We drove across the water from our R.V. Park across the Ohio River. It was only a few minutes before we got into a parking lot down by the sea. We went up a street, and passed by a museum called Frazier, which is one about armor and arms. I wanted to go in, but Mom said we had to do the Slugger first. We went up the street some more, and saw something of crazy size. It was a 100ft baseball bat with Louisville Slugger on the side of it. It was on the ground by the entrance and leaning against a building beside it. It was really cool to see. But then the most un expected thing happened. A guy over there came across the street, an African- American guy who was about 50 or so with a red hat and jeans and a red jacket. He came over, telling Dad he was new in town and that everyone was really mean to him, like, "Some guy spit on me, and another didn't allow me to do nuthin' "
"What do you need?" Dad asked.
"Thank you sur you's ben the nicest guy here, thank you. Kids, always respect your parents 'cause they the ones that take care of you, even though I don't have none. I need an emergency grey hound ticket, which is a bus fare out of here, you know. It's $8, sur."
"Okay. Here you go. " Dad placed TEN dollars in the man's hand.
"Oh thank you, you don't know how I appreciate this. You know what, you see this wall?" Pointing to a rocky red wall on a mutual building. "I'm a karate specialist, and I'm gonna do a trick for you, which is called the(forget the word.) Here I go.(by this time I already have the camera out.) HaHuKee!(miraculously places feet on wall and flips over, landing on feet. We applaud.) Thank you!( as we say by and go over to the street with the bat by it.) Bye."
We were just swindled. Conned. White Collared. Call it what you want, the man cheated us, and Dad knew that. But being the generous (and cautious, wouldn't want to get in a fight with THAT guy) guy that he is, Dad gave him the money. When I asked why, he said simply, "He had a better story than others. That's partly why." Well, frankly, it may of cost us ten dollars, but it was a good section and funny and entertaining part of the blog. Well, there you have it.
We went across the street, as I said before, and took a picture by the bat. We came into a circular (kind of) room, with a gift shop on the left and a big hallway to the other things. We got tickets for the tour of the factory, and went to sit down on benches, waiting for the tour guide to tell us to come. Life is cruel. When I bring a book to a museum or such I have NO time to read at all, the book is just unwanted baggage. When we go to a museum and I've learned not to bring a book, and we have like twelve minutes or more doing nothing, with so much time to read, I have no book. Life is cruel. But anyway, we waited for a while before through doors by the tickets a person said ,"12:00 tour starting!" We got up and went through the double doors, and came into a hallway with a few offices and such on our left and right, and then came to a stop before a small, black haired with glasses and a nerdy expression comes to the front. He says his name is Matthew, and that we were about to go into the factory, he just wanted to know if everybody was there for the tour. I looked around, seeing a lot of kids, and a lot of people, all crowded together. Somebody said everyone was accounted for, so we went into a large room with all kinds of sawdust filled machines, all separated from us by a glass wall, blocking out anything that might come in our way. We got around a machine that had a wood cylinder on it, and he took bats of all different shapes and sizes from a rack and then passed it around. I touched and felt a long and light maple one, and a deep dark colored red bat that was very heavy, and a few more. Matthew went over a few rules, like no touching any of the equipment or bats unless your told or given it, and to not step over the yellow line when your seeing a machine at work. "In this instance, kids, you don't follow the yellow line." There was a little laughter from the audience. We continued on.
We saw a machine that placed a big wood cylinder in a place and made a yellow designed thing go through all of it, making the shape of the bat. It was really cool, and amazing. At other spots we saw videos, at others demonstrations, like turning a bat and putting the burning brand on it, or soaking a bat in a dye and placing it on like coat hangars to dry. All in all, it was really cool to see bats being made. Matthew gave us the nubs, or the little things a bat has on the ends to hold it up. I got three little ones and two longer ones, and Matthew told us if we placed two of the same sides together it would stick, because of the wax. It did, and I had a fun time playing with that.
At the end of the tour Matthew all gave us mini bats barely longer than to my armpit to my fingers, and pretty thin. We were told an auction was going on, so we had to go one specific way. After that we saw a movie which was pretty good and then went to the museum, but most of it was blocked off because of the auction. This might interest you. We saw one of Babe Ruth's bats, with a knot in it for every time he hit a home run. Which, is a lot. It was cool to see that.
We went to the gift shop, but didn't get much. Then we left. I had a great time at the Louisville Slugger Factory. Oh, I almost forgot. A baseball player named after Pete "Slugger" Browning, named the bats after showing a design which a bat maker liked. They also liked the Slugger name. So it was born.
We went down to the Frazier Museum and learned all about it. We decided to first eat, which we did at a pizza place. It was really good, and after going to that we went back to Frazier. We stepped into a big lobby, with tickets on the left and a huge gift shop. Then we went into a large lobby. We saw a man with a little beard and young appearance, being like 20 or 30, step onto the stage and address himself as Tony, and that he was doing an interpretation. He was dressed in confederate uniform, with grey wool and a cap. He then said he was going to talk like he was Capt. Simms, in head of a confederate ship. He said Simms was in British waters when a union boat tried to defeat him. He said he was going to speak Simms words on that battle, from his memoirs. He got into it very well, and was a very good actor. He described in detail how they played unfairly, how they had a metal platting beneath their regular wood, how they kept firing long after Simms put up his white flag. It was very interesting. When he finished, I asked him a few questions. Then we went up the elevator to the third floor, where the medieval stuff was. In there we saw real bronze ancient weapons used by the Celts, and weapons like lances and crossbows used at the battle of Hastings. We saw real hauberks, mail, and others from over 500 years ago and further. The battle of Hastings was in 1066, with King Harold II and William Duke of Normandy against each other, old English and Normans. The Normans won. We saw a draft of the treaty of Magna Carta, and some other things, even a part of stone from Stone Hedge. And we also saw early guns and full armor, learning of the ways of life of the dark ages people. I tried on multiple different helmets, and felt the real weight of what they had to carry into battle. It was crazy. But, I had a great time learning and seeing all about the middle ages. It really made it come to life. Then, we waited in front of a little stall with a fence around a rectangular area, waiting to see the fence fight. Tony and another guy with long orange hair and a beard came out. The latter was about the same age, in about the same gait and stature. They pulled a cabinet open, revealing many swords and weapons. It was Tony again. It was amazing to me how he shifted roles that easily. It made me want to do that too. They explained all about the different kinds of swords and weapons of the age, how the richer got longer and thinner Italian rapiers and the peasants got somewhat of a lower sort. They also said they would be performing a part from Romeo and Juliet, where two of the servants get into a fight, and then two of the noblemen break it up and start fighting, and then when Romeo and Tybalt(forgive me if I'm wrong) fight, Tybalt dying? They performed all of it with ease, fighting off each other, offense and defense, striking away and moving around, it was very entertaining. As I am no fan and buff of Shakesphere, I don't know who won or what happened. Tony won in the end. That's all I can say.
We went down to the American History floor, even seeing Custard's pistol and Washington's rifle. That was cool. Then we went down to the first floor, and left. I had a great time there too. History, ancient and the more present, came alive at Frazier. It was a good museum.
We came home and just chilled out for a while, and I read some of the second book of the hunger games series, Catching Fire. I also researched about the Wellborn Cabinet Inc., which I cannot tell you why I am. It's C L A S S I F I E D.
I went to bed. Had a good night's sleep. Nothing exciting.
"To be or not to be!"- Shakespeare
"To blog or not to blog!"-Andrew.
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