So we began the trip in a Missouri suburb of Kansas City, and I was eager to get into the state itself rather than visit the city on our first day, so I headed to Olathe to see a museum dedicated to prairie life. Unfortunately, there was no place for Tamu to stay there, and it was too hot to leave him in the car, so I had to pass on visiting. However, one of the docents was enthusiastic about historic sites in the area, and provided a number of recommendations.
On her direction, I headed to Lawrence, home of the University of Kansas. Tamu and I ditched the car and headed for a walk down the main drag, Massachusetts Avenue. Our first stop was Lucky Dog Outfitters and Pet Supply, where the friendly staff fawned over Tamu. He helped himself to a bully stick and was photographed for their Facebook page. They also offered advice on seeing the state, 
which helped me get my bearings for the days ahead. Tamu and I headed back out, bully stick hanging out of his mouth like a cigar, and made our way to South Park, a lovely natural sanctuary on the edge of the town. The day had begun with rain, which seemed to break the heat, but by the time we walked the park, the heat had unmistakably returned.
We headed down the other side of Massachusetts looking for lunch, preferably outside with some shade. We were treated well at Limestone Pizza Kitchen, which tries to locally source all its food. Tamu and I filled up on lime-aid and water, then headed to the Watkins Museum to understand a bit of local history. The docent let me tie Tamu up on the front steps of the museum with a water dish while I toured the museum. I am glad I stopped, as it explained Civil War history I never really learned well. In the lead up to the Civil War, the US Congress kept trying to find compromises 
between those who wanted to abolish slavery and those who wanted it to expand into the western frontier. As part of the Kansas-Nebraska Act, the decision was put in the hands of those who could vote in those states at the time, so Kansas had a number of local fights over slavery, giving it the name Bleeding Kansas. John Brown, abolitionist, took up arms to end it, and was known for engaging in raids into Missouri to capture and free slaves. Of course, the proponents of slavery also took up arms to retrieve their slaves and maintain slavery in the state. Lawrence was abolitionist, and was burned to the ground 1863. The museum does a great job of explaining this history. The docent rather apologetically explained to me that they hope to expand the collection onto a new floor of the building and tell a bit more of the story of native Americans in Kansas. Sounds like a great idea. I’d love to learn more about that too.
As I was touring the museum, the curator passed through a few times and politely greeted me. It took me a few times, but I eventually remembered that I sang with him in a church choir in Toledo, Ohio 5-6 years before this trip. He left for Kansas about the same time I left for Washington, DC. We chatted a bit. He runs a lovely museum, notable both for its content and its friendliness. When I left, Tamu was hydrated and safe on the steps outside. We took a spin around the park adjacent to the museum before heading to the home of Langston Hughes, the Harlem Renaissance poet who spent his childhood in Lawrence. Unfortunately, none of the local guides provided an address for the house, so we were not able to visit, and we headed to Topeka for the night.