Walkabout on Wheels

So the big day of our visit to Dr. Jones had finally arrived. When I call him that, I inevitably think of Indiana Jones. I suppose that they are actually a bit similar. Both expose themselves to danger in order to uncover the past. But anyway.

We got our Mapquest directions up on my computer and headed out. I don't know if I mentioned it, but we have an aircard for mobile internet, so I was blogging a bit as we drove. I noticed a sticky film on the touchpad of my computer, but chose to ignore it.

We arrived without incident at the BYU campus and attempted to drive somewhere close to the Science Center, but were stopped by a security guard who asked us if we were dropping Ian off for class. He then directed us to a visitor parking lot, where a student in the parking booth asked us if we were students or staff. We said no, and she waved us through. We had a nice walk up to the science center, weathering the curious stares of many of the people we passed. I guess that they don't see many families strolling around the campus. It was still early, so we looked at some of the exhibits. Zorah liked the pendulum clock quite a bit. I guess I must have too, since that is the only one that I remember. We sat down to outside of Steven Jones's office. Ian and Brian were practically vibrating in anticipation. I was practically vibrating trying to find a way to keep Zorah occupied. While we waited, Brian took this picture of the professor's deparmental picture.

I got out my pen and notebook to draw with Zorah. She was "writing" scribbles, and I asked her to tell me what she was writing. As she told me, we wrote it down. It was a story, which she still hasn't finished yet. Here it is:

Ooshishikashi doesn't know where her mother is. She fell to the bottom of the sea. She will just have to think bravely. So, maybe she should get some goggles and a snorkel so she can swim to her.

Then her dad says: "Maybe I should go with you." He should find some big things to wear to go with her.

When her mother fell off the cliff, Ooshishikashi tried to catch her, but she missed.

Not bad, for three years old, huh?

When office hours were almost over, and Brian had consulted the department secretary, around the corner came Steven Jones. After seeing various news and film footage of him, it was strange to see him in person. Brian's first reaction was to do that worshipping thing. You know, the Wayne's World we're not worthy bowing thing, but without the auditory part. Of course, Dr. Jones looked at him like he was a freak. But he then very politely answered Brian and Ian's questions. They had about a thirty minute discussion while I watched Z, who sometimes participated, then we shook hands and left. I was considering taking a picture to commemorate the event, but didn't want to impose on him anymore than we already had. In retrospect, I should have. As we exited the science building, Brian and Ian were beaming. Brian jumped up and down and whooped and Ian had a big grin on his face.

We had lunch at Carrabba's, where Brian got a free meal because his food came one minute after ours, then headed toward the Museum of Ancient Life at Thanksgiving Point. It professes to be the largest dinosaur museum in the country. I don't know whether this is true, but it certainly had a nice trompe l'oeil outside. I wanted Brian, Ian, and Zorah to run away from it in this picture, but there are only so many corny things you can attempt to make your family do.

One advantage to homeschool RV trips, is that attractions are not crowded with school-aged kids and overwrought parents. Zorah was able to run around the museum without having to watch for people or wait her turn at various exhibits. There was a huge erosion watertable in the middle of the museum which I was surprised to find didn't interest her. The dinosaur skeletons were fascinating to her, of course, and a puzzle section with different woodcut dinosaurs that fit into slots in the wall. She and Ian did fossil rubbings and hung out for a while in this cave unmolested by the kids who would have been there if it weren't school season.














At the end of the museum were three large sandpits, called archaeological digs, where you could take brushes and brush off the stegosaurus "fossils". I think if you were really diligent, you would come up with little plastic stegosauri. In there were three moms and assorted pre-school kids. There were three boys in one of the pits, and five or so girls in the other. Zorah played with the girls for a while, then wanted a change of scenery, so she tried to go into the boy pit. She came running out crying that they wouldn't let her in. A mother who was sitting there nursing her baby said that the boys had done that to her daughter too. Their mothers were busy socializing and didn't realize what was happening. So I went in with her, knowing the boys would not tell me I couldn't come in. We happily brushed sand off the stegosaurus until she was ready to go back into the other pit. Then one of the girls wouldn't let her use the brushes in the other pit. So again she came running to me crying. The social mother scolded her son by mistake, then turned around and scolded the offending daughter, and all was well. Aren't kids great? LOL.

After such a busy day, Zorah and Ian had a relaxing hot tub.