Marin Tender Tracks Tues. Jan. 6. 2015 Day 29

Waning Gibbous Moon
Roys Redwoods

What a glorious, glorious first day back from holiday!!! Linsey was still on holiday tending to her niece and nephew so Lisa came again to be with us and help out.  The weather was cold and crisp yet alive and vibrant with the sky clear and blue.  All were happy and filled with stories and excitement. The bus started out to be a bit loud and some were not up for that.  I gently pulled over and brought out the small Golden Field Guide books. They had a good time with these and were able to settle a bit with there help.
When we got there I parked at the higher entrance that would enable us to go straight to our favorite play spot where a little sun was closer at hand if and when needed.  Off we went. They remembered exactly which way to go/which trail and as some were having a “Pee Party” others showed Lisa the way.
The boys instantly went to their home that they started to build on the very first day and played there until many said “WE’RE HUNGRY, Let’s have circle.”  So we got our circle in order, called everyone in and began.  Some new songs have come since it is Jan. One is counting the months, seasons and days of the week along with songs to “King Winter” and “Jackie Frost.”  Then it was time to celebrate Hana’s birth that took place in late Dec.
She was delighted with this and never got that the Birthday story was all about here until the very end where we sang her the Tender Tracks Birthday songs. She then received her gift and passed out the snack that she brought. All ate it with great delight too. Then, OFF TO PLAY!!!
They all wound up over near the “building site” and went to do what enthralled them the most.  Julian and Lisa went scouting out, Jai, Thea and Nico and I explored walking on fallen trees and discovering mushrooms and the Velia, Hana and Ariel played in the area moving in and out of what we were doing.  I discovered that the laying down tree had pecks in them in very distinct lines and I asked them if they found any that were going in the other direction. They then spent a lot of time noticing and trying to figure this mystery  out.  Velia, Jai, Thea, Nico and I wound up going further into the woods and found another shelter. There the four of us played for awhile building up the shelter. We finally went to see how everone else was and then, it was time for lunch.
Lisa wanted to find Sun and the rest wanted to go with her while Enzo, Julian and Theron were completely involved with their building.  Shortly after Lisa and the others went to the Sun spot  I heard “Wendolyn, COME, COME, COME!!!”
I went over and Nico had found a snake that was dead and looked like it had frozen in mid movement. AND, part of it was still in a hole in the ground.   Near that hole it was clearly eaten out a bit.   I called the other three and invivited them to eat with the others and check out this snake.  They came running and all of us where there with so many questions.  Who ate it? Why was it out here in the cold? When did it die? It still was a bit soft.  On and on went the questions. Finally after inspecting this for quite a while the question was, “Should we pull it out of the ground all the way, and if we do will  we it break?”  All wanted to but Theron.  It turns out that he thought if we pulled it out it might come back to life.  We reassured him that that could not happen and showed him why. He settled, I gently pulled so that it wouldn’t break apart, and I pulled, and pulled and pulled and pulled and at least 12 + inches came out.  It was REALLY long!!!  And oh yes, I had taken out one of my reptile laminates and during lunch the children were looking and looking at the pictures to see if they could identify the right color patterns from the pictures of the snakes.
When the snake was all the way out Lisa and I straightened it and then we moved it away from the naked Poison Oak plants.  Then half the children laid down next to it to see if it was longer then them. IT WAS!!! Some of the pictures are at the end of this blog.  They are not quite in order.  After you see Theron and Hana laying next to the elongated snake then comes the first one we saw, then where it’s body was in the hole. If you look closely you can see where it was eaten. What are your guesses as to what happened? The next one is of it’s length.
When we were finished with all of this, we went on a journey to “Find the Sun!!”  Though we were watching it throughout the day.  One of our big tracking questions  was, “How come the Sun shine keeps moving as we are sitting here?”  First it was shining on us and then it moved further and further away.  Our tracking and reading skills are getting more and more fine tuned!  We then went to find a meadow with sun so, we followed where the light was shining above the tree line. We found a trail and went up and up and up.  We then found soap root plants and plaintain.  We ate a bunch of that and kept looking and looking to see what it truly looked like so we could properly identify it.  We found a hill with lot’s of Winter Time Posion Oak in the trees. We of course did not play in that. We then found rocks to play and, LOTS OF HOLES in the ground.  Were snakes in there? Gophers?  How did they get here?  I showed them a lot of Vole runs in the grasses and the like. Some stayed with Lisa to bask in the Sun.
We were about to each draw pictures of the snake but alas it was time to go back so when we got in the bus I gave them each a piece of paper to draw on and that’s what they did all the way back.  A truly fun and happy day.