Bug turns 11 on the train!

Since we were going to be on the train on her actual birthday, we had cake with her dad before we left town. Since she LOVES Harry Potter, it only seemed right to make her a cake that looked like Harry's 11th birthday cake. 

She also got some books about Tuva and Richard Feynman...just what all 11-year-olds want, right?!  ;)

Here we are, waiting at the station.

Until just before we boarded the train, Bug thought that we were riding in coach. I surprised her with a roomette. Here's what she thought of that.

I took Bug to WA for her 11th birthday. 

Here we are, waiting at the station. 

 As we were boarding, I surprised Bug with the news that we had a roomette. Here's what she thought of that.

Having a bedtime snack in her upper bunk.

In the dining car, Chris helped me to surprise Bug with a birthday present. He also got everyone at breakfast to sing to her.

She got Quidditch robes and goggles!

These two were in the same sleeping car as we were. They're from England and the one on the left had recently visited the Harry Potter studio near London. She showed Bug her photos from there. They joined us for Bug's birthday breakfast. Thanks! 

We're still here....

Wow..how is it that I haven't blogged since Christmas?! Busy, I guess.

Bug is still working on her Chinese, though is trying to learn a bit of Tuvan as we're going to see Alash Ensemble in a couple of weeks. They are Tuvan throat singers. She REALLY wants to see Kongar-ol Ondar, but since he taught 2 of the guys in Alash Ensemble, she's pretty excited to see them. She's been really interested in this music since she saw the documentary Ghengis Blues.

She's still thoroughly absorbed in Hogwarts/Harry Potter/Gryffindor. We surprised her with this hoodie the other day.

Happy Halloween!

 Since Bug currently loves all things Harry Potter, it seemed obvious that she would be Hermione Granger for Halloween. She already had a hand-knit Gryffindor bag (see blog post about our trip to Portland). I ordered her a Gryffindor robe and a gray, pleated school skirt. We found the right shoes and some tights (it's cold here). Amazon came to the rescue with the perfect tie. I found a time turner at Barnes & Noble....then came the knitting. I made a house sweater for her. She LOVES it! I also made a Gryffindor hat. As we got closer to the first of the local Halloween events, I realized that it was going to be pretty cold out that night, so I quickly made a pair of mittens, too. I think that she looks pretty good, don't you?

Train ride to Portland OR

 We just got back from a family vacation to Portland OR. We rode Amtrak's Empire Builder (as we always do) and had a fantastic time (on the train AND in Portland). This post is just about the ride to Portland. We were riding coach for the first time in a while. We didn't sleep well, HOWEVER, it was the quietest coach car I have EVER been in.

 Here is Bug at the station on Friday (21st), waiting for the train to arrive.

A few hours later, she was out cold. OK. Maybe 1 of us slept pretty well. ;)

 

Bug has discovered Harry Potter recently and loves all things Gryffindor. On Saturday I gave her this shirt after breakfast. I think that she likes it.

The biggest surprise came a while later. I had knit a Gryffindor bag and filled it with Harry Potter goodies. I was going to give it to her, but then had a better idea. I talked with Steve, our car attendant, and he agreed to deliver it after the next stop. Here's a video of the delivery: 

Gryffindor bag surprise

She got a lot of different items.

This book was a big hit. 

She looks excited....what could it be?!?

A WAND! (you can make your own...here are the directions)

Time for a bit of hot chocolate. 

And some music....Harry & the Potters, of course. Thank you, Deaf Ear Records!

The chocolate frogs were good, it seems. 

Mmmm....lunch time!

Joyce brought us our lunch and talked about dragons (which is what Bug is holding over Joyce's head). 

Time for a little bit of knitting. She's trying to make a Gryffindor (of course) scarf for Hobbes, the one-eyed lion. 

 

Here she is, enjoying Quiddich Through the Ages. 

 Here she is with Steve. As he was moving in for the photo and reaching his arm out around Bug's shoulder he was saying "I don't usually do photos...."

 Portland!

Back to school....Hogwarts-style!

 Our new homeschool year started on Monday...at the library. Bug's dad wasn't feeling his best, so he stayed home from work. I decided that we'd give him some peace & quiet, so Bug & I had our first day of "school" at the library. It was fun.

We had root-beer floats after lunch today, then Bug headed to her room. As she entered, she was greeted by Hedwig who was holding a letter.

 It turned out to be a "Welcome to Herbology Class" letter. Bug was excited. :) Notice the Gryffindor banner on the window. She was so happy to see that hanging there on Monday.

You see, over the summer, Bug discovered Harry Potter. She'd been aware of him & the books for several years, but didn't want to read them. She's now read 1-4. I asked her if she'd like to incorporate some of that into our school work. She said "YES!". So...she's got herbology class. She'll also be researching and writing reports on various creatures and we'll have some fun with potions. I've got some other surprises in store for her, but you'll have to wait for those.