This weekend was like a bit of spring in the middle of winter. Although it was Saturday, we came across this icy wonder in a Kansas City park. If Shiva has deserted his traditional ice-phallus dwelling in the caves of Kashmir, then perhaps he's found a new home in KC's historic northeast.
We were in the neighborhood to visit the Kansas City Museum before it closed for renovations until 2010. And I'm very glad we did. I got to meditate in Indian huts, hunt a stuffed buffalo and watch a 40-year-old filmstrip about the wagon trains of the pioneers. In the 1910 soda fountain downstairs I drank two big chocolate phosphates.
I was also pleased to find that the museum was much less boring to me now than it was as a grade-schooler. Back then I was sick of hearing about covered wagons and Lewis and Clark and the hardships of the plains. I just wanted to play Oregon Trail, and I don't think I was the only student who felt that way.
I enjoyed getting a glimpse of Kansas City in the olden days, and I was glad to see that this town really hasn't changed all that much.
It's a shame this museum will be closing down for so long, but I think the exhibits were more than ready for some spiffing up. I just hope the Fairy Princess (a female alternative to Santa Claus who enthralls children at the museum every winter) finds a suitable local alternative to reside in the interim. She's more than welcome to crash at my place, but I'm afraid my digs might be a shade humble for royalty, at least that of the fairy variety.
Meanwhile, more info about the KC Museum here, and a few more shots of the weekend are up on Jenn's flickr site.
Parting shot: I'd already mentally written the first line of this post when I found an inscription on a bench near Brush Creek that sums it up even nicer: "In the depth of winter I finally learned that there was in me an invincible summer" -- Albert Camus.
Have a nice week and go easy on the hell-broth.
LW
update: there's a nice lil' video on the Star site today of some kids enjoying the museum yesterday. The aforementioned Indian hut and buffalo can be seen in the background. Which reminds me: there was a kid on Saturday who marched into the gift shop behind us shouting "Me like Buffaloes and Cows!" repeatedly. Rather than correct his grammar, the mom actually repeated the kid's words back to him, as if to encourage it. Oh well. It's her kid, I guess.
1 comment:
Glad you made it up there, too.
The Fairy Princess began at Kline's department store in 1935, went away when it left downtown in 1970 until 20 years ago when she started being a Christmastime feature at The Kansas City Museum, which celebrated December 7th with a neighborhood party and "reunion" that included former FP Carol Jean Barta (of KKFI "Anything Goes" Friday show, among other things).
In 2006, Zona Rosa donated much toward revamping the FP set and throne and also started hosting FP themselves. That continued this year, and my guess is that FP will be at ZR now until the KC Museum can be fully opened again.
Don't forget that history and other things can still be learned on the museum's grounds, in its outbuildings (Planetarium still open!) and at other venues such at the North-East branch of the KC public library.
http://www.unionstation.org/kcmuseum.cfm
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