A Dance, Two Ships and America's History

Anyone who knows me knows that I am a proud mama of three girls.  I like to talk about local events, and one of them recently was a dance recital.  I won't say much about it, but I'll say it with a picture.

Another recent event in our area (and one that is still going on through today) is the docking of the Niña and the Pinta ships at Captain's Cove Seaport in Bridgeport.  They are part of The Columbus Foundation, a group who built the two ships using historical methods.  They were truly amazing to see!

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If you look closely, you can see the ship's name, Niña, in the middle left part of the photo.

If you're in the Bridgeport area and would like to experience a little bit of our country's past this 4th of July week, this is a really cool way to dive right in.  It's basically a museum of history on a working sailing ship, with crew members available to explain about the materials used to build the ships and what it was like for Columbus's crew five hundred years ago when he sailed across the Atlantic.  It is also very interactive, with props for the kids to experience - such as having a jar full of pine tar to smell (which was used to coat the ship to make it waterproof), a climbable poop deck, a display case of different sailor's knots and also souvenirs for purchase.  I would have loved to stay longer, but it got close to Aerin's nap time and she went a little nuts, so we had to get going.  But I would definitely recommend the experience for anyone interested in our nation's history.

My three girls peering down into the           Mackenzie and Sabrina looking at             The rudder - the light areas are
       hold, where they stored food,                   a detailed model of the ship.                    completely open and you can see
        supplies, and even livestock.                                                                                                    straight through to the sea.