Part One
by Mykel Board
There are two central characters in this true adventure. Mykel, your narrator, who you should already know. If not, I'll introduce you. Here's a picture with the Nelson butterfly man:
The photographer is also my guide. The intrepid Kael, ho has agreed to lead me through adventures on my last day in Nelson.
Here he is showing off his green rock... a traditional gift of Maori tradition, that cannot be bought for oneself, but must be given in recognition of some specific trait... like bravery, or skill in wild bore hunting. Kael won his for his HARD WORK ability. I don't think they have one for my special skills.
That's Aleister... aka “Dad” in the background.
We hadn't originally planned to trek to the geographical center of the country. I mean, who visits Lebanon Kansas, right?
My usual goals in any city adventure are:
1. Something “in nature”
2. A local restaurant
3. A museum
4. A brewery
5. A strip club
Since Kael is 11 years old, I figured we might skip the last two... at least for a year or two. Kael wanted to include THE LIBRARY in the trip. (NOTE: Kael and his older brother Connor are kinds of superstars in my book. They're both under 15, yet do not spend their sparetime liking “friends” facebook posts about sneakers.
Both of them READ (I mean books... you know, things with pages, and ears that you can dog) and both of them follow mom into music. (NOTE: my connection to the family is through Mom who played guitar in an all-female band SPITBOY... in the 90s). When the kids have nothing to do and there are no books handy BLAM!! They're off to the soundproof room, on guitar and drums... sometime with mom sitting in.on bass or they switch instruments. Mom did it right!
Back to the trip. Dad... a cool guy and professional moutain-biker (it's complicated, but a great story in its own right) drove us into town from their place on a back road on top of a back hill in the foothills of the local local mountains. He dropped us off at the bike center.
“Call mom when you're ready to come back,” he says. “There's not much to do.”
Boy was he wrong!
[NOTE: Right now the boat has begun rockin'. Up and down. Side to side. Passengers are staggering like drunks. This is so much fun... ]
FIRST STOP: The information center, where Kael takes my picture with the butterfly man, and we get maps (yes! He can read a map that is NOT an app! And that rhymes.) and ask how to get to:
THE BUG MUSEUM! says Kael. “We gotta go to the bug museum.”
A kindly local information officer knows what he's talking about and marks it down. The other famous museum in town is the Suter Art Gallery... the info man makes an X on the map. And we're off... following the map to the streets to a trail on the floor:
You guessed it. THE BUG MUSEUM.
I can't say I know a lot about bugs. Even the word BUGS conjures up-- for me-- a different image:
At first the museum looked like a piece of Andy Warhol pop art. Just a copy of what you'd see every day anyway. Can you say Mykel's Kitchen?
Other displays though, were weird, interesting... surprising...
Forensic Entomology?
Just filled with MUST KNOW information that I'll put it to work as soon as we get to land.
Then there was this... encouraging people to EAT bugs:
And Kael, being a vegan, wasn't interested in the animal protean.
I found it interesting that the museum has tried the same It's just protein. It's good for you. line that I've tried unsuccessfully for the last 50 years-- in a different context.
Maybe it works for them.
Leaving the museum, we stopped to take pictures before being devoured.
Coming up: A Latte with a side of water bazooka.
For a more offensive/opinionated read, check out mykelsblog.blogspot.com
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