Music. It inspires the soul. It allows the body to feel. It speaks when words cannot. Music is how we began this vacation.Our trip was kicked off by Isaac’s piano recital. He played two pieces – a fast, staccato one which he had memorized and a slower, lyrical one which was a duet with his piano teacher. Both pieces had him working on new skills. On the fast one, he had notes all over the keyboard and in some places had to cross hands to hit everything. The lyrical one had him working on phrasing, timing and rhythm. He performed extremely well and his parents were proud.
Everyone performing that evening did well. It was an impressive showcase of young and old talent and the best yet from Ann’s students. Ann Fell, his piano teacher, has a style that is focused on enjoying the music and minimizing the stress of the performance. She is relaxed and comfortable, attitudes which translate to her student’s fingers and composure. Even though the word “recital” is in the program, when you are with Ann and her students it feels more like an impromptu living room display of talent. She is a fantastic teacher.
After that it was back home to change, gas the car and get on the road. We traveled up I-35 to the Matfield Green Service stop where we got out, stretched our legs and had a late dinner at the McDonald’s inside. We also spent a little time at the Knute Rockne
memorial – mostly because of the life size cutout of Knute that stands by the display. The boys noticed it on the way back from the bathroom and asked, “Who is this guy?”A plane that Knute was on crashed near Bazaar, Kansas – a scant three miles north and east of the rest stop. The building, which doubles as a storm shelter in bad weather, documents the crash with a museum quality display of a piece of the plane and several panels describing the importance of Knute’s legacy to football. You can also play several recordings of Knute’s speeches, including the one featured in Rudy.
“And then we’ll go inside. And then we’ll go outside. And then we’ll go inside and outside and we’ll get ‘em on the run boys!”
I don’t know how many times my Dad has told me the story about the crash when we would stop here on the way home from some judging contest or vacation. I don’t know how many times that I’ve been through this rest stop on my various travels throughout the state. This was the first time I connected “the famous guy who crashed near Matfield Green” to the famous and beloved coach of Notre Dame who forever changed the game of football.
Because of the time and date, the rest stop was nearly empty except for us, a couple of businessmen and some truckers. It was peaceful. And we enjoyed taking a break from the road to enjoy each other for about 30 minutes – the Hicks’ secret ingredient to traveling happily in the car with children.
Perhaps it was Knute’s memorial, perhaps it was the night sky, perhaps it was the
peace of driving through the quiet Flint Hills – but we did a little remembering of our own on the next stretch. Sam took over the radio with his IPod wanting to share his Newsboys album with the rest of the family. He carefully hooked it up and arranged the music on shuffle for the fullest enjoyment. When “Shine” was queued, the words and music transported us to thoughts of the great lady who left our family this past October.We talked about Grandma Cress. We remembered her smile and her touch. We cried a little and held hands. And we thanked God together for giving us such a bright light to enjoy even for a short while.
Pretty soon, the cloudy horizon glowed orange with the lights of the Capital City. By the time we reached the first Topeka exit, both boys were sound asleep in the back seat. We maneuvered the car around the city to our hotel – the Candlewood Inn and Suites just off of I-70 and checked in around 11:00 p.m.
The Candlewood Inn is a favorite of business travelers and of yours truly.
Every room comes with a kitchen, spacious bathroom and the softest sheets your feet have ever touched for the price on the road. There is no continental breakfast offered here in the morning and no pool, but when all you need is a bed and a comfortable, quiet place to recharge away from home, this hotel is a terrific answer.We wasted no time picking bed partners, getting changed and hopping in to enjoy some soft sheets and a little shut eye before our big day exploring the city of Topeka.
