Tender Tracks Thurs. Day 32

Jan, 18, 2018
Waxing Crescent Moon
California Academy of Sciences, SF

Puma and Devin Absent.

During the Fires Ruby and I made many alternate plans for indoor spaces when and if needed. One of those alternate plans was buying a special type of membership that would allow us to bring our small group to the Academy of Sciences in SF. Since it was raining I just thought, why not use it since we have and make a unique day of it?  So, that is what we did.

Vita was not going to come this day due to her leg still not being fullyy mended. Her Mother, however, rallied and said she would come and Vita could go in a stroller that she tended to.  This worked out just beautifully so, we all gathered, got right into the bus and off we went.  Ruby told them many great stories as we took our much longer ride to SF. When we got there we discovered that, for $3, we could park the bus very close to the entrance!!!  Yahoo, a place for buses!  When we got there though little bladders needed quick relief . A little forest was right in front of us with trees surely needing a little watering and, that is what the children did.

Then, off to the Academy. But, who knew there would be so many people and students and classes????
Staying close felt necessary.
While I was getting us all what we needed to get in they all sat down nearby and ate a snack. Then we went in and immediately went to the place where us Grown ups could relieve OURSELVES and then, we were ready for our adventure!! But, where to go? We decided to go straight to the Rain Forest with the butterflies and all manner of tropical beings of grand beauty and marvel!!

It was so hot in there though that we pealed many layers off as soon as we got in. Vita’s Mom knew all the ways to get in and out and up and down there so we followed her lead on that as she helped Vita get up and down to see into the many display cases.  We saw in the waters below HUGE fish as well as HUGE butterflies, and small ones too.  The children were truly great with staying together.  Austen’s love and enthusiasm for all the magick there was at times so great that his little body just took over at times.  He helped with our stealth and observation skills as his Ninja ones are greatly advanced:)  All was fine.In truth he never went far away. He just wanted to get involved with things.  He is very magickal in this way!

We had a good time in the rain forest and then it was time to move on.The children were quite hungry so we walked out and found seats right in front of the windows that look into where so many fish were. We got to be really close to that HUGE fish we saw earlier and so many other fascinating ones.  What a marvel to eat while observing these masterpieces of life!!  Owen, Austen, Avaline, and Vita were just as enthralled and engaged as we adults were. We ate well and then made our way to the pools where you can touch Starfish.  That was just fun and fascinating too.

Then, the children each wanted to see different things, particularly Owen who remembered seeing something about a snake that he really, really, really wanted to go and find.  I believe he actually was scared of it and was working through that, or wanting to. It turns out that what he was talking about was a simulation of an eel that when you put your hands in and touch it you get shocked!  Well, we couldn’t go to where it was as it was too far. What we did do though was let each of the children direct us to where they might want to go. By doing so we wound up spending time in different places and, hopefully, they had some sense of satisfaction.  We saw the Albino Crocodile, the large golden ball that swings back and forth, more fish, things beneath our feet that we could look at through windows and then, time to go.

Going outside was wonderful. The air was fresh and the children instantly seemed to relax from the loudness and constraint of inside. They all went climbing along a wall and played with ease as we made our way back to the bus.

These days are always fun for me but for different reasons then one would think. I get to see how they are in environments that I never see them in and do a bit of a comparison between Tender Tracks days to their “Regular” type days.

It was a wonderful day for that and a true adventure away from our norm.