GRISWOLD 2009 - DAYS 8 & 9

GRISWOLD 2009 - "GRISWOLDS GO FOR BROKE - THE RECESSION TOUR" - DAYS 8 & 9 MONDAY & TUESDAY, AUGUST 10 & 11

On Sunday, August 9, we all gathered together in Vernon, CT (Kate Berstene's relatively new house!) for a Gillen family reunion. We had a very nice day catching up with each other as well as eating and playing bocce! We spent the night in Suffield with Grandpa & Grandma Gillen and then took off from there for Griswold 2009 - Day 8.

Our first stop of the day, after about an hour drive, was Mystic Seaport in Mystic, CT. It was a very warm day, around 90 and a bit muggy, but the sun was out and all was well. We got to Mystic Seaport a little after 10:00 AM.

We began our visit with a walk through a building dedicated to the preservation of old ships. Here, Erik and Rebecca tried their hands at drilling without power and learned that it's not as easy as it looks!

Then we paid a visit to the Charles W. Morgan, an old whaling vessel that's currently being restored at Mystic Seaport. It was huge and impressive.

I sure hope it has power steering!

The men that worked this ship slept very close to each other in cramped quarters and likely smelled worse than we can ever imagine.

There was a little sandy beach there where kids were netting whatever they could find in the shallow water. Erik and Rebecca held and examined these little crabs.

We saw a very interesting building that showed how the large ropes used on ships were made. We found this building to be fascinating.

We also learned that in the world of large ships, we're relatively small!

Erik got to make a toy boat! (Go ahead and try to say that three times fast..."toy boat, toy boat, toy boat!")

All in all, we had a whale of a time at Mystic Seaport!

From Mystic Seaport, we took a fairly short drive to Groton, CT, to see the Naval Submarine Museum.

After spending some time going through the museum and learning about submarines of the past, Steve decided to go "up periscope" to see if there was anything interesting nearby...

...and in doing so spotted the USS Nautilus outside.

The Nautilus is a nuclear submarine and it's open for tours.

As we entered the sub, they handed us these little electronic audio players. As we entered each new area of the sub, the message changed and told us about the area we were in.

We couldn't imagine sleeping in such tight quarters. Everything was state of the art in the submarine though, particularly given the available space.

Yes, Erik is getting bigger, but it's still pretty tight in the walkways and doorways.

As we left the sub, the kids saluted.

Then we said goodbye to the sub and headed back to Suffield for the night.

After spending Monday night in Suffield, the four of us, along with Steve, Karen, Melissa, Grandpa & Grandma, started Tuesday with a visit to the Basketball Hall Of Fame in Springfield, MA.

The outside of the building is impressive looking.

On the inside, Michael Jordan, who is being inducted in September, is everywhere! It's fitting for one of the greatest players of all time to get this much attention, though we couldn't help but notice that there is little mention yet of the people he's being inducted with. Still, we're happy for him and for the Chicago Bulls!

There was certainly a lot to see, including pictures and memoribilia of the previous inductees.

There were also displays that showed the origins and evolution of the game.

What really made things fun though were the interactive elements of the museum. Here, Anne, Rebecca and Erik performed basketball movements in front of a blue screen. They were then superimposed into a game of one on one with well known players. It was a lot of fun to watch!

Here Rebecca tries her hand at sportscasting, while Erik tries to distract her with his comic relief.

Erik and Rebecca also tried their hands at slam dunking while being pulled back by large bungees. The bungees weren't strong though and both slam dunked easily.

In the meantime, Steve hung out with an old friend.

We had a great time at the Hall Of Fame and as we left, we said goodbye to Grandpa, Grandma and the "Ohio Gillens". (We missed you Amy! See you at Christmas!)

From the Basketball Hall Of Fame, we took a short drive into downtown Springfield to the Springfield Museums. We had attempted to go here all the way back on Day 1 of Griswold 2009, but they were closed. This time we finally got to go and see what we came for, the Dr. Seuss Sculpture Garden.

It's a nice tribute to Dr. Seuss and all of his characters that we know and love...

...like Horton...

...Thidwick...

...and more!

As Anne said goodbye to the Lorax, we said goodbye to Springfield and headed slowly towards home by a different route than usual. (I-91 to Rt. 2 and then Rt. 2 to I-495) We made a very enjoyable stop in Westford, MA at Kimball's Farm for some ice cream and then we headed for home!

It was another couple of fun days for Griswold 2009! Who says you can't have fun closer to home?!