This was a field trip that we had planned to take "sometime" way back in August when we celebrated my birthday and I was glad that it worked out that we could all fit it into our schedules.
The hubby was accommodating enough to even take the day off of work for the outing. Actually he had a day of annual leave he had to use or lose before the end of the year, so it worked out well.
As it turned out we weren't the only family that had the same idea of how to spend part of our holiday break. We had lots of company on the trains and at the restaurant.
These pictures don't make it look nearly as crowded as it was . When it was the most squishy I couldn't lift my arms to take any pictures. Just think friendly and then add about 25 more people.
We visited the museum first. The Heard museum focuses on Native American history, culture and art. We watched some Hopi dancing and viewed lots of exhibits. The youngest daughter and the roommate had lots of fun making all of the craft projects. I felt it was appropriate to snap a photo of the family in front of this exhibit.
My favorite exhibit was about the history of Indian Boarding schools. 
It was sad to read some of the quotes and hear some of the memories of the students and parents. Many of the children in the photos were so small and looked so lost. It's interesting how the white man felt it was his responsibility to civilize the savage red man, mainly because it was more cost effective to educate them than to kill them. 
We thought this poster encouraging the Indian boys to develop their "manly aggressions" was a little ironic. I wonder if some of today's professional athletes realize they are striving to be "controlled and civilized"?The hubby's two older sisters were required to attend boarding school but only for high school and I think boarding schools had changed a lot by then. They actually had positive experiences there.
We ended up having to wait quite a while to be seated at the Spaghetti Factory but I believe it was worth it. Other members of the family might not agree.
I thoroughly enjoyed our day even though I was afraid for a few minutes that I might be thrown from a moving train when the woman standing next to me realized that I was a "transit tourist" and not using the light rail "for the purpose for which it was intended." I don't know. I think if the Metro offers free rides for a week they pretty much expect people to just ride the light rail for entertainment and a new experience. I bet that working woman has a seat to sit on now that everyone has to purchase a ticket to ride.
Today I am grateful for
a sense of humor.
time with my family.
progress in the acceptance of cultural diversity.
2 comments:
Brenda is jealous that you went to the Spaghetti Factory. That is one of her favorite places and she always gets the angel hair pasta with the mizithra cheese ( probably mispelled but you get the idea).
It sounds like you had a fun day. We rode the Portland light rail with my parents and brothers once when they came to visit us there. What do you think of the light rail system in general? I think it costs too much for the limited service it provides.
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