Treasure and Adventure In Maine

Last weekend's primary adventure was York's Wild Kingdom, in York, Maine.  We like to go to Maine whenever we get the chance, and I had noticed this zoo/amusement park just about a block from the beach (we only made to to the amusement park).  I always thought it looked quite hokey from the outside.  And yesterday, I was not disappointed, but the good news is, neither were the kids.  It's exactly one of those parks that most kids would deny, to their middle school, high school contemporaries, ever having visited, once they reach about 13.  So of course, our own kids loved it!  And I enjoyed being in such did too, for my own unconventional reasons.  It was the last Friday in August in the state that puts "Vacationland" on its license plate (along with a lobster - talk about the joys of well-seasoned hokiness), located barely over the state line, and yet the great majority of  cars were from Maine.  This was not a park for Beautiful People.   I was very happy.

And best of all: $11 tickets for all-the-rides/all-the-time.  It's like a Chinese buffet.  Of course, you get what you pay for - this was no Seventeen-Flags-Over-Ohio - but the children know how to make the most of even the most mediocre Chinese buffet.  And they had a blast at this eleven-dollar park.

But by far, the most exciting experience for Ian, our budding merchant and gemologist, was a little "sluicing" adventure we undertook, for a lot of money, at a booth near the entrance to the park.  This is a special experience where you're guided through the experience of pouring water of the contents of a bag of ocean sludge - no doubt "salted" with micro-treasures like gems and sharks' teeth and fancy shells - and you sift the sand out of it, panning for the riches that remain in the filter.  When you buy the expensive bag - certainly beyond the price of a day at the park - it just so happens that you get a hunk of amethyst crystal, along with other gems and lots of sharks' teeth, as well as some shells.

And that's what we did.  I splurged because I believed - and continue to believe - that this will be one of Ian's fondest childhood memories, based on his particular enthusiasms.  And I knew Daniel would really enjoy it too, especially as a common enterprise with his more worldly-wise mentor.  My older brother was the King of  Collected Stamps in our own childhood, with me as his understudy, and Daniel seems to enjoy a similar apprenticeship at his trusty brother's side as they sift through the riches harvested from Under the Sea.

And I was not disappointed in the least.  My only disappointment was that I had calculated that a ride back from Maine - definitely over an hour - at that hour of the night would guarantee that I'd have three happily sleeping passengers probably even before hitting the state line.

But when your car is a veritable treasure trove of precious gems and Gifts of the Sea, nobody is in a position to sleep.  We arrived back at home late at night with a car full of wide-awake, very excited beneficiaries of the Earth's great bounty.

And for much of the way back, our two little Scottish entrepreneurs were actively bartering, reviewing, discussing, analyzing, exchanging, questioning, commenting.

But what was really moving was that, although they certainly know the value of a shiny ocean stone, nevertheless spent a good deal of energy determining which presents to pick out for Mommy and Daddy. Ian was quite conflicted about whether to give me Arab Stone (I think it's called) or some stone used in the Iron Age for tools.  The Arab Stone has marks that look like Arabic - only a fair bit easier to decipher.  I think he ultimately gave me both, when we got home.  And Daniel abrupty presented me with two stones he had carefully chosen for me, also, once we were home.

But even more thought was put into what to give Mommy.  Ian put his knowledge of the beneficiary to good use, consulting the trusty brochure that the lady at the booth had given him identifying and describing the most common stones and shells that are gleaned through this exciting process:

"I think I'm gonna give this one to Mom, because it's thought to relieve stress and inspire hope."

Meanwhile, Daniel encoutnered the word "medieval" in his brochure - a brochure, and even a sentence, rife with powerful vocabulary, and asked Ian what "medieval" meant.  Ian didn't hide his astonishment at Daniel's lack of ambition:

"Really?!  Of all the words in that sentence, the one you decided to ask about it 'medieval'?"

We came home with our vocabulary, our knowledge and - most of all - our assets greatly enriched.  I believe that his acquisitions from this little bit of boothside panning will probably be about as important to Ian as was the small golden-colored plastic trophy that he won when "his" piglet  - the one assigned to him on the spot - won the pig race at an agricultural fair several years ago. And that cup was a great treasure for young Ian.

( August 23, 2013)