Spring 2023

The snowpack sticks around into late March and early April in these parts, so you’re going to see it a bit. This picture below is late March but within a week: all of this was melted. We still get some snowfalls through April but they are what we lovingly refer to as “Kansas snows” (aka, the snowfall lasts a day or two tops, then melts cleanly away).

Anyway: I took this pic because I always see this late in the winter/early spring when the snowpack gets “chippy”, the kids on the playground like to break off sheets of snowpack and stack it into little towers.

First of the early springtime events: the school Science Fair for Linus! This year he teamed with a classmate on a project about cell structure.

Next up: Spring Break, into the last week of March/start of April. We usually don’t do anything aside from chilling at home over spring break, but we were all ready to just get away for a few days at this point, so we booked a short trip to the Dells. Stayed at our favorite hotel.

Tried this restaurant below for dinner? I ordered a chopped chicken salad and got one of those fruit-forward type salads instead, you know the one with spinach greens topped with all manner of berries and that stickly sweet vinaigrette all over the place. The most hated of salads!

And I only mention it because: instead of sending it back, I sat there and picked the vaguely edible bits out of it, like a good obedient people-pleaser, and then as soon as we got to the car I started complaining about the gross fruit-based green salad. While Scott was firing up the in-car navigation. So instead of spitting out directions to downtown, it schooled me on how different people have different food preferences and that’s okay if someone prefers a fruit salad (and we were all cracking up in the car).

I also brought along my Carole Lombard biography book into the restaurant because my friends: after 9 months of picking it up and putting it down a few chapters later in frustration, I was finally was nearing the end. I finished up just a week or so after this trip. This book was long and involved hundreds of studio exec/producer/director/minor actor names I could not have cared less about and I frequently had to go back and re-read portions to remind myself who in the hell they were talking about, but: I made it!

And if I learned nothing else, it’s that Carole’s the shit, we should all aim to be kind and giving while also not taking any man’s shit, with the side bonus of swearing like a sailor.

Anyway. After dinner we hit the “smaller arcade” in the old downtown area, which meant some alien lazer tag in the basement and many rounds of air hockey with Peter.

Then we cruised downtown before heading back to the other side of town to our hotel.

Up early the next morning and off for breakfast! And our first time at Paul Bunyan’s. Yes, we’ve been to the Dells several times over the years and somehow never stopped, I think we always felt it was probably an overhyped tourist trap.

And I mean… it’s certainly a tourist trap. But overhyped: nope. It is a real old-school logging vibe and the food was good and it was overall a very charming experience.

Linus’ eating style still never disappoints. He filled his tin coffee cup with syrup for dipping.

Anyway we are Paul Bunyan fan girls now. Please come visit so we can take you.

Next up: stopped at one of the “experience” rooms. These are dotted around the Dells and most are themed. This one was “Top Secret” and involved an upside-down White House and all the secrets hidden within.

No idea how Transformors and other assorted villains outside played into things, but whatever we’ll go with it.

Aliens…

Last but not least: the kids insisted on going back to Knuckleheads, their favorite indoor amusement park at the Dells.

Next door was Buffalo Phils, so we got a quick bite to eat and visited all the stuffed animal heads before saying our good-byes and heading back to Madison.

We’re up to Easter time – this year, Linus entered our public library’s annual Peep Diorama competition. He made his own version of Jurassic Park, with a small Hal addition (see if you can spot him).

He didn’t win anything this year but he sure was proud.

Easter dinner was the usual KC-style BBQ feast.

Mei Mei was more interested in the birds than the BBQ.

Other things of note: gave Blue Billy and Sheepy a bath for the first time in years (each took 3-4 water changes in the sink, dirty little things).

Last but not least: Mother’s Day was a little different, we went bowling instead of to Olbrich. Not sure why but I just wasn’t feeling a trip to the east side of the metro to fight the public garden crowds this year, and the kids are big fans of bowling. So we started with a nice taco brunch (and a prickly pear margarita, in honor of our time in Arizona), then hit the lanes.

Finishing this post up with a shot of Mei Mei, who was super happy to see the windows open.

That’s all for now, folks – once we get back the winter/spring it’s officially Travel Season for this fam, so expect lots of little trips to hit the blog shortly.