Unfinished Dad

Don't Forget Two

Don't Forget Two, originally uploaded by unfinished dad.

I keep telling you how tough it is being the second child. This is our list of important things to remember for our Thanksgiving road trip.

Disneyland for Suits

My wife is at a conference at the Gaylord National Hotel on the waterfront in National Harbor, Maryland.  I decided to take the kids down to stay over for the night because - aside from being a strange corporate retreat version of Disneyland with self contained restaurants, hotels and living space - they also do an over the top Christmas display.  We were too early for the real indoor snow, however the girls loved the musical fountain and indoor river.  The place is kind of creepy, in an Orwellian sort of way, but it was a well packaged night away.  And no, there is no way to take good low-light pictures with a cell phone, but the photos convey the atmosphere quite well.

Old School Kermit

The DVD player in our car is taking over my life.  What started out as a way to get through a long trip to Surfside Beach has become a crutch for driving five minutes to the grocery store.  I try and keep to the basics so that I don't go completely mad.  

Lately Sesame Street Old School has been on heavy rotation.  I can't get enough of the way the show used to be.  The DVD's even come with a disclaimer that the material may not be appropriate for today's children, as evidenced by an early clip in which the characters wonder weather or not the show should just be called "Hey, Stupid" because its intended audience won't be able to read.  But, by far, my favorite thing about the DVD's is Kermit the Frog.  He's a little subversive, a little New York (listen to that accent), and yet totally endearing to children.  Poor Don Music never stood a chance.

Roadtrip To Winston-Salem

Our summer of road trips ended this weekend with the relatively short drive to Winston-Salem, North Carolina for the wedding of our friends Amanda and Mike.  Six hours on a map turned eight hours in real life seemed a breeze compared to the drive to Surfside Beach or the interminable trip to Meredith, New Hampshire.  It was like a long commute.

We returned to CCMD last night around bedtime with two surprises that we couldn't stop talking about, which quickly turned into three when we saw and smelled the half-eaten zucchini I left on the counter.  The only problem being that I left a whole zucchini on the counter.  Apparently a Lion came up from the basement for a little mid-nite snack.  Seriously, if a mouse can eat that much I am moving.

The Winston-Salem surprises we'll take in order of importance, least to most.  I was prepared to be afraid of a place that took its name from two cigarettes.  I was ready for a town not unlike the worst of Shreveport.  What we found instead was a thriving, clean, kind, reasonably cultured city that reminded us of what we liked about our year in Louisiana—no traffic, good barbecue, simple manners, and plenty of friends.  Our hosts for the weekend were the kind of family that makes you want to find an excuse to stay the night.  I found myself, as the clock rolled past noon and the girls frolicked with the puppies and giggled at the cows, thinking that it might just be a little too late to get everyone home by bedtime.

The biggest surprise of the weekend came while dancing at the wedding.  No, my Carlton still still needs work.  But the night took off when Tilda, unprompted, walked across the entire dance floor to get to the instruments.  Keep in mind, her previous distance record spanned the space between the couch and the coffee table at Grandma's beach house.  Somehow a switch flipped in her head and now she walks.  She's good at it too.  I think waiting for as long as she did allowed for a bit more muscle mass hiding beneath her thigh rolls than we realized.  The bride's mother and photographer thought this was tops, so some professional pictures are to follow. 

We Looked So European

Dani and I decided that we would get the kids out of the neighborhood yesterday.  So we took them for a hike.  My wife had taken the car for the day (more on that later) and we were forced to look for a hiking spot that was Metro accessible.  I had my doubts.  However, we found a comprehensive list for just such DC hikes on City Renewed.  The first one on the list, the Melvin Hazen trail, was just four Metro stops away in Cleveland Park.  The trial itself was less than a quarter mile from the station.  

Just off Connecticut Avenue, we found ourselves dropping out of sight and into the woods.  A half mile later we reached Rock Creek, and though the sounds of cars never quite disappeared, they were mostly replaced by birds, squirrels and chipmunks.  In total we walked abut 2 miles and played in the river a bit too.  I didn't snap any photos, which is a shame because at one point I was forced to scramble up some steep rocks with Annie on my back.  When the sign says "strenuous/moderate" it is best to to take the latter when carrying two babies.