I learned of the event thanks to a press release from the University of Iowa, which advised that members of the media that wanted to witness and/or photograph an old building on an outpost of campus being torn down should report the next morning at 8. The boys aren't members of the media (yet), but I didn't figure anyone would kick them out. Sure enough, while they were the youngest witnesses by a couple of decades, everyone seemed charmed that they were there.
The prelude to the wrecking ball's debut was almost as exciting as the main event. In the space of about 10 minutes while we waited, the boys saw a train, two diggers, a dump truck and a tipper truck (they can explain the difference) a police SUV and a police car and a police officer (who they spoke with). When the wrecking ball was put into action (by which time Grandpa Kenyon, who lives about 2 blocks from the excitement, had walked over to join us), it was actually a bit anticlimactic. They dropped it on the roof of this three story building, and it made a dull "thud" and kicked loose a couple of bricks. The boys were riveted nonetheless. Soon, the ball was doing more damage, and Edward, despite complaining of cold feet, vowed to stay until they "wrecked down the windows." That accomplished, we headed out.
The various media representatives who were there all seemed to suddenly realize that the most photogenic element of the day was taking off, and shutters soon started whirring (or whatever digital cameras do). The boys and I ended up in the Cedar Rapids Gazette in a huge photo (seen at the end of the post linked above), and Edward's quote about "wrecking down the windows" was captured for history. A student from the college paper tried to interview them on video, but she has yet to learn the trick about interviewing children under the age of 8 or so: Don't. By all means, take their picture, especially when they're as cute as these two, but Art Linkletter's prowess to the contrary, kids give lousy quotes (particularly when you ask them questions that can be answered "yes" or "no"). She kept asking them if they liked seeing the wrecking ball, and they would nod. Not even a soundbite from these two. Alas, they were left on the cutting room floor.
As I drove them to school (all of this taking place before their day truly began), we recounted all of the things they had seen and experienced so they could remember to tell their classes. After reciting the litany of vehicles and such they had seen, I reminded them that they had been interviewed and photographed by people from the newspaper. "Oh, yeah," Edward said, with all the gusto of someone reminded he needed to clean his room. Is it any wonder the media is dying?Mary, claiming she was looking for a way to kill an afternoon but surely not-so-secretly jealous of our super-cool morning, took the boys back out a few days later, this time with their construction hats as accessories. They again had a great time ("there were TWO wrecking balls, Dad!" I heard when I got home) and wanted to make sure the "worker guys" saw that they, too, had their hardhats on. They also played at a little park near the building. Note that they kept their hardhats on then, too.
They're going to knock down some more university buildings soon. What are the odds we'll be there?
