Enrichment Excursion

Posted on May 25, 2015 by joey

We’re not cookin out today.
There’s talk of chicken. Although Moo’s hung up on eating at the place of the best homophobic chicken sammiches, I’m leanin toward fried, or maybe tinga (thanks, Sherry.)
I’m makin a simple strawberry dessert. Do we really need actual food?
The Mister wants to show the girls Star Wars 4, 5, and 6.
I desperately want them to appreciate the adorability of Ewoks.

As for Memorial Day, I took the girls out and about yesterday to cover some basics. It was a beautiful day, if too hot for Joeys, to drive all over the city, listening to music and drinking fountain soda.

I took them to the grave sites of my mother’s parents, maybe 15 miles north of the city. I hadn’t been in about 9 years, so I had to follow my instincts when it came to how to find the cemetery and how to find the marker within. My instincts didn’t fail me, and just as I thought I’d make one more lap around the block before I’d check GPS, Sassy cheered me on, “Just follow your gut,” she said. THAT, I have taught her well.
I’d tell you my gramma led me to her, but y’all might not buy into that.

This was my fun gramma. Yes, her name was Willie. Willie Mae. If you know us ferreal, then you know that we have a tendency to give our firstborn girl children unusual, and perhaps manly names. Gramma Willie loved a good time. My memories of her are full of playful moments and fun. Losta board games, adventures, and books.
I don’t remember my mother’s father, although there are many pictures of me with him, and I’ve heard tell he thought I was the best thing since sliced bread.
I’d tell you he hung around preschool Moo, but y’all might not buy into that, either.
I took flowers for my grandmother, and someone else had already gifted my grandfather’s side of the grave with a flag.

gramma
My grandfather was highly-decorated in WWII, but I don’t remember with what. The Mister used to know, and made a big deal of telling me about it, but now he can’t remember either. Anyway, there’s a veteran placard on the back of their headstone.
I took photos for my mother, and I know she was pleased.

granddad
I felt more sentiment standing there yesterday than I’d felt in a long time.

After that, we went to the Indiana War Memorial Museum, which is downtown.
I also drive downtown by a sense of familiarity, rather than directions, which drives my husband crazy, which made us both glad that he stayed home. I know where stuff is, but I know it in terms of northeast or southwest of the circle, or “over by the zoo” as opposed to cross streets, although I do have some of the cross streets memorized, because one-way.
For those of you who think of Indiana as only corn, basketball, and racin, I must tell you, it is not. In the words of my dear friend Tori on Indy, “Holy crap! It’s a thriving metropolis!” Here’s someone’s Pinterest photo of the Indianapolis skyline.

indianapolis-skyline-night
We are the 12th largest city in the US, outranking San Francisco, Atlanta, DC, and even Las Vegas, but you don’t think about it.
Here’s where the War Memorial is:

warmemorial

such a pretty day, i like my own picture!

such a pretty day, i like my own picture!


Our first stop inside the cool marble walls of the War Memorial was the ladies’ room, because hello, Big Gulp. Sorry the photo is blurry. It’s a dark place, and I used my iPhone.

ladies


Once we entered the ladies’ room, an older Asian woman with broken English followed and asked me if it was the bath. I said, “Yes, after I give them this small education on period pieces.” Don’t you know, she stopped and listened to me talk to the girls about the art deco benches and lamps? This cracks me up. I can even be the tour guide of toilets, y’all.

The girls don’t know much about war. I mean, they know things related to war, because they lived on an Army base, and they know a lot of vets, but they don’t have much of a grasp on history yet.
It’s hard to say why they read Anne Frank so young, and teach WWII so old. Last weekend we watched Schindler’s List with Sassy. She read The Book Thief over the winter. Her cousin Simon is an expert on WWII, her daddy’s a history major, and her mother thinks all moments are teachable, so her education is certainly enriched, but still, she’s 12.
When you show her a hallway, up and round and down, lined with the names of the fallen, she gasps in amazement. When you tell her that’s just Indiana, and to multiply that by 48 states, she is overcome.
She’s a mature 12.
Moo is an immature 11, but she preferred non-fiction for years, so her knowledge about war is perhaps less detailed, but better about facts.

I took several pictures, but mostly to share with The Mister who has never been. We agree, when Moo has learned about war at school, we will return and spend a longer length of time.

moo knew this was a cobra. i did not.

moo knew this was a cobra. i did not.

i used to know a lot about this. i've forgotten most of it.

i used to know a lot about this. i’ve forgotten most of it.

Moo likes to climb everything, so we climbed all the stairs that we could climb.
Here’s the view from the balcony in the center of the building.

view

Lovely, hm? That’s Veteran’s Park and the central library. We love the library, so we often see the park from the other side.

pro patria -- for one's country

pro patria — for one’s country

After all the heat, sun, and steps, I did not feel well at all.
I’d planned to visit the mausoleum where my other grandparents are laid to rest, but we stopped to visit at The Palace of Rules instead. MIL and FIL were feeling well, and so I spontaneously invited them to dinner.

I’ll stop by the Packards next week, but I probably won’t tell you about it.

About joey

Neurotic Bitch, Mother, Wife, Writer, Word Whore, Foodie and General Go-To-Girl
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35 Responses to Enrichment Excursion

  1. Benson says:
    May 25, 2015 at 2:03 PM

    I am confused now. You are in Indy? Now? You seem to float from one locale to another, without effort. I guess you are in town to visit family. Well Welcome. Had I know I would have made a cake. It is a shame the Circle is being re-worked. Now that is a place to climb. You have some great pics. Well enjoy your stay.

    Like

  2. Dan Antion says:
    May 25, 2015 at 2:27 PM

    I’m glad you took them to the memorial. We do the cemetery tour when visiting Pittsburgh. I didn’t know Indy was that big. We drove through with the moving van at dark o’clock when we moved my mom. I was just glad to get truck and trailer in and out without traffic. Enjoy the strawberries.

    Liked by 1 person

  3. Annie Emmy Evans says:
    May 25, 2015 at 2:47 PM

    Haha! “Tour guide of toilets”. You should totally make that your new career. 😉

    Liked by 2 people

  4. coldhandboyack says:
    May 25, 2015 at 2:57 PM

    Re-watch Jaws. I believe Captain Quint recaps the USS Indianapolis in that one.

    Liked by 1 person

  5. Anxious Mom says:
    May 25, 2015 at 2:59 PM

    “eating at the place of the best homophobic chicken sammiches”
    We eat there at least twice per week. I’ll never think of the name the same again.

    Liked by 1 person

  6. edwinasepisodes says:
    May 25, 2015 at 3:34 PM

    Thanks for sharing this. I found it really interesting. 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

  7. John Callaghan says:
    May 25, 2015 at 4:07 PM

    Those are some really beautiful memorials.

    Liked by 1 person

  8. Sammy D. says:
    May 25, 2015 at 5:33 PM

    What a charming little post, Joey. I’m such a sucker for warm memories of Grandma and visits to vets’ resting places and I’ve been in a couple beautiful art deco loos myself. It makes peeing much more elegant, and I wouldn’t mind a running commentary at all. Thank You for caring enough to teach your kids about some of our history. When I forget facts, like you clearly do, I thank my lucky stars I live in a country where I’m free to remember them or not!

    Liked by 1 person

  9. mltrautz@yahoo.com says:
    May 25, 2015 at 6:13 PM

    Lovely tour, thank you for sharing. And I do believe the grandfather stayed with the preschool daughter. I also believe your grandmother guided you to the graves. There is no reason to doubt.

    Liked by 1 person

  10. Susan says:
    May 25, 2015 at 7:25 PM

    Wow, never did anything like this with my daughter! Good job Mom! I’ll take your lead and next year, do something like, I don’t know, take her grown-up butt to St. Augustine!

    Liked by 1 person

  11. Judy @ newenglandgardenandthread says:
    May 26, 2015 at 7:50 AM

    I applaud your efforts to share the real reason for Memorial Day with your children. If a survey of 100 adults was taken, I wonder how many would really know what Memorial Day is for? I’m guessing we’d get three-day weekend, time to plant your garden, start of camping season, or bar-b-que dinner. 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

  12. baffledbaboon says:
    May 26, 2015 at 11:16 AM

    Wait what? Homophobic chicken sandwiches?

    Like

  13. Mindy says:
    May 26, 2015 at 4:44 PM

    Overall great pictures! I definitely learned a thing or two. Sounds like you’ve got some smart kids on your hands 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

  14. Pingback: #ThursdayDoors — IWM | joeyfullystated

  15. 2bcreativeblog says:
    May 29, 2015 at 11:40 PM

    Awesome pictures! I want to visit now. 🙂 Love taking the kids to places like this.

    Liked by 1 person

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