Field Trip to Moline

We were invited on a field trip to Moline to do a full day of fun.

Unfortunately the sky decided to dump on us most of the day but we still had a great time and made the most of it.  Our travel was safe and we were with friends so it was a happy day indeed.

Our first stop was the Celebration Belle riverboat to do a tour on the Mississippi River.  The kids were excited to ride a boat!

Waiting to board...

Mike got to come along for which I was extremely grateful!

Evalynn is making that same face in every picture....

During our boat ride, a gentleman from the Army Corp of Engineers gave an interactive presentation explaining why the lock and dam system is important on the Mississippi River and what navigation of the river was like before the lock and dams were put into place.  He did a great job and I learned a lot while I sat very still trying to convince my stomach to stay in place.

Friends to sit with!

Even though it was rainy, they let the kids go up after the presentation and look at the river from the upper decks.  Bless Mike who took them out and made sure no one fell overboard.  He also told me that my stomach would have done much better from up above than sitting directly on the water like I was.

The captain let them into his space, too!

After the riverboat we headed to the Rock Island Arsenal.  We felt very fortunate that we'd been a couple of weeks previous and had our background checks done and visitor passes (good for a year) in hand.  We were able to skip all of that process and go directly in at the guard gate.  We were supposed to picnic with the group on the beautiful playground at the Arsenal but it was pouring.  We ate at a covered picnic table for most of our lunch but ended up back in the car where it was warm.  Because we didn't play at the playground, we headed to the Arsenal Museum early and that ended up being fortunate because we kind of beat the crowd.  They had scavenger hunt booklets for the kids to complete which kept them engaged.

Some of the booklets were difficult for independent work, so we parents stayed plenty busy also!

After they completed their age appropriate sections in the booklet, the kids had them reviewed by the employee and she did a little ceremony and gave them badges.

Badge holders!

The teens decided not to do all their booklet sections but did a great job of staying engaged and reading the information/exploring on their own.

Our last and final field trip stop was Lock and Dam 15, which is also inside the Arsenal.  It's the largest roller dam in the world.  The same gentleman who did the lesson on the riverboat was at the lock and dam and gave a wonderful explanation to the kids about how the lock and dam system works.  We watched a short 15 minute video and the kids explored the visitor center.  

Unfortunately no boats came through the locks, but at least we now hold a greater understanding of how it all works.

It was a great field trip and we were so thankful to be included in it!  Since we were in Moline, Jessica and I (and Mike!) took the kids to Ollie's to experience it first hand.  Nothing better than discount snacks.  LOL.  Everyone chose a treat and we got back on the busy interstate to head home.  What a fun day!

Mom + Dad Weekend Away {with Skynyrd and ZZ Top}

Mike and I slipped away a couple of hours to the east with some fun and dear friends for a little "weekend away."  I unknowingly left my own parents with children who fell sick as the weekend progressed, but they handled it like the true heroes they are and Mike and I had a blast.  

It was a quick trip.  Friday evening got us there and we found some yummy barbecue.

Saturday we explored the John Deere museum and then made our way to the Army arsenal museum where we managed to get our visitor ID's and find where we needed to go without any weapons being drawn at us.  Ha.  Actually, everyone we encountered at Rock Island Arsenal was extremely friendly and helpful.  The young man who did our background checks to get our ID badges was even a homeschool graduate - I do so love to see homeschool graduates "in the wild." 

I guess I failed to get photos at the arsenal museum, which is a shame considering there was a great deal to see and even the historic buildings everywhere were amazing.  Luckily, Lord willing, I'll be back at the end of the month with the kids for a homeschool field trip.

Among the displays at the John Deere museum were the first model and most recent model combines.  That was really something to see.

This big guy will do 300 acres a day.  I know I kept saying "that's quite a machine."  After seeing the number of computer screens in the Deere equipment on display, Mike decided his IT degree could come in very handy should he ever choose to switch careers.

After seeing what we were allowed to see at Rock Island, we did some minor shopping.  First a quick walk through the world's sleepiest mall, then the guys headed into Harbor Freight while Jessica and I had our first experience at an Ollie's.  What an experience it was, too!  What does Ollie's not have?  We bought snacks, books, flower pots, outdoor toys, games, canning supplies....you name it we came home with it.  Back to the hotel to freshen up and change, (Mike took a nap) 

and then back out to find a yummy supper before the weekend's headline event....ZZ Top and Lynyrd Skynyrd in concert.

Did I get a burger stacked with fries and covered in queso for supper?.....I more assuredly did, and it was delicious.

Everyone's food and drinks were delicious - and I'd tell you where we ate if I could remember the name of it.  Alas....

The guys timed everything perfectly and the crowd was much tamer than our last concert experience so parking and entering the concert venue was very easy.  We realized how much the venue location changes the vibe - downtown STL became the concert crowd when we were there in November, while this was very calm given it's location and parking situation.  We were below the median age of attendees (a great start to the night!) and security was a very different experience.

The opener {Black Stone Cherry} was pretty good and Skynyrd was exactly what I expected them to be.  I have to admit, I came for Skynyrd but I enjoyed ZZ Top every bit as much.  They were a delight, with two of their original band members still thoroughly enjoying every minute on stage.

Our rock-n-roll buddies...

In the same way that I grew up listening to Shania Twain if my mom was driving the car, if Dad was along it was classic rock for us - which meant a lot of Lynyrd Skynyrd.  In this way I knew a lot of their songs, especially the major hits.  My favorite Skynyrd album is hands down Vicious Cycle, but I didn't anticipate them to perform many if any songs from it, and I was right.  They did put on a great show.  They did a nice tribute to their last original member who passed last year, Gary Rossington during Tuesday's Gone.

Duet action - Skynyrd and ZZ Top

The concert time flew.

Free Bird was their encore song, and they did a nice tip of the hat to original lead singer Ronnie Van Zant.

Mr. Fross took us for a short tour of the greater Moline area after the concert and we were tucked in back at the hotel by midnight-ish.

Sunday morning was a slow start...

We allowed ourselves to hurkle-durkle (look it up - keep your mind out of the gutter 😉), had slow breakfast, and made our way back to Iowa and the children.

It was a perfect weekend away.  Good friends, quiet time with the hubby, knowing the kids were safe with grandparents...

I am thankful for opportunities like these.

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