Vacation Day 6: Where My Mom Gets to Go on ANOTHER HIKE

We woke up, ate breakfast, and sat around and stared at each for awhile.  I was planning on meeting some friends, but I didn't have to be anywhere until 6 in the evening, so we brainstormed ideas for the day.

Activity 1: We went to see Finding Dory.  I was crying by about thirty seconds into the thing, was slightly bored through the middle, and was laughing hysterically at the credits. I think it's worth seeing, but I'm not entirely sure it's one of Pixar's best. I did like how the film dealt with differences in ability. I feel like some critics thought it was a bit ham-handed, but I thought it was on the nose for a children's film. It showed how patient and careful parents are with children with disabilities, it showed Marlin freaking out and losing patience with a disability he was well aware of and then feeling horrible for that (as well as Dory being very understanding of his apology), and it showed other people accepting disability as just part of life.  I thought it was much more nuanced than many critics gave it credit for and I think children should see it.

Activity 2: We wanted to go to the Frederick Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park. Unfortunately, the parking lot was full and there were ill-behaved children running around, and I knew that I would lose my shit if I had to deal with that. My mom is much more chill than I am, but she agreed that it probably wouldn't be much fun. So we left. ABORT.

Activity 3: We ended up at Rogue River Park. We walked around the main trail in the park and only ran into half a dozen people in the two hours we were there. It was pretty great and definitely a win in terms of quiet and solitude.

Geese!

Then we went back to my mom's house, I packed up, and went over to visit some of my friends from high school.  We played Cards Against Humanity (which, oddly, I'm REALLY horrible at) until the wee hours of the morning, but listening to my friends laugh made me laugh SO MUCH. It was great to be around people who have known you for so long that a sidelong glance holds the key to an entire conversation.

Then I slept on their couch, woke up and went for a walk, and then drove home.  No more vacation posts should be expected!