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Vacation is finished. Had some time in Chicago, then a night at home, then drove to the Dallas area with my mom and the kid.
Now, of course, I slept all night last night and can't sleep before work, so you all get an update, in random order:
Chicago was a little warmer than when I usually visit. It also contained more 3 year olds than usual. Fortunately, next year, I can choose to go a bit earlier, and the 3 year old will be 4, which is a nice age. (I actually prefer my own 13 year old, but I'm the weirdo who likes teenagers.)
Dallas: We went to the World Aquarium, which was absolutely fantastic except for one thing. They have sharks and otters and all kinds of birds and stuff, in a three story building, and a single WIDE path winding through it so you can stop, look, sit down, go back, and so on.
The downer? First, to get in, you have to trek up like a half-block-long walkway, but it twists and turns and slopes. My mom is 62 and uses a cane, and by the time we had got to the top of the path (much longer, all uphill, very unevenly sloped) she was tired out. Then the admission person says "Okay, the entrance to the aquarium is over there, just go up the stairs to the third floor to begin."
At this point I'm hot and sweaty as well, and have to go to the bathroom, and I'm afraid I kind of snapped, "My mother needs the elevator, where is that?" and got directions. But seriously, it's not like my mom's disability is invisible-- she has a cane (she even has one with an LED flashlight on it, cause she's cool) and she's obviously kind of... you know... staggering.
...yeah, I have issues with wanting to protect my mom from the world, and help her do all the things she wants to do. And I wish I didn't have to, I wish she could run and bike and rollerskate like she did when I was a kid. She's still my mother and I love her and I should love her no matter what she sounds like, but sometimes secretly I miss the way she used to talk. I dream about it too.
Anyways, other than having to play Educator to the World twice (the second time: where are the restrooms? Up these stairs and to the right. Okay, what about when we take the elevator?) the aquarium was LOVELY. I totally recommend it, unless you have problems walking or have someone with you who does. And then I recommend it if you've got extra spoons that day.
So, the next day, we went to Six Flags. And the kid rode every rollercoaster there, some twice, and had a brilliant time. And I discovered that I'm old and don't have the chops to really ride rollercoasters anymore, since I nearly got sick on the second one. So I rode a few (including the Titan, WHEE) but not the biggest (the Texas Giant, which the kid rode twice). Six Flags was lovely, lots of places to sit, and with the tiny exception that it's hard to tell where rides exit (so, you know, if you're letting your young teenage kid ride alone, you can keep an eye on her) which I wrote to them about, we had a brilliant time. They have a "free refills all day" drink cup, so we drank a lot, and I had a hat, and we sat in the shade a lot. So I didn't even get completely miserable from the heat. After that, we had lunch and I even went swimming at the hotel with the kid.
So, summary: I'm older than I thought, and crankier than I thought. And turning my sleep schedule around isn't working too well. But I'm glad I had vacation.
Now, of course, I slept all night last night and can't sleep before work, so you all get an update, in random order:
Chicago was a little warmer than when I usually visit. It also contained more 3 year olds than usual. Fortunately, next year, I can choose to go a bit earlier, and the 3 year old will be 4, which is a nice age. (I actually prefer my own 13 year old, but I'm the weirdo who likes teenagers.)
Dallas: We went to the World Aquarium, which was absolutely fantastic except for one thing. They have sharks and otters and all kinds of birds and stuff, in a three story building, and a single WIDE path winding through it so you can stop, look, sit down, go back, and so on.
The downer? First, to get in, you have to trek up like a half-block-long walkway, but it twists and turns and slopes. My mom is 62 and uses a cane, and by the time we had got to the top of the path (much longer, all uphill, very unevenly sloped) she was tired out. Then the admission person says "Okay, the entrance to the aquarium is over there, just go up the stairs to the third floor to begin."
At this point I'm hot and sweaty as well, and have to go to the bathroom, and I'm afraid I kind of snapped, "My mother needs the elevator, where is that?" and got directions. But seriously, it's not like my mom's disability is invisible-- she has a cane (she even has one with an LED flashlight on it, cause she's cool) and she's obviously kind of... you know... staggering.
...yeah, I have issues with wanting to protect my mom from the world, and help her do all the things she wants to do. And I wish I didn't have to, I wish she could run and bike and rollerskate like she did when I was a kid. She's still my mother and I love her and I should love her no matter what she sounds like, but sometimes secretly I miss the way she used to talk. I dream about it too.
Anyways, other than having to play Educator to the World twice (the second time: where are the restrooms? Up these stairs and to the right. Okay, what about when we take the elevator?) the aquarium was LOVELY. I totally recommend it, unless you have problems walking or have someone with you who does. And then I recommend it if you've got extra spoons that day.
So, the next day, we went to Six Flags. And the kid rode every rollercoaster there, some twice, and had a brilliant time. And I discovered that I'm old and don't have the chops to really ride rollercoasters anymore, since I nearly got sick on the second one. So I rode a few (including the Titan, WHEE) but not the biggest (the Texas Giant, which the kid rode twice). Six Flags was lovely, lots of places to sit, and with the tiny exception that it's hard to tell where rides exit (so, you know, if you're letting your young teenage kid ride alone, you can keep an eye on her) which I wrote to them about, we had a brilliant time. They have a "free refills all day" drink cup, so we drank a lot, and I had a hat, and we sat in the shade a lot. So I didn't even get completely miserable from the heat. After that, we had lunch and I even went swimming at the hotel with the kid.
So, summary: I'm older than I thought, and crankier than I thought. And turning my sleep schedule around isn't working too well. But I'm glad I had vacation.
