A year and a half ago we tromped around the decommissioned USS Alabama in Alabama. I thought of this on Friday morning as our Nauticus museum exploration led us out to the deck of the Wisconsin.
That mid-January daytrip was like a break of sunshine. Chris, Isaac and I were coming off a hard year of stress and loss, and I’d just had a second miscarriage two weeks prior. But one day, I was driving around with Isaac and felt an irrational, energized peace. I’d been praying a lot, of course, and feeling so down, and it really felt like a supernatural injection of color into a world of gray. It was in that same attitude we’d headed to the Alabama. Within days I was barfing and feeling awful, which turned out to be NOT a third miscarriage, but ELOISE!! So our fun family day was unconsciously inclusive of one precious baby girl. On this occasion, she made her presence known the entire time: it was nap time, and she was ready to go.
The museum was cool. Obviously I don’t get a whole lot out of it with Squirmy McFussypants, and Isaac was weirdly grouchy and tired too, but it’s always interesting to learn more about the places we live.
Like the fact that the Great White Fleet left from the Jamestown Convention of 1907 for its circumnavigation of the glove. I first learned about the Great White Fleet—essentially a huge worldwide PR campaign for American power and friendliness—in Sydney, Australia, in a similar museum. It’s cool to think about how that maybe set the tone for international relationships for more than a century.
Also, Chris and I went on a date. Lobster rolls at the Green Onion. We sat under an awning outside as it started to rain and felt very urban and stuff. A great date and a fun day (despite grouchy kids wetting the bed). We should do this more often!