Vacation, Days 2 and 3

Tuesday we headed to Storyland. It was a beautiful day (really, this whole summer has been just about the best weather I can ever remember), and the kids had a ball. Stephanie would have been happy riding the Bamboo Chute and Polar Coaster alternately all day long. Pete and Julie had a blast in the ball tent thingy, where you put foam balls into vacuum hoses and shoot them all over the place. If there was such a facility near us at home, I would take the kids every day. It's really, really fun. We were once again impressed with how well organized, clean, and safe the whole park is.

Wednesday looked like it might rain, although all we got was a brief shower in the afternoon, but we still decided to play it safe and not plan a big outing. We had breakfast at Polly's Pancake Parlor (nyah, nyah, Mir!), and afterward, an older man came up to us and congratulated us on our "remarkably well-behaved children." He actually did say, "Congratulations," which at first struck me as odd, but now I think that's just the right word, because it combines both the sense of congratulations on a (parenting) job well done, and congratulations on being lucky enough not to have given birth to monsters. Polly's is the epitome of the family restaurant, where anything goes, but Andy in particular is hyper-conscious of making sure our kids don't bother other diners. We rarely eat out (mainly because our kids have only recently started trying new foods—well, not Pete of course, but the girls!), so I think he was especially pleased by this compliment from a complete stranger. (We are also discovering how expensive it is to eat out with the whole family, even just for pancakes! Yikes!)

We just hung around in the morning; the kids played and watched "Racing Stripes" (Cute! Thanks for the suggestion, Lorena!) while I did even more laundry and about a thousand hard sudoku puzzles that I'd printed out before we left. (I am so beyond addiction, it's scary. When I feel ready to move beyond hard into evil, I fear I will be lost to civilization.) Later on we headed west into Vermont to the Montshire Museum of Science. Wow, this is by far the best children's museum we've ever been to. The inside is two levels of terrific hands-on activities, most of which worked and worked well. They were easy to figure out and manipulate and had fun, interesting results. Each level is spacious enough to include lots of things to do, but small enough that the kids could run around and still be within our view. They also had the best gift shop I've ever seen. Outside was a whole world of water exhibits to explore; unfortunately, we hadn't thought to bring bathing suits, but we let the kids take off their socks and sneakers and splash around a bit. If we'd known, they could have easily spent hours out there getting soaked. If you are ever in the Hanover (Dartmouth College) area with kids, this is a real winner. Just bring lunch (they have plenty of picnic areas but only snack-food vending machines) and bathing suits or a change of clothes. As we drove away, I spotted a sign for the King Arthur headquarters and baking education center; it pained me to be that close and not get to go visit, but the kids were cooked.

Comments

[Mquest]

You skipped King Arthur?
The sacrifices one must make to keep the children happy is tough.

[Mark]

Did you see the article by puzzlemaster Will Shortz on Sudoku?

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/08/28/weekinreview/28shor.html

I'm just getting into it, or getting sucked deeper and deeper into it, as the case may be.

And chewy sour cherry balls? Mmmmm... That's what I think of when I think of penny candy.

[Liz Krengel]

Karen, I grew up summering in Bryant Pond, ME. Still have a picture of me at Storyland, loved that place. Liz