Dinosaurs, Music, Baseball Bats, etc.

It's hot hot hot outside.  At 103 degrees, we found relief in some air conditioned museums & factories, and even naturally cool caves. 

Our first stop was the Creation Museum in Petersburg, KY.  http://creationmuseum.org/
My parents went with us, and everyone agreed it's a "must see".  If you've ever wondered about the age of the earth, why you were created, how dinosaurs fit into the account of creation, why a day is 24 hours, where seasons came from, why we wear clothes, why there is death and suffering in the world, where stars came from, etc., it's all answered in Genesis 1-11, and portrayed in a dynamic way at the Creation Museum.  I think my mom bought one of everything in the bookstore.

The kids rode a camel at the Creation Museum.

The next day trip was in Nashville, TN.  This time, we had my mother & father-in-law join us.  I'm so glad they did!  We had lunch at the Old Spaghetti Factory downtown, then we did a little sightseeing.  We started at the Ryman Auditorium, home stage of the Grand Ole Opry.  Then we walked the music filled streets of Nashville to the Country Music Hall of Fame.  We aren't fans of country music . . . at all.  But, it turned out to be really good!  Mostly because of our tour guide -- my mother-in-law.  She was born and raised in Nashville, and offered the behind-the-scenes stories of these famous musicians.  Reading a placard about a musician can be forgettable, until . . . you hear how my mother-in-law prepared meals for them and took it to their house, or how their kids were at the same school, etc.

The following day we toured the world's longest cave -- Mammoth Cave National Park.  At a constant temperature around 55 degrees, it was an incredible way to escape the heat.  We had a history lesson at 310 feet below the ground.  I didn't realize that in 1812, the nitrate, saltpeter, was mined out of the river sediment within the cave.  This was a main ingredient in gunpowder.  So, it's likely that as Francis Scott Key penned the Star Spangled Banner aboard the ship during the War of 1812, the "bombs bursting in air" were made from gunpowder ingredients that came from Mammoth Cave.  The kids earned their first Junior Ranger badge & got to do a special program with the Park Rangers.

LAR, CBR and friends at Dinosaur World.

Pop Pop and CER.

LAR and CBR went to Dinosaur World on Friday with some friends.  CER had a special date on the hovercraft with Pop Pop.  They packed a lunch and went out for half the day.  Dad has been building and buying hovercrafts longer than I can remember.  He's flown this hovercraft everywhere from search and rescue missions, to Mumbai, India (he didn't fly it to India, they shipped it there).  There are only 15,000 hovercrafts in the world, so to spend a day flying on one is a rarity.  All that said, I think CER was more excited about being with her Pop Pop than about the hoopla over riding in a hovercraft.

Speaking of things my dad built . . . check out this swing.  Hasn't every kid wondered if a swing could go all the way over?  Well, my dad is just a big kid who found the answer.

Most recently, we toured the Louisville Slugger Factory to see how their baseball bats are made.  I was shocked at the simplicity of the process.  Here are the kids hitting it out of the park with Babe Ruth.

CBR holding Cal Ripkin's bat.

After the Louisville Slugger Factory, we went by to visit my grandmother.  This woman is 97 and nearly blind.  You would never know it.



Upon arrival at her apartment, she handed out instructions to a little game she'd planned for us.  She loves scavenger hunts and relays.  She'll wear you out.  We're so blessed to have her!

Him, him, her, me, her, and her.