First Day of Camp

We are staying in the Wilmington area this week so that Jonah can attend a summer camp at University of North Carolina - Wilmington. I found out about their MarineQuest program back in January. Today was his first day (well, half-day actually) of camp. I found myself on the verge of tears when I left him there. He has attended half-day programs like this before and went to preschool for a year when he was 3, but somehow this seemed different.

First of all, he got to sleep late and we had to be up and out by 7:20 this morning, so I was concerned he would be tired - he nearly fell asleep in the car. Secondly, there was a fairly long list of things he needed to have with him - a backpack with a change of clothes, extra pair of shoes, towel, water bottle, sunscreen, snack, jacket and hat. He's never had to keep up with so much by himself before. Lastly, I have only ever dropped him off and he's stayed at the same place until I returned. In this case, he will be traveling in a school bus to various locations - the beach, the aquarium, the marsh, etc. Seeing him get on a school bus for the first time was a poignant scene for me.

Hanging out waiting for instructions - I had already said my goodbye's

I saw him trying to make friends with the bigger kid next to him

Getting on a "school bus" for the first time ever

That being said, I think Jonah and I were both excited this morning especially after seeing the schedule for the week with topics covering all the things he's interested in. He is attending the Sea Dawgs camp, which is for boys only. The topics for the week include whale and dolphin identification, squid propulsion, pirate hideouts, scrimshaws, a treasure hunt, and fish identification among other things.

Well, I'll be picking him up in a little while. I'm praying he had a good time and will be motivated to get to bed and be well rested for tomorrow.

 

Father's Day Trip to Wilmington

We finally got all of our pictures from Father's day downloaded from both camera's. We drove to Wilmington and toured the Battleship North Carolina. I was really impressed by this mini-city. Back then it was all men and it was a good thing - no privacy in the bathroom. The sleeping arrangments seemed to be an afterthought, with most servicemen sleeping where they worked. If you were the doctor you slept in your office. If you worked in the communications area you slept there along with your coworkers. Etc. The bunks were stacked 5 and 6 high with 2 feet between each bunk. Here is a picture of Jonah sitting on one of the bunk frames.


It would take lots of typing for me to describe all the interesting things about this tour. Let's just say for a civilian like me it was all new and very interesting. It makes me wonder how a modern battleship would compare in it's design and layout especially considering the addition of women in the military. If you are in Wilmington, I highly recommend the tour. There are narrow stairs and lots of climbing up and down, but you can bypass the engine room and other areas and not have to endure that. We didn't skip anything and had to carry Elisabeth below decks and Jonah climbed up and down most of the steps with some hand holding from Mom. Plan to allocate 2-3 hours if you walk the whole tour and read a lot of the interpretive signs.
After that, we picked up some food and went to the beach. The water was perfect, but the wind covered our belongings with sand, so we pretty much just got in the water for a few minutes then left. Elisabeth loved the water. It was only her second time in the water.