Last Friday afternoon, we went to the dentist. Both Alden and Kato were very brave, though it helped that they held one another’s hands.
No one held my hand, but I was brave, too. Or mostly brave.
That night, we took a walk around the neighborhood.
Chestertown is usually beautiful, but perhaps never more so than just after sunset.
On Saturday, we left Robbi with a big pile of pictures to draw, and headed out. Of course, I stopped almost immediately to indulge the children.
It is my right.
We drove north to Wilmington, and specifically to the Delaware Children’s Museum, where we are fortunate to have a family membership. Otherwise we might not have been there to play with the oversized foam marble track block set.
Nor would we have had the opportunity to do our best impression of monkeys in their huge central, multi-story climbing orb.
Alden and Kato traverse the interior with alarming confidence. August is content to skirt the periphery, acting tough but always aware of the closest exit.
Painting is more his thing.
Apparently, it’s also Kato’s thing.
And Alden’s.
Augie is also into commerce. Or mashing buttons. I honestly don’t know the root motivations behind his fascination with the cash register.
He did some brisk marketing.
Before attempting to unload some of his purchases for me. And please understand: this was not a gift. I was fully expected to pay for it (at a steep markup, to boot).
But a moment later, I understood why. The cashier was demanding outrageous sums, claiming black market prices due to a sudden shortage of plastic food. The customer seemed undeterred.
Next we wandered over to the Etch-a-Sketch portrait gallery. There was one for each former US president.
Pretty impressive, considering the medium.
I think whoever did them must be a fan of Matthew Draws.
And one for the current US president.
Even one for Mount Rushmore.
But the children could tolerate looking for only so long. They were ready for some more doing.
Kato and Alden discovered a natural talent for scaling plastic walls.
While August reveled in the principles of gravity.
August snacked on the displays.
While Alden invented light.
And changed a tire.
The Delaware Children’s Museum is good stuff. If you have kids and want a great way to fill an afternoon, I can’t recommend it enough. It’s not cheap, but that’s why we got the membership. I think we’ve been five times this year and it never seems to get old.
Plus, if you live in Chestertown, you get to drive across my favorite bridge on the way home.
And, if you plan your trip right, you get to watch the sun set while children make horrible, late-afternoon noises in the background.
Truly, there’s no better way to end a Saturday afternoon.
