Friday, April 22, 2011

Courting Fun

A couple of days ago, I took the children on a special field trip. We went to one of the hottest spots in Ellicott City, Maryland--The Orphans' Court!

You might say to yourself, "That's an exotic name for a restaurant/athletic facility/playground!" What sort of food might be orphan-themed? What sports can you play on an "orphan" court? Does the playground have restrictions based on the vitality of your parents (and does that means children of zombie parents get in automatically)? Don't worry about these questions. All these guesses are wrong.

The Orphans' Court is, in fact, a legal establishment at the county courthouse where, among other services provided, wills can be stored for a minimal fee and an interminable time. My wife and I had our wills drawn up a few weeks ago. The lawyer recommended storing them at the Orphans' Court, since it is inexpensive and more easy to access than a safe deposit box. Jacob, Lucy, and I dutifully had the documents stored. The ladies there were quite nice and loved seeing the little kids. I guess if you work at the orphans' court, you're bound to have such a fondness. They even offered the kids candy, though Jacob was uninterested and Lucy was too shy.

Jacob's favorite part of the visit was, of course, going to the potty. After going in the first door, Jacob was amazed to see the room only had sinks. Another door led into the room with toilets and urinals. Never seeing such an arrangement before, Jacob was filled with wonder. He was so fascinated, he even told my wife about it when she came home from work.

I'll admit to hoping there would be some sort of "scare you children straight" effect from going to the orphans' court. Alas, the court was not as Dickensian as it sounds. The inside was more of a mundane cubicle farm than a child's nightmare fate. I would show you, but they didn't allow cameras inside. The best shot I could get was this one:

The courthouse is on the left, far in the distance!

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