Drying Out for a Day

Today we escaped the clutches of the water park for the Historic Triangle. Apparently, Tim worried that I was spending too much time volunteering to watch the baby nap (but really, someone has to and he and the elder boy actually enjoy the water slides whereas they leave me just slightly anxious - not sure if it's claustrophobia, latent childhood trauma brought on by teenagers who would clog up the tubes in the curve trying to make a big chain but also building up the chlorine smell and water level, or what - point being, if the elder boy requests me, I'll go down said slide with him, but if he doesn't care, I'd just as soon let Tim take that task.) Thus, he determined that we should spend a day doing something else on the theory that it was my vacation too.

I thought the Jamestown Settlement and Yorktown Victory Center might be enjoyed by the boys. (Well, the younger boy really couldn't care less, but the other two boys were who I had in mind.) So off we went.

We hit up Jamestown first. It was rather fun. I got several amusing photos of the Native American interpreters chasing the English interpreters' chickens out of their corn displays. I don't imagine those are the photos you're meant to take in Jamestown, but it was really rather funny. I tried to take a photo of the red haired, fair skinned "Indian" but couldn't manage the shot. Honestly, why was he not minding the muskets in the other side of the museum? Also - I thought it fascinating that political correctness has not reached Jamestown, apparently, as they frequently and all over called the Powhattan "Indians." I thought "Native American" was pretty well and truly settled at this point (and had been for years.) It had me asking if I could tell my child to sit "Indian style" after all, as "criss cross applesauce" makes me vomit into my mouth just a tad.

(Side thought: It just occurred to me that "Indian style" might actually be referring to India Indians with Yogis etc? No idea.)

Anyway, the ships were a hit (as expected), everything else much less so. The blacksmith did hold attention for a bit - he was welding two pieces of metal together and that was really a fascinating process to watch with the bellows and borax. There were a number of school groups around, and I suspect that added to the dislike some - my elder boy is not one for huge crowds.

One of the favorites (as you'd expect) on the ships were the cannon. Though, as the sea captain interpreter was quick to point out, they aren't cannon but something else. Falcons? Something like that. But good grief, who harps on a 5 year old about calling something that looks like a cannon a cannon? (And really, the man wasn't very nice about it. If he'd said something more like "I know it looks like a cannon, but you know what? They actually have a different name..." it would've been a lot less traumatic.)

We thought we'd grab lunch on the way from Jamestown to Yorktown. Ha! Ha - I tell you. There is no lunch to be had between Jamestown and Yorktown, unless you take advantage of the taverns in Colonial Williamsburg or the lone McDonalds that you pass up because surely, SURELY there'll be something else soon. No matter, we said to ourselves, we'll just get lunch at the cafe at the Victory Center. Ha! Ha again! There is no cafe there - which is of course all useful information when you're spurning the McD's and much less useful when you're then fated to decide between trail mix and Virginia peanuts at gift shop prices in order to make it through your explorations and back to the hotel.

Note to people of the world: Don't bother with the Yorktown Victory Center. At least, not with kids. They have a working farm - kind of. There's a farm (of sorts) but not so much with the working. There were more chickens, so that, at least, was interesting (why is the elder boy so enamored of chickens? I have no idea.) They did do an artillery demonstration at the encampment (i.e. row of tents with nothing inside them). That was interesting (and elder boy got to do to the demo of how to light the mortar fuse, so that was kind of fun.) But otherwise? Meh. Seriously meh.

So it was back to MAWL where elder boy and Tim did a round of mini-gold (deemed awesome by elder boy and meh by Tim) then we did an hour or so in the water (all four of us) before dinner, a MagiQuest rune, bowling, ice cream, and bed.

Fun, full day. With only one sunburn (Tim is now channeling his inner redneck.)