four for a day

For the second weekend this year, Primo is away for a teen event (this time for 4-H). He will be spending almost a month in total away from us this year at various camps and conventions. I guess it is the best way to ease us into his eventual absence when he goes to college, but the house sure does feel a little empty without him.

The rest of us decided to run down to Philadelphia today to take our minds off of being left behind. After a quick errand (the real reason for the trip) and a dim sum lunch in Chinatown (cannot eat anything else if we find ourselves in Philly at lunchtime), we decided to visit the National Constitution Center. Although we had heard great things about it, we just hadn't taken time to go—and as an added bonus, it had a Springsteen exhibit.

The reviews were all true! It is a great museum. A ton of information is presented in a very accessible way. My only quibble would be that the information is packed so densely together, it can sometimes be difficult to hear the different media. Some of it was above Terzo's comprehension level, but he did seem to get the basic idea of why the Constitution was necessary in the first place. Secondo, my history buff, really enjoyed it and was the perfect target age.

Independence Hall in the background

Afterwards I begged them to squeeze in a quick trip to Loop, a yarn store on South Street.  I had come to a standstill on a particular project, and after much reflection, realized that the colors of the yarn I had chosen, unfortunately online, were all wrong for what I wanted to do.

The store is a visually-stunning place to visit: a riot of color set against a bright neutral background. Best of all, they had what I was looking for. Although the store is very spare in appearance, it is deceptive, as the selection was quite good. I am thrilled with what I found, so much so that I don't mind starting the project all over again.