Chapter 5, Page 32 The Mother Carpet

Yep, the vacation's over. Sorry if the transition is a bit rough but there are a few things I want to fit in before the summer is over and the vacation arc was running a bit long.

Chapter 5, Page 31 The real shojo effect

Just my way of having fun with a genre. ^_^ Mary doesn't know what shojo is yet.

Chapter 5, Page 30 Magical

It was, indescribable. Trust me, I've tried to. When the stream came out through a storm drain it fell into a perfectly circular pool. It was incredible. Everything was incredible. I'd like to go back someday.

Chapter 5, Page 29 Crouching Pain, Hidden Stream

It really did. Honest. Going under the road was understandable, but I still don't know how it went underground the second time. Very interesting.

Poor Dad. That path isn't really handicap accessible.

Chapter 5, Page 28 Secondhand volunteer

It isn't that unreasonable a request, really. Who'd come all the way to the biggest fresh water lake in North America and yet *not* see it up close?

By the way, Lake Superior is *huge*. I think maybe the word 'sea' would be better used to describe it, except that word usually assumes a body of salt water.

Chapter 5, Page 27 The Depot

Look! Look! Trains!

I do seem to remember being more enthused with that museum than everyone else with the definite exception of Dad. I don't think anyone could be more enthused than him, what with being surrounded by trains and all.

Then again, the rest of the family is also a great deal more subdued in their expressions of delight than Dad and I are.

Those train whistles were cool. Drove Mom and Dad kinda nuts, which made them cooler.

Chapter 5, Page 26 Make monkey noises.

This really happened! Dad was less than thrilled about the heart attack he nearly had. Still, very funny in hindsight.

Under that cold, stoic, Germanic exterior lies a rather excitable woman, with a wide but difficult to access vocabulary. Looks like I get it from *both* sides.

Chapter 5, Page 25 Glensheen

Yep! A real mansion! And I really wish I could have slid down that banister!

Glensheen. Really cool place. As I recall there were separate wings for the daughters and the sons. Wow.

Chapter 5, Page 24 A very cool ship.

This actually happened to me, and I was a lot more annoying over a longer span of time than is shone here. I just didn't think that the joke was worth stretching it out for a full page.

And I didn't get why the tour guide suggested that until after Dad explained it to me. ~.~;

Chapter 5, Page 23 A ship?

The William A Irvin is a really cool ship. And, yes, I did get those two mixed up even though they don't sound anything alike.

Chapter 5, Page 22 What not to say.

There should be a list of things not to say. Like, "It can't get any worse," "What next, [fill in the blank]," "Even God can't sink this ship."

Remember the Titanic? That last quote came from some reporter describing that magnificent disaster before it became a disaster. Really should have known better.

Chapter 5, Page 21 It's perfect!

Okay, it isn't quite what one might expect when they're told they'll be staying in a cabin. But it was still doggone cool! That strip down the middle there is a stream, by the way. It'll feature in a later sequence.

One of the tough things about this medium is that it can take weeks to portray events that occur during the course of one day. And this vacation lasts about four.