We decided we'd pick up the bus at the Target shopping center and take it to the public library, check out some books, and take the bus back to our car. Total cost would be around $5 for the family. Unfortunately, as we were turning the corner toward the bus stop, the bus flew past us. We tried following it to get far enough ahead to park the car and make a run for the stop, but no luck. . .
Instead we just ended up at the public library, where we ran into Emma from Casey's preschool class and some friends of ours here in Poway who we met when we adopted Casey. Emma loves Marcie. And Marcie loves Emma. Marcie even gave Emma a hug and a kiss when we said good bye.
Despite Casey's love of his bedtime stories, he isn't much into the library. He stared at the fish tank for a long time, then went off in search of a stuffed dolphin he remembered being there last summer. Yes, that's the last time we went to the public library. He didn't find the dolphin, but he did find a giant Curious George. And a killer whale. Marcie, likewise, wasn't into the books. Even though the first thing she demands from me in the morning is a book (she calls it a boop -- rhymes with book). She likes to read it while I change her diaper and get her dressed. She, too, just kept demanding we pick her up to see the fish.
At one point, two librarians got out of their seats to tell Casey and William (one was chasing the other-- I'm not sure who was chasing whom) to be quiet. And we decided that was a good time to leave.
Needless to say, we rescheduled the bus trip for the following day-- Sunday. And this time we got to the bus stop in plenty of time before the bus's scheduled arrival (who knew they didn't stop unless people were waiting-- even if they were running ahead of schedule?!?). And we took the bus to the mall. There, the kids played in the mall soft play area, and we enjoyed a very early lunch at Red Robin before catching the bus back home.
We thought we might die on the trip home. Okay. That's an exaggeration. But after Casey pulled our "next stop" line, the driver didn't seem like he was going to stop. We were proceeding through an intersection, and the bus stop was just past it. And instead of slowing down as we approached our destination, our driver appeared to accelerate. Then he slammed on the brakes and sent us all lurching forward. Good thing we weren't standing up-- we would have landed in the entrance bay, next to the driver, rolled up in tiny balls!
We said our good-byes and disembarked, and as the bus sped away, it kindly spewed dust and dirt and leaves into our faces. Good times.
Anyway, it was a $10 adventure for transportation. The mall is less than a 10 mile drive from our house. So I know it wouldn't use a 1/4 tank of gas-- which means that this wasn't a particularly cost-efficient expedition. That's okay, though. Sometimes you've gotta spend a litte.
Casey will undoubtedly earn his 10 stickers for the week. Our next adventure? The fire station! Keep your fingers crossed that we'll be able to arrange a personal tour!
Here are the photos from our excursion:
Waiting at the bus stop for our ride to the mall.
Casey riding the bus. I wish he'd keeps his eyes open when he smiles for the camera!
We stopped at Starbucks on our way to the play area. Here's Casey drinking his "coffee" (read: chocolate milk in a coffee-style cup).
I know. Surprise, surprise. It's a photo of Marcie eating!
Casey and Marcie in the play area-- Marcie's making an attempt at crawling through it.
Casey learned how to chew gum! He did swallow the first small piece, but when he was done chewing the second, true to his promise, he told me he was done and spit it into the wrapper.
Marcie crashed out on the ride home. That is, until the bus driver lurched to a stop.
1 comment:
See, the problem with buses is that they're normally totally behind schedule. So, there are usually a few major points along the route where the bus will wait for its scheduled departure (beginning of the route, transfer stations, etc.). Otherwise, plan to be at your stop at least 10 minutes early - for then you will be completely assured that the bus is running late!
Imagine, for a moment, if you will, someone crazy enough to leave their house at 5am in order to catch a 5:30am bus into "town." This person hopes, every day, that traffic won't be horrible getting into town because this person has to change buses in order to get to work. If this person didn't get to their connecting bus stop by 7:35am, they won't make it to work by 8am, because the next connecting bus doesn't arrive until 8:15am! Can you guess how many times this person didn't make it to work by 8am, after leaving their house at 5am, in a 2.5 year time period? Three times. Can you guess how sympathetic this person's boss was? Not very. Can you guess who did this crazy thing? But, I wouldn't have traded in that stress for the stress of driving to work in a million years!
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