Naval Museum
Greetings to all.
This morning, we toured a naval air museum. Both Rebecca and I wanted to see it, and we hoped it offer things that would keep Xavier's attention for a couple of hours.
Instead of boredom and wanting to go to the beach or pool, Xavier surprised us. When he saw a one-quarter sized model of an aircraft carrier, his face lit up. I lifted him up to see the detail and he asked question after question.
Rounding the corner from the lobby into the museum itself took Xavier to a whole new level of engaged excitement. The aircraft in the room had Xavier tripping the clouds.
Then he discovered the aircraft engine displays near most of the planes. These had parts of the housing cut away so the internal workings could be seen. Xavier's love for mechanical devices kicked in and more adrenaline hit his system. Could it get more exciting than this!
Yes, yes it could. Deeper into the museum were the cockpits of retired planes and helicopters. You could climb into these and drive the sticks and operate the controls. There were even whole aircraft there you could climb into. And then the irresistible final item: a miniature, kid-sized aircraft carrier bridge.
That mixed with other kids to play with Xavier gave Dad nearly an hour to walk around and look at the museum at his pace.
After pulling him away from these "interactive exhibits," Xavier discovered the gift shop. He had to have something to take home. His face was aglow as he looked over what the shop offered. Imagine what he did when he discovered a wall of Lego-compatible kits with aircraft and aircraft carriers. Fortunately for us, I could use the very real reason that our suitcases were not big enough for the items he initially lobbied for.
As we left, we thought Xavier would be happy to go straight out the exit, but no. He wanted to look at all the models of the aircraft carriers on the way out. These models were from the very first aircraft carrier to the latest active vessel, and Xavier needed to see them all.
We finished the day at the beach, where Xavier and I built a large sand castle. We hoped the in-coming tide would fill the moat. It did not.
After the beach, we hit the pool and hot tub. The weather at the end of the day grew chilled, blowing in tomorrow's expected rain, so we all favored the hot tub over the pool. After a few trips around the Lazy River, we cleaned up and went out to a local restaurant. We ended the evening with an unexpected fireworks display launched over the bay.