is a popular waterfall so expect a near full parking lot with several tour buses. Despite the large crowd this waterfall is well worth the visit. You can walk up close and behind it, getting some amazing views and photo opportunities.

You WILL get wet at this waterfall so it is imperative you wear appropriate, water-proof clothing and shoes. If you wear the proper clothing, you will find this visit far more enjoyable.

After viewing this waterfall, take the time to walk about 0.5 km along a nice path to another beautiful waterfall, of which I'll explain in the next Iceland post.

This Blog's History: Facebook Book Challenge

In case you missed it last time, for This Friday in This Blog's History I point you back to the first post I wrote explaining the Facebook Book Challenge I recently completed. On the first day of the challenge I wrote about Demon Haunted World, written by the great Carl Sagan.

Facebook Book Challenge Day #1

Facebook Book Challenge Day #4

On the fourth day of the Facebook Book Challenge, I posted a picture of The Hobbit.

This is the book that opened my eyes to the world of fantasy books. Never before had I read a book in this genre until reading The Hobbit, and I've never stopped reading fantasy books. I've said this before on this blog, but fantasy and science fiction (and really all books) are often a much needed temporary escape from the problems of the real world.

I don't remember when I first read The Hobbit. Somewhere around junior high or early high school, and I'm not even sure how I came across it, but I am so glad I did. This book had a huge impact in my life as far as books go. It's a great gift idea if you're in need of one for a son, daughter, niece, nephew, or any other loved one.

Trip to Iceland Post #17: Reykjavik City Museum

If you enjoy Icelandic history, in addition to the Settlement Exhibition, check out the Reykjavik City Museum. It's free with your admission to the Settlement Exhibition, so we stopped in for a relatively quick visit. It is not a large museum, but it's packed with history, making it a very valuable 45-60 minutes of your time.

The museum focuses on the history of Reykjavik up through the mid-1900s. Again, this won't be a long visit but one you'll walk away from having learned something interesting! So check it out!

Facebook Book Challenge Day #3

There are so many books that have had a large impact in my life that it's hard to pick just seven for the seven day Facebook book challenge I recently completed. I see other people posting books and think to myself that I should have picked that book too! Oh well, I'll just have to start a 365 day Facebook book challenge! :-) For the third day of the challenge I chose the following book.

This is a recent book published after the first March for Science on Earth Day in 2017. In the current political climate in which science is constantly attacked and de-funded, this book is a great motivator that shows that people all across the world love science and the positive impact it has had on their lives. 

Growing up I never would have imagined my girls would grow up in a time when basic science facts were questioned by the government of a first world nation. I don't know the solution as to how we turn this around, but the answer is definitely not despair. It's easy to conclude there is no hope, but books such as "Science Not Silence" show that no matter what the government tries to do, they can't snuff out the love of science. Keep up the good fight and do your part by voting for politicians who support science!

Trip to Iceland Post #16: Settlement Exhibition

One of our stops on our day trip in Reykjavik, Iceland, was to the Settlement Exhibition. The Settlement Exhibition is an open exhibit of a Viking longhouse excavated in 2001. It is dated to the year 871 and is one of the oldest structures discovered in Iceland. Wow!

This is not a big museum, but it is very informative and kept both us and our kids interested for the full visit. I find Icelandic history very interesting and after our trip purchased a couple of books on the history of Iceland. It was a great experience to be able to tour this site in downtown Reykjavik. 

There is a fee to visit, of about $15 USD per adult. Kids under 17 are free and admission gets you into two other free museums in Reykjavik, so well worth the cost. There's a lot do do in Reykjavik, but if you're looking for some Icelandic history, definitely check out the Settlement Exhibition.

This Blog's History: Whale Watching in Iceland

In case you missed it when I posted it last month, for This Friday in This Blog's History, I re-share with you our experience of whale watching in Iceland. We had a fantastic time and saw many whales up close!

Whale Watching in Iceland

Camp Quest 2018

My eleven year old just returned from a week at Camp Quest and had an amazing time! She can't wait to go back next year. Hearing the stories she shares of her week at camp makes me jealous! I wish this camp existed when I was a kid and I wish there were an adult version of this camp!

What is Camp Quest? I'll pull the words straight from their website:

"Camp Quest provides an educational adventure shaped by fun, friends, and freethought, featuring science, natural wonder and humanist values."

For more information, I highly encourage you to check out their webpage. There are Camp Quest locations scattered across the United States.

Camp Quest

Last year I posted the following after my daughter returned from her first year at Camp Quest. I can't say enough good things about Camp Quest, so I'll just re-post what I wrote last year.

This past weekend we picked our 10 year old daughter up from her week long camping trip at CampQuest.  She had an absolute blast at this camp.  It was about a 2.5 hour drive home for us from the camp and she talked for most of this time about the different things she was able to do at camp.  When I asked her to rate her experience on a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being the best, she responded with:  "Oh!  WAAAAYYYY more than a 10!  I rate it a 100!"  That's how much she loved it!  She immediately said she wants to return next year!

So what is CampQuest?  The mission of CampQuest is best described by CampQuest's own vision/mission statement as:

"Camp Quest envisions a world in which children grow up exploring, thinking for themselves, connecting with their communities, and acting to make the most of life for themselves and others. Camp Quest provides an educational adventure shaped by fun, friends and freethought, featuring science, natural wonder and humanist values."

The website goes on to say:

"Camp Quest is a place for fun, friends, and freethought for kids ages 8-17. Our camps provide a traditional sleepaway summer camp experience with a wide range of activities including sports, crafts, games, swimming, and campfires. In addition to our traditional summer camp activities, Camp Quest offers educational activities focused on critical thinking, ethics, scientific inquiry, philosophy, and comparative religion.

Camp Quest is open to all children and teenagers within the accepted age range, but it is particularly geared towards building a community for children from atheist, agnostic, humanist and other freethinking families. Our goal is to provide a place where children can explore their developing worldviews, ask questions, and make friends in an environment that is supportive of critical thinking and skepticism."

Too often this has been described by religious groups as a camp that teaches immoral, godless lessons to children.  This is so far off base as to be labeled as beyond ridiculous.  CampQuest is not anti-religion in any way.  In fact, both when we dropped off and picked up our daughter, there was a table of free books that contained a great deal of religious materials across several religions.  There were science books, a few books questioning aspects of religion, but many books with a pro-religion stance, including several children's books of biblical stories.  CampQuest promotes critical thinking in ALL areas.  If CampQuest takes any stance on religion, it is that it is each individual's choice to be religious or not, and they encourage everyone to investigate for themselves the different religions of the world.  In fact, CampQuest's response to religion on their FAQ is:

ARE CAMPERS AT CAMP QUEST REQUIRED TO BE ATHEISTS? 

No. Campers at Camp Quest are encouraged to think for themselves and are not required to hold any particular view. We firmly believe that children should not be labeled with worldview labels by adults, and instead should be encouraged to ask questions and explore different worldviews as they grow. We do present atheism and humanism as valid and reasonable options for an ethical and fulfilling life.

WOULD A CHILD WHO BELIEVES IN GOD BE COMFORTABLE AT CAMP QUEST?

Yes. Campers at Camp Quest explore different worldviews, and many children have not yet formed their beliefs on the existence of God. Campers who believe in God may get a lot of interested questions from their fellow campers, but the camp environment fosters asking these questions in a spirit of dialogue and mutual respect. Campers who have expressed belief in God have had fun, made friends, and had a great Camp Quest experience.

I asked my daughter if the camp counselors ever discussed religion and her answer was no, the topic never came up.  I asked her if any of the other campers discussed religion and again she said no.  In other words, the campers were way too busy having fun with other activities to worry about who was religious and who wasn't religious!

Now that I've made it clear religion was not a part of this camp, what was part of this camp?  At CampQuest my daughter reported canoeing (full day!), archery, swimming at the onsite pool everyday, soccer, 9-square (similar to 4 square but with 9 people), Ga-Ga (common game at schools, please don't ask me how to play because I don't know!), campfires, s'mores, Socrates' Cafe, arts/crafts, and science.  Just hearing all of this I am super jealous I'm an adult and can't attend CampQuest as a camper!  Socrates' Cafe is a round table discussion in which campers come up with deep thinking questions and provide responses/solutions.  This is one of the activities at CampQuest that goes a long way in showing campers that everyone has different opinions on different issues but that it is important to respect differences in opinions, even if you don't agree with them.  

My daughter reported several science activities that were hands-on.  These included science experiments, as well as trips down to the on-site pond to observe and talk about nature.  My daughter was very big on this.  CampQuest had several activities going on at once so campers broke up into groups based on what they chose to do.  My daughter chose to do several of the science activities and skipped Scorates' Cafe a few of the days.  That's fine.  I can see Socrates' Cafe being a bit more challenging to the younger campers and more appealing to older campers.

Campers stayed in cabins divided by self-defined gender.  Girls' cabins were on one side of the camp and boys' cabins were on the other side.  My daughter's cabin had 5 campers and 3 counselors.  Each cabin had 3 counselors so there was plenty adult over-sight at this camp.  Each set of cabins had a separate shower facility.  Note I said self-defined gender above.  CampQuest is very LGBTQ friendly.  This camp is open to EVERYONE!  Well, anyone aged 8 to 17.  In fact, at the dining hall, there were signs over both of the bathroom doors, traditionally marked boys and girls.  One sign said "This is a bathroom."  The other sign on the second bathroom said "This is another bathroom."  I love this!  We focus far too much on gender in this country.  A bathroom is a bathroom.  As long as individual stalls are private, who cares who pees and poops in which bathroom!?!?!  

I honestly have no criticisms of CampQuest.  If I really thought about it, I suppose I could say that more pictures could have been posted to the private CampQuest families facebook page.  Pictures were posted on 3 or 4 days.  But the counselors are busy people during camp and downtime for them to post pictures is very limited!  Although there could have been more pictures, I was very pleased with their efforts to post some pictures and keep parents in the loop.  Communication prior to camp week was excellent as well.  There was a phone meeting for first time parents of campers prior to camp and there was a great deal of information sent out ahead of time to help prepare your camper for camp.

To conclude (okay, maybe not as I went another several paragraphs), this was an absolutely amazing experience for my daughter and one I have absolutely no regrets.  She really wants to go back next year.  She made some wonderful friends.  In fact, at pickup, I noticed several campers running around giving hugs to the friends they made and telling them they'll see them next year, prior to leaving.  At this point I'd say there's a 99% chance of my daughter returning next year.  I'll never say 100% as there are always things that could come up that prevent her from attending camp, but I do know this camp will be a scheduling priority for my daughter!

My 7 year old turns 8 next year and is eligible for camp as well.  Although she could go, I'd put the odds of her attending at 80/20 against.  At this point I really don't see her being ready to go away for a week, but you never know.  A few months can result in great changes for a growing child.  Unfortunately we don't have a full year to determine whether our youngest daughter will attend CampQuest next year.  Camp registration typically opens in January/February prior to the summer camps.  It all depends on camp location, but most of these camps fill up very quickly and have wait-lists.  The camp at the location we attended filled up and started a wait-list around March 2017.  I do know several of the kids on the wait-list made it, but it all depends on how many counselors a camp can secure and how many kids overall sign up.  My suggestion is to investigate CampQuest early, pay attention to the release of camp dates, starting in early January, and make a commitment early.  

For more information on camp locations, go here:

CampQuest Camp Locations

This site also lists the 2017 prices.  For a full week camp, prices range from $400-700.  Some locations have tiered pricing.  Some do not.  Some camps offer multiple weeks of camp.  Others offer just one week.  For a full week I feel the price to camp is very reasonable and on par with other week long camps.  There is financial assistance available for lower income families unable to afford the full cost of the camp.  CampQuest is also a growing camp.  It started out in 1996 with one week of camp at one location only.  It slowly grew over the next few years and then started to expand quickly, starting about 10 years ago.  I'm trying to remember the numbers presented to me when I dropped off my daughter, but I believe total camper numbers across the current 16 locations (spread across the U.S.) was around 1600 in 2015.  Numbers continue to go up, with projections of an increase in 100 campers each of the next few years.  

To conclude (for real this time!), my daughter loved CampQuest!  If you have any questions, please let me know through a comment.  We asked other parents of their experiences and this was a big help in deciding to allow our daughter to attend.  I am more than happy to share more of my experience or answer specific questions if you have them!

Incredibles 2

While my oldest daughter was away at camp, my youngest daughter and I hit up a matinee showing of Incredibles 2. My first thought was, wow, it's been 14 years since the original Incredibles came out?!?! Yep! It came out in 2004 and it's now 2018!

My 8 year old really enjoyed the movie but I have to admit I found it a bit boring, to the point where i nodded off for a few minutes in the middle. It's not a bad movie, but I just didn't find it exciting. It didn't seem very original and the plot of the kids saving the parents came off as far too predictable. Oh well, you can't love all movies. It's still a movie most kids will enjoy, as mine did. 

Trip to Iceland Post #15: Iceland in the World Cup

We spent our fifth full day in Iceland on a self-guided walking tour of Reykjavik, the capital city of Iceland. We happened to be there on the day Iceland played their third, and final game, in the World Cup. Iceland making the World Cup was shocking and their tie against Argentina in the first game was even more shocking. They lost to Nigeria in the second game, so advancing to the knock-out rounds was unlikely, but not impossible when game three started. They played Croatia (which made it all the way to the World Cup final before losing to France). Toward the end of the day and the start of the game, we made our way to the city square with thousands of other fans and watched the game outdoors on the screen.

Wow! What an experience! It took time away from our sight seeing, but it was definitely worth it. Experiencing a soccer game with thousands of other local fans was an experience hard to describe without actually being there. Iceland is not a soccer power house, so who knows if/when they'll ever make the World Cup again. We just happened to be there while they were playing and made the most of it. There were a lot of tourists there, but definitely a large portion of the group was Icelandic. Many of the shops closed early for the game so employees could watch.

Iceland ended up losing 2-1, but the game was close and exciting. There were a few Croatia fans in the crowd and I was deeply impressed when the Icelandic crowd turned toward those Croatia fans and clapped to them at the end of the game. Very classy and shows there is still some hope for true civility in this world. A far cry from the nonsense taking place in the U.S. right now. But I digress. Back to the main topic. Wow, what an experience! I wish I could tell you to do the same thing, but it could be decades, if ever, before the opportunity presents itself again.

Facebook Book Challenge Day #2

For day two of the Facebook Book Challenge I posted the cover to Eye of the World by Robert Jordan.

Eye of the World is the first book in the fantastic Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan. I started reading this series in college and was deeply saddened when Jordan passed away in 2007 before the completion of the series. Fortunately he worked with Brandon Sanderson and Sanderson wrote the last three books of the series using Jordan's notes. In total, the series is 14 books. Some say the series is far too slow moving during the middle books. I agree to some degree, but Jordan (and later Sanderson) was a brilliant writer in the fantasy genre.

Prior to reading Eye of the World, I hadn't read much in the fantasy genre. Sure, I had read the Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings series, but I wasn't big into fantasy. This book changed that and opened my eyes to a whole new world! A majority of the books on my bookshelf are fantasy and science fiction and I find these books a great escape from the real world and it's problems. We all need an escape at times to remain sane and fantasy books are my escape.

Obviously I encourage you to read Eye of the World and the whole Wheel of Time series. It does slow down some in the middle books, but it starts with a bang and OMG the final books are simply amazing! I've read Eye of the World three times and at some point in the future I will re-read this series. Robert Jordan and this series will always hold a special place in my heart. 

This Blog's History: Trip to Iceland Post #8: Kolugljufur Waterfall

In case you missed it last time, for This Friday in This Blog's History, I point you back to the post I wrote on our trip to the Kolugljufur waterfall. A beautiful waterfall that is well worth the visit, even if it takes a couple of hours to drive there!

Trip to Iceland Post #8: Kolugljufur Waterfall

The Lego Ninjago Movie

While our oldest was at Camp Quest, our youngest had her mom and dad all to herself, which she loved! One night we watched the Lego Batman movie and we enjoyed it so much we took a trip back to the public library and checked out the Lego Ninjago movie.

Of the three major Lego movies (Lego Movie, Batman Movie, Ninjago Movie), this was my least favorite, although it was still enjoyable. Similar to the other two, Ninjago had a message to it, which was to attempt to reconcile differences with family despite what may appear to be irreconcilable problems. Obviously the movie makes this appear easy as the problems were solved in about 90 minutes. Real life is very different and in some cases, differences truly are irreconcilable, but the movie pushes the message that attempts should be made. The effort, regardless of how difficult, should be attempted.

My daughter loved the movie. She loves Legos and loves all of the Lego movies. In fact, as I write this now, she is downstairs playing with Legos!

Trip to Iceland Post #14: Hallgrímskirkja

Our fifth full day in Iceland took us to Reykjavik, the capital city of Iceland. We parked the car and did our own walking tour and had a great time. Our first stop was Hallgrímskirkja, the large Lutheran church you can't miss. We are not a religious family, but churches such as this one are always interesting to view given their size and impressive architecture.

You can go in the church for free, but it will cost you a fee to travel to the top of the tower. I'm sure it's an impressive view at the top, but we skipped paying the fee. Iceland is an expensive place and we had already spent quite a bit by day 5 and knew we were spending far more in our remaining days. Something had to give to save the budget and a trip up this tower was the thing that gave. :-)

Outside the church is the Leifur Eiríksson statue which is a great photo opportunity spot. Leifur was the first European to arrive in America, far before Christopher Columbus.

Facebook Book Challenge Day #1

Recently one of my close friends sent me a challenge on Facebook. Normally I ignore all of these challenges. Too many of them are chain mail 'challenges' that hold no meaning or they are posts telling you to re-share if you agree or re-share/like if you love Jesus type of things. But this was a book challenge to post the cover of a book you loved, each day, for a period of seven days. Books hold a great meaning in my life and the power of books is something I always try to impress upon my kids. So I decided to take up the challenge and post a book each day for a week and nominate a new person each day to take up the challenge.  The challenge is the following:

For seven days, I will post the cover of a book that I love -- no review and no explanation -- and each day that I post, I will nominate a friend for the challenge and encourage them to go forth and do likewise. I was nominated by xxxxx.

Day One: I nominate xxxxx.

On day one I posted the cover of The Demon Haunted World by Carl Sagan.

I've read this book several times and it holds great significance in my life. Carl Sagan died while I was in high school, but reading his books was one of the big things that pushed me toward a career in the sciences. This particular book focuses on the pseudoscience prevalent in society and why people are convinced they know the truth when basic facts say otherwise. Sagan died 22 years ago, but his words are just as powerful today as they were then. 

My daughters are not quite old enough to read and really appreciate this book, but I'd say anyone in middle school and definitely high school can appreciate and learn from this book. It's a great gift idea!

Trip to Iceland Post #13: Glanni Waterfall

After touring the Grabrok Crater on our drive from northern to southern Iceland on our fourth full day in Iceland, we stopped to take a look at the Glanni waterfall. Glanni is located very close to Grabrok Crater. It's probably less than a 5 minute drive. The road in to Glanni stops at the clubhouse of a golf course, but it's a short, easy walk to the falls from there. Again, wear water proof outerwear as it can rain quite a bit in Iceland. It was raining when we visited Glanni, but we put on our water proof gear and enjoyed the walk to the falls.

Beautiful! There are many more impressive waterfalls in Iceland, so this one is not heavily populated with tourists. In fact, we were the only ones at the falls! We had it all to ourselves. I'm guessing the rain kept people away, but those who didn't visit due to the rain missed out on a beautiful waterfall.

Given the very close proximity to Grabrok Crater, it's very easy to visit the waterfall without taking too much time out of your day. Well worth the visit.

This Blog's History: Hvítserkur Rock Formation

In case you missed it last time, here's the post I wrote describing our trip to the Hvitserkur Rock Formation in Iceland. Very cool! This is a must-see if you find yourself visiting Iceland and traveling to the northern coast.

Hvitserkur Rock Formation

Trip to Iceland Post #12: Grabrok Crater

After four wonderful nights spent touring the northern coast of Iceland, we packed our car and headed south for the second part of the trip. We drove down the main Ring Road (highway 1) and stopped at few places along the way. One of our stops was Grabrok Crater, a crater formed by a volcano fissure eruption about 3,000 years ago. Wow, what a sight!!!

The view from the top is simply amazing! Definitely a must-see if you are driving along highway 1. The climb to the top is moderate, helped by man made stairs. Once you get to the top you can walk around the ring of the crater. I highly recommend doing this, but make sure you are wearing proper outerwear. It was raining when we went, so having water proof shoes, jacket, and pants are a must. It was also incredibly windy! I can't even describe how windy it was, but one of the windiest experiences I've ever had. Oh, and it started to hail on us for a bit which was, um, fun. :-) It was a short 2-3 minute hail and the hail pebbles were very small, but still not exactly fun. However, this didn't stop us from enjoying the walk around the crater and the amazing views of the countryside.

The Lego Batman Movie

Let me start this post out by saying that you don't watch the Lego Batman movie for the science. LOL! You watch it for the humor and important life message! My 11 year old was off at Camp Quest the other week so it was a good time to spend some quality time with my 8 year old. We managed to keep ourselves occupied for the week, filled with inside and outside activities, friends coming over, and just some down time to chill while I got some work done. One evening, after her taijutsu practice, we cuddled up on the couch and watched the Lego Batman movie.

One word: hilarious! I've watched the original The Lego Movie and it was a blast, but I'd never gotten around to watching the Batman spinoff. I'm sure most of the humor went above my 8 year old's head, but she had a great time watching it too. In addition to the humor, there's a great message that is sent to the audience, which is the importance of working together. We learn in the movie Batman can't do it all himself and hope to save the day. He must accept the help of others. It's a message that is very true in everyday life. I'm one who likes to solve problems on my own and sometimes it's a struggle to admit I need help. I think this is true for many of us and The Lego Batman movie brings forward this point in a very fun, humorous way.

If you're looking for a great movie to watch with your kids that both of you will find equally entertaining, The Lego Batman movie is your go to.