Sandi's Stories: Choo Choo and a Quack Quack

Off to the train we went today. It is just a local train that makes a 6 mile run which lasts about a hour. Which was perfect for both my men.

She'll be coming around the mountain when she comes...She'll be coming around the mountain when she comes..CHOO CHOO. The Tennessee Valley Rail Road is the name of the train and it was air conditioned which in 90 degree weather is all I ask for.

*** Side note, I believe we have brought all the rain we have been having at home with us. It has poured every day since we have been here, but then the sun comes up (and besides the humidity) and it makes for a nice day.

Both my boys ready for the train ride.

Oh if looks could kill (but isn't he the cutest conductor)

That's my child.

The perfect setting for some father/son bonding.

So you go three miles and then you get out at the other train depot and watch the engine turn around. The man there that looks like Santa Clause is our conductor. The next spot we got to go look at made this the "it" activity for Farmboy.

We got to go tour the "Backstop" or shop where they work on the trains. Lil Hoff and I was bored senseless but Farmboy held onto every word that the conductor said with great excitement and anticipation.

After the train, we all relaxed some and then took a rid on the Chattanooga Ducks. Which I thought Lil Hoff would love. He loves boats and Donald Duck is one of his favorites. So you mix the two together and what do you get?? Disaster. The ride starts off on land and then goes into the Tennessee River and lasts about a hour. Lil Hoff was interested in about 3.5 minutes of it.

Here is our boat/duck.

Let me interrupt this story to bring another one. I have noticed with my child that he does not know strangers. He likes to touch people, get in their faces, go up to other children and hug them, no boundaries what so ever and here is evidence. He is grabbing the lady that is sitting in front of me. She tells me it is no big deal but you know that it is. No one likes to pay money to do something to have a child bug you the whole time. The other thing I have noticed is that I wonder what the desk clerks thinks of us. We have made friends with all of them here at the motel (mainly because yet again he pushed the "alarm" button in the elevator and we went and shamefully apologized) But here is a typical day scenario for us. We leave in the morning all chipper and happy and ready to go, come back and I'm the pack mule carrying everything, usually red faced and sweating, and Farmboy is dragging or carrying Lil Hoff with him kicking and crying and screaming. Then we leave again not so chipper but more determined to have a good time on our next outing and then we come back all relieved to had made it through another day.

OK Back to our day.

The highlight of our hour long duck ride came 5 minutes before it was done and lasted about 2 minutes. Our captain Bill, let other people drive the duck and Farmboy took Lil Hoff up there to drive the duck. Don't let this face fool you, He.is.thrilled. What your sensing from this face is his attitude through out the whole ride. I have never had such a plan fail miserably.

This is daddy helping Lil Hoff steer the duck.

After our never ending ride on the duck we walked around downtown for a while and went into some shops. We stopped at a "Moon Pie" store.(I guess they were first made in Chattanooga) Only the second one in the nation and I got my first taste of a Moon Pie. I really don't think I have been missing much.

We then finally made it to a cupcake shop. Oh my word! Cupcake stores are like jewelry stores. There are so much glitz and glamour that you can't make up your mind. But I settled on some chocolate covered strawberries and tiramisu and Farmboy got a red velvet cupcake and a peanut butter cupcake.

Then we took in some more local culture and went to a restaurant called Tony's it was delicious. Our duck captain said that they make their own bread and noodles.

Then on a whim Farmboy decided to ride a bike around town and wanted me to pick him up. They have these bike depots that you can pick a bike up at one and then drop it of at another. Lil Hoff just kept saying "Dada, bike?" "Dada Bike"

He ended up riding a couple of miles before he called me to come get him. He said and I quote " Between the bike ride and the train shop, this is the best day of vacation!"