Disney Trip (May 21, 2013): "Sand full of sugar" Edition

Of course it isn't as glitzy as Disney. It's an exhibit based on a government agency, for crying out loud! Honestly, it's a few steps away from being an exhibit on TPS reports. But Kennedy Space Center is incredible. 

There is a ton of stuff to see and do and climb. This is a replica of a Mercury capsule.

Gemini.









Bridge to the white room.

I dunno...

Fun for kids of all ages.










We had lunch with an astronaut. That's her in the middle. Freaky fact about Barbara Morgan: she was Christa McAuliffe's alternate for Space Shuttle Challenger in 1986. Anyway, she was great. When she asked for questions, Mini-Me's hand was the first in the air: "How do you know when it's time to go to sleep in space?"

There's a space shuttle launch simulator, a couple of Imax movies, the Angry Birds thing, but the true gem of the whole place is the Apollo/Saturn V Center. You sit in a recreation of the firing room for the Apollo 11 launch (with the original desks and equipment) and then the doors open to reveal a Saturn V rocket on its side. Dude.










The Apollo 14 capsule.

Touch the moon.

Jefferson wanted to dip his toes in the ocean. So after we left Kennedy, we drove out to Cocoa Beach. Looking for shells.












At this point, the waves were coming in about ankle high. About 2 minutes after I took this photo, a waist high (to Jefferson) wave came in and he was almost swept out to sea. They were both soaking wet and covered in sand from the waist down. 

I mentioned looking for a sand dollar. We didn't find one, so Jefferson made me one.

Disney Trip (May 20, 2013): "Nah ... it felt rough..." Edition

We had planned to go to the Georgia Aquarium after the intense propaganda of World of Coke but before the intense sogginess of the Braves game. We asked the guy at the ticket gate if we had time and he gave us a "No way Jose." So we hit it on the way out of Atlanta. Here's the thing: underwater stuff has always given me the creeps. This thing was horrible.










The penguin habitat was great. You crawl through a tunnel to get to these plexiglass enclosures where the penguins refuse to acknowledge you exist. Good for them!

Unlike me, the mom could stand up in this without sustaining a mild concussion.










My mantra through this area of the aquarium was "It won't break. It won't break. It won't break. It won't break."

We had better photos of this, but this one most closely approximates the experience of spending all day every day for a week with Jefferson.

I wouldn't have touched this thing for $100 as a kid. Heck, I wouldn't touch it now.

He wanted to see what Patrick felt like. Kinda rough.

When I was a kid, Shakey's was probably my favorite place. As my homies know, the Springfield, MO, Shakey's closed and reopened as a strip club. When I found out that there was still a Shakey's in Warner Robins, GA, we had to make the detour.












Does this look familiar to anyone?










What about this?

Well, it had one of the filthiest restrooms I've seen in awhile, but the pizza and mojos were exactly right. No more must my sense of childhood nostalgia of Shakey's be tainted by the seedy facade of the Pink Cadillac.

Disney Trip (May 19, 2013): "Dad, I want one of those hammers..." Edition

The Atlanta City Pass included admission to the World of Coca-Cola. Unless you're one of those wacko Coke memorabilia collectors, there is one reason, and only one reason, to visit this attraction: Taste It. Taste It is a room in which you can sample 65 Coke products from around the world. Grab a cup, buddy. Before.

After. Yikes. PS: Do not, under any circumstances, try Beverly.

On to Turner Field. Braves v. Dodgers. As this photo was taken, it had just started to rain. By the time we entered the stadium, it was pouring sheets of rain.

Two hour rain delay allows ample time to do other fun things. Lose a tooth!
 








Pretend to be Bobby Cox!
 










See amazing historical relics (the Henry Aaron 715 ball and bat!)!












Eat the most delicious burger I've ever had! Really. This is the Turner Field version of the legendary Holeman & Finch burger. And it was extraordinary. It included hand-cut fries and a Coke (naturally) and was an absolute bargain at $15!
 








But the purpose of the visit was baseball. The 2 hour rain delay eventually ended .... only to be followed a few innings later by another rain delay!

After 4 hours, we'd seen only 5 innings of baseball. We bailed and had an amazing meal at Mary Mac's Tea Room, which was every bit as good as we'd heard. Worth the maddening parking and the wait. 

Disney Trip (May 18, 2013): "Dad ... is that art?" Edition

I had a vacation plan. My plan involved going to the Baseball Hall of Fame and Gettysburg. Then I remembered that Jefferson is 6 and that he'd never be 6 again. Oh ... well ... Magic Kingdom then. We hit Atlanta on the way. The Atlanta City Pass included tickets to the High Museum of Art. And what 6-year-old doesn't love art? He loves it so much he could punch his own face!

Nightmare fuel.

The High museum contains a huge exhibit of outsider artist Howard Finster. I love this.

Oh. Yes.












The Varsity is a cavernous drive-in restaurant, the largest in the world. They sell more Coca-Cola than any single retail outlet in the world. And they shout "What'll ya have!!" at you in a threatening way.  But it's the best greasy fast-food you can get anywhere.










The best work of art we saw that day.

Foreshadowing