A Weekend Without Labor

The magical four-day weekend.

It’s one of those events, scattered a few times throughout each year, that working folks (and their stay-at-home spouses) anticipate. No gifts to buy, no elaborate decorations to hang, and no required office parties or traditional cooking required. Lots of families head out for their favorite weekend vacation spot, but we live at ours, so staycation is the name of the game for us.

We started on Saturday with a short drive to Fort Mims, site of the bloodiest battle in American history between the Creeks and settlers. The 200th anniversary of the battle was Friday, August 30, and events commemorating the battle were held all weekend long.

Sarah Kate tried a little bread and deer jerky, which probably sorta-kinda impressed the man who offered it to her. If only he knew…

It was hot in the way that only the areas along the northern gulf coast can be hot – a stifling blanket of humidity. But authentic fresh-squeezed lemonade took some of the edge off until the main event started – the reenactment.

I’ll be honest – I really didn’t give a flip about Fort Mims, or its artifacts, or the reenactment. I went along so as to not be the sourpuss of the family. The speakers who provided a history lesson before the main event held my attention, though, and when the battle started I was … captivated.

I probably shouldn’t admit what I thought about the reenactment, as it was an important history lesson for Sarah Kate, but I spent several minutes biting my lip to stifle the giggles. Some of the reenactors were a bit more into their roles than others, and one matron directly in front of us died a particularly entertaining and dramatic death by arrow and faux blood packet. The reverend, on the other hand, seemed a tad bit too concerned about the welfare of the ladies. When the Creeks eventually overran the settlers, I saw a lot more of one of the Creek warriors’ backsides than I was expecting, as well.

But it was all good, and it wore the wee one out.

Sunday was a quiet day.

We got up early enough to go to the 8am Mass at Sacred Heart Chapel, a quaint bayside church (without air conditioning!) Sacred Heart was established as a summertime church in 1876, and retains this tradition, only opening between the Memorial Day and Labor Day weekends each year. Often, attendees overflow onto the porch and listen to Mass through the open windows. Children race out the front door at the end of Mass to ring the bell. The one blemish on the day was learning that Sarah Kate’s favorite priest has been reassigned and will be leaving us soon.

On Monday, Mr. Andi took the kids down to the gulf to go fishing on the boat. I bowed out gracefully (I’m not a fan of fishing or the boat) and went to the bay instead. I walked the dogs first, then took them home and dropped them off, slipped through the McD’s drive-thru for a frappe’, and returned to the bay with my Macbook and my Kindle.

Mr. Andi and the kids returned home around lunchtime, and he cooked ribs to cap off our Labor Day weekend.

It was a weekend without Labor.

No therapy, no potty training, no work, no emergency calls for Mr. Andi, and no worries. How was your weekend?