Rocket Man

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The boy is on Spring Break this week. We had originally planned to take a nice trip, but were unable to find a proper babysitter for the Beast. Brick's favorite surrogate family decided to take a trip of their own.

I will admit that there were several other options that were available. However, being the frugal gal that I am, I refuse to pay $100/per night + an additional $20/day if I want the Beast to enjoy "human contact" at one of our local pet spas. Oh, the hardships of pet ownership.

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Since the hubby had already booked the entire week off, we decided not to let our time go to waste. We took the first of what will probably be several day trips, to the U.S. Space & Rocket Center in Huntsville, AL. It was a blast (pun intended).

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The center houses a large collection of air and space craft including the huge Saturn V rocket and a full size space shuttle. Visitors can also view a variety of exhibits highlighting the Apollo missions, the International space station and other aspects of the U.S. space program.

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A highlight for the boy was the collection of missiles and other military weapons. What boy doesn't want to be able to say that they have touched an Intercontinental Ballistic Missile?

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We also watched the IMAX movie, Magnificent Desolation. The boy enjoyed learning about the Apollo lunar missions in this Tom Hanks narrated film.

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I had to throw this picture in at the end, although it was unclear what role this sub played in the space program. I am afraid that my boy's were embarrassed by my heartfelt rendition of Yellow Submarine. Let's just say that singing isn't my strong point.

I have a feeling that this won't be our last visit to the U.S. Space and Rocket Center. The boy has even voiced an interest in checking out their summer Space Camp. Maybe we have a budding astronaut on our hands.