Blue Angels & More

We had a terrific time going to see the U.S. Navy's Blue Angels last weekend. We went to Martin State Airport to see the team up close (very up close!) as well as the numerous other attractions. My husband took my daughter up in a Cessna- the first time for both (a local school was giving rides), and later, they both convinced me my fear of hights would not rear its ugly head. It was not as bad as theme park attractions (where I now keep my feet firmly on the ground!)

On their first flight: my girl is in the back.

My daughter has been practicing chin-ups, copying my husband as he stays Army fit. At Martin State Airport, the Marines had a bar up for any takers- she took their challange and (with a little help after 5) did 10 chin-ups to earn a large goody bag!

We saw various military aircraft, and I watched while my daughter & husband ran around ooohing and aaahing and squealing (okay, that was my daughter) with delight when something took off, did a fly-by, or landed. When the Blue Angels flew, we were able to be close-up for them lining up, taking off, and landing. Afterwards, we got their autographs.

The Angels lining up for take-off.

My girl's favorite pilot was #2 for the very little-girl reason of "he's the tallest!" She was super-impressed with his hight, and I was super-impressed with his gentleness and humor.

During this two-day field trip, we covered the War of 1812- this was the 200th Anniversary of that war; our Armed Forces, flight & aircraft, face-painting, and physical fitness. Whew!

Unexpected Field Trip

We had an unexpected, and rather pleasant adventure yesterday!

Our travel to Spay Now took longer than expected (traffic, of course) and I decided we would stay on the Eastern Shore for the day instead of fighting traffic for an extra round trip. I did not, however, know what we were going to do. A quick Internet search turned up nearby Wye Mills.

We visited Wye Grist Mill. Rhonda explained the history of the area and the Mill. My daughter got to even try her hand at hand-grinding and crank grinding corn. Out back, we saw a large Great Blue Heron just hanging out. He did not seem bothered at our nearness- we were maybe 30 feet away. Rhonda recommended several other places to go. We saw Wye Oak Park- including Maryland's State Tree, the Wye Oak, and an old schoolhouse.

We then went to the Chesapeake Exploration Center as a starting point for a short Cross Island Trail walk. Their museum has a small collection of artifacts from the Bay, and an amazing exhibit from a local artist, Coleman Sellers. On our walk, we had fun getting our toes wet, and my daughter found jellyfish. Lots of them. The lady at the Center was suprised there were jellyfish already. After looking at photos and descriptions of various jellyfish I am not sure what species we saw, but it may have been teeny lion's mane jellyfish. I do not think we saw sea nettles, which are tracked in the Chesapeake Bay because they cause problems with swimmers. While lion's mane jellyfish grow rather large, the colors and general look seem like what we saw, and from what I read very small ones can be found.