XIII: West Point and Grandparents
It's the lucky 13th edition of the update, and we need to bounce back after that last one. Re-reading the last update made me think of those times when your favorite television show airs a "very special" episode and they play the Enya music, you know...
"Tonight on TNT.... ("who can saaaay where the rooo-ad goes..")...Murdock fights the battle of his life on a very special....A-Team."
So, let's get back on track and what better way to do so than to give you the latest on a fun-filled Watson family weekend. My parents arrived Friday afternoon, after a journey that began at 2 AM Indiana time. This is my father's new thing, getting up in the middle of the night and starting the drive, and with children displaced throughout the country, he and Mom have become road warriors. So who am I to question the sanity of a man who has so much experience? Perhaps some day we will be visiting Jimmy, Maggie, and Annie and leaving our house at 2 in the morning. What do you think Reege? Anyway, it bears mentioning that Joan was with Mom and Dad and that when I arrived at mi casa after the commute, the place was hopping. The kids were spinning around the house at ear-piercing decibels, fighting for their guests' attention, and Reege had started an IV drip of some sort of Vicatin/Aleve mix. We spent Friday evening allowing the weary travelers to rest and relax, which of course meant...watching Maggie open birthday presents and having the three kids ingest large quantities of cake and ice cream, a surefire recipe for a calm, quiet evening.
On Saturday, with the promise of sunny skies, we elected to drive up to West Point, NY, home of the United States Military Academy. The USMA is located on 16,000 acres of scenic forest on the western banks of the Hudson River, about an hour north of New York City. It was originally a strategic military post secured by George Washington during the Revolutionary War (a.k.a. the War Against Tyrannical British Taxation) because it is situated in a bend in the Hudson. This made the area difficult for ships to navigate, thus making it essential in protecting New York City from a northern invasion. As part of the defense, Washington had his men construct a 65-ton chain (cleverly called the "Great Chain") which was strung across the river, thereby making the otherwise difficult waters now impossible to navigate. Some links of the chain are displayed on the grounds. West Point is a treasure trove of military history and it is stunning to imagine the people who have walked those grounds as students. For example, the U.S. Army has had five 5-star generals in its distinguished history. Two of those five were in the same class together, the Class of 1915, specifically, Omar Bradley, and some guy named Eisenhower. The grounds also feature statues of Patton (who took 5 years to graduate and whose statue faces the library at his wife's request, since George claimed to not have been able to find it during his time there), Thaddeus Kosciusko (who besides having a cool name, designed the post at Washington's request), MacArthur, and other legends who once walked these grounds. There was also a museum, which featured some incredible pieces, including Geronimo's rifle, Herman Goehring's pistol (taken from him during the Nazi surrender), George Washington's pistol, a sword from Napoleon, and countless other artifacts of military science. Needless to say, Jimmy was in heaven. Since no Watson family trip is complete without a trip to the gift shop, we were thankful that even West Point has one, and we did the requisite economic damage there. Of note in the gift shop was the purchase of a stuffed mule (not donkey, as I was informed by the staff) which is the mascot of the USMA ("Hannibal the mule"). The stuffed mule was originally to keep Annie quiet through the store, which in hindsight was a rookie parenting mistake that I am ashamed to admit, and for which I will gladly take the accompanying $15 penalty.
Saturday evening we dined at the Black River Barn, a peanuts-on-the-floor kind of place that fit well with our desire for a low-key experience. The meal was decidedly not low-key; how can it be with 8 Watsons at one table? Jimmy had a severe case of the "overtired giggles," laughing hysterically at such witticisms as "can you pass the bread." Maggie enjoyed the restroom facilities so much, she visited them at least four times. Meanwhile, Annie had the following "meal" : three pieces of bread, a container of butter (consumed separately from the bread), one black olive, one cucumber slice, a plate of french fries dipped in honey mustard, four chicken nuggets, a spoonful of my mashed potatoes, and two orange slices, both dipped in honey mustard. To clarify, she did the dipping, and when I say orange slices, I mean the whole slice. The rinds will be good roughage, or so we say to justify our haphazard parenting. She washed it down with a couple of glasses of milk and polished the whole thing off with some of her mother's derby pie. Ironically, all of this coming less than 12 hours after there was some panic in the household regarding Annie's wardrobe and a lack of properly fitting clothes. Hmmm.
On Sunday, we went to church and then to brunch at Friendly's. During the meal, Maggie said she was unhappy with her order, and wished to switch plates with Annie. Regis obliged, and Annie continued consuming, now from a different plate, as if her arm was mechanized and was going to take whatever was in front of her and put it in her mouth. After brunch, we drove to Eagle Rock Reservation which is a park that overlooks New York City. We then spent the afternoon "re-grouping." Re-grouping involved Jimmy changing clothes, Annie taking a nap, and Maggie requesting to watch the cinematic masterpiece "Barbie and Swan Lake." Of course, within minutes into the movie, Maggie was in the kitchen with Grandma and Reege, Jimmy was in his room playing, and Barbie was giving her Oscar-worthy performance to the captive audience of Joannie, Grandpa, and me, all of whom were asleep.
After the re-group, we headed over the hotel for some swimming and a picnic, which was a nice way to end the visit. The trio is headed back to Indiana today. Fortunately, we will see the family again in a week, so the good-byes weren't as tearful as they could have been. That and we were all too tired to cry.
That's all for now.
"Tonight on TNT.... ("who can saaaay where the rooo-ad goes..")...Murdock fights the battle of his life on a very special....A-Team."
So, let's get back on track and what better way to do so than to give you the latest on a fun-filled Watson family weekend. My parents arrived Friday afternoon, after a journey that began at 2 AM Indiana time. This is my father's new thing, getting up in the middle of the night and starting the drive, and with children displaced throughout the country, he and Mom have become road warriors. So who am I to question the sanity of a man who has so much experience? Perhaps some day we will be visiting Jimmy, Maggie, and Annie and leaving our house at 2 in the morning. What do you think Reege? Anyway, it bears mentioning that Joan was with Mom and Dad and that when I arrived at mi casa after the commute, the place was hopping. The kids were spinning around the house at ear-piercing decibels, fighting for their guests' attention, and Reege had started an IV drip of some sort of Vicatin/Aleve mix. We spent Friday evening allowing the weary travelers to rest and relax, which of course meant...watching Maggie open birthday presents and having the three kids ingest large quantities of cake and ice cream, a surefire recipe for a calm, quiet evening.
On Saturday, with the promise of sunny skies, we elected to drive up to West Point, NY, home of the United States Military Academy. The USMA is located on 16,000 acres of scenic forest on the western banks of the Hudson River, about an hour north of New York City. It was originally a strategic military post secured by George Washington during the Revolutionary War (a.k.a. the War Against Tyrannical British Taxation) because it is situated in a bend in the Hudson. This made the area difficult for ships to navigate, thus making it essential in protecting New York City from a northern invasion. As part of the defense, Washington had his men construct a 65-ton chain (cleverly called the "Great Chain") which was strung across the river, thereby making the otherwise difficult waters now impossible to navigate. Some links of the chain are displayed on the grounds. West Point is a treasure trove of military history and it is stunning to imagine the people who have walked those grounds as students. For example, the U.S. Army has had five 5-star generals in its distinguished history. Two of those five were in the same class together, the Class of 1915, specifically, Omar Bradley, and some guy named Eisenhower. The grounds also feature statues of Patton (who took 5 years to graduate and whose statue faces the library at his wife's request, since George claimed to not have been able to find it during his time there), Thaddeus Kosciusko (who besides having a cool name, designed the post at Washington's request), MacArthur, and other legends who once walked these grounds. There was also a museum, which featured some incredible pieces, including Geronimo's rifle, Herman Goehring's pistol (taken from him during the Nazi surrender), George Washington's pistol, a sword from Napoleon, and countless other artifacts of military science. Needless to say, Jimmy was in heaven. Since no Watson family trip is complete without a trip to the gift shop, we were thankful that even West Point has one, and we did the requisite economic damage there. Of note in the gift shop was the purchase of a stuffed mule (not donkey, as I was informed by the staff) which is the mascot of the USMA ("Hannibal the mule"). The stuffed mule was originally to keep Annie quiet through the store, which in hindsight was a rookie parenting mistake that I am ashamed to admit, and for which I will gladly take the accompanying $15 penalty.
Saturday evening we dined at the Black River Barn, a peanuts-on-the-floor kind of place that fit well with our desire for a low-key experience. The meal was decidedly not low-key; how can it be with 8 Watsons at one table? Jimmy had a severe case of the "overtired giggles," laughing hysterically at such witticisms as "can you pass the bread." Maggie enjoyed the restroom facilities so much, she visited them at least four times. Meanwhile, Annie had the following "meal" : three pieces of bread, a container of butter (consumed separately from the bread), one black olive, one cucumber slice, a plate of french fries dipped in honey mustard, four chicken nuggets, a spoonful of my mashed potatoes, and two orange slices, both dipped in honey mustard. To clarify, she did the dipping, and when I say orange slices, I mean the whole slice. The rinds will be good roughage, or so we say to justify our haphazard parenting. She washed it down with a couple of glasses of milk and polished the whole thing off with some of her mother's derby pie. Ironically, all of this coming less than 12 hours after there was some panic in the household regarding Annie's wardrobe and a lack of properly fitting clothes. Hmmm.
On Sunday, we went to church and then to brunch at Friendly's. During the meal, Maggie said she was unhappy with her order, and wished to switch plates with Annie. Regis obliged, and Annie continued consuming, now from a different plate, as if her arm was mechanized and was going to take whatever was in front of her and put it in her mouth. After brunch, we drove to Eagle Rock Reservation which is a park that overlooks New York City. We then spent the afternoon "re-grouping." Re-grouping involved Jimmy changing clothes, Annie taking a nap, and Maggie requesting to watch the cinematic masterpiece "Barbie and Swan Lake." Of course, within minutes into the movie, Maggie was in the kitchen with Grandma and Reege, Jimmy was in his room playing, and Barbie was giving her Oscar-worthy performance to the captive audience of Joannie, Grandpa, and me, all of whom were asleep.
After the re-group, we headed over the hotel for some swimming and a picnic, which was a nice way to end the visit. The trio is headed back to Indiana today. Fortunately, we will see the family again in a week, so the good-byes weren't as tearful as they could have been. That and we were all too tired to cry.
That's all for now.
posted by Watts at 10:11 AM
<< Home