Who does this look like?

We've made a triple mini-me. Looking at Gabe's baby pics I see the resemblance between Mikey and him.

Go Jump In The Lake!

No no, not really!

Gabe was "fishing" with a long piece of grass, when his head suddenly became heavier than his bottom and he topped headfirst into the lake! Freaked his Daddy out (made me spill my beer!), but he was 100% okay. He ended up sitting on the bottom of the lake with his chin above the water -- now we know how deep it is -- with a very surprised look on his face!



We also know how dirty the bottom is! (The bottom of the lake, I mean...well...and Gabriel's bottom too, I guess...)



Other than being completely drenched, he suffered no ill effects. I've worried about that lake during every visit since the kid was born, and Grandpa and Grandma both have reassured me that a spill in the lake wouldn't be a huge problem. Now I guess I believe them -- but I still watch him like a hawk when he's close to the edge!

Exhausted!

After all that fun today...a nap is definitely indicated!

Making Friends

The Heifer celebration includes a petting zoo with animals like those that Heifer places around the world. (The petting zoo is actually based in McPherson, Kansas!) Visitors can buy little cups of grain, and then feed the animals.



Gabe really got into it with the camel! Look at him demonstrating how to move his lips!




Gabe made such great friends with the camel that he managed to land a kiss or two on his nose!

More Heifer Partyin'

The Heifer celebration is going great guns -- huge turnout! The stage was taken over today by a series of performers geared toward children.



One of the neat things with the new center is a bunch of bricks in the walkway with the names of donors.



I recognize this one!

River Market

Little Rock has a neat area along the river where there are a bunch of little stands selling art and souveniers, and a farmer's market, on Saturday mornings. Gabriel discovered the mimes here. He found that dropping a quarter in their bucket made them move!





He also discovered some VERY delicious fruit...

Cooking Breakfast

Gabriel is expressing his creative side with Grandma in the kitchen.



It's a cat pancake!



The stool he's standing on has been around for a long time -- Grandma used to stand on it when she was a little girl helping her Grandma in the kitchen...



What a spread!

Funland!

We found a really great park in Little Rock this afternoon. It has tons of swingsets and climbing gyms, including this two-story monster shaped like a rocket:



Gabriel came down that tube slide sticking out to the right, and stumbled out the bottom looking like he'd been stuck in a shoe box and rattled by a giant. He didn't go back up again...

After that, we found a kid-sized amusement park called Funland. This was Gabe's first introduction to the wonders of carnival rides -- and he's hooked!



A roller coaster!! He told me at bedtime tonight that this was his favorite part of the day.



I'm not sure who had more fun on this ride -- Gabriel or Grandma!



Click here for more pix of the experience.

Southern Cooking

Gabe and Andy are in Arkansas this weekend, and we've been sampling the local cuisine. We hit the Dixie Cafe for lunch today, and I sampled a new non-favorite -- deep-fried corn-on-the-cob! Here's a fuzzy picture of it:


I don't often leave much on my plate, especially in the South, but I made an exception this time...

Gabe, however, was a big fan of his Corn Dog Bites, applesauce, and corn. (No, we didn't make a special attempt at a corn theme -- it just sort of happened this way.)



This evening, we hit the Whole Hog Cafe -- Grandpa's favorite! -- and we both managed to make the ribs disappear!



Easy there, Gabriel! Don't swallow the bone!!

Heifer Education Center Dedication

Some pix from the opening ceremony...

The Chicago Melting Pot

I'm sitting in a McDonalds Play Place, and in the handful of families around me I hear some French, some Russian, some Spanish and a little English. The guy delivering medical equipment this afternoon had a heavy Eastern European accent. I stopped in at a delicious-smelling neighborhood deli this afternoon -- just up the street from the all-Greek households we're visiting -- and bought a link of Polish sausage from a Polish Grandmother. (Having two boys in the stroller seems to invite conversation.) And it's not like the new-English speakers are just emptying wastebaskets and driving taxis here -- they're medical professionals, business owners, and the Moms and Dads next to me in the restaurant.

It's a definite benefit of travel -- a reminder of the richness of the fabric making up this amazing country of ours...

Old McDonalds

One thing about McDonalds -- you can count on consistency, from Lenexa to London to Seoul to Chicago. It's Gabriel's favorite 'date' spot -- though it's NOT because of the food! We're hanging out in a McDonalds Play Place this evening while we await word on Thea Barbara, and Gabe is meeting a series of interesting people. He just played for an hour with a 5 and a 7 year old. That started with punches and kicks, and ended with respect and friendship, and I even got to talk with their dad for a while.

The excitement may be wearing off, though. This is not a common pose in a Play Place...

Pizza Ranch

With a name like that, how could we resist?? It was time for a break according to the Clock of Mikey so we passed up Subway for Pizza Ranch. We did learn two things from the stop:

1) This place can't make pizza and is nothing like a ranch, and

2) Iowa is even whiter and pudgier than Kansas!

Well, I guess you never learn if you don't try...

On the Road Again!

The Wollen Clan is on the road today, headed off for a big circle through the middle of the US. We're hitting Chicago to visit with Parthena's aunt Barbara, then heading to Little Rock for the Grand Opening of the new Heifer International Education Building. It's 1,625 miles according to Google maps.

We started slow, but got up to speed quickly after I saw this in my rear view mirror!

Leaving Las Vegas

Homeward bound! I can't wait to see the family and sleep in my own bed!

Apparently the weather has caused a bunch of delays, so the airport is jammed. But this is Las Vegas -- so there's always some way to spend your spare time -- and cash!

That's it for this trip! Wollen Travels will go dormant for a while, until the next interesting perambulation. Until then, happy travels!

Al Gore Speaking

Al Gore is the keynote speaker this morning at CTIA. He's talking about the information revolution and the way mobile technology helps to extend and democratize it. I assume he'll get to the environment as well.

Lions!

We went to the MGM Grand last night for an event, and walking through we stumbled upon the lion habitat. They actually have lions (their logo) in the casino, and you can walk down a plexiglass hallway and see the lions right on top of you!