Year 2, Day 116: Not a Good Day

I wish I could redo today, but I can't.  It was like pulling teeth getting kids to focus on some homework before we went on our field trip.  As expected, they weren't really into the Dallara IndyCar Factory tour.  It was also an afternoon field trip during Abishai's usual naptime.  I brought him along because it was race cars. But I should have known better!  He was a crazy man! Sigh.  Keturah started to ask to come home about halfway through.  Usually that means she's bored and wants to be a couch potato.  I was just over Abishai's craziness and the others' attitudes, so when we finally left, we sat in the car and I lectured them about how you can still learn something even if the material isn't your favorite.  It's important to know about where you live, blah, blah, blah.  I then plugged in my podcasts and away we went home in silence.  I took the back roads so Abishai could sleep.  Plus, I like seeing different parts of the city.  It helps me learn where things are and eventually I do make it back home.  When we got home, I assigned them a one page summary on what they saw going to the factory, during the tour and what they saw on the way home.  I really want to teach them to open their eyes to big wide world of life instead of staring at a screen being couch potatoes.  This is one reason why I don't want to do a co op next year.  I want to take them on more field trips and apply these observing skills and EXPERIENCE life beyond a book or screen.  They both did their papers and they were excellent summaries!  So, see, they CAN learn something!

While they did their writing, I called Jared to vent.  He suggested that he come and get Justin for Bible Bowl.  I said, yes, please, and I'll do some packing.  I didn't do a lot yesterday and I have this goal to do 10 boxes a day.  So, I worked hard for about 1 1/2 hrs while Keturah and Abishai bummed around.  Keturah helped me push the heavy done boxes to the front door because my shoulders can't take it.  At least she didn't complain about it.  She also helped me pack one of the board games boxes (there's 3 of them).  I'm glad the day is ending and I can move on to tomorrow.  And tomorrow's the concert, so that will help lift my mood.  Here's to hopefully a restful sleep!

For the kids' botany class, they started some pepper and tomato plants, so we have to watch them grow and write down any changes, how often we water them, etc.

I'm going to need to get some bigger pots!

Dallara is an Italian company that builds the IndyCars and this factory is the only factory in the United States.  It's been around since the 1970's and is responsible for keeping drivers safe while making the car more aerodynamic.

They had a lot of cars on display as well as lots of racing simulations.  Abishai is standing in this car.  The screen is the simulation part.

Vroom, vroom!

Ed Carpenter was on the north side of the building and here's Foyt.

Babee!  It's my turn!

Before I knew it, Abishai was under a work table!  This is an active factory, so these are real parts that are currently on order for the racing teams!  I wasn't supposed to take any pictures in this area, but I got a couple, including a tag for an order.  Abishai would NOT stay in the stroller and knows how to undo the clip.  So it was nearly impossible to keep him away from the car parts.

In the second half the factory, they have bays where they keep and fix up the two seater Indy Cars that are used in an IndyCar experience where you are taken around the track.  Jared went on this one time.  The car furthest away is Justin's favorite color!  I was very impressed at how clean this factory is!  Everything was picked up and the floor was swept very neatly!

I don't know if it was really allowed, but I let Abishai touch a couple of the cars.  I just made sure he didn't go into the bays or touch parts he could get hurt on.

It was so cute!  He slowly wandered into one of the bays with a type of "awe" response.  I wonder if he was thinking about having this as a job some day.

The 2017 logo and two seater!

Last year's car!

Nice car, nice car.

Another 2017 car!

I'm sure this truck is used on parades or something and it was very hard to keep Abishai out of it.

Part of the experience was racing cars of course!  We also saw some of the half size models that they used in the wind tunnels.

Gotta build!  Although, this isn't the special composite material they use on the real cars. They did show the kids how they make the material and let them feel the different parts.The kids did listen to that part and wrote about it in their papers.

Abishai does eat a few vegetables, including sweet peppers.  But he had to line them up with his milk.  I tried moving them and he threw a fit.

Time to do my own racing!

(Laura Peric, don't read this!) We wrote letters to put in a package going to friends of ours on PEI.  This letter is to one of the younger ones and it's about Pokemon.

This one is for the youngest and Keturah drew it.

Keturah also drew a picture of her new room (which has since changed because we are buying a different house) for the only daughter of the family.

This is Justin's letter for the oldest child.  I love that he put "classic smiley" on the bottom!

Let's just take a nap in the middle of the showroom floor!  Ugh! This venue is used for many large private functions, including some Indy Car announcements I've seen on the IMS YouTube channel.  That's why it isn't full of racecars, but has an empty feeling because they add like 500 seats for guests.

The town of Speedway is one of 3 towns within the boundaries of Indianapolis.  Speedway, Southport, and Beech Grove are all incorporated with their own police and fire departments, government bodies, etc.  I find it quite interesting that the town of Speedway's fire department has their very own IndyCar.  I'm sure it's just a show piece and isn't out there engaged in action like real fire trucks.

Jump up and down!  Every time the car was on a rough surface, the steering wheel would shake.  And when Abishai felt it shake, he would let go for a second.  And then go right back to it.

Some older drawings of cars through the years.

Looks like a prototype of something.

Real drawings!

He was so stir crazy that he kept running around the tunnel and museum type area of the factory.  Giggling up a storm.  It's a good thing our group was the only one there!  We went as a group and got a 50% discount.  

1...2...3...Go!

I read on their website that this is a sister store to a real restaurant in Italy.  We didn't go in, and I don't even know if they were open, but they boost about their Italian foods and drinks.

On the way to the factory, we drove on the downtown roads instead of the highway.  On that route, we took the exit and road that we did when we took my mom to her chemo treatments 8 years ago.  I went with her once a week and my brother did it the rest of the time.  And then on the way room, we got a different route and it took us right past the hospital that my mom died in.  It was on this date, April 26th, that she entered the hospital for the last time.  We thought we were going to loose her that night, so we called my sisters and had them fly in that Sunday.  But my mom lasted 2 1/2 more days and died on April 29th, 2010.  After having a rough day, driving past this hospital was the icing on the cake.  I almost lost it while I drove.  One reason that it's hard to back in Indianapolis is having these painful memories associate with certain areas.  I still won't drive by our old house in Beech Grove either.  I have had many struggles, and this year, the grief has hit me hard.  But I must press on because children need me and a house needs to be packed up again.  Otherwise, I'd rather stay in bed and sleep.  But tomorrow is a new day, and a new start, so we'll just focus on the future instead of the past.  So, I'll grief and I'll move on.  That's what my parents would want me to do.