On Saturday 31st October we went to the Fall Festival at the girls' school. It was an impressive event. In the afternoon we were invited to a Halloween Street Party over in a friend's neighbourhood. We had a great time and can say that Halloween here was a fun, family friendly and safe event, nothing scary or sinister anywhere. Claudia's recent homework project was to choose a book, write a book review and then decorate a pumpkin as a character from a book. On Sunday we decided to venture outdoors again after the success of the previous afternoon so we drove half an hour to the nearest State Park. On Saturday afternoon we drove 20 minutes to another park along the Chattahoochee River. Sope Creek was beautiful and we'll be going back to explore more trails there. After much form filling and fee paying (but no exams thankfully!) I finally got a Georgian teaching license this week. It means I can teach in any public elementary school in the state. I could already apply to work in private schools but this gives me many more options. I'm still waiting for a work permit though.
On Sunday 18th October we visited Kennesaw Mountain, site of civil war battles in 1864. There is a lot to see, explore and learn here so we will definitely be going back again, since it's only 20 minutes drive away. We avoided the huge weekend crowds by taking a walk around the beautiful forest on an environmental trail.
On Saturday 17th October, Claudia went to a SPAty for a friend's 8th birthday at the Diamond Girlz Salon and Day Spa. This salon is purely for girls to be pampered and have parties. Another new and interesting cultural experience, only to be had in the USA...
On Sunday 11th October we visited Tallulah Gorge State Park, which is in North Georgia. The spectacular gorge has waterfalls, hiking trails around the rim and a dramatic suspension bridge with steps down into the gorge. The gorge is famous locally because in 1970 a circus performer, Karl Wallenda, crossed the gorge on a tight-rope. We wanted to try out a different feature of weebly so here's a slideshow of our photos... On Saturday 10th October we visited Zoo Atlanta. We were excited to go there because Atlanta is one of the few zoos in the world to successfully breed giant pandas and they currently have four! It was an overcast day, a mere 18 degrees celsius, so the crowds stayed away and there were no queues anywhere. Zoo Atlanta was labeled as one of the worst zoos in America in the 1980's and campaigners wanted it shut down. However, huge private investment and vision to become a conservation organization has transformed it into a leading zoo in the USA. It currently successfully takes care of (and breeds) more than 60 endangered species. The 'Willie B.' memorial statue. He is the zoo's original mascot and lived at the zoo for 39 years. Sadly, the first 27 years were spent in isolation with only a tire swing and TV. Unbelievable! The zoo currently has 19 gorillas, many descended from Willie B. and they work closely with the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund on conservation projects. The girls have been enjoying Fall Break - a five day weekend - which ends today, Monday 12th October. We didn't go away but had plenty of fun at home and enjoyed two fantastic day trips. The girls can't wait to get back to school though!! |
AuthorsSusan, Jonathan, Kerstin & Claudia Archives
September 2017
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