Our first stop was at L.A.R.K Toys. This is a really fun toy store/museum. It has all kinds of old toys on display. I think that "antique" toys are so wonderful because they were all about using children's imaginations and there were no batteries!
L.A.R.K. Toys also has a hand carved carousel. It is beautiful and, of course, the kids love to take a ride (well, me too-I couldn't resist).
Emily chose a deer, Sam chose a bear and I rode a flamingo.
Brad and Ben waited on the side and took pictures. Here is my cute boy. He is teething and drooling like crazy so he constantly wears a bib.
Our next stop was Pepin, Wisconsin. This is where Laura Ingalls Wilder was born and the setting of Little House in the Big Woods. Emily has listened to this book many times and I wanted to take her there. They have a little museum and tourist info center. At the museum they have artifacts that were of the same time period as the Little House books. They also had pictures of Laura and her family (Laura didn't look anything like Melissa Gilbert!). Around the museum they had quotes from the book and an example of what it was referring to like the butter press Ma used and Pa's fiddle and many other things. One of my favorite examples was the tin cup, penny and candy stick Laura got for Christmas. We showed the kids and read the quote and talked about how happy they were to get those gifts for Christmas. Another Christmas she received red mittens and a doll (because she only had a corn cob doll). It showed an example of a corn cob doll and a rag doll. Emily thought that was really neat. Here is Emily at the Tourist Info Center. There was a mini riverboat the kids could climb. A fun diversion after the drive in the car.
Sam was having a difficult time. He was tired and hungry and wanted a turn steering the boat. There always has to be some crying on a day trip.
We drove 7 miles from Pepin down a windy road to the location of Laura's family farm. The Laura Ingalls Wilder Historical Society built a replica of the log cabin she was born in on the original location. The log cabin used to be surrounded by woods but now it is surrounded by corn. The rain was pouring down (you can't tell from the picture but it was raining hard and very windy) but I had to get out and see inside the cabin. I couldn't pass up an opportunity to show the kids how people used to live and how lucky we are. Notice how my umbrella turned inside out because of the wind.
After our visit to Laura country, we drove home down the Wisconsin side of the Mississippi River. After lunch at a local cafe, the rain stopped and we were able to see some beautiful trees in various shades of green, yellow, and red. It was really pretty. We stopped in Alma, WI at the Lock and Dam #4. We were lucky enough to watch a huge barge enter the lock. I was fascinated. 
This barge was made up of 8 individual barges bound together and pushed down the river by a tugboat. Once it gets to St. Louis, it could join up with up to 40 other barges (since there are no other locks past St. Louis). I don't know why but this fascinated me. A railroad lines the Mississippi River and we saw 2 trains speed past. The engineer on one of them waved to us as it past by. Sam was enthralled-every boy's dream.One of the barges was full of scrap metal. We told the kids it would probably be sent to a recycling center and Emily said she wished she could have it because, "I could make some really neat stuff with it."
3 comments:
I loved the carousel at L.A.R.K. toys! The whole place was great. We went when I came out for a weekend last year. I still have the antique-type mechanical toy chickens that peck up and down when you wind them up and the music box I bought there. Sometimes I laugh at the impulse to buy things like that but every time I get them out I am reminded of that trip and the cool store at L.A.R.K. I remember at that store that Jenni agonized over the decision of whether or not to buy some paper doll clothes that were Little House themed. I can't remember if she bought them or not. . . I am glad you made the trip even in the rain and posted the pictures! What a cool experience to see the boats go through and to see the cabin.
I did buy the paper dolls. They were expensive but Emily loves them! She still takes them out and plays with them. Vicki, I love that you buy impulsive things!
I miss fall! You look great, by the way!
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