The Citie of Henricus

Did you know that the Citie of Henricus was the second English Settlement in the New World way back in 1611?  I'm embarrassed to say it took me eight years of living in Richmond to visit Henricus, but the Family Mac finally made it there this weekend.  Ah, it was well worth the trip down 288, stepping back in time and entering their world as they lived it on a day-to-day basis. I grew up near Plymouth Plantation in Massachusetts, so after countless school field trips there, this was a familiar world to me.

Just being there sure makes you appreciate our creature comforts galore.  The tedious and dangerous process necessary to fire a musket one time was enough to wear me out, plus keeping  a fire burning around the clock since matches are a thing of the future.  Oh, and their constant worry over when the Indian and/or Spaniards were going to attack next sure made me grateful for 911.  

Needless to say I'm determined to not let another eight years go by before I visit again.  I'm already aiming for their upcoming Publick Days on September 20/21 which are a big annual celebration of the founding of the Citie of Henricus. Plus there is free admission, and free often is my favorite flavor, especially when chocolate is not an option!

Henricus is in essence the recreation of the old village, populated by knowledgeable re-enactors dressed in period garb who provide demonstrations on life back in the day.  There are hand-made homes with thatched roofs scattered about as well as gardens and tobacco crops.  The community is situated on a bluff with a magnificent view of the James River below.

Sam had a big ole time watching John the re-enactor do his thing and fire off his musket.  I was really impressed by the gung-ho kid-friendliness of the place.  The next morning when he woke up , the first words out of his mouth were,'"Can we go back to Henricus again today?  Please?" Well, even if he was trying to get out of going to church, at least he said please.

LibbY

Little Red Corvette

Prince and/or The Artist Formerly Known as Prince (TAFKAP) now has got some competition all right.  There's a budding "Little Red Corvette" remake right here in Midlothian, starring none other than Sam Macky.  Who else, pray tell?  

It all started out innocently enough at a Saturday morning multi-family yard sale last weekend where we browsed around, Sam looking for trains and stray pirates ships and me looking for a good book and anything else that popped out at me.  Kinda like the song, "It was Saturday morning (not night), I guess that makes it all right."  Sure does, I've been up since 6 anyway! "And u say what have u got 2 lose?"  Not much, maybe a dollar or two and plenty o' time until nap!

Well, there wasn't much there of interest, so we sauntered around, finally going down the driveway to the last house in the cul-de-sac.  As I closed in on some really cute fish placemats, Sam's radar zeroed in on one little red corvette.  It was truly "little," a tot-sized by Power Wheels, not your usual Chevy model.  "Baby, you got to slow down."  But there was no slowing him down.  He hopped right into that buggy faster than he'd run to a shipwrecked pirate ship, hypothetically speaking of course.  He moving fast anyway.

He was having a good ole time in there, and the man offered it to me for $60 as a twenty year old collectors item, which I'm sure it was.  Then he threw out $20 so he wouldn't have the hassle of selling it on Ebay.  I just wasn't into it - it would need need new batteries, a tune-up if you will, etc.  Prince was so right when he said, "U need a battery (not a 'love') that's gonna last."  So after we had been there a while, the guy said, "He looks so good in it it!  How about $10?"  Sold!  

"Baby, you're much too fast."  Thing was supposed to go 5-6 MPH.  Oh my!  Well, at least it would help him escape the paparazzi once the remake climbs up Casey Kasem's American Top 40.  (Is he still on the air?  Is he still alive even?  Well, according to my extensive "research" on  Wikipedia, it is going strong with Ryan Seacrest as the top dog these days.)

After loading the car in the trunk, then came the hard part.  How would I break it to Daddy Mac that his son owned a speedy Corvette and he still didn't?  Instead of "When Doves Cry," it was going to be more like "When Daddies Cry."  Thankfully he took it like a man, although he made a point to go get some batteries and see how fast it could move.  I was already envisioning his knees smashed up against the plastic dashboard.  Unfortunately since the car is so old, they don't make that kind anymore.  So much for Prince's battery thats "gonna last."  I guess we could look on Ebay.  I'll put it on the List, but don't hold your breath.  

There is lots of rain out there these days, but no signs of any purple rain --not yet anyway.  All he needs now is a raspberry beret.  You know, "the kind u find in a second hand store" or perhaps a yard sale...  Let's go crazy!

LibbY

Trekking to Boone & the Tweetsie Railroad!

It was Boone or bust!  Sam and I took our longest road trip ever last week to Boone, NC.  All in all it actually went pretty well, surprisingly enough!  Thank God for Chick "Delay" and the Golden Arches along 85!  It was a long six hour drive to get to there, for sure.  Known as the High Country in northwestern NC, Boone is perched in the Appalachian Mountains on the fringe of the Blue Ridge Parkway.  As we drove into town, we kept driving up and up and up into the mountains to the outdoorsy college town named for Daniel Boone.

We went to visit a very old and dear friend of mine, Jessica, and her house full of three boys, four if you count her husband.  But who's counting?  We've been friends for twenty years now, downright wild when you stop and think about it, so I try not to do so.  

While we were in the area, we also set out to experience the infamous Tweetsie Railroad, a huge Wild West amusement park with a historic  steam engine, carnival rides galore, "live" cowboys and Indians acting out skits, as well as a ski lift and reliable (!) buses to get around.   Check it out for yourself at www.Tweetsie.com.   I'll be honest -- I really don't like amusement parks at all.  Tweetsie, though, was amazing and well worth the price of admission, even for me.  

You name it Sam and I rode it -- the Tweetsie Tornado, the Mouse Mine train, the boat ride, the airplane ride, driving a toy Cadillac, riding the ski lift, etc.  And of course he got his face painted, pirate style.  C'mon, the Wild West could use a pirate or two to spice things up between the predictable cowboys and Indians.  Plus there was tons of rides, shops and food that we never got a chance to check out.  

Next time we'll definitely hit the ferris wheel, the merry-go-round, and hit a magic show.  Beware - if you do decide to make the trek, remember that they close for the winter right after their Halloween "Ghost Ride" extravaganza.  And let me know, I may want to hitch a ride - Sam too.

LibbY

But Where's the Park?

Full of ambition to show Sam the world, I took him to Maymont the other day, expecting to 'wow' him with the Children's Garden, the gorgeous rolling hills, and perhaps a spin by the bears and the Italian and Japanese Gardens. Well, that was not to be.  As we strolled towards the Children's Garden, Sam barely glanced over at one of my most favorite sights in Richmond -- the expanse of picturesque hills and strikingly huge trees dating back a couple of centuries, give or take a few.  "Where's the park?" he asked.  "There it is!  We're in the park!" I replied, gesturing over to the stunning scenery off to our left.  He was not satisfied with that at all and kept asking, "Where's the park?"  What in the world was he talking about?  

Then I finally got it -- there was no playground in sight, so to him it was not a park.  I had to laugh -- we had driven half an hour to go to the Belle of the Ball of Richmond parks, yet he would be happier at Wishing Well well within walking distance from our abode.  Go figure.  Once I pondered it for a few minutes, I could see his point.  So after we checked out the Children's Farm for a few minutes, we left.  What was the point in staying?  

We chugged on over the Nickel Bridge, now the Thirty-Five Cent Bridge, onto Westover Hills Boulevard.  Lo and behold, we stumbled upon the new kids' park right as we came over the bridge on our left.  Now that was one 'real' park in Sam's eyes.  Yee haw!  There was an abundance of really neat toddler-sized activities in several different play areas, all covered in glorious shade by beautiful old trees.  Jackpot!  It was a great find -- and located right near the new South of the River Farmers' Market.  We checked that out too after an hour or so much to Sam's chagrin, but you gotta throw Mom a bone every once in a while.  Once he got a slew of chocolate biscotti samples, we was OK with being there for a few minutes at least.

And we topped off a fun adventurous Saturday morning with a trip to our old stand-by, Chick "delay."  Sometimes the old familiar thing is the best of all!  Let's hear it for the cow!  

LibbY 

Hail to the Homestead!

It's fun to have friends, but it's even more fun to have friends who have fun toys that they share with you out of the goodness of their hearts.  That's where our fun friend "Miz Ellen" with a time share at the Homestead comes in.   She has four whole weeks there a year -- and has invited us to partake more times than we can count.  Yes, we are lucky dogs.  In fact, "lucky" should have our picture next to it in the dictionary, beaming way on the steps of the "Big House" as we call the hotel.

Sam is only three mind you, and that lucky pup has ben there so many times that some of the employees know him by name.  No, he doesn't have a silver spoon in his mouth.  It's a plastic one from Chick "Delay."  Gotta keep him grounded, you know?  He's going to have to save up his paper route money and buy his own.

Anyway we had a grand ole time, especially since the temperature there is ten degrees cooler there than here.  In fact, it was actually too cold on Monday to go to the outside pool.  I know you're not feeling too sorry for us.  That's OK, I wasn't either because the indoor pool is absolutely fabu, fed by the hot springs.  Sam jumped off the side of the pool until both Daddy Mac's and my arms ached, but a good time was had by all.  We also did our usual -- got take out from Sam Snead's, ransacked the toy store, hit the playground, ate cinnamon donuts, and checked out movies.

Hail to the Homestead!  And hail to Miz Ellen and to fun friends everywhere!   

LibbY

Who Lives Underground?

We found out today at the "Who Lives Underground?" class at Rockwood Park Nature Center.  I know I am supposed to be the adult with all the answers, but I really didn't know the answer to that question.  Worms, moles, rabbits... What else?

Well, Miss Denise filled us in.  First the kids made a hilariously cute craft, a mole in hole.  It's a little paper picture of a mole which the kids color and glue to the end of a popsicle stick.  Then the mole comes poking out of a hole, namely the cardboard center of a roll of paper towel which the kids color as well.  Sam was thrilled.  So was I since it was so age appropriate that I really didn't have to interject myself much at all, except to encourage him to let the glue dry before playing with it.  Right now he really wants to do everything he can on "By Myself," so it was win-win all around.  Go, Sam!  Go, Miss Denise!

Miss Denise gathered the group and spilled the information to the moderately well-behaved kiddos -- snakes, turtles (some anyway), chipmunks, ants, spiders, as well as moles, worms and rabbits.  She then read some neat books about underground animals,  and we were off for the Great Outdoors for a hike!   

Miss Denise dug up some worms for us.  For her next trick, she rolled a log toward herself so nothing would leap out at her and bite her.  There she discovered a real live black widow spider lying underneath.  Really!  I was sceptical, too, until I saw it myself, black with red spots.   It kind of reminded me of a big ladybug, but nooooooo.   We all made sure to stay back.  As my father would say, "I don't have time to go to a funeral!"

And we were off -- with our mole in a hole, some coloring sheets, and a big tales to tell.  Pretty good for an hour and $4, huh?  You betcha!

LibbY

First Fish! A Bass!

Sam caught his first fish the other night in record time at Lake Salisbury -- about ten seconds after the line went into the water.  That's great and all, but what does he have to look forward to in life?  Plus it was a bass of all things!  

He didn't quite get how incredibly awesome it was which helps, and he had more than a little "help" from a daddy friend at the lake who basically staged the whole thing with an extra pole of his.  The wriggling fish on the line really freaked him out as the daddy friend unhooked it and threw it back into the water, probably to be caught again in a few minutes.  Still Daddy Mac couldn't help but gape in wonder when he got back to the lake after running home to pick up his sunglasses.  He's never caught a fish that big, let alone a bass...  Some people have all the luck!

Since it was twilight, the lake was hopping with fish, fish literally jumping out of the water as it was feeding time.  I've never seen fish quite so active in my life!  This is how crazy it was -- the daddy friend left his rod with the hook baited in the water.  He balanced it on the dock for a few minutes while he went to check something.   No big deal, right?  Please play "Jaws" theme song here -- loudly.

In the meantime a ravenous fish bit on the hook and pulled the entire rod down into the water with it.  How is that for effortless fishing?  I guess it's not so productive since he ended up with no fish, rod, hook or bait -- but one heck of a good story, a story I would find hard to believe if I didn't see it myself!  I think he got "fished" or more accurately "human-ed" instead of the fish being fished the way it is supposed to be.  

Heck, I don't even like fishing, or at least I didn't until seeing all that.  Now I am just waiting for twilight to see if I can match Sam's catch!  If I leave with my rod intact, I'll consider that a victory in itself!  I just need to remember to hold on tight...

LibbY

Riding the Jet at the County Fair

Today the Saminator and I set out to experience the Powhatan County Fair down the road. Gosh, I hadn't been to a county fair since I was a kid and my Aunt Franne was in the cooking contest.  Well, I'm not in a huge hurry to go back anytime soon, but we had a good time despite the downright hellish heat.  It had been sprinkling a bit when we left the house, so Sam wore his fireman rain coat, all PLASTIC.  Then he refused to take it off until the very end, so he literally had sweat rolling down his face.  He is not one to care about creature comforts, that's for sure.  He also put on one his many pirate hats all by himself, as you can see since he looks like Aunt Jemima wearing a 'doo rag.  Craziness!  Where does that boy get his quirkiness?? Don't answer that!

We met some friends there with their two-year-old daughter Elizabeth but only managed to catch glimpses of them after parking near each other.  She loved seeing all of the animals, and Sam wanted nothing to do with them.  Instead he was all into sitting on all the motorcycles and various buggies.  Let's face it, folks, gender stereotypes evolved for a reason!  We then sauntered around and found a slew of rides.  I was a little reluctant to have him try anything, all I could think of was that poor girl who had her legs accidentally cut off last year on an amusement park ride.  I relented when I saw the tame little train ride, so Sam hopped on board the front car as it putted around in a circle.  

After he and Elizabeth bounced around the bouncy house together for a few minutes, we were off to discover THE ride of all rides for Sam.  It was a bunch  little jet planes "flying" around in a circle -- adorable.  One of the big perks of being on these toddler-sized jets was getting lots of wind, so the kids were all loving it, especially Sam who was beaming as he went around and around.  It has been such a blast lately, now that he is old enough for us to do fun things, not just having me push him around in the stroller worrying about the next bottle or missing nap time.  This is what I envisioned Mommyhood to be in my pre-baby naivete.  

By this time it was noon and downright sweltering, so I lured him out of there with the bait of a Happy Meal at McDonald's --and a Chipotle chicken snack wrap for me, quite tasty! 

He was dying to go to sleep when we got home, as was I, but he never went to sleep.  Alas, he seems to be on the verge of giving up the nap these days.  Now that is one aspect of babyhood that I will dearly miss!

LibbY