Gage Park

We needed to drop off our car at the dealer in Topeka, so we took full advantage of our time away from Manhattan and went to Gage Park.  Dale went straight to the boat, where all the other kids congregated.

 

 

Rose was so gentle and loving with all the park creatures.

These large creatures really freaked me out.

Our kids were so happy to be out in the fresh air.  We didn't even need coats!

 

Happy day.

Pioneer Princess And Her Soldier Sibling

First of all, Rose would like to say something:

cc7uc u7 u7c 7u           cccccccccccccccccccc uccvvv

There.  Now that she has explained herself, we shall look at adorable photos of her.
After our museum soiree, I bribed my children with cookies to get them to sit still for pictures.  It didn't hurt that they were both thoroughly exhausted and barely able to run away from me.

Oh dear.  They both do the "smile" now.

The museum grounds are beautiful and complete with a playground, a nature trail, gazebo, and flowers galore.  And my children looked so darn cute in their new hats that I simply could not resist.

My little Union soldier and his Pioneer sister from another era.

The museum is architecturally awesome.

Pioneer Princess

Sitting next to the museum is the Potawatomi Mission, which operated from 1848-1861 and stripped local children of their native heritage to make them "Christian."  In later years it operated as the Prairie Dell Farm, where Robert Ives Lee bred many winning racehorses.

Gotta love that native stone.

This is the only way you'll see me nowadays...hair pulled back, glasses on, jeans rolled up, camera in hand, pushing a stroller with a huge stained diaper bag dangling from it.  I'm okay with that for now.

As if our day had not been cool enough, we spent a few minutes exploring the playground.

A slide that ends in a truck?  Yes, please!

We ended our trip with smiles and a kiss!

A Kansas Museum

The Kansas Historical Society has a great little museum in Topeka that I had somehow, despite having grown up in Kansas, never been to.  It was even better than I had imagined, and it held the interest of my kids for quite some time.

We finally removed the back seat in our double stroller, allowing Dale more freedom to roam if he so chooses.  This was our first major trip out of the house without that seat belt strap to keep Dale on lock down.  It wasn't easy, but thanks to Monga, we made it.

Oh me oh my!  A fabulous hat exhibit!  Monga and I had a ton of fun browsing at these amazing headpieces from different periods of time.

Even hat pins tell a story.

The museum winds through many eras in time, each section telling its own special story.  Dale found the tepee fascinating and strange.  It took a lot of convincing for Dale not to climb right on inside it.

This is the face Rose made when she saw that tepee.  Pure excitement.

Sister loves museums.

Dale's favorite thing at the museum was the train.  Yes, a train!  And you could walk through a few of the cars.  Dale stayed inside that train for a long long LONG time.

Rose wanted to make sure I saw everything.

Apparently my mother and her sisters used to call my Grandmother Carrie Nation, because she was always so anti-alcohol her entire life.  I love that.  I love that she held her ground her entire life and stood up for what she believed in.

This postcard now proudly hangs on my fridge.

Not only does this museum have all the nifty artifacts, but it has a play area for kids, where they can play dress up, have a tea party, put on a puppet show, etc...  It's all for kids!

The Pioneer Dude

It was hard to tear my kids away from the museum.  Will I ever be able to say that again?

Discover Topeka

March 31, 2012

One day while I was desperately searching for fun things to do with my kids, I stumbled across the Topeka Combat Air Museum's website, and I just knew we had to go there asap.

As soon as we walked in the door, I knew we were walking into one of Dale's dreams.

 

"Oh. My. Gosh."

 

The Combat Air Museum was fabulous. They have aircraft dating from WWI to present day, as well as engines, military exhibits, and even artwork. To top it all off, this museum comes equipped with cute little old men, who will gladly follow you around and tell you anything you want to know.

 

Genuinely happy.

 

Soooooo cool.

Rose's favorite part was sitting on the wooden toy airplane.

We all took turns sitting in the cockpit of an old plane.  Dale thought it was pretty darn awesome, but Rose seemed to think it was some kind of torture device.

Rose aspires to be a Blue Angel.

Right off the Forbes Field runway, there was a massive Lockheed EC-121 that visitors can explore at will.

 

Dale felt right at home inside this airplane.

But our favorite plane was the F-14 Tomcat. As I write this, I am humming the "Top Gun" theme song and crushing on Tom Cruise all over again. That's how cool those planes are.

"I feel the need...the need for speed!"
"I don't like you because you're dangerous."
"It's classified. I could tell you but then I'd have to kill you."
"Negative Ghost Rider. The pattern is full."
"You don't have time to think up there. If you think, you're dead."
"It takes a lot more than just fancy flying."
"Great balls of fire!"
And finally,
"You can be my wing man anytime."

Now back to Topeka...

"That's right Ice...man. I am dangerous."
Last one I swear.

Needless to say, we all thought this place was awesome.

After we left the Museum, we headed to downtown Topeka for a closer look at the Capitol building. There is some restoration going on there, but the building is architecturally awesome. Construction started in 1866 but took 37 years to complete.

Just a few blocks from the Capitol Building is Jayhawk Tower. I've wondered about the awesome neon Jayhawk signs on top of this building for years, so I finally looked it up and discovered that it used to be one of Topeka's leading hotels and is now a registered historical site.

On the way home we stopped at another place I've frequently pondered...the little white schoolhouse right off the highway. We walked right up to it and discovered it is called the Stach School, built in 1877. The kids had a great time running all around it. It's fun finding these little Kansas gems.

Right across the road from the schoolhouse is an old section of the Wea Creek Bridge. The rusty wrought iron looked so cool next to the soft Redbud trees. Another Kansas gem. They're everywhere if you look.

 

Since the Spring is burning time in Kansas, there are fires and big clouds of smoke everywhere you turn. These fire clouds loomed over Manhattan, but since I was in a good mood, I thought it was kind of pretty.

Prairie burning.

 

There is so much to discover!