Day 3: The Midway

We really thought we'd planned our third day to be a restful day after two days of go-go-go at Legoland and the Zoo...a short trip to the USS Midway wouldn't be too tiring, right?  Wrong!  What we expected to be two hours turned into four hours because there was just so much to see (so much more is open than the last time Tom and Lukas visited, two years ago).  And this time there were four kids along, not one...

...but first, breakfast!

It was so great that Lukas helped with the dishes every day (our sink at home is harder for him to reach).

The kids on a bed in the brig at the Midway.

Our whole family in the brig.  Better lighting, it might have been our Christmas picture!

I loved how so many real things were available for the kids to play with: levers, buttons, phones, etc.

Lots of the ship is still closed, but they're opening up more every year.

Lukas and Konrad in the cockpit of a Corsair, a plane that Tom's Dad flew.

Natalie and Dominik in another plane cockpit.

And there were helicopters too!

Lukas was twirling the propellers on the front of the bombs, until Tom told him that's how they were armed...Lukas was a little anxious the bomb might go off.

 

Checking out another plane Dad flew (F9F).

All the boys in front of the F9F.

Everyone is flying like an airplane on the aircraft carrier.  This activity kept Natalie focused and away from inspecting all the tie-down holes on the flight deck.

A little eerie to see another battleship docked in San Diego Bay with a flag that we all recognized.  The Midway was commissioned right after the end of World War II.

USS Midway, CV-41.

Konrad had a blast posing with cut-outs of the flight crew.

The situation room was set up with a scenario from Desert Storm.

That evening we went to the hotel pool and had a great time splashing in the water.  This was Dominik's first time ever in a pool.  Konrad thought he was going to show Dominik how to swim (Konrad can barely hold his breath under water).  Starting to relax...!