Author: Valerie
Strawberry Festival
Where: Old North Durham Park - 724 Foster Street - Behind Central Park School for Children
When: Saturday, 3 May 2008
Time: 11 A.M. to 5 P.M. - Rain or Shine
Free Admission - Music, Dance, Food and Games! (tickets available for purchase for food and games) - Save the date!
All Festival proceeds go toward improvements in the Old North Durham Park.
“All proceeds from the Strawberry Festival are used for design and construction of a child and family-friendly, adventure park in the Old North Durham Park in Downtown Durham.”
Author: Valerie
One more Y post. There are photos on the bulletin boards of a senior citizen cheerleader group based out of the Durham YMCA. Now that looks like fun. Stay active!
Author: Valerie
I missed the Wednesday bellydance class due to unforeseen circumstances of getting stuck on the couch too late, but luckily there are several other evening classes at the Y. I ended up trying out the tai chi class. It’s been 8+ years since I practice-practice-practice’d, and it shows. But the class was fun and upbeat, much like every single other activity I’ve tried there.
Author: Valerie
The girl had a fever this morning, and then we found a large tick, so we visited her new pediatrics office (Duke Children’s Primary Care on Pickett Road). It was one of those “squeeze you in” appointments, which typically means you should be ready to camp out. Ready we were, with plenty of books. We arrived 10 minutes before our appointment, checked in, and were called back to the weighing room before we could sit in the waiting room. After the nurse finished a 3-minute processing, we were led back to the little room, where again I expected to wait, but the doctor came in just as the nurse exited. Again, I didn’t even have a chance to sit down. After a quick but thorough checking and some advice, we were out the door on the way home.
This was a unique experience–speed is what you want with a cranky sick child.
By the way, this is what we were told: ticks expel the bug (bacteria?) that causes Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever after they get all fat with blood and then “eliminate” it into the bite area, usually about 48 hours after they settle in. So if you don’t have an engorged tick, you’re probably okay. But it takes 10-14 days for it to produce symptoms, so look for a red rash (though 10% of people don’t get a rash) and sore muscles 1-2 weeks after you remove the little guy.
Author: Valerie
I am getting caught up in all this election excitement. I can’t remember when NC mattered in the primaries!
Pick up your tickets for the Obama appearance at the Dean Dome in Chapel Hill on Monday evening at the old ball park today 9am-7pm, and other times:
Durham County
Obama table outside of the Old Durham Ball Park
Corporation and Morris Streets
Durham, NC
Tickets are available on a first come, first served basis during these hours:
Friday, April 25 — 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Saturday, April 26 — 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Sunday, April 27 — 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Monday, April 25 — 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Author: Valerie
We snuck into NCMLS right before the field trip crowds from Wake County and Chatham County starting piling in. Settled on our minimum $10 purchase (stomp rocket for a friend) and picked a kittie (oops, “striped alley cat”) Webkinz from the selection at the register.
We can take our little friends to Learning Express later this weekend (3-5pm Fri-Sun) for a party… “Dress up your Webkinz and bring them to our fun filled weekend. It’s a party and you and your Webkinz are invited. Games include Wacky Zingo, Marshmallow Mania, Quizzy’s Corner, and Webkinz Hyper Dash. We will also have free coloring handouts for take home activities. All events are free and limited to children ages 15 and under.”
What great silly fun.
Author: Valerie
As Ginny pointed out, Whole Foods no longer offers plastic bags. The default is paper bags, but they really want you to bring your own bag, with an incentive of 10 cents per bag. That rebate could pay for a nice Chico bag (available locally at the Museum of Life & Science Butterfly House shop for $4.95) in short order.
Also… and we haven’t been to the Durham Whole Foods in a little bit, so this may not be a very recent development… the whole crowded bread, olive bar, beer, and wine area is gone in favor of an expanded hot and cold prepared foods slash salad bar setup. We were on a milk & bread run this evening, but I look forward to exploring that soon.
Author: Valerie
Kids have a way of growing overnight. The boy found himself with a lack of shorts for the warmer weather, and I found myself uninspired by the current clothing trends, so we headed to Baby Bear on University Drive. Bingo! Also found a pair of water-friendly shoes for the creek and a Lego table.
Baby Bear is pretty packed with items, and you have to pick over things a little bit, but there’s good stuff in there. Sizes go up to 14. Excellent quality of gear. Toys, too.
They also do a good job of keeping things seasonal. There were, for instance, many bathing suits.
Author: Valerie
Kids, don’t forget to vote!
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WHAT: Voting Exhibit created by Central Park 5th Grade Students and hosted by Kids Voting Durham
WHEN: Tuesday, April 29, 2:30-4:30 PM
WHERE: Durham County Cooperative Extension
721 Foster St., across from Central Park School
WHO: Everyone’s invited! Please forward to others who may be interested!
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Adults, don’t forget to vote! Precinct Locator
Author: Valerie
That was the title of the album used in today’s Belly Dance class at the Y. To the question: What do you wear to belly dance class? The answer is: anything really, probably a long loose skirt and tank top works best. They give you a “coin” scarf belt to wear during class so when you shimmy you can hear it jangle.
Author: Valerie
We passed a man with a flaming torch running down University drive, and then not much later we saw he had made it down Chapel Hill Boulevard. Did not appear to be the Olympic torch, nor the Special Olympics Law Enforcement torch. He was alone, no relief van or other entourage. A glimpse of his t-shirt revealed it was the World ___ Run. Curious!
Here’s a blurry picture which doesn’t help a bit.
Author: Valerie
Oil change at Durham Tire today. They have wireless, you know, and a web cam to watch your car getting worked on. I must remember to watch my car online from the lobby sometime. Though I was hardly there long enough. They even replaced my two back tires, and as I told them, they are crazy fast. In at 8:50, out at 9:30, without an appointment even. I’ve waited longer at Jiffy Lube for only an oil change.
Author: Valerie
My wiper blades were cracked and broken, and just generally sad, after the long hot summer and long dry winter, and Mr. WeLoveDurham suggested that he had heard Advance Auto Parts had free installation. Field trip to Hillsborough Road! For under $15 and 15 minutes, we can see the whole road now.
Author: Valerie
I just finished watching (previously recorded) Durham: A Self-Portrait. I especially liked the interviews with senior citizens recounting their memories of historical moments. If you’ve missed the local showings and also this broadcast version, I see you can purchase a DVD copy here: http://southerndocumentaryfund.org/donate/
Author: Valerie
Left with a rare free Friday morning, we found a fun new place to play–the Family Center of Northern Durham. The house is located on the corner of Roxboro and Murray. Murray, as you may know, is the street that the Museum of Life and Science is on. The Family Center is at the other end, but ignore the East/West Murray signs, since they are not labeled in the typical way. Just go until you reach the end of Murray at Roxboro, and look for the small sign outside a bungalow on the right.
Inside, we found a large guinea pig enclosure, a play kitchen and store, book nook, blocks, play animals, puzzles, saltwater fish tank, and arts/crafts. There’s also a separate, gated baby area. All this, only $5 for 9:30 to 1:00. There are also planned activities and a bilingual (Spanish/English) preschool on other days.
