Veteran Trip

From one set of grandparents to the next: Shane got to spend a long weekend at Grandma and Grandpa's. I drove him down first thing Friday morning.

Once we got there, we hopped into Grandpa's car. I had requested a special trip.

We hit traffic and construction, but eventually we made it down to Norfolk.

Four carriers were in town!

Grandpa is a Navy veteran. He took me to the naval base when Carrie and I were engaged to size me up.

I must have passed.

I remembered the trip, and I thought Shane would love a chance to look at some big ships.

I'd hoped to walk around, but it was more of a driving tour. I didn't want to take a ton of pictures on a military base, but I took some.

I think the tugboats excited Shane the most.

Or maybe it was when we got McDonald's for lunch (I haven't eaten at one in years).

Honorable mentions: Airplanes. They also provided a great segue. 

We drove through the base to try and avoid the massive tunnel traffic backlog. Near our exit there was a small outdoor museum.

Grandpa got to reminisce about his days running supply operations at sea,..

...and Shane got to run around big planes. Everyone was happy.

One of my all time favorite planes (and tail-fin paint jobs) was there, too!

Grandpa tried to take a picture with me and Shane.

Shane only wanted to be silly. Where does he get that from?

"What do you think, Shane?"

"Quick, Daddy! Do you want to see what I'm scared of?" Shane said. Then he ran to the back of the F-14. "Look! A big wasp!"

It was a big playground for him.

We had a long drive back, so it was great to let him stretch his legs some.

A helicopter swooped overhead and turned sharply to land behind us.

Shane had no interest, but I enjoyed Grandpa's stories.

The bombardier/navigator from the Flight of the Intruder story was once Grandpa's CO.

Thankfully, we were able to avoid a chunk of the traffic on the way home. The drive would have been mundane for us if not for Shane. He found the construction vehicles and the tunnel fascinating.

I returned home soon after. I made it back before 5 PM. Carrie and I were alone!

.....and she was sick. She fell asleep on the couch. We were going to go to WV, but decided to go with a stay-cation instead (to recoup horse bill losses and rest). 

Twas for the best!