Crazy as in: Wild Weekend Misadventures in Mystic, Connecticut! Janneke and Ronadh headed down there Friday morning so that Janneke could give a talk at the Williams Mystic Institute or Whatever It's Called. Ronadh may also have Contributed in Some Fashion to Whatever It Is They Do. (Which looks super-cool - a semester in Mystic, studying all things nautical as they relate to an all-around liberal arts education. Wish I'd been able to do something similar in college.) But the long and the short of it was this: Both the Johnstadts and their friends had hotel rooms available for the whole family, paid for by the good folks at Williams. So we pounced.
Mark came and picked me up in Lenox after a hard day of professional development around 4:00 Friday afternoon, and we and the three children road-tripped on down to Mystic. We somehow managed to hit rush hour traffic in both Springfield, MA and Hartford, CT. Nice how they stagger them that way for the convenience of travelers. And T was threatening to be car sick for about half the time we were in the car, which was some 4.5 hours. Lovely. But, she never did go Code Red, so we all arrived in good spirits. Janneke's Talk had been well received, as evidenced by the comments of people we bumped into the next day. No idea what Ronadh did, or didn't do. But her doing or not was, doubtless, crucial. Hit the hay and arose to head over to the Mystic Seaport. Ahead Lies Evidence:
The boys climbed the big anchor, as boys are wont to do. T also tried; she'll probably be the best climber out of any of us once she develops her muscles a bit more. Fearless, she is. There was a pully apparatus there as well, which showed you how fifty pounds was a lot harder to pull into the air with one pulley than with two.
Very popular with all the kids: Let it go slowly, get a rope burn on your hands. Let it go completely, potentially lose an eye to the flailing rope. Either way: You look like a pirate. And there were plenty of pirate-type boats around, including the Morgan, the last still-extant American wooden whaling ship:
We climbed on and got serenaded with "Roll Alabama Roll" as they undid some sort of rope on one of the sails. It was neat, but kind of uncomfortable. We were the only people on the boat, really, getting a very vigorous sing-song from the assembled guides. They were pretty good singers, too, which kind of made it worse somehow. But in the end, I'd give that experience a thumbs-up. T explored the poop deck:
Do I know what a "poop deck" is? No. But I get to say the word "poop".
We were then treated to a ride in a boat around the river with Lisa, the oceanographer at the Williams Mystic Thingamabobber. She was super with the kids, and allowed each of them to drive:
Following the sea port, we hit a place that has the last steam-driven apple cider press still functioning in the US. It was a pretty nifty gizmo, filling a whole room with wildly thrumming overhead belts and drums and gears - an OSHA nightmare, but nifty for tourists. The kids were pleased with the experience, as well as with the beer keg they found in the woods behind them:
As were the adults, who made short work of the keg:
And then off to the Mystic Aquarium and Sea Adventure Land or Some Such, which is apparently the last surviving steam-driven American-made wooden municipal aquarium in the world. Janneke got this great film of a sea creature:
That thing was eleven feet across. They feed it roadkill moose. Nine per day.
As well as some sea lions, doing amazing, incredible things. Check out what happens at the very end - you won't believe it:
Incredible, no? Just amazing. Gross, yes, but impressive. Seriously, I had no idea they could do that. I mean, what could the evolutionary point of THAT have been?! Maybe the creationists are right - maybe they can do that because it's God's way of showing us His perfect nature and infinite power. That, at least, would make some sense.
Home! Supper! Mystic Pizza! Yes, we ate there. It's the last standing American steam-driven wooden pizza restaurant in the world. Long line to get in (20 minute wait), but once inside, the prices are very reasonable, service is fast, and the pizza is good. I give it a 9 out of 10. Deducted a point because they seemed completely unaware that a movie was once filmed there. "On The Waterfront", I believe.
Back home for bath time:
That, by the way, is the last remaining steam-driven American-made wooden bathtub in the world. And then to bed. We spent some more time at the Mystic Seaport this morning, and tried to take some potential Christmas card pictures. We'll see how they work out - won't include them here, because that would spoil the surprise. Of not getting one in the mail, I mean. Because you're not. Those we reserve for true friends, none of whom would be caught dead reading this piece of trash.
Headed home around 11:20, arrived back here some four hours later, thanks to some poor signage between 91 and 90. What a trip! What a weekend! What a LIFE we lead!
See ya...
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