Friday, July 29, 2016 -- Woke up nice and early (around 6:15) so I could run, take care of my horses, grab some breakfast, and finish packing before our 9:00 departure. A few hours later, we had arrived at the Harry Truman Library & Museum. We had a picnic lunch on the beautiful grounds (tuna-cheese wraps, watermelon, water), followed by an entire afternoon exploring the expansive museum. It features practically every aspect of Harry's life -- growing up, farm life, military service, failed business ventures, marriage and family, judge of Jackson County, U.S. Congress election, vice presidency, presidency, and life in Independence afterwards. We saw three of his old cars, a replica of his Oval Office, a 45-minute film of his life through the end of his presidency, and the burial grounds of him, his wife Bess, and daughter and son-in-law. We stayed all the way to (even a bit past) the 5:00 p.m. closing...it was that good. There was so much to see and take in, perhaps even a bit too much, but I am grateful they were so willing to open up and preserve their lives for future generations to learn about.
Next, we headed for the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, mainly to see the four giant shuttlecocks. My mom and I are borderline-professional badminton players (really...you should come see us play in our front yard sometime!), so that was very special and fun for us. We also took a bit of time to walk through a gallery with some beautiful religious art.
Being a Friday evening, we sort of failed to realize how popular restaurants would be, so after driving around for quite awhile, we finally settled on the Classic Cup Cafe in Country Club Plaza. Upscale yet relaxed, we shared an appetizer of roasted goat cheese and garlic on crusty bread, followed by the Spring Green salad -- grilled zucchini, asparagus, peas, kale, pistachios, goat cheese pesto, and salsa verde all mixed together. Delicious! Finally, a little mint-chocolate-Oreo concrete at Sheridan's and bed at our Drury Inn at 11:45.
Saturday, July 30, 2016 -- Slept in until 8:00 a.m., had breakfast (scrambled eggs, potato cubes, half of a plain bagel with strawberry jelly, an orange, orange juice, and water), and headed for the Kansas City Zoo. Our hotel had an awesome deal with them, so we ended up getting tickets for only $5 per person! The main reason we came here was for the koalas -- Burra and Coedie, on loan from the San Diego Zoo. It also happened to be their birthday party weekend, so besides taking plenty of pictures and adoring their cute little faces, we had mini cupcakes, posed for some fun photo ops, and bought koala ears. Of course, we also enjoyed viewing all the other critters, too, but the koalas were by far the highlight of the visit. In case you didn't know, they're a big theme in the Kelpe household. We have five stuffed ones and are always looking to expand our collection.
After an enjoyable morning at the zoo, we headed to our next stop, eating lunch on the way (tuna wrap, watermelon, banana, a Clif bar, water). Our next stop was the Steamboat Arabia museum, beginning with a guided tour and video, then allowing free exploration of the THOUSANDS of items they have cleaned and preserved for display. Everything from dishes and French perfume to boots and axes is on display. It's incredible, and minimal signage allows for a comfortable pace to explore the many display cases.
Finally, we got some barbecue to go from Winslow's BBQ (pulled turkey sandwich, baked beans, fries) and headed home, arriving around 8:45. It was a very, very fast trip...we could definitely have spent more time. It was still nice to have some last special moments together before Matthew and I began college, though!
Bess (left) and Harry (right) Truman's graves
My mom and me enjoying the world's largest badminton shuttlecocks in Kansas City
Koala fun at the Kansas City Zoo
Koala, Matthew, Koala, and me!
A real koala (Burra or Coedie, they're kind of hard to tell apart)!
Hundreds of dishes at the Steamboat Arabia museum
~Anna
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