Vacation, Day 4

Day 4 started with a medical appointment that couldn't be rescheduled.  After that, it was back on the 5 to the 599 and heading towards Seattle.  After going months without heading north, we've been in or nearly in Seattle all week and it's been awesome.

Our destination this time: The Museum of Flight.  One guide said that you should plan to spend 3 hours here.  I don't know how much we spent, but it was far more than planned and we still missed entire FLOORS of stuff.  There is just so much to see, so much to read, some much to just linger and regard. I'll post some photos on Flickr, but I'm sure there are already lots of good ones there as well.

This is sad.  This was part of a small boosters exhibit trying to get NASA to send one of the Space Shuttles to the museum.  The museum will not receive one, but instead a "trainer" - a wingless shuttle that never flew but was used for training in Houston.  If memory serves, no one will be permitted on board the shuttles, but the trainer will be open for walk-throughs, similar to the Air Force One and Concorde on display on the museum.  Boeing is putting the finishing touches on a new building for the space exhibit that was to feature a shuttle.  

Rachel, Ben and I in a tiny control tower as part of a kid's zone.  It was interesting, but could be bigger.  There's definitely room to expand, especially after the current space exhibit moves to its new building.  We also ended up eating lunch at the museum's cafe which may or may not be run by McCormick and Schmick's.  It was overpriced and underwhelming.  Typical cafe faire.  However, an outdoor seating area let you see planes taking off and landing.  That was cool.

Here's all of us disembarking from Air Force One taken by a lovely lady who didn't quite understand the effect we were going for (insomuch as you can't actually see the plane itself).  *sigh* 

So, the next best thing, a candid.  Hey look... it's most of us standing next to Air Force One.

Harrier Jump Jet!!!!!!!

We went to Zoopa for dinner.  It had been our lunch plans, but with the museum being so jam packed, we couldn't bring ourselves to leave.  Even still, we'll have to take a second or third visit to get all of the museum in.  Great museum.

The star of this week has been Ben.  Traditionally unable to handle a lot of change, Ben has done absolutely stellar this week.  We think it's that he's been able to be in his own bed each night, but he's remained chipper, if not downright giddy, laughing, smiling, interacting with strangers.  It's been a joy.  Here he  demolishing a piece of pizza.  He ate most of Rachel's PB&J at lunch and was actually even messier then.  Also, apparently he likes cabbage.  He kept looking at Lori's plate and finally reached over and grabbed some from her salad and then then did it a few more times.