We pulled into Crystal, Minnesota, a suburb just west of downtown Minneapolis. It was difficult picturing the Twin City metropolis with everything covered in trees and spread across numerous wooded hillsides. My niece, Stephanie, and darling grandnieces Erynne and Toni greeted us enthusiastically from their front lawn.

After lunch, we repaired to the local swimming hole, a kid-friendly facility where Kira found fun with more advanced toys while Grange, Erynne and Toni enjoyed exploring our side of the pool. With our schedule having been fairly rigorous, the aquatic activity presented Kira and Grange with a great opportunity to blow off steam.

After swimming and dinner, Steph suggested a visit to the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden. Trying to make our way to the garden, we wandered around the Walker Art Center where the kids became engrossed in some performance media. Finally winding our way outside, we headed toward the sculpture grounds.

Our favorite sculpture, Cherry by Alexander Calder possessing both grandiosity and sheer ridiculousness, elicited smiles from us all while greatly testing the children's levels of restraint. Me thinks the city fathers and mothers would not have smiled upon finding our children in the bowl of the spoon.

Steph was nursing a broken foot so we parked her on a bench while I took the kids on a “Find Your Favorite Sculpture and Why?” adventure.The kids demonstrated the best method for contemplating the large, modern representations by simply looking, approaching and involving themselves with each form. The kinetic and large scale aspects of many of the pieces allowed them that experience and me the opportunity to enjoy their response while sorting through my own.

The next day was a busy one for Steph. I thought it a good opportunity to visit the Minnesota Children’s Museum. The weather was rainy, in fact, tornado warnings were out. So while it howled and twirled outside, we were safely ensconced within the strong walls of the museum.

Kira and Grange swung right into action. The first exhibit called "Inside Art" allowed the kids to become participants in works of art such as stepping within a Grant Wood painting; creating your own chalk or block art; and Grange transforming into Grange-a Lisa. Kira brought a twinge to my heart, drawing the Twin Rocks and aptly demonstrating her longing for home.

We ventured upstairs into what amounted to a kids construction zone. Grange was in his element. A conveyor belt activity brought out interesting aspects in each, mostly boy’s, personality and leadership style. Grange put great effort into attempting to bring blocks to the belt as quickly and efficiently as possible. Some kids bellowed, others pushed, others worked more quietly trying to coalesce a team while others stepped back overwhelmed by the energy and enthusiasm of the other participants.

After exhausting every possibility in the construction zone, we headed toward other creative endeavors. Grange unleashed his inner rock star in front of a blue screen while watching his antics on a closed circuit TV. Where did he learn those moves?

It was now time for us to mosey on back to the Walker so we left St. Paul and headed back to Minneapolis. Visiting the art center and attached sculpture garden presented me a good opportunity to watch the kids' interaction with art. I was thrilled by their capacity to take in each experience with both maturity and curiosity.

The museum featured the photography of Diane Arbus, her work encompassing a broad expression of human individuality during the 1950's and 1960’s. She gathered portraits from all walks of life; the very wealthy, carnival side shows, nudist colonies and many other points between. Images of high society mavens appeared every bit as eccentric as the “Human Pincushion” . In the more poetic words of one curator, "she...renders the familiar strange and uncovers the familiar within the exotic". Our photographer friend, Karen Tweedy-Holmes had met the artist and said she possessed great empathy for her subjects enabling her to capture each person as they truly were. The kids asked probing questions about the images. Grange continually surprises and challenges me with philosophical thoughts which I sometimes need a month or two to process and answer.

Another room featured modern sculpture from the Minimalist period. Donald Judd's work was most interesting to Kira and Grange, inviting their participation within the artwork which of course, was much discouraged by the museum's security.

Our final visit was in an upper gallery. My favorite art installation by Jay Heikes featured four dozen black ink paintings which resulted in what looked like a series of ninja masks. The elegance and simplicity of the painted lines and the overall effect of almost fifty dark images staring back captured my attention. Kira preferred the interactive CG dolphin which carried on a conversation with you via computer keyboard. After a somewhat eclectic dinner at the museum, we headed for our Minneapolis home.

The next morning was spent enjoying the girls until it was time for them to leave for Wisconsin with their grandmother. Erynne and I played Tic-Tac-Toe Bean Toss with cuddles on the couch in between games. I read to both girls and shared pictures from the trip and our Bluff home. All in all, it was a great opportunity to see their home and enjoy some Twin Cities highlights.