Unlike Alice on an adventure in Wonderland, I don’t need a little card demanding, “Eat me!” to reach for the cake. You see, I have a raging sweet tooth. Whenever I smell freshly baked cookies, for example, my desire to eat them is like a five-year-old child having a tantrum on the floor.

The logical “parent” part of my brain lectures me on the consequences of failed exercise routines and excessive fat consumption while reminding me of the extra pounds I’ve gained lately. The five-year-old part simply doesn’t care. ... Read More

This year marks the 150th Anniversary of the Great State of Kansas (the 'Sesquicentennial').  There are many events going on during the year to celebrate and the Kansas Museum of History in Topeka is offering a cool exhibit called “150 Things I Love About Kansas.”  I didn’t totally agree with all the things to love, but I thought the museum did a pretty good job covering the state. ... Read More

My tour of some of Kansas' more unusual attractions began in Lucas, home of the Garden of Eden. (No, this is not the famous biblical garden).  Samuel Dinsmoor, described as an 'artist and social commentator,' built the place as a tourist attraction between 1907 and 1928. He originally tried to woo people in by offering exotic animals like bobcats, prairie dogs, turtles, or whatever he caught in his field. Then he tried art.... Read More

I think one of the most underrated tourist attractions in the Midwest is the Kansas Cosmosphere and Space Center, located in rural Hutchinson. The Cosmosphere was founded in 1962 as the Hutchinson Planetarium and is now Kansas’ only affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution and a AAA GEM attraction. When I was in second grade I visited for the first time and fell in love with the place.  For my birthday that year my folks bought me a membershipand now, almost thirty years later, I am still a member.... Read More