field trip

Today was field trip day.

Matthew and the 5th and 6th graders at his school -- 4 classroom of them, for two days in two big busses.

They got in the bus yesterday morning at 7 in south west Washington and drove to Portland. Here they went to the Zoo and to OMSI.

Oregon Museum of Science and Industry is located along the Willamette River in an old building where they used to generate electricity. It has been massively expanded and includes a LOT of wonderful science experiments and information. There is even a old diesel/electric World War II submarine. I had an uncle who served on one like that back then.

Last evening they got to OMSI. Once inside, the doors were locked. No one could go in or out. There was 90 kids and 60 adults, about the right mixture, it seems to grandpa.

They kept the kids going hard all evening. They worked and they saw and they experimented. A sack lunch was furnished, and at 11:30, the lights went out and it was DARK.

Did I mention that they all slept there? Boys and girls, mothers and fathers, teaches and civilians. “Sleep in what you are wearing now.” was the order of the day. They brought pads and sleeping bags. Some parents were awake all night to “make sure” others slept well!

Arline had 4 boys, one being her own. They are good kids. One has a bit of a speech problem, one has serious skin problems, one lost his mother just a few months ago (she was a single mom and now he is being taken care of by an aunt).

Good kids, really good kids, but they are 11 and 12 and all over the place. Believe me, Arline is up to the challenge and she kept them all in line with a bit of loud talk and a lot of grinning and love.

But we are here in town and we don’t see each other enough. So Arline asked the person in charge if there was any time she could get off and spend time with her parents.

This morning was that time. Three wonderful hours.

Arline is a big time knitter, so we went to a couple of yarn shops (talk about a cult!!). I bought a small skein of blue Linen yarn that will work really well in some book binding I am working on.

But mostly it was about just for us to be together.

Interestingly, we saw Lora on our way through her town, we saw Deanna here in Portland and now we have seen Arline. The only daughter we have not seen is Linda and we are staying in her house with her Emily.

Strange how all of that that works sometimes.