The Museums Visits

I represent many grandmothers experiencing the absence of the biological father in the daily dynamics of their children's lives. Sometimes it's permanent or temporary, whichever it's hard and challenging to a grandmother partially, but a stepfather is valuable and sometimes taken for granted as I write this piece I realize it. Our connection to our grandchildren is not always easy especially when distance occurs 100’s and 1000’s miles distances. I'm so thankful to play an actual part in the family dynamics in many ways. This week was special to me just because I was trying to find out how I could get a good dialog with my grandson the next time I get to talk with him over the phone. He is nine years old and seems to lose interest quickly therefore our talks are short. The corvid pandemic and the economic condition, our gas prices and food prices is worth mentioning; Seattle Washington is far away and flying to grandmother's house is expensive. Christopher is a brilliant grandson and a wonderful big brother to his younger brother. As I spoke with his mother she mentioned they had a field trip at school today and they were a little tired from the museum trip. Oh I said, the museum.

The museum visit trip he had taken earlier in the day was perfect to talk to him about. I thought quickly I was reading an old essay paper I wrote in 1998 at the USC History class, today a few hours earlier; I asked, could we talk. The vision of our museum trip when he was 3 years old came into my mind. One exhibit to the next exhibit brought excitement and curiosity to us.

Christopher, I asked, how was your trip? good! What did you like most? The dinosaurs! Which dinosaurs were your favorite exhibit? The Woolly! I said, what do he look like? He said it looks like an hairy elephant! I research and found this information:

First, The Woolly Mammoth (Mammuthus primigenius, name meaning "First Elephant"), is a genus of mammoth that originated during the Middle Pleistocene epoch in what is now Siberia, later spreading towards Europe and North America. Standing nearly 5 meters tall and weighing around 12 tons, the Woolly Mammoth looked much like an elephant but was covered in thick fur, as it lived in the Ice Age. One of the many species of prehistoric elephantids, the Woolly Mammoth is also among the most famous prehistoric and extinct creatures of all time.The Woolly Mammoth (Mammuthus primigenius, name meaning "First Elephant"), is a genus of mammoth that originated during the Middle Pleistocene epoch in what is now Siberia, later spreading towards Europe and North America. Standing nearly 5 meters tall and weighing around 12 tons, the Woolly Mammoth looked much like an elephant but was covered in thick fur, as it lived in the Ice Age. One of the many species of prehistoric elephantids, the Woolly Mammoth is also among the most famous prehistoric and extinct creatures of all time.

Second, I look at my essay to share with you what I wrote:

When I visited the Museum I moved from fossils' exhibits, machinery exhibits, and other exhibits of the History of our State. Beginning on the second floor with the Pleistocene Epoch Ice Age, shown are "Animals FossiLized", which migrated to North America from South America. Exhibits of fossils: upper arm bone, lower jaw end, finger's claws, all belonging to different kinds of animals. They lived from 500,000 to 1,000 years ago. Geology is interesting. I viewed some of the rocks that prove South Carolina was a volcanic island over 500 million years ago. Shown samples; "andesite, rhyolite, obsidian rocks" were part of South Carolina during early volcanic island formation. Few of the rocks are found in the state today for they were changed into other kinds of rocks by later tectonic events. Further in the essay I said, Across from this exhibit, there is a unique site of a "Canoe Construction". This was a part of Native America, European, and African Culture.There was an unfinished canoe still attached to its tree roots, which had been discovered in 1977 in an old field. I knew that Rice was the most important crop in S.C. from 1700's to 1860. I imagined the Native Americans working in a rice field, constructing this canoe as some kind of event caused efforts to stop, therefore, leaving the uncompleted canoe as it was found.(?) I continued with the viewing of the history of waterways' transportation, as I looked on to the "Log Raft". In the 1800's cotton field bulky was carried in large amounts by the accommodation of the log raft and other boats like Pole Boat and Periagua.

The next exhibit I touched with my hand. It was a familiar sight of bark, but in a unique a sample of" A Forest Shelter" I entered the shelter as other visitors walked out. They were protected from bad weather, I imaged under this type shelter, especially during rainy seasons in the forest. The Indians tools; bow and arrow, arrow quiver, trusting spear, mortar and Pestle, a hafted ax was exhibited in a glass cage next to the shelter. Information was given about the lives of the native people living in the area of S.C. Other exhibits of ship building and information about Bark Mill, 1790, and Pit Sawing, 1750, with samples; barrels, and other items showing the importance of wood industry during the early history gave me insight to there valuable assets during colonial life.

"Legacies of Slavery" painting was shown. It showed in a plantation watercolor from the 1700's slaves dancing and playing African--style instrument on a lowcountry plantation with the banjo and drum. I enjoyed my visit, yet, at times during viewing of exhibits my emotions were strong. While viewing the slavery painting I heard the sound of gospel music, and as I walked forward to the direction of the music, it led me to another exhibit of a black family outside a cabin preparing a meal, with its theme "nothing but hard work and cruel treatment,". The next exhibit was "skills beyond the fields". A Bench, Rice Franner, Rice Mortar, shoes and Pestles were shown.

The information was very informative on the history of South Carolina. It helped me accomplish the goal of understanding more about the people and how they lived during the 1800’s.(pg 4 end) I could not find a picture of the Willy dinosaur but google did give me some information on the hairy elephant I inquired in my research and it turn out to be the woolly mammoths which check out further scholars from the information shared. The other interesting museum exhibits to me today is the first designer of the periague boat and the true orgin of it's makers.

The End