Not camping but fun

We had planned to leave for our camping trip this morning but nature dictated a change in plans.  Hurricane Earl is roaring up the east coast and it is not clear if the coast of the state we plan to visit will get a glancing blow or a more significant hit.  Even a glancing blow might mean it wouldn't be too bright to have 1/2 of our family in a tent under towering pine trees.  LOL  So we decided to err on the side of caution and stay home till Saturday morning.  Most reports indicate the danger will be over by then so we hope to leave home early and arrive at our campsite by 8 a.m. and still have a good chunk of the weekend to camp.

BUT that left today with children who were understandably disappointed.  An Ooma who was significantly disappointed herself.  I don't get a lot of off time from my job (in fact my boss tried to call me in for Friday of my vacation and I stood firm) AND today is Chet's birthday and we had him primed for a camping birthday celebration.  Most 25 year olds would be fairly amenable to a change of plan but not a 25 year old with autism.

K and i came up with a fun plan b.  We drove to NH to the Polar Caves.  It was cooler there--our state is sweltering right now and that has bothered lots of the family, though not me!) The air was cleaner and easier to breathe.  It was a good day to visit as we were almost the only people there.  There were a few other visitors but no lines, no queues to see something, all of which made it an achievable experience for Chet.  We did all the caves but the last one as I was not sure I could safely get both Lissa and KC through the lemon squeeze.  KC is good about waiting if you ask him to, Lissa not so much and in that enviroment, waiting sometimes equates with safety.  So we skipped that but did all the others.  We fed the animals and admired the peacocks.  We saw a ravens nest,which was very cool.  It was a very fun visit.  In the picture above we are all posing by the signature sculptures that flank the entry to the Polar Caves.  I just noticed when I was uploading this picture that I have had these shorts for a positively sinful amount of years.  I am wearing these same shorts in a picture of my niece's 1st birthday party.  She is a year older than Chet.  Maybe I should write to the company that made them and tell them how long they have lasted!  LOL

When we got home we did supper and Chet's "rock and roll" themed birthday. I will post some pictures later.  It was fun and he seemed to genuinely enjoy his gifts.