Because I couldn't get to Washington to join these Patriots trying to stop the trainwreck that is Obamacare,
I took Nicco to meet his new friend at Tucson's transportation museum for the 130th anniversary of the railroad coming to our fair town.
The first train in Tucson sits as a monument to rail history. The festival opened with a boom and shriek of the train's whistle that startled and thrilled our boys.
Nicco and his new friend (yay) were enthralled.
There was a craft fair too, and these jewlers let little guys like ours spin the wheel for a quarter to win a small gem prize. Nicco got turquoise and a tiger's eye.
This little historic celebration was so poorly organized...the program listed an opening ceremony (the boom and whistle), model trains, train rides...We could not see the train ride anywhere. We wandered around for half an hour, inquiring whenever we encountered someone who looked like they should have a clue, but no one did. The train ride itself was a series of "what the what?" moments...when we finally found it, there were a bunch of little kids in the cars, waiting. No driver. Engines off. Why on earth did parents put their kids in the cars when no in-charge type person was around? Oh...because the in-charge person loaded the train full of little ones then discovered that the engine didn't start and left the train full of little ones to get help. The in-charge person came back with help, inflated the bouncy house, left it unattended, and went to drive the train. Straight into a crowd of outdoor diners at the train depot restaurant. Meanwhile, we delayed letting our kiddos into the bouncy house, you know, because it was unattended by an in-charge person. Then other moms let their kids in, so the free for all was on. Nicco bounced for a while, the new friend Caleb was too intimidated. Finally, the in-charge person figured out the train problems and drove it back to the semblance of a line of waiting kids. He left his post (train empty, engines running...) to check on something. Amber (new friend Caleb's mom) and I waited for him to return before letting our kids on the train, but random moms away from the gathered crowd of kids CLEARLY waiting for the train started putting their kids on the train. Grrr. Our littles got on the train for the first round, then the crowd thinned out. So lucky for Nicco, they just kept on riding. He got to ride in each different car one time.
They went back to the bouncy house for a second round, then Caleb took us on a quest for ice cream.
On the way, we passed Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday. Little Tombstone Vigilante Nicco fit right in, donning the sheriff's badge a historically dressed wild west reenactor gave to him.
We didn't find ice cream, but there was birthday cake for the 130 year old train.
After all that fun in the wind and sun, Nicco was exhausted. He didn't last long in the car.
I took Nicco to meet his new friend at Tucson's transportation museum for the 130th anniversary of the railroad coming to our fair town.
The first train in Tucson sits as a monument to rail history. The festival opened with a boom and shriek of the train's whistle that startled and thrilled our boys.
Nicco and his new friend (yay) were enthralled.
There was a craft fair too, and these jewlers let little guys like ours spin the wheel for a quarter to win a small gem prize. Nicco got turquoise and a tiger's eye.
This little historic celebration was so poorly organized...the program listed an opening ceremony (the boom and whistle), model trains, train rides...We could not see the train ride anywhere. We wandered around for half an hour, inquiring whenever we encountered someone who looked like they should have a clue, but no one did. The train ride itself was a series of "what the what?" moments...when we finally found it, there were a bunch of little kids in the cars, waiting. No driver. Engines off. Why on earth did parents put their kids in the cars when no in-charge type person was around? Oh...because the in-charge person loaded the train full of little ones then discovered that the engine didn't start and left the train full of little ones to get help. The in-charge person came back with help, inflated the bouncy house, left it unattended, and went to drive the train. Straight into a crowd of outdoor diners at the train depot restaurant. Meanwhile, we delayed letting our kiddos into the bouncy house, you know, because it was unattended by an in-charge person. Then other moms let their kids in, so the free for all was on. Nicco bounced for a while, the new friend Caleb was too intimidated. Finally, the in-charge person figured out the train problems and drove it back to the semblance of a line of waiting kids. He left his post (train empty, engines running...) to check on something. Amber (new friend Caleb's mom) and I waited for him to return before letting our kids on the train, but random moms away from the gathered crowd of kids CLEARLY waiting for the train started putting their kids on the train. Grrr. Our littles got on the train for the first round, then the crowd thinned out. So lucky for Nicco, they just kept on riding. He got to ride in each different car one time.
They went back to the bouncy house for a second round, then Caleb took us on a quest for ice cream.
On the way, we passed Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday. Little Tombstone Vigilante Nicco fit right in, donning the sheriff's badge a historically dressed wild west reenactor gave to him.
We didn't find ice cream, but there was birthday cake for the 130 year old train.
After all that fun in the wind and sun, Nicco was exhausted. He didn't last long in the car.
1 comment:
Wow! What a wild ride no, pun intended! That really does sound like a train wreck. I'm glad the kiddos still seemed to have fun. Most the time they don't notice the annoyances and dangers of careless adults! Oh, and I'm so glad Nicco has a new friend!!!
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