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Thursday, September 17, 2009
Utah, Deep Space, Paella and Strawberry Soap
Monday was "castaway day"--the day Keegan's casts came off! The other children had the opportunity to choose between a thrilling eight hour drive each direction, or fun and games here at home with Grandma and Daddy. Kaira chose to join Keegan on the Utah adventure. The other children opted to stay home.
Kaira and Keegan were fantastic for the drive. As we spent all of Sunday driving, they played games, and we listened to books on tape to shorten the miles. We arrived just before dinner time, and after checking into an inexpensive hotel found a Mexican restaurant recommended by all the locals. I generally love paella, and was thrilled to see it on the "Special of the Day" board. Oddly, this was not the typical seafood paella, but rabbit paella. Yes, rabbit. Beyond that, something about the rice consistency was unusually gooey, and other seasonings overwhelmed the saffron that makes paella so distinctive. My eager taste buds were bewildered and even disappointed. (The children did say the enchiladas were superb!)
We played a few rounds of go-fish back in our room and went to bed to be rested for "castaway day" the next morning.
We arrived at the hospital early to enjoy the lovely courtyard and nearby gardens. Kaira and Keegan played hide-and-seek, much to the amusement of other patients coming and going.
Keegan was brave as a loud saw cut through his casts. Within those casts we found two very dirty legs and a green pencil top eraser.
After the nurse and doctor rinsed off his topmost layer of dirt he hobbled, weak-legged down the hall to have braces fitted.
He was fitted for two sets of braces, daytime and nighttime, and we were done by lunchtime!
Kaira had been hoping we'd have time for the planetarium, and because I prefer not to drive at night and wasn't going to embark for home mid-day, we had the afternoon before us! We zipped downtown near the planetarium, had a delicious lunch at a Tejas grill (where I didn't even check to see if paella was listed), and then, went explore the far reaches of outer space!
The planetarium in Salt Lake City has many fascinating exhibits. I took Keegan's picture in front of a moonscape, we watched a pendulum demonstrate earth's rotation by it's subtle circular motion, and we gazed at fascinating kinetic motion displays. Finally it was showtime!
I loved the planetarium as a child. My own children, rather innocent of modern media and television were even more awe struck than I'd been at their ages. As the heavens moved above us on the curved display dome, Keegan gasped in quiet awe. Whispering to me he asked, "Are we outside? How are we moving? Will we be able to get back down out of the sky?" Kaira, although older and wiser than her brother asked, "Are the chairs really moving?"
After a fascinating presentation on black holes we found a gift to bring home to the others (a little baking soda/vinegar powered rocket). We were nearly ready to call it a day.
Heading back to the car we passed a bath & body shop, where Keegan had opportunity to choose a flavor of soap. After six weeks of sponge baths, the slight rinsing at the hospital wasn't nearly sufficient. There was still a ripe smell coming from his newly-bared legs. He selected a bar of strawberry soap which he held to his nose rapturously as we progressed to our car. (I love the way simple things delight him so much!)
We were able to get a room in the Ronald McDonald house our second night in town, and after a lively dinner (once again paella free), Keegan enjoyed a long soak in the tub, richly lathered in strawberry. I'd be bringing a clean boy back home to Wyoming!
(In the picture below the children are playing hide-and-seek in the hospital courtyard. Kaira had just finished counting, but Keegan--darting behind her-- hadn't finished hiding!)
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