The Art of Tripping - Part II

Mom and Aunt Linda wouldn't be smiling if they actually had to cook in this rustic kitchen.  Can you believe Pioneers didn't have microwaves?  Sheesh.  

I have returned from the Laura Ingalls Wilder trip I took with my mom, aunt, niece, and daughter.  I would have to say the trip was an overall hit.  We're already discussing next year's trip to DeSmet, South Dakota.  This gives everyone a full year to finish reading "The Little House" series.

Can't you just imagine Laura barreling down this hill to play in the creek?  Of course, she would finish her chores first.  

There is power in visiting the residences of your hero.  Part of our trip involved trekking to Plum Creek where the Ingalls family lived from 1874 - 1876.  They moved on after three consecutive crop failures.  (I thought of this yesterday when complaining to a barista that my skinny vanilla latte tasted weird.)  The dugout the family lived in has since collapsed, but the exact location and perimeter is marked with some sad, saggy rope.  (I think red-velvet cording would be more appropriate as Laura is pioneer royalty.) The earth is sunken where the dugout used to be. 

Illustrator, Garth Williams, made everything look look sweet and whimsical.  Have you ever been inside a dugout?  It is super creepy.  Yes.  Creepy.  

I stood next to the dugout and imagined what it was like to be Laura.  The dugout's perimeter was not big.  How a family of five survived in that space through a winter is beyond me.  My own mother kept repeating, "In the book, Ma said the dugout was COZY."  Maybe next winter I can recreate the Ingalls' experience by moving my family, and all our necessities, into the mud room.  It would be fun to see how long that would last.

I understand why Pa stopped the wagon at Plum Creek.  The creek is delightful.  It is clear, quick moving, and shaded in parts by plum thickets.  Gold star to my mom for thinking to look for plum trees.   Birds sang, while the wind ran its fingers through the trees.  (I will now summarize to spare you from this descriptive passage.)  Plum Creek is idyllic.  

Prairie gals on Laura's sunny prairie rock.  (Gold star if you can find Lulu in the shadows.)  

Laura writes about playing on a rock in the book, On the Banks of Plum Creek.  The rock is still there, though it is not located where she described it in the book.  The "Little House" books are historical fiction, not biography or memoir.  Laura's first book was published when she was 65.  Her memory was good, but not perfect.  

To be honest, the Laura Ingalls Wilder museums in Pepin, Wisconsin and Walnut Grove, Minnesota are merely okay.  The museums house few of Laura and her family's belongings.  Disclaimers, like the following, are common:  "This platter is similar to the one Laura and Almanzo used in the book, The First Four Years."  OR  "This buffalo coat is similar to the one Pa wore when he braved a blizzard and ate all of the Christmas candy and oyster crackers while burrowed in a snow bank."  In Pepin you will only find Laura's sewing basket and a quilt that belonged to both Laura and her daughter, Rose.  In Walnut Grove there is a TON of memorabilia from the "Little House" TV show.  But, all the "fake" Laura items brought the books to life for my niece and daughter.  

Laura - autographing books for her fans.

Laura has been such a role model to me.  She has taught me to get up every time I fall down, to find joy in simple things, and to value family and friends.  Her strong spirit continues to inspire me.  It is a great feeling to know I have passed on my love of Laura to my daughter (not sure about the rest of the crew).  

Who inspires you?

Prairie Eydie

Little Lulu on the Prairie.  My job as a mother is now complete.