"a place where we ache to go again"

Lately, I've noticed that when Friday hits I forget that's it's actually Friday - the start of the weekend, a night to unwind. Our days around here have always been much less structured than other people's days (one of the luxuries of being in academia), but with Baby Beeton, they have taken on this eerily similar quality. One day runs into the next with feedings, playtime, naps, and nightly bedtime battles. Not much marks the difference between a Tuesday and a Wednesday.

Tonight, I decided we needed to do something, anything, to kick off the weekend, a small attempt to reclaim just a little bit of our old life. It's been heavily raining the last few days, but around 2:30 pm today, the clouds broke, and the sun was shining. The heavy humidity lifted as well, and it felt the way a day in October should feel. We packed up Baby Beeton and Ella and headed to Glen Echo Park - which began as a National Chautauqua Assembly in 1891 (read up on the Chautauqua movement - it's fascinating!) and served as an amusement park until 1968.

(Image from Vanished America)

Now, there are a host of little buildings devoted to various arts, a ballroom, a playground, and the old carousel. They have all sorts of good stuff - especially in the summer - like puppet shows and concerts, and today we saw a wedding with the reception all laid out in the old bumper car area.

(Image from http://www.flickr.com/photos/kevinborland/sets/72157606522249902/)

We walked around for a while, gawked at the bride, and swung on the swings. We were even able to get dinner from the concession stand and eat it out on the picnic benches.

But, perhaps the best part of the whole day was in the parking lot when we pushed Baby Beeton really fast in the stroller and heard his first squeal of delight - genuine laughter! Of course, we made him do it over and over again. I'd say that that's a pretty good way to get the weekend started.


Keep sweeping (or swinging), Martha