A Visit to Not Back To School Camp

Today we went to the Not Back to School Camp, where I visited with some friends, including my sweet friend, Grace Llewellyn, author of "The Teenage Liberation Handbook: How to Quit School and Get a Real Life and Education", and camp director. Grace invited us for a visit to check the camp out and spend some time together. It was so much fun and Devin gained some insight of what camp will be like when he attends next year.

Here is a video about Not Back to School Camp -NBTSC - Enjoy!

Not Back to School Camp: A Glance Within from Allen Ellis on Vimeo.

Fairy House Tour 2011

We recently joined over 3,000 people at the Fairy House Tour in Portsmouth, New Hampshire! We built fairy houses and took part in all of the fun! It was a very special day that we will always remember.

Read more about the tour here.

Discovering Mount Washington

Orion, Ivy, my friend Susan's daughter, Lochlann, Tiff and Buddha

Our family recently took a trip to the top of Mt. Washington.

Some facts about Mt. Washington that we all learned about during our trip:

Topping out at 6,288 feet above sea level, Mount Washington, New Hampshire, located some 130 miles north of Boston, is the highest point in the northeastern United States.

* The Mount Washington Observatory has been staffed continuously since 1932, with the exception of a brief evacuation in February 2004 due to a fire.

* In April 1934, the observatory recorded a 231-mile-per-hour (372 kmh) wind that remains a world record for a land-based weather station. Some of the observatory buildings are secured to the summit with chains to keep them from blowing away. Temperatures atop the mountain can drop as low as -47 degrees Fahrenheit (-44 C)

* The average temperature on the summit is 26.5 degrees Fahrenheit (-3 C), winds average 35.3 miles per hour (56.8 kmh). The summit gets about 42 feet of snow per year, and typically sees snowfall every month of the year -- though it melts quickly in the summer.

* Summit staff work 12-hour shifts in eight-day cycles. Typically shifts change on Wednesday, although severe weather conditions sometimes force a change. They do not shower while working atop the mountain.

* On the clearest days, observers can see as far as Mount Marcy in New York State, 134 miles to the west

Heritage Happens!

Our family recently attended the Newmarket Heritage Festival in Newmarket, NH. It was an amazing experience to connect with and learn from so many other cultures that were all represented at the festival. Among some of the cultures celebrated were Eastern European, French Canadian, Japanese, Chinese and African. Over 50 vendors represent multiple heritages and a variety of artisans and performers including a blacksmith, 18th century printer, Indian dancers, Taiko drummers, and an accordion player.

The kids learned about printing in the old days, the Art of Chinese Lettering, woodworking before there was electricity, weaving with a loom and the even got to walk an Ox!

Barefoot Kids

Our kids never wear shoes unless they have to because we are going into a store or somewhere where shoes are required. They has always preferred being barefoot. We recently bought them minimalist shoes. They love them!

Doing activities barefoot brings a lot of advantages to the body’s flexibility and mobility. It allows you to exercise, stretch, relax, and strengthen muscles you normally don’t get to use when wearing shoes.

Doing things barefoot also improves range of motion in ankles, feet, and toes because of movements that are more natural and free. It also heightens body awareness since the body has the sense of being freer than being shod. Balance and motion agility are also developed because doing things barefoot further stimulates the neurons and nerves that are essential to lower body movement. And because there are no heels to torture the foot heel and the ankle, it enhances natural posture and the alignment of the spine.

According to some ancient philosophies, life-force energy called Chi (also called Qi or Prana) can be absorbed through the soles of the feet. Ground Chi is absorbed automatically and unconsciously when walking barefoot, which increases the amount of Chi absorbed by the body.

It's said that you can consciously learn to absorb more Chi from the ground as you walk to increase your vitality, your capacity to do more work and your ability to think more clearly. Now there's a reason for going barefoot more often if we ever heard one!

"Set your feet free and your mind will follow." Society for Barefoot Living