Nerdiest Group Ever.

Just kidding. But if I’d had a camera as we traveled today (seamlessly, might I add), I would have a passel of pictures of Brooks kids doing reading for English, history, doing problems for math … and inspiring my own kids to read when normally they’d be plugged into their IPods. Thank you for that, travel gods!!

Despite a hairily close connection in Miami, and absolutely because your kids are such natural travelers and seem to have gelled instantaneously into a cohesive group, we moved rapidly and purposefully where we needed to go. It was a beautiful travel ballet! (can you tell I’m tired?)

We are presently sitting in the Lodge at Caves Branch. The kids are ensconced in their cabanas – no power, no lights but oil lamps, and only screens between them and the jungle as night falls. Some are swinging in hammocks, some sipping fresh-squeezed juice, some splashing in the pool. We’ll meet back here at 6 for chips & salsa, with the buffet of local specialties opening at 6:30. There are no lights on the compound, and I’m not sure many of these kids have experienced a dark so deep.  I imagine they will crash early tonight, as they are tired and we have an 8:00 breakfast call and a day packed with adventures.

Everyone is well here. Aaron only bumped his head 6 times on low-hanging monitors on the first plane. A hungry skeeter found Blair the minute she hit the pavement, so she has an itchy red bump on her leg. Coley’s guitar made it and given the musical nature of this group I expect to hear melodious strains coming from the bunkhouse.  Cat was admiring the fauna and found a Tiger Ginger, native to Thailand – just like she is!

There’s a guest computer but it’s slow and in demand … if you don’t hear from your kids, don’t take it to mean anything other than, “I’ve gone in search of the botanical jungle…”

I’ll get some good pictures tomorrow and load them up in the evening.