Last week, Sugarwings and I made a trip to Gage Park in Topeka. We've often gone to the zoo and the Discovery Center, but this was our first stop at the gardens.
Many times, we have ridden the train around the park, and I always say, "I'd like to go walk across that pretty bridge someday," but till now, we have never taken the time. We usually hang at the zoo, playground, or carousel, and since I don't go there without grand fairies, I stick to things they prefer. But this time, I figured Sugarwings was old enough to do some exploring with me.
She can now walk by a fountain, without having to be pulled out of it. At least on a most days….
And she was happy to take a detour through the rose gardens on our way to the Discovery Center. I don't think she was just humoring me, it seemed like she enjoyed the flowers as much as I did.
Of course, the bridge was an attraction for her too.
And the pond is so pretty. But the best part was watching a school of tiny, black fish as they twisted and turned in the water, they almost seemed to be trying to spell something out for us. And I swear, at one point, they all joined in to form a heart shape as they swam by.
Anywhere that I go with this girl is a magical place.
Through her eyes and imagination, I see all the possibilities of magic being real in a public park in Topeka, Kansas. We could have been over the rainbow and it wouldn't have been any more special than it was right here in the midwest on an ordinary, overcast Tuesday.
You can find magic anywhere if you keep your eyes open. Not only were the fishies making heart shapes for us, I came across a mossy heart in the cracks of the pavement too.
We looked around, took photos, talked about flowers, watched the fish. It was a simple kind of entertainment, aren't those often the best?
She offered to take my picture too.
And, like usual, my eyes were closed in each one.
We did some of our regular kid activities too. She rode the merry go round a few times ($1 a ride, no lines, no crowds), we played in the black light room at the Discovery Zone a couple of hours, until my eyes were crossed, and we had lunch at the zoo.
After years of riding by the pretty, little, stone bridge, I was so glad that we stopped and explored the park. It was such a small thing, such an easy thing to do, but such a big adventure for the two of us.
ps- here are some newbies to my Boutique. And if you are here for the studio tour, you can find it here.
