Mr. C and the Cuteasaurus had a week off from school for the Fall Break. Of course, Mr. C was supposed to go to school for an hour and a half on Monday morning, but that was ridiculous. Besides, it spoiled our plans to go to Chattanooga for a very long weekend.

So, no perfect attendance this semester unlike last one (which earns you bucks at a local bank).

We left about 3:30 on Saturday which was good since our latest leave time was to be 4:00. Somehow, I had thought we were going to Knoxville, and thats a long drive so I was set to drive five hours. When I had to do a nice three hour drive it made it easy.

I kinda wished we’d gone to a KFC buffet, but the exit zipped by too fast, and later we went to a McD’s. We’ve been playing the Monopoly game at McD’s, and winning Mcflurry’s and a free breakfast….so far no fifty thousand dollars, but we keep trying.

The hotel was nice with a microwave and a fridge. It was situated between a Shell station and a Subway, and just up the road from BK and McD’s.

We got settled, and found out that the laptop connection had problems. So the hotel manager and I think owner, a charming Indian gent, gave us a different room. The boys liked that as they got to tote stuff down the sidewalk between rooms as they raced between the two of them.

I played on the laptop, and we all watched Journeyman which is a new take on Quantum Leap. Its not as good, but it has its own quirky charm. Also, its more of a story arc than episodes with the background being formed by our hero’s struggles with his marriage as he and his wife try to cope with his uncontrolled timejumping, and the fact that he meets his former fiance’ who ‘died’ in the past.

The boys are always wound up in hotel rooms. A bath does not calm them much. In the end, I’m forced to put one on his own bed, and the other on the floor as the adults try to get to sleep. Y’see, they want to play and goof off if they are on the same bed. I had to mention many times…

“Keep your feet on the bed.” As one or the other tried to put his feet up or down where his brother was.

Part of this is the result of being confined in a chair in a car, and part is the new surroundings and excitement of being on ‘vacation’ which was Mr. C’s favorite word for a while.

The next day is the Aquarium to which we have year-round tickets.

First we park down from the Coldstone Creamery ice cream shoppe, and overlooking the Tennessee River. The boys played in Riverside Park on the play gym, and Da got to get Mr. C and himself to climb over a rock-climbing wall twice. Kewl.

We go through River Journeys and the boys are both enthralled with the extremely playful otters. Mr. C’s new favorite word is ‘otter’ delivered in a mournful tone as he wants to go back. We buy him an otter plushie in the gift shop. It feels a bit cheap, despite the price, and yup, it is. It rips, and once we get home, Da and Mum have to needle and thread it back up.

The Cuteasaurus was fascinated by the turtles. And he should be. We saw one poor turtle that kept trying to get up on a log, and kept falling back, or falling over on the other side as his turtle buds had all the good spots already. Later, he played with his turtle plushie, and even later, back home, when asked by the Ladyfaire what he wanted to watch…

“Thomas the Train?”
“No, no.”
“Ninja Turtles?”
“Turtle.”

So a new word for the Cuteasaurus which was great.

We went to eat at the TGoodnessIF restaruaunt in the same complex which was decent. Last time we did this, it was superfabulous. This time, the AC was cranked to Artic Breeze, and I may have confused my waiter into not tossing my salad. And the wait was….glacial. But, we got our food, and refilled and recovered after much walking. Both boys ate well with Mr. C eating very well so I was glad for that.

Sometime I want to go across the street to Cheeburger Cheeburger and see what that is like.

Back at the Aquarium, it was time to let the boys splash in the ‘creek’ and climb down the ‘waterfalls’ with all th eother little kids. Lots of fun was had by them as they .

We checked out the local Zoo, and found it. We had not been really aware that Chattanooga had a zoo. Its way back in Hank Warner?? Park behind a bunch of sports fields. They were renovating the Park which should be nice since it already looked pretty neat. Perhaps on another trip we can go to the Zoo.

That night we went to Subways, and I went first because Da needed a little alone time. Bought two subs for ten, and got the clerk who was cool to wait and let my wife pick out hers when she got there. Which messes up their inventory a little bit as they need to type into the system when I buy, but like I said, he was cool.

Next day, more Aquarium–this time Ocean Journeys. The Penguin exhibit was a fine exhibit of penguins napping. We went quicker through this building.

More ‘creek’ time with much more Da chasing kids up and down the waterfall trace to keep an eye on them. I hear that Cuteasaurus when he went around a corner climbed up twenty feet up a stone step hill. He’ scautious, but he’s young too. I let Mr. C climb the whole thing.

We went to ‘America’s Thrift Store’ and I got some books, and Mr. C got some pants. Let’s see…Retief was one.

Later, we went to the Missionary Ridge Railroad Ride. It was six miles there and back which did not take very long. The bulk of the trip was getting out at the turn-around, watching a ‘wheelhouse’?? in operation as it turned around the train engine, and looking at some trains and hearing a tiny lecture.

We got some pictures with the tykes and me although Cuteasuarus was mostly against thijs whole picture thing.

The tunnel through the ridge was dissapointing. Light, see a little of the sides, and then its dark. Can’t see anything outside. Maybe they should have turned off the lights inside or somethign to make for a better view.

That night, we saw a Dragon Caves game store. We checked, and they had moved. A nice hairdresser guy and his bud from next store gave us directions, but in the dark, we could not find the new place. Besides, I think it was closed.

The next morning we found it. It was going to open late, and it did not seem that big. Perhaps if I had not already been scheduled to go to Constellation, I might have gone.

We went to Eastgate Mall which was a lot of fun. The boys got to go to the toy store, the Disney Store, and I think maybe another toy store. We did most of the mall in relatively quick fashion–just enough time to explore a store, and absorbs its interest, and then on our way.

We ate at the food court at a Chinese place. As is customary, the various Chinese places (there were four) were all handing out samples of chicken. We swung around the whole court, and decided that the first was the best (being the cheapest helped). At first, Mr. C had thought his sample was hot, but evidently he got a different kind.

So he ended up sneaking up to the guy handing out free samples, and demonstrating why he is a top-notch moocher. I think he got something like four samples for himself. Of course, he’s not old enough to know better, mostly.

After that it was playground in the mall. And Mr. C got chased around by a younger girl who decided he was a dog, and needed to be c hased.

We went to see the dam, and walked along the river. My Ladyfaire showed me the place where she and some fellow SCAdians used to fence with rapiers before she met me.

We ate late at Kacey’s Home Cooking, a family buffet style place, which despite our arriving at fifteen minutes until closing made sure we got enough to eat.

We went home, and the boys napped on the way home. Which meant they were wide awake when we got home. A few hours later, and finally bed for them.

Our Chattanooga long weekend was over.