End of summer 2015

I guess we were aware but did not want to admit it but our summers were now shorter.  The end of summer 2015 was the start of big changes in our family.  We were excited and sad at the changes that were now taking place.  Even with the changes we still had to send summer 2015 out in style and cram as much as we could into it.

The summer was ending so quickly because Little Man was now starting school and they start in August.  We took him to an orientation with the thought that he was going to go half a day to Kindergarten  but as we toured the school Little Man got more and more excited about his new school and asked why he was only going a half day when he would really like to go a full day.  The difference between half and full was the full day kids ate lunch, went to gym, art class and music the fun parts of the day.  Near the end of the day and with her eyes filled with tears Mom switched Little Man from a half to a full day of kindergarten. 

We had big plans for the end of summer that we still wanted to do with the kids but time ran out on us and the first day of school rolled around.  It was a bittersweet day that morning as we woke up Little Man that first morning and headed down to the end of the drive to wait for the bus.  He was filled with excitement as the bus pulled up that morning, the doors opened up and he introduced himself to Ms. Caroline the bus driver.  The door closed on the bus and our Little Man had officially started school.

Mom and I headed back up the drive to the house and I could see her eyes were still filled with tears but I had no idea what was going to happen next.  Mom was not in the house for more than a few minutes when she grabbed the keys and headed for the door.  She stopped for a second looked at me and asked if I was going with.  “Where?” I replied.  “To the school so we know he made it okay” she replied.  All I could do was laugh and with that she turned and headed to the school to see him off the bus.  Sure enough she returned home with video on her phone of him getting off the bus and his nonchalant “Hi Mom.” As he walked with the rest of the kids passed her.   The video mom shot was good and I was able to put together a nice video of his first day of school.  He loved and still loves school today but he doesn’t always like to get up in the morning.

Our mechanic told us our old faithful van was on her last legs and that we needed to buy a new one.  We started to look at different vans and Mom is one of the best car negotiators out there but we had no luck finding something.  I came home from work one day and Mom dragged me to the car dealership where she had purchased a Honda Odyssey minivan.  The kids were excited about the new van but sad that we had to say goodbye to the old one, not to worry, by the next day they were over it and loving the new van.

We decided with the new van it was a good time for a road trip.  We had to pull Little Man out of school for a couple of days but it was worth it.  We decided to head to the State Fair and then to Schaffer Lake then on the way back we would stop off at Fair Oaks Farm.  This was certainly going to be a great test for the new van.  Rock was not going to get much out of the trip so he stayed home with Mimi.  A friend of the family, Morgan, took off from school and came along for the fun and help with the gruesome twosome.

We got up early in the morning loaded the new van and headed south to the Indiana State Fair.  The first thing the kids wanted to do was go on the rides.  Jame still loves all kind of rides and is very adventurous to the point where we have to tell him that he can’t go on certain rides.  They did hit all of their favorites.  Jame loves the fun houses and the cars even if they do just go in a circle, they also hit the kiddy coaster and the carousel. Auntie Jea Jea and Cousin Alex/Jeannie met us there later in the day and we headed over to see the animals.  The kids love the pigs, the sheep and the horses.  Jame was amazed by the pig weighing over a thousand pounds and to be honest so was I.  I couldn’t help but to think how much bacon was laying there right before me.  They also loved the little piglets still nursing off their mother.  The sheep are always fun with the baaa’s all over and the funny looking outfits they put on them after they get sheered.   The horses are great to see and they are beautiful animals but I’m always a bit nervous around them with the kids, I just don’t want them to get kicked.

We walked over to one of our favorite parts of the fair, the kid’s farm.  The kids follow a path and have to collect items or perform certain tasks and then it shows them later how that will help them.  They have to collect soybeans and then trade them in to power the tractor.  They collect eggs and milk and then trade them in for money they can spend at the store to get a treat.  The kids loved it so much we did the path twice.  After the farm we walked into an area where they had an old fashion barn.  They had cows and oxen in the barn.  At another part they had guys working with old tools and both the kids got to make a wooden dowel pin.  We spent the rest of the day exploring the fair including some mini golf and the petting zoo.

As the night drew near we stopped for some dinner and then returned to the rides for the kids.  Jame loved a fun house that he kept going in over and over again.  Hope was tired and the fun house just wasn’t her thing so she was more than happy to just rest.  At the end of the night we hit up the food trucks one more time for some deep fried dessert, this was more of Hope’s thing.  We feasted on deep fried Oreos and peanut butter cups, thinking about what a great day we had at the fair.  We weren’t far out of the parking lot when quiet fell on the backseat.  We drove from the fair to Auntie

Jea  Jea and Uncle Wally’s cottage for a rest.

The next morning we slept in a bit but then got going to breakfast before our next big day.  After breakfast we headed to Shafer for some old fashion fun.  There have been a few updates to IndianaBeach but the nostalgia is still there.  We hit some of the classics right off the bat the bumper cars there’s nothing like crashing into the ones you love.  I had to ride with Jame because he still just a bit short but it was fun for me just to ride along and screaming and laughing.  It was great to look up and see the electrical sparks above us and just to remember when I was a kid driving the bumper cars in the same place.  Next we headed to the Scrambler, always a classic at Indiana Beach, as you spin and head out towards the water feeling the cool breeze from the lake.  Jame did not want to ride with Mom or Dad this time so we got in the car with Hopey.  Hope was fine having a great time until the ride started and she does not have the same love for rides that Jame does.  She held on with a death grip and buried her face until the ride came to a complete stop.

One memory I have of Indiana Beach is bringing old bread to feed the carp.  Now a days they sell fish food in an ice cream cone.  You throw the food down to the carp and they climb over each other trying to get the food.  After the food is gone you can either break up the cone and toss it to them or just throw in the whole cone and watch as they destroy the cone.  I was fascinated with the fish as a kid and still today I love watching the carp climb over each other for the food.

We tried to ride the train; for many years I have come to Indiana Beach and have seen the railroad tracks but never remember seeing a train.  A few people were in line waiting for the train so we joined them.  The train came into the station and we loaded up ready to go, the kids sitting right behind the engine.  I had no idea where the train would go, this was going to be an adventure for me as well. This would be the first time on the train and the mystery tracks that I had always seen at Indiana Beach.  As luck would have it, the train never moved and we eventually had to get off the train, as it broke.  The train to me is like a Scooby Doo mystery train at this point that only runs when I’m not there.  We didn’t even see the train run the rest of the day.  One day I hope to return to Indiana Beach and ride the train.

We then hit the kiddie rides; the kids still love the simple rides.  The cars and boats that just go in a circle, it’s also nice for Mom and me to take a break and relax while the kids ride.  We had to laugh as we put the kids on a pumpkin Ferris wheel and Hope made a new friend and spent most of the ride talking to her.  We have no idea what the conversation was about but she was determined to give the girl her story.  The kids had a great time on the rides but needed a break so we stopped for lunch.

After lunch we entered a time warp and stepped back in time into the Skee-Ball room.  The Skee-Ball room has not changed much since I was a kid.  As a kid my family would spend what seemed like hours playing Skee-Ball and collecting tickets, after a while I don’t think the tickets mattered much we just liked to play.  Jame really got into playing this time and Hope was okay for a bit but soon lost interest in the game which opened up an opportunity for me to throw a few games and re- live those childhood memories.  I don’t think Indiana Beach will be the same if they ever renovate the Skee-Ball room.

After walking down memory lane in the Skee-Ball room we headed down the boardwalk to another childhood memory of mine that has been renovated.  The Mystery Mansion was a two story haunted ride the thrill was when the ride got to the second level it came out on the balcony that gave you a chance to wave to Mom.  Most of the ride was boring with wood cut out of witches and ghouls that would pop out but we waited with great anticipation for the end where a loud truck horn and lights would scare you, even though you knew it was coming.  We always left the ride laughing at the scare.   Now the ride is called the Den of Lost thieves the truck horn is gone but the balcony is still there.  The ride is now an interactive ride where you get points for shooting at targets.

The ride is still fun but the line can get long and you really have to judge if it’s worth the time to wait.  We had to wait to get on the ride as it broke a few times.  The thought of giving up and getting out of line crossed my mind a few times but we stuck it out and made it to the front of the line.  Jame and Hope love the ride because you get to shoot at targets and it’s not scary.  The balcony is still there and it is fun when the doors pop open and the sunlight blasts in and when you figure out what’s going on, you are on the balcony.  Just as you get used to the outside, the car jerks and you slam into the doors thrusted back into the darkness.  It’s now and updated ride but it still has the feel of the old school ride with the jerking around the corners and at times you feel like the ride is just simply going to stop.

One of the new attractions is an adventure point that you walk across balance beams and other obstacles.   Jame and I took on the course.  We got on our harnesses and headed up to the course, I kept up with him through the first balance beam but he quickly left me in his dust on the next obstacles.   He would have been way ahead of me if we hadn’t told him to slow down and wait.  I also helped myself by trying to be funny on a few of the obstacles so he had to slow down and wait.  Hey if you can’t be first, you might as well be funny and spectacular.  I was glad to see the end of the course and happy that we could not go to the top level of the course, I was just happy to walk after completing the lower course.

We then took the Skyride, talk about being old school.  You stand on the footprints as the chair swings around behind you and you have only seconds to sit down and get the bar across before you start heading upwards.  This is hard enough to get in the seat by yourself but even harder when you are trying to get a kid in the seat first and then yourself all within a few seconds.  Once you make it passed that the ride is beautiful over the board walk.  The only time it becomes a bit scary is passing the towers as the chair bounces. The ride will also stop on occasion I assume for those who don’t jump in time.  This gave me time to ask the kids what they would do if we got stuck up there all night.  Jame said he would enjoy spending the night up there.   We rode the sky ride both ways and both Jame and hope enjoyed the ride it was a nice way to wind down the night.

As we walked down the boardwalk one last time the fireworks show started.  The fireworks were a nice way for us to say goodbye to Indiana Beach for the season.  We headed to the car tired from all the fun and walking and headed back to the cottage.  The car wasn’t even out of the parking lot and the snores started from the back seat.  The kids needed their rest as we still had one more day of fun left before we traveled home.

The next morning we woke and started preparing for the trip home but we were going to stop at Fair Oaks Farm along the way.  Fair Oaks Farm not only has cows but now has pigs and we have not yet seen the pig portion of the farm.  Honestly who could resist seeing all that pre-bacon?  Mom went to go buy the tickets for the pig tour and I took the kids to play.  We started off finding a cow that was a chalk board so we had some fun drawing on the cow and coloring big lips on it.  We then went off to hit the other attractions like the cow carrousel.  Once mom returned with the tickets we had some time before our tour so we headed down to the pig waiting area.  Along the way we stopped at the cow birthing area to watch a cow being born and with our luck it was not an easy birth and they had to come in and pull the calf out, not the beautiful experience we thought it would be.  Hopefully the kids are not too scared by what they saw. 

The new pig area was fantastic as we waited for our tour time they had a lot for the kids to do while we waited.  They had a lot of photo places for the kids to stick their head in and take a funny picture.  They also had an adventure area somewhat similar to Indiana Beach.  Jame was upset because he was not allowed to go up to the high area but did do the lower area along with Hope.  We soon found out that Hope is not the adventurous type.  Hope was happy just to sit by one of the transition areas and watch everyone else go.  Jame sped through the course and we had to tell him to wait and slow down a few times.  Mom had to carry Hope over the obstacles if she hadn’t Hope would still be there.

We then found a kids playhouse and this was more of Hope’s speed, she fell in love instantly.  They had cartoon looking furniture, complete with a fireplace and kitchen that Jame decided to make me coffee.  

Hope soon made herself too comfortable and started kicking other kids out, until we stopped her.   The kids had a great time playing in the clubhouse and the entire waiting room.  Hope did not like it when a costumed pig came out, she treated him the same as Santa and the Easter Bunny.  Jame was willing to take a picture with the pig. 

Our fun wrapped up and we headed to the pig bus.  On the bus we all had to do our best pig impersonations.  When you arrive at the pigs they have you take a virtual shower the kids had a great time playing with the shower the more you moved the more bubbles appeared.  We then were able to see the new piglets and the kids loved seeing all the little baby pigs.  We saw them nursing off their mothers and one of them that still had the umbilical cord attached.  After a bit an employee entered grabbed the piglet and with a quick snap the piglet was freed, she then quickly tied the cord and put the pig down where it joined in on the feeding.

We then walked down to see the bigger pigs and Jame asked one of the guides what the brown stuff was in the pig pen his face was priceless when she told him it was poop.  Jame also decided he was going to be a farmer and would have pigs on his farm but only 4.  We discovered an area where you could do ultrasounds on a fake pig to see how many she was having then it would give you a print out of how many you found.  We finally had to tell Jame to stop he was doing it so much and handing us the results.  Then the kids found an area where they could play pig doctors with stethoscopes and white doctor’s jackets.  The fake pig in that area got a full check up including underneath where they checked on the food service for the little pigs and at the end of the check up, it was still a fake pig.  The kids had a blast playing pig doctors.

Before we left the pig center we played in the fake cornfield chasing each other around and playing with the virtual pigs that would come to you on a screen.  The kids had a blast not only seeing the pigs but all the fun we had at Fair Oaks Farm.  We loaded on the bus back to the center and enjoyed some ice cream and relaxed before the final drive home.

 Summer was now over and it was back to normal or as normal as we get.  We dropped off Morgan headed home unpacked the car and settled in with our memories of the fun we had near the end of summer 2015.