Weekend turns busy with two excursions

By Deana Nall
Baytown Sun

Published April 27, 2005

We almost had a nice, quiet Saturday. But then I decided we should go to the San Jacinto Day Festival. A truckload of Texas history took place right around here, and, by golly, I’m going to expose my kids to it.

Besides, who needs a restful, unscheduled day at home when you can pack up the kids and take them to witness people pretending to kill each other?

So off we went to the San Jacinto Battleground. We walked around for a while, checking out the Texian and Mexican army camps. We even got to pet horses from the Mexican army. After a lunch of curly fries (you’re not likely to find the food pyramid represented at these things — no matter which food pyramid you go by) we gathered to watch the re-enactment of the Battle of San Jacinto.

One word of caution to parents who are thinking of attending next year’s re-enactment: If your 8-month-old is asleep before the battle begins, there’s a good chance she won’t be by the time it’s over. Just thought you should know.

Anyway, Julia, kindergartener extraordinaire, enjoyed the battle — although she kept calling the Mexican army “the British.” She especially liked the “Twin Sisters,” the famed pair of cannons belonging to the Texas army. Baby Jenna, on the other hand, was not as impressed. We left as soon as Texas claimed victory.

The event rounded out a fun-packed weekend for us. On Friday, we had traveled to San Antonio to visit another significant Texas landmark: Sea World. My husband, Chad, had promised a “field trip” to his Biology II seniors at Baytown Christian Academy. Because the trip was scheduled for a school day, we did what any responsible parents would have done who take their children’s education seriously. We pulled our 6-year-old out of school and took her with us.

On our last trip to Sea World, I was “great with child” and couldn’t do anything but sit and watch the Shamu show and grow depressed about how much the orca and I resembled each other. So this time, Chad took our two young ones to the kiddie park and sent me off to the roller coasters with Abigail Allen, Morgan Caraway, Sharon Green, Lizzie Griffin, Sarah Linebaugh, Jacob Martinez, Michael Purvis, Erica Rambo, Nick Sceets and Ashley Tiller.

Watch out, everyone. These BCA students are about to graduate and head out into the world, and — trust me — they’re not afraid of anything. We trekked to the back of the park to board “The Great White,” an inverted steel roller coaster that’s a lot like Astroworld’s “Serial Thriller,” and the “Steel Eel,” which is a “hypercoaster” that covers 3,700 feet of track in two minutes.

Not much will jolt a mom out of the post-partum blahs like a 15-story drop at 65 mph. I felt like I was 17 again. It helped make up for the seniors calling me “Mrs. Nall” all day. I guess I had a great time because when we got off the Steel Eel (which if you hit right at closing time, you can ride as many times as you want), I noticed my throat hurt. I had apparently screamed a lot. By Sunday morning, my voice was completely gone.

So I may not have gotten a quiet day of rest this weekend, but Chad said he sure did.



Deana Nall’s column appears every Wednesday. Her e-mail address is cldjnall@juno.com.