Carousels Rock!

Yay! Carousels Rock!
Originally uploaded by brownorama

A couple of weekends ago we took Harry for his first rides on a carousel. We went down to Glen Echo Park - an old amusement park that was established at the turn of the 20th century that is now a national park. There they have a carousel that was built in 1921 that is still operating. The rides cost all of a dollar per person, the carousel animals are jauntily painted and the organ music is cheerfully loud. I wasn't sure how Harry would react to it all. It can be overwhelming and his recent sense of fear of things made me a little hesitant. So I anxiously waited with him in line as everyone came off and the next group were allowed on. We found our "horse" and got on and then the lady came and rang the bell and started the carousel. As it started to move round and round, I discovered two glorious things. First, Harry loved it! He spent a good part of the time giggling and yelling with glee and waving at his Daddy as we wizzed by. Second, I remembered how much I loved carousels and memories of the many,many times I went on them came flooding back to me. (My carousel of choice was the one down on the National Mall.) It was fun to have this experience with Harry and to have him enjoy it as much as I did. We went on it twice and then headed to the playground that was next to the carousel. Harry was entertained for a bit. But he was drawn back to the carousel - pointing and gesturing urgently to me - like a moth to a flame. It is satisfying to know that his Mummy's genes have been passed down so clearly.