We noticed on the board at the hotel that the Blue Angels were having practice this morning, so we woke Dennis up in time to make it to the Naval Air Station to see them fly. David and I first got together on a trip to see the Blue Angels perform at the same spot where we saw them this morning, almost 18 years ago, and we talked about how we never imagined that we'd be bringing a child to enjoy it years in the future. Dennis liked the jets but the noise bothered him. We'll know to get headphones for him next time. He did REALLY enjoy the National Naval Aviation Museum, which has really gotten huge in the years since we last visited.
After the museum, we went back to the hotel to pack up, and then we headed to Gulf Islands National Seashore. Dennis took his National Park Passport book in to the park ranger and asked for a stamp (he got 3 today from the places we visited in the park), and she was delighted to see it and give him a stamp. We decided to go and visit Fort Pickens since Dennis has never before seen a Civil War era military fort. He absolutely loved all the tunnels and secret passages, proclaiming himself alternately a park ranger or a soldier as he led us through the fort. He showed no fear of dark tunnels and headed into them without a second thought. He informed me "I am not afraid of scary dark tunnels, Mommy, and I'm not scared of monsters any more either." Thrilling news--let's hope it lasts beyond today.
He worried so much over the oil spill as we looked at the beach. We did see a number of cleanup crews hard at work on the sand, and Dennis was upset that the beach might be ruined by the oil. We didn't ever see oil on either the sand or the water, so I presume the crews are doing a great job. The vans we saw transported teams from as far away as North Carolina and Texas, and I wish we'd had time to get involved and clean up something ourselves. Perhaps in the very near future we can return and help. I think it would make Dennis feel good to help (and I know it would be rewarding for us). As it was, he wanted to stop and give the volunteers his Capri-Sun because it was hot outside and he thought they needed a drink.
Dennis made some funny beach observations on this trip. Last night he said, as we were leaving the beach and sand was getting everywhere, "somebody sure made a mess of that beautiful white beach when they put all that sand there". David loved this statement, and he laughed again this morning when Dennis told us as he walked through the sand at the fort "sand sure is hot and messy". I bet he'll play in it just as hard next time, though.
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