Category Archives: Andrew

Andrew, Photo

Red Fox

1 Comment

Spotted a red fox under the apple tree in the back yard this morning. At first I thought it was a large cat, but then it turned its face toward the window. Definitely a fox. Looked very much like the one in the picture below, but I did not catch it on my camera. (This picture is from the internet.)

We suspect that the fox was interested in the birds around our bird feeders. (We recently added a few bird feeders out near the apple tree.)

Other recent wildlife updates:

  • There are active moles tunneling under the yard in various areas.
  • Plenty of hawks and bald eagles who, along with the owls, are probably snacking on the moles.
  • On the evening of Halloween, I was startled by a huge stag crossing the street in front of our house. It was the biggest animal I had seen in the wild in a long time.
  • Turkeys continue to march around the yard a few times each day. They have been managing to flap up into the crab apple trees to eat the little apples.
  • Piper was recently excited to discover the remains of a deer by the trail.

See also two earlier posts: Battle Creek Wildlife and Wildlife Update.

Andrew, Photo

Return to an Old Hobby

1 Comment

After a nearly 20-year hiatus, I bought myself some paints and set up a table in the basement for painting miniatures. For those not in the know, these are the little figurines that are often featured in tabletop role-playing games.

I got my first box of minis in sixth or seventh grade. They were made of lead back then and I painted with oils and turpentine. The hobby has come a long way since then. Minis are made of safe metals, plastic, or resin. A plethora of acrylic (water-based) paints are available now, and YouTube, of course, features endless hours of tutorials.

My first two minis are somewhat random. A camel that I started in 2001 but never finished. And a disgusting giant rat. (I’m rusty, so I wanted a model that would be tolerant of errors.)

Painting table, new magnifier lamp, and the giant rat before painting.
Finished rat.
Loaded camel. Still need to do a few touch-ups, finish the base, and remove from the craft stick.
Andrew, Griffin, Teaching

Teacher-Parent Joy

1 Comment

On Friday, I had to give a series of short presentations about the middle school GSA to students in every advisory in the building. I was with my two wonderful colleagues, Kate and Vito, who have been co-leading the group with me for the past few years. Over the course of 90 minutes, we gave the presentation to a dozen different groups of students. We tried to keep it high energy, so we were running a bit ragged by the end of it. One of the last groups, however, made my day.

As we wrapped up our presentation, a girl called out, “Mr. Roy, are you Griffin’s dad?” I said, “Yes I am. Why do you ask?” She responded, “He is the nicest person I have ever met!” At which point, a bunch of other students chimed in in agreement.

This wasn’t surprising in the sense that I feared that Griffin wasn’t nice—my sense has always been that he is uncommonly kind—but it is rare for seventh graders to put themselves out there to compliment a classmate so publicly. Moreover, it helped quell any lingering anxiety about how he is settling into his new school.

Way to make an entrance, Griffin!

Andrew

Wildlife Update

2 Comments

We continue to hear the barred owl almost every day. It’s quite vocal! I spotted it a few evenings ago, perched on a phone line. It was bigger than I expected. We’re hoping to catch a glimpse with a bit more light.

Piper and I saw a muskrat crossing the trail while running this morning.

I don’t remember if we included snakes on the previous list, but garter snakes are quite common. Saw a rather large one right outside the back door a few days ago.

Andrew, Teaching, Video

Courage Retreat

1 Comment

Every fall, my school hires Youth Frontiers to conduct a day-long activity for our eighth graders called the Courage Retreat. I was skeptical about it the first time we ran it in 2010, but they won me over because they were able to win the students over.

This morning, while discussing the retreat with some new faculty members, one of my colleagues discovered a video on the Youth Frontiers site that features our school. These were our eighth graders three years ago, so they are in eleventh grade now. It was a great class.

The video is obviously an advertisement, but it warms my heart nevertheless. I thought some of you might enjoy catching a glimpse of one of the many things we do at SPA. Sharp eyes can even spot me in the background in a few shots.

In case the YouTube link above ever goes defunct, I made a personal copy of the video that should work in perpetuity below. (My guess is that YouTube’s streaming protocols are far more efficient, though, so I would watch the above copy as long as it is working.)

Andrew, Griffin, Maggie, Oliver, Photo, Sarah

Roy Virtual Gathering

Leave a comment

I found this screenshot while cleaning up my computer today. It’s from a Roy virtual get-together on March 14, 2021. Some of us were having fun with virtual backgrounds.

It’s odd to think that in the five+ months since this shot was taken, two of the three Roy-boy families have moved into new homes.

Andrew

A New Demographic

1 Comment

I received an envelope yesterday at my new address with a tasteful botanical design. Upon opening it I found a similarly attractive brochure for a “conservation memorial forest” where I can book a spot to spread my ashes beneath a tree to be visited in perpetuity by my loved ones.

It’s the first time I’ve received an advertisement for what to do when I kick the bucket.

Andrew, Griffin, Maggie, Oliver, Photo, Sarah

Du Nord 2021

Leave a comment

We spent the final week of July at Camp Du Nord family camp. This was our third trip, and we all agreed that it was our favorite one. The weather was fantastic, despite the wildfire smoke, and the kids were at good ages to maximize their fun. Oliver had no separation anxieties when he joined his age-group for morning activities, often scampering off to get there early before Sarah and I were ready.

Some highlights of the trip included:

  • Polar bear plunge — we woke up every morning to run into the lake with a bunch of other howling campers. The kids were extremely excited about this.
  • Seeing the kids being increasingly independent and excited about being outdoors.
  • Inkle weaving and making friendship bracelets.
  • Numerous hikes on the North Arm trails. This area is on a triple continental divide. Depending on where you hike, water may flow north to Hudson Bay, east to the Great Lakes and Saint Lawrence River, or south to the Mississippi.
  • Canoeing in a 25-foot replica of a Voyageur canoe.
  • Playing a spooky role-playing game adventure on our screen porch during a thunderstorm.
  • Intense Yahtzee and Farkle games.
  • Ice cream at the camp store.
  • Seeing our friends, the Browns, as well as a number of Andrew’s former students (some of whom are Du Nord staff now).
  • Watching Oliver scamper over the “Goat Trail” at high speed.
  • Swimming in the cool lake after spending time in the sauna.
  • Finding the fabled “Bonzo Block” on our last day. (It’s hidden somewhere in camp with a cryptic clue released every morning.)

The only bummer about the trip was the smoke in the air from the Canadian wildfires. It was pretty intense, often making the sun and moon appear orange or red.

We also had some insane red squirrels who would drop pine cones on our cabin every morning at around 6:00. They sounded like gunshots as they ricocheted off the steel roof!