I am a native of Northern Virginia, and a current resident of Loudoun County; as well as a real estate consultant.
Whether you currently live in Loudoun (affectionately referred to in my family as LoCo), or if you're considering moving to the area, I hope you'll enjoy the information you get here! For information on our local real estate market go to http://therealestatewhisperer.blogspot.com/
As part of the Childrens Performance Series, Kaleidoscope Theatre at Ida Lee, Rufus was our special guest this morning! Once a month, there is a different performer. My son and I try to go each month - it's special "Mommy-Devon" time; but this month, our friend Zavion joined us.
Rufus is a brown dog with a red nose. He's been homeless, hungry, cold and in the rain, for some time. He was looking for some food to eat and a place to stay when we met him. Then, out of the blue, SANTA arrived! But, Santa did not believe he was a dog, as Santa had never seen a dog with a red nose.
You see, Santa's dog is hot pink and has a purple nose, and so that is what Santa thinks ALL dogs should look like. To prove he is a dog, Rufus had to go to dog school, taught by a Banana! There, he learned important vocabulary like "ARF" "GRRR" and other such common dog language.
In the process, we had some fun with letter sounds, and rymthing words. In the end, Santa learned an important lesson... things that make us different make us special, and we're all different. Santa offered Rufus some food and a permanent home, and dubbed Rufus the "Red Nosed Rain Dog" telling him to go find other special dogs that are out in the cold and rain with no food and no home... and to bring them all to the North Pole to live with them as one big happy family!
It was a great story and we didn't feel bad about skipping preschool to go, since there were several good lessons in the story. The most important lesson of all: Our differences make us special.
At Ida Lee Recreation Center in Leesburg, the Town offers a children's performance series with shows just about each month. It is usually toward the end of the month, during the week, and from 10-11. Clearly, they are targeting preschoolers - but there is no real "age limit". My daughter (now 6) has made it to a few shows with us, but mostly I use this for a special event with my preschooler.
Shows vary each month. My son and I have seen children's musical groups and dancers, puppeteers and today there was a live animal encounter with Wildlife Ambassadors. Wildlife Ambassasdors was formerly known as Animal Ambassadors, but has changed it's name and is now a non-profit organization bringing animal shows to groups like libraries, schools and scout groups.
At today's show, we were introduced to:
Mowgli: An African Grey Parrot. These birds are found in the rainforest, far away... or in pet shops and zoos close by. We're told he talks, but it is more like a whisper, so only a few people heard him - and that wasn't me. In addition to talking, he apparently mimics all kinds of sounds, including cell phones. We learned that their claws are very strong, the speaker showed us that he can easily hang upside down from her fingers (or a tree branch in the wild). These birds use their claws like we use our hands - to hold things and even to bring their food to their beaks.
Diego: Diego is a Chinchilla. Chincillas are in the rat family... but they sure are cute, and their fur is highly desirable - it's among the softest fur in the animal kingdom. We learned chincillas act just like Tigger... and Tiggers like to bounce! In fact, bouncing is the first line of defense of a chinchilla - because they can bounce so high and so fast, it makes it hard for their predators to catch them. (I am secretly wondering if this is the kind of animal that labs were supposed to hunt, because they sure bounce a lot, too.)
Kelly: Kelly is a Fennec Fox, found in the North African dessert. Her fur is the color of sand, making it hard to find her in the wild. They are actually quite small and very pretty, but at least this one was a very timid animal - it was hard to keep the children quiet so she wouldn't tremble.
Ms. Tiggy: She's a Hedgehog. I had no idea just how cute those little things were! They have a prickly coat to fend off enemies.
Gus: I think it was Gus that we met.. he's a Oppossum (with a silent "o" - who ever heard of a silent "o"?) Oppossums are noctoral animals and do live in our area. One might even live in your yard or down the street. They might be found the night before trash pick up rumaging for food in your trash cans. If you catch them, at first they will hiss at you and show their teeth..... but if you don't run, they will become very frightened and play "possum"... roll over, close their eyes, open their mouths, their tongues will hang out and they will play dead - very convincingly. This animal is a marsupial, and at birth was only the size of a bee. Full grown, they are bigger than most cats.
The children enjoyed seeing the animals close up, although they were not allowed to touch the animals - probably because of the age of the children and the restrictions of Ida Lee. There were other donated items for the children to touch - an Ostrich egg, deer pelt, antler, and a horn, all these were donations to the organization and provide opportunities for children to touch without any risk. It was a great show!
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Next month's show is October 27th, and will feature "Monster Madness" by Bob Brown Puppets. Too bad we're going to miss it... it looks like we have to go to Disney World that day. I know, don't you feel bad for us? :-) But, if you're going to be in or around Leesburg, I encourage you to check out this show. It should be really fun.
The cost is $6 if you buy tickets in advance, $8 at the door.... and you pay only for the children, one chaperone is permitted for free with each child. Not a bad deal. Enjoy!
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Hysterical update: Tonight, I took my kids to my dad's for dinner. My dad is a great hunter. In his basement are many trophies. I showed them to my son, Devon (3 yrs old) who was modestly impressed - he'd seen them before. But, just as we started to walk up the stairs, Devon pointed to the old piano in the corner and started getting very excited "Look, Mommy! Look!"... I couldn't figure out why he was excited. "It's a flat animal just like at the puppet show today!" He was referring to an albino deer pelt draped over the piano... and comparing it to the deer pelt seen at the show today - look in the photo above on the right side of the table.
Again, let me assure you the show was a LIVE animal show, not a puppet show... but he doesn't really know what a puppet is, and he thinks every show we see there is a puppet show since that is what the first one was.
Ya gotta love kids! Wanna read more funny things my kids have said over the years? Check out: http://pleaseletmerememberthis.blogspot.com/
Have you heard? There's a new outdoor water park open on Ida Lee grounds in Leesburg. It's name, the A.V. Symington Aquatic Park, is in honor of the late philanthropist who donated $5million for the project. While admirable, I doubt that will ever be the common name, because it is so long. Most people are referring it to the Ida Lee water park.
This opening is particularly significant because of the ugly history with the last public outdoor pool in Leesburg. Decades ago, there was an outdoor pool, and when the Town was ordered to racially integrate; the town opted instead to fill in, and close the pool. It's a sad and shameful part of our history. But, it is all the more reason to celebrate the progress made in this town and in the world, since that time.
And, celebrate, we are! I am happy to report I observed people from many nationalities and races, all equally enjoying the pool, and with nary a thought to the past. I wondered if anyone there recognized the historical significance. When I looked around, all I saw was a community, playing and laughing and enjoying each other and the surroundings, together.
The park really does have a little something for everyone. No matter what type of water activities you like, I am certain you'll find something to catch your fancy.
There's a great "beach area" for the little ones. Although not a wave pool, the gradual slope allows for use by people of all sizes, and there are fountains along the edge enticing littles ones to play with the water.
There's a roped section of 10 to 12 inch depth, perfect for toddlers and preschoolers. They'll enjoy climbing on the whale, and sliding down the size appropriate water slides.
There are 7 slides throughout the park, and they vary in range from "baby slides" to significant body flumes and slides, including a couple reserved for people 6 years or older, and at least 48 inches tall.
There are lap lanes, and plenty of open swim area. There's a floating snake that the older kids flock to. They'll also find floating lilly pads to assist them with walking on the water. It looked like great fun, and I think next time I will try it.
There is plenty of seating, including places for the sun worshippers; and there are plenty of shaded places to sit (in the water or out) for those of us with fairer skin.
If you're chasing little ones like I was, you better put on double the sunscreen! As a red head, who hasn't been in the sun much this year, I definately look different today than before my visit. I used to be white with alburn hair. Now I am hot pink with strawberry blonde hair.
My personal favorite feature at the park is the 600 foot lazy river. Given the chance, I could lay there all day if they'd take those silly "dumping" features away - those are the features that poor water on you just as you are about to drift off to sleep. Perhaps keeping you awake is the point.
Compared to similar regional water parks, this one is a true value. Town residents get a little discount on passes, and more importantly, they get in an hour early to reserve their seats, a luxury I enjoyed greatly. On the day of our visit there were seats available throughout the day; and I was pleasantly surprised that it was not busier.
There's a concession stand offerring affordable lunch and snack options, although our family brought a picnic lunch for our trip. You can bring in your own food, just nothing from a restaurant.
Not only does the water park make for great family time, but the lifeguards call an adult only swim time for 15 minutes of every hour! And, based on the people watching I did, it seems it is even a pretty good place for a date!
Have a happy summer!
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For more information on AV Symington Aquatic Park, please visit:
Rufus is a brown dog with a red nose. He's been homeless, hungry, cold and in the rain, for some time. He was looking for some food to eat and a place to stay when we met him. Then, out of the blue, SANTA arrived! But, Santa did not believe he was a dog, as Santa had never seen a dog with a red nose. 
