We drove to KC in early August to enjoy a day or so with our grandchildren at Worlds of Fun and Oceans of Fun. It was the last grab of summer vacation for the kids given that school started the week after our trip. The weather was good, not too hot, and the rides, wave pool, and water slides did not disappoint.

The highlight of the experience for me was that our two granddaughters Maren, age 9, and Meera, age 7, rode the Mamba rollercoaster. Meera barely met the 48-inch minimum height to ride (actually she is only 47 ¾ inches tall) and it wasn’t clear at the start that she would be allowed to strap into the Mamba. I am happy to report that they both bravely rode.

The Mamba is a traditional, not wood, rollercoaster that cranks up at a very steep angle to 205 feet before the first drop. Then it’s nearly a free fall at 75 mph. Maren and Meera were afraid, but not to be denied an exciting time. After the first fast slide downhill, the Mamba steams back up to 184 feet where another near weightless fall occurs. Then it’s largely side to side with a few shorter drops, no upside down stuff, and some camelback cruising until the end. While the girls had a good time, they did not ask to go again.

When we weren’t on rides or in the water, we spent our time at another amusement center and in our rented RV/Fifth Wheeler on the park grounds. The stay was ok, but too crowded given that our son Peter and our not-so-small dog Pearl (105 pounds) joined us.

At one point during our visit to KC, we needed to grab a few items and decided to visit a Walmart to do our shopping. Upon arriving at the store, we split up, each person with the job of finding one or two items. My job, find a flyswatter. Walmart is not known for its excellent or even good customer service, and the staff at this store did not offer any surprises. I asked the first Walmart staff person I saw where I could find flyswatters. I knew that I was in trouble when he didn’t know what a flyswatter was and did not offer to locate someone who did. The next Walmart staff person I asked, after a bit of thinking and consulting their handheld device, told me to go halfway across the store to lawn and garden. I did, but when I caught up with two other Walmart employees in lawn and garden they said not here. Go to housewares on the other side of the store. Walmart stores are not small, so I was getting in my steps. I found someone in housewares to help, but no luck. No flyswatters. At this point I could have given up. The flies would have appreciated a stay of execution. By now I was determined not to leave the store without a flyswatter. My new guide suggested a walk back to lawn and garden, this time with a specific location. So, once again I walked back across the store. Sure enough, there they were. I bought two for a dollar.

By the time I went back across the store to pay up and leave (we were parked on the other side of the store), 30 minutes had passed since the response, “What’s a flyswatter.” My family had been back in the car for 20 minutes (I wasn’t carrying my phone) and they were beginning to worry that I was AWOL. No more visits to Walmart anytime soon.