We started with story hour at the Jewish Community Center. An excellent woman led parents and infants in a song session using a parachute as the rhythm instrument. The children/parents raised and lowered the chute in accordance with the words and beat to children’s songs like If You’re Happy and You Know It. The children are aged 2 months to 2 years and performed appropriately. Ben was fascinated by the whole thing.
Next it was down the elevator for preschool swim time where the instructors made games of blowing bubbles, kicking, floating and playing around. This was even more fun for Ben who is a real water baby.
Then it was off to Baltimore for friends and family. We met cousins Barbara and Bob and friends Jean and Ron at Nick’s for delicious crab cakes, gumbo, shrimp, typical Maryland dishes.
Well sated, we went to the Jewish Museum to see an exhibit on the early comic book creators, many of whom were Jewish. The memorabilia filled the memories of the men and women who grew up in the thirties and forties relishing the super-heros. Cheryl, our expert, was not pleased with the label copy for the exhibits and was itching to improve it. Ben was rather blase until he got to ride in the mini Batmobile. He proved himself an excellent driver to the delight of all the photographers in our group.
The second exhibit in the museum was of the development of the early Jewish neighborhoods. This very good exhibit echoes the story repeated in cities across the country, every member of the family working, Jewish children playing with the Italian, Irish and black children who shared the streets. The requisite candlesticks and potato masher, tailor shop and delicatessen were scattered throughout the rooms. Quotations from early residents described the good and bad of these poor neighborhoods. Of amusement were things like the carp floating in the bathtub awaiting being chopped up for gefilte fish (translation available upon request).
We all loved sharing a wonderful and full day.
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