I am having to be careful when moving my stitches up as the aluminum needles are a little sharp and have once again punctured my right index finger. It is sore but I can knit as long as I remember NOT to press down on the tip of the needle with the same fingertip.
It's been ages since we went out anywhere for a "field trip" so this afternoon I took the boys around the "cultural" part of downtown. It was a mild sunny day and therefore perfect for walking around town. We started at the museum, where a friend and her son met us. Part of the exhibition was about the local hospital and we were fascinated by this ...
an iron lung. This one was actually used by a local man who contracted polio back in the fifties and he spent 20 years in it!!!There was a reconstruction of an old-time doctor's surgery ...
Ninja Boy was most interested in the guns (he took these photos) ...
The weapon at the top of the above photo had a barrel about six feet long! I can't imagine how one would manage to support that and fire it at the same time.
This machine (below) is called a fluoroscope. It is an X ray machine that was once used as a shoe-selling gimmick. Shoe stores had them, presumably so people could try shoes on and X ray their feet to make sure they fit well. This was before they realised the dangers of radiation. Apparently the machines were not regulated and gave out varying degrees of radiation and the salespeople in the store were the most at risk, being exposed regularly. They were quietly phased out eventually.
After this museum, we walked to the Orchard museum, which includes an extensive model railway. After the boys had made the train go round the tracks a few times, we moved on to the art gallery. 
(above...part of the model railway)The art gallery had a members' exhibition and another by a local artist. There was also a giant chair, taller than the building itself, in a courtyard outside. It was made from wood held together with the metal panels that are used to join roof supports. I'm sure if the kids had been able to get out there, they would have enjoyed climbing up it!
They goofed around a bit in the art gallery but I was able to get them to focus on some of the art for long enough to get them interested. They were impressed with a soapstone sculpture of a pair of hands and a painting of a fantasy landscape with dragons.
The plan was originally to go to the library, but we bypassed that and went for a drink at a coffee shop instead. We do that rarely enough that it's quite a treat!
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