Virginia Vacation

For Spring Break we decided to head a little south. We didn't really have a destination in mind, and had pretty limited selections since we were exchanging our timeshare week at the last minute. Plus, I wanted to stay within a 15-hour driving radius of Chicago. So, Virginia. The weather wasn't much different that what we had left behind...cold, rainy, overcast...just plain gross. We did the best we could by going to several museums and spending hours in the resort's indoor pool. First excursion was the Virginia Aquarium. The boys loved watching the otters up close and personal.

And, just like at the Mall of America, there was a walk-through aquarium so you are in a glass tunnel and surrounded by all kinds of fish, sharks, and really cool-looking coral reefs. Some guy who claimed he was an experienced diver said most of it wasn't real, but we were impressed nonetheless. We came upon a petting tank for stingrays. It took Jack about half an hour to work up the nerve, but once he touched one he was excited he did it. Jason, of course, walked right up and thrust his whole arm into the tank (with his coat still on, no less). I touched one too, it was spongy but somehow firm at the same time. Jase also had no problem handling the horseshoe crab. The kid's pretty fearless. Jack hams it up inside a shark mouth. We also went to Nauticus, a science and technology museum that is geared toward the marine world and even has the USS Wisconsin that you can walk around on and explore. As luck would have it, I forgot the camera at the resort that day so we were limited to using our cell phones for pictures, and I have no clue how to get them uploaded to my computer. That, plus the fact that I am supposed to be getting our taxes done instead of poking around with my cell phone and the computer...well, if I ever figure it out I will post later. Our final museum stop was to the Army Transportation Museum in Newport News. Since it was free to get in, my expectations were pretty low, but wow we were all surprised at the really neat exhibits and dozens and dozens of planes, cars, helicopters, tanks, boats, prototype vehicles, etc...perfect for my two rambunctious boys to explore. All in all, it was a pretty good vacation even though we made the mistake of seeing the new movie "Rango" (LAME). Next stop, Wisconsin Dells.