Wed, May 28, 2003
Vacation Day 1
9:45 pm
Our early experiement was a resounding success. Laura and I arose at 4 am and at 5:30 am we had loaded our drowsy but excited little girl into the car and sped off. Sara has been an excellent traveling toddler.
Highlights today:
- Cracker Barrell breakfast in Virginia
- The SUN!
- Some stress and confusion on Durham, NC highways
- Pullen Park in Raleigh: Sara's first carousel ride, a train ride around the park, two boat rides, and another ride on the carousel
- A great visit with cousin Aaron and Margay!
Thurs, May 29, 2003
Vacation Day 2
9:50 pm
I wrote the previous entry under low light while hoping to lull Sara to sleep. Tonight, Laura is reading FROG AND TOAD to Sara with lights on. Upon arriving at the hotel, we stepped off the elevator on the second floor and were slapped with the scent of day-old pizza. A sign near the elevator read "A Place of Refuge." Before passing it two or three times, I thought it read "A Place of Refuse," as in Rubbish.
Other highlights today:
- Slept late
- Drove most of the day, with many stops (including another Cracker Barrell that has added inches to the bowling ball in my mid-section
- Listened to the THEY MIGHT BE GIANTS kid album over and over and over
- Finally arrived in Cumming, Ga
- A happy bath, Sara's first bath in a hotel
- Some rain, mostly SUN!
Fri, May 30, 2003
Vacation Day 3
9:30 pm
Lisa and Dave stopped by our room and read several chapters of FROG AND TOAD to Sara. As usual, Sara charmed them. One minute after they left, an episode of obsessive/compulsive toy doll play triggered an explosive outburst that has just now been quelled. Fortunately, there were pleasant highlights today, including:
- Some time at the Chestatee Wildlife Preserve, home to tigers, turkeys, a huge ostrich, wallabees, and a camel that greets you and looks down on you with a crazed hunger in its eye
- Sara's impression of the peacock's cry "HELP! HELP!"
- A lovely visit with Karen and Erin
Sat, May 31, 2003
Vacation Day 4
10:05 pm
We're all very proud of Erin, who graduated with honors today. Later, Laura and I enjoyed the advantage of a houseful of willing sitters, and wandered off. We purchased our tickets for THE MATRIX: RELOADED, then stopped at a Chinese restaurant for a quick appetizer (the Pu Pu Platter, consisting of many samples and a flame in the center, which we stared at, hoping its purpose would be revealed to us...it never was), before heading back to the theater to have our minds blown by nearly impossible special effects. Other highlights today:
- A near knock-down kerfuffle with a southern bulldog of a woman who insisted that she'd reserved an entire row for family members who never appeared
- A tasty BBQ at Karen's place
- Great company
- Sara's talkative nature around new-found family members
Sun, June 1, 2003
Vacation Day 5
9:15 pm
Today was a travel day. We made it as far as Burlington, NC. After rising at 7 am, we breakfasted with Lisa and Dave, then packed up, loaded up, dangled our feet in the pool before heading North around 10:30 am. Today's highlights included:
- Another fine stop at Cracker Barrell, where I picked up A SERIES OF UNFORTUNATE EVENTS: BOOK THE SECOND audio book
- Sara's enjoyment (three times through) of a BLUE'S CLUES audio cassette
- A wonderful dip in the pool in our hotel this evening, which we seem to have to ourselves
Mon, June 2, 2003
Vacation Day 6
I'm writing this Tuesday morning because I was exhausted last night. On too little sleep, we'd set out early from Burlington to make the most of the Day 6 at Williamsburg. However, once we connected with Mom, Dad and Gina, we enjoyed a delightful day, which included:
- Sara splashing in the pool with her Nana, Pappy and Aunt G, which brought the happiest of smiles to her face
- A half-day's walk around Williamsburg, capped off with a relaxing carriage ride. Dan, our driver, was 6'9", smart and articulate. I remember an article about people in America who were cursed with the highest IQ's. One of them was a large biker guy, and tatooed Dan rides a motorcycle, surely. He discussed the size of draft horses, and used me as an example of why draft horses were never meant to be taller than 18 hands. "How tall are you, sir?" he asked me. "Five nine," I lied (if I stretched out my spondylolysthetic spine, I might be that tall). Dan said, "How would you feel throwing a sixty pound saddle up over your head onto this horse?" I replied, "It'd be a lot of work."
Tues, June 3, 2003
Vacation Day 7
9:50 pm
Laura and I just returned from a fabulous evening out, which consisted of dinner and a show in Williamsburg. While Sara enjoyed the company of her Nana, Pappy and Aunt G, we dined at Christiana Campbell's where I transformed my bodily shape. I now resemble an upright rattle snake in the midst of digesting several prairie dogs at once (the rattle is my spondy spine, of course). I had an oyster fritter appetizer (six, actually), followed by cabbage slaw with some sweet potato muffins. The main course was a slab of salmon with fresh diced vegetables. Laura had portions of giant steaks and shrimps, of which she consumed less than half.
The evening entertainment was a harpsichord, flute, and viola concert at the Governor's Palace, in which the players were joined by the Governor and his wife (actors, all). Lady Whoever (check your history...I shamefully admit that I don't know the name of the Royal Governor of Virginia in 1774) gave marvellous voice to several pieces.
The first two-thirds of the day were threatened by showers that never arrived, so that our walking experience under cloud cover was all the more pleasant as temperatures remained moderate.
Wed, June 4, 2003
Vacation Day 8
Because there was a chance for rain, we opted to drive to a children's museum in Portsmouth, VA. The drive was a nightmare of ignored directions. However, once there, frustrations evaporated in the aura of Sara's happiness. Highlights included:
- A planetarium presentation that put the adult's to sleep, but enchanted Sara
- Sara pretending to drive a life-scale commuter bus
- Nana's face when Sara chose to hold her hand
- Dinner at the Williamsburg Lodge
- The decision to arise late tomorrow and head for home after lunch
Thurs, June 5, 2003
Vacation Day 9
This was a day of gruelling travel through three end-of-day traffic jams on the Washington beltway, thanks to our decision to leave after lunch. Anyway, our final hours in Williamsburg were happy, and included:
- Browsing Merchant's Square book stores, peanut shops, gift shops
- Lunch at Shield's Tavern, where Sara played pick up sticks with an employee and some other children
- Hugs all around before departing to our respective corners of New Jersey
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