Aquarium and Blueberry Picking

At the Maritime Aquarium at Norwalk, where we spent Fun Friday yesterday, there was a permanent exhibit of model ships. R really enjoyed the whole exhibit, and said that he wants to build a model ship one day. When we saw this particular ship R told me what kind it is (he knew them all) and said we had seen one like it at Mystic Seaport. When we approached it I read the description and it said it is a model of a real ship that went out of commission in 1985, and was donated to Mystic Seaport. What a cool moment when we realized we had actually set foot on it and seen the inside!

The best part of this aquarium is that its focus is on the marine life of Long Island Sound. We really enjoyed seeing the river otters and the touch tank devoted entirely to the Sound. E was soaking wet by the time we were done. The moon snails were the coolest, but we also enjoyed learning about horseshoe crabs. Apparently they hide in the depths and only come up to shallow ground once a year to mate. We were lucky enough to have been at the beach in June, when this apparently happens:

The aquarium also had a great display of residue one is likely to find on the beaches along the coast of Long Island Sound. We recognized some things and vowed to remember others. "When can we go to the beach again, Mom?"

I also dished out another 14 bucks for an Imax Movie; Ocean Wonderland. I couldn't help feeling like it was a show on TV that described everything you can see at an aquarium. Yes, the screen was large, but so what? Ho hum.

R decided he likes the Mystic Aquarium better. I think they are both different and have merit. However, I most definitely would not get a membership to Norwalk, and would be more likely to use one for Mystic. And the traffic coming home from Fairfield County was a nightmare.

Today we enjoyed some blueberry picking. Nagy Papa came with us. We were also happy to run into some friends while there!
Mrs. W. was the one who told me about this farm, so running into her and the girls was very cool. It was a 40 minute drive for us, but well worth it. We ended up with about 12 pounds of blueberries, and had a very enjoyable morning. Nagy Papa had fun too, I think. His tongue certainly got blue enough. He was also reminded of his own Nugy Mama who used to adore picking fresh fruit every year when she went to visit Uncle Richie out in Long Island. He misses her deeply.

We enjoyed some Chinese food afterwards, and after dropping Nugy Papa off at home we spent the afternoon watching Nanny McPhee, which was really enjoyable. After it was over we had to go back and watch the food fight again. Ah, life with boys.

E learned how to work the shredder on the food processor completely alone today, and also got a look at fractions via measuring cups. R is currently all about the Durham Fair. He is preparing his lego submission. We are all starting to think about photographs to enter (even Nugy Papa) and E is planning some sort of building made out of soda cans.

E and I have just started reading James and The Giant Peach. We are loving Roald Dahl - our favorite so far was The Twits. E has a dark sense of humor. R and I are enjoying the audiobook Eragon in the car. E gets bored though and we have to compromise on how often we listen. (On the way there, or on the way back?) So it will take a while to get through it.