This Friday found us at the Magic House for one of their monthly free Family Nights. When E was little, and again when F was a baby, we had memberships and they worked out really great. I wasn’t working Fridays, so we’d often find ourselves there on rainy or cold days. We’d come early when just the little kid portion was open, and sometimes we’d have the place to ourselves. Now that the kids are getting older we find that there are dozens of places that we like to visit, and so we don’t carry as many memberships (except to the garden, always the garden). And there are so many free options around here it’s really fantastic. It’s not because I’m cheap – I think it’s because I like to visit places in moderation – early and often – not one giant day of it. Having free zoos and museums and parks makes those kinds of visits possible. It makes a Friday night dinner out and an hour and twenty minutes at the Magic House a perfect way to end the week. It’s always a little busier and little louder than I tend to like, but you can always find places to escape to that are off the beaten path. Like this room where you stand (pose) in the dark and wait for the light to flash and briefly record your shadows and movements on the wall. It took a little practice to get the timing right on my phone, but the practice was the fun part. I put some of the images together with instacollage, and added the shadowy words at the top. Then it was nine, the place closed, we put a couple of zonked kids in bed, and now it’s 9am and they are still sleeping. That’s the way to start a weekend.
Hope you found something fun this Friday, and more fun this weekend. Stop by the Streetfest if you get a chance and have a Memphis Stax with me.