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mapsedgeA good weekend, but not long enough. That seems to be a common thread.
Vacationing
We did go to Nebraska, but opted for the Henry Doorley Zoo instead of Morrill Hall. We'll save the indoor museum for later in the summer when it's gawdawfulhot outside. The zoo was a ... um ... zoo, it being Memorial Day weekend and all, but Katie handled the crowds well enough. It wasn't overly hot, and we took our time. The aquarium was packed, and total gridlock into the tunnel, so we shoved back through the crowds at the penguin exhibit and exited the entrance.
While we were in the rainforest exhibit, the gibbons decided to sound off. I've never heard them except on TV, and the sound is truly loud and piercing. Nature's car alarms, those gibbons. A golden lion tamarin (pictured, right) was roaming free, perching on branches and making little squeaking sounds. He was (except for his tail) palm-sized and very cute.
We stayed at the zoo far longer than we ever have. The kids are getting older, and their stamina over long distances improves as their legs get longer. They're also staying engaged longer than they used to. The Big Event happened at the end, when a goose, seeing Jami's fingers curled over a railing, bit them. A little scrape, a lot of tears. He got over it quick, but he's obsessed with band-aids - every boo-boo has to have one, bleeding or not and, well, we don't pack more than a few for any given trip.
Driving
We have grown weary of driving I-29 between Kansas City and Nebraska - it's a drive the van could make with us napping in the back. To break up the monotony, we've started taking the alternate route of Hwy. 75 - it connects Topeka with Omaha and is two-lane most of the way, with small towns scattered along its length about every twenty miles. Nearly every small town has a park, and if needed we can stop to eat, stretch, and let the kids blow off energy. I'm growing rather fond of picnicking in small town parks. It's a much better way to travel.
Staying
The hotel where we stayed has trouble with housekeeping details - sheets too short for the bed, a discarded diaper (newborn, so not smelly) under one of the beds, inadequately cleaned bathtub - but the staff was accomodating and we got the room half price with a free pay-per-view movie thrown in for our trouble. Corporate will still get an email, but I will be sure to talk up the staff while I whine about a bad night's sleep.
The PPV movie we chose was Bolt. DAMN that's a fun movie. There's nothing new in the general plot, and once I figured out who provided the voice for the title character it was a big distraction, but I laughed until my stomach hurt every time the pigeons were on. The animation of the birds was spot on, and they stole the show.
Moving
Would if I could. To Nebraska, probably Lincoln. I love the area, and I love the town, at least the antique charm of it. Omaha would probably have better employment prospects and the folk/Celtic scene is much more active there, but it's also developing a Johnson County-esque, cookie-cutter feeling to it that Lincoln has so far avoided.
As I have said many times before, I have a lot of happy associations with South-Eastern Nebraska, and much of my family history is tied to - and buried in - the area.
Having said that, though let me add that when we got home, looking back in the dusk on my property from the end of the driveway, looking up at the trees in the front yard, with the side garden blooming and lit by path lights, with the world still and wet from the rain, where we are now is really pretty.
VacationingWe did go to Nebraska, but opted for the Henry Doorley Zoo instead of Morrill Hall. We'll save the indoor museum for later in the summer when it's gawdawfulhot outside. The zoo was a ... um ... zoo, it being Memorial Day weekend and all, but Katie handled the crowds well enough. It wasn't overly hot, and we took our time. The aquarium was packed, and total gridlock into the tunnel, so we shoved back through the crowds at the penguin exhibit and exited the entrance.
While we were in the rainforest exhibit, the gibbons decided to sound off. I've never heard them except on TV, and the sound is truly loud and piercing. Nature's car alarms, those gibbons. A golden lion tamarin (pictured, right) was roaming free, perching on branches and making little squeaking sounds. He was (except for his tail) palm-sized and very cute.
We stayed at the zoo far longer than we ever have. The kids are getting older, and their stamina over long distances improves as their legs get longer. They're also staying engaged longer than they used to. The Big Event happened at the end, when a goose, seeing Jami's fingers curled over a railing, bit them. A little scrape, a lot of tears. He got over it quick, but he's obsessed with band-aids - every boo-boo has to have one, bleeding or not and, well, we don't pack more than a few for any given trip.
Driving
We have grown weary of driving I-29 between Kansas City and Nebraska - it's a drive the van could make with us napping in the back. To break up the monotony, we've started taking the alternate route of Hwy. 75 - it connects Topeka with Omaha and is two-lane most of the way, with small towns scattered along its length about every twenty miles. Nearly every small town has a park, and if needed we can stop to eat, stretch, and let the kids blow off energy. I'm growing rather fond of picnicking in small town parks. It's a much better way to travel.
StayingThe hotel where we stayed has trouble with housekeeping details - sheets too short for the bed, a discarded diaper (newborn, so not smelly) under one of the beds, inadequately cleaned bathtub - but the staff was accomodating and we got the room half price with a free pay-per-view movie thrown in for our trouble. Corporate will still get an email, but I will be sure to talk up the staff while I whine about a bad night's sleep.
The PPV movie we chose was Bolt. DAMN that's a fun movie. There's nothing new in the general plot, and once I figured out who provided the voice for the title character it was a big distraction, but I laughed until my stomach hurt every time the pigeons were on. The animation of the birds was spot on, and they stole the show.
MovingWould if I could. To Nebraska, probably Lincoln. I love the area, and I love the town, at least the antique charm of it. Omaha would probably have better employment prospects and the folk/Celtic scene is much more active there, but it's also developing a Johnson County-esque, cookie-cutter feeling to it that Lincoln has so far avoided.
As I have said many times before, I have a lot of happy associations with South-Eastern Nebraska, and much of my family history is tied to - and buried in - the area.
Having said that, though let me add that when we got home, looking back in the dusk on my property from the end of the driveway, looking up at the trees in the front yard, with the side garden blooming and lit by path lights, with the world still and wet from the rain, where we are now is really pretty.