Day 24: Is this Kansas or Oz?
24 Oct 2011 2 Comments
in 31 Days
No trip to Kansas would be complete without some mention of Dorothy Gale and her trip to Oz. Wamego, Kansas is home to the Oz Museum and a variety of other Oz themed businesses (Toto’s Tacos, The Wicked Stitch…).
Now where did I put my ruby slippers?
Photo taken October 2011, Wamego, Kansas.
Day 23: Gone Fishin’
23 Oct 2011 5 Comments
in 31 Days
This is the redneck fishing boat I keep stashed on the Kansas River*
Photo taken June 2008, Kansas River, Manhattan, KS.
* Yeah if you believe I’m actually fishing, or on THIS boat, I have a bridge I’d like to sell you.
Day 22: City of Fountains
22 Oct 2011 2 Comments
in 31 Days
I bet you didn’t know that Kansas City was the City of Fountains. Neither did I until I moved here. Today there are 47 public fountains, plus countless more in business, shopping and apartment complexes. It is said that the only city with more fountains than Kansas City is Rome.
When we first moved here, Wes and I found out that some enterprising individuals had developed a series of geocaches at the city’s fountains. We set out a few times to explore them.
We did one at the Meyer Circle “Seahorse” Fountain:
And another at the Ward Parkway Mirror Pool Fountain:
There’s also a nice fountain near the Plaza where the Sunflower Knitters Guild of Kansas goes each year for World Wide Knit in Public Day, the J.C. Nichols Fountain:
Just across the way from my office is the Kauffman Foundation Center with beautiful fountains and gardens:
Day 21: You say To-mah-to
21 Oct 2011 4 Comments
in 31 Days, Farm Fresh Foods, Learning to be a Midwestern Gal
Now Kansas isn’t unique for being a place that one can grow a vegetable garden, but this city girl certainly wasn’t doing it in Los Angeles. Sure we had some fruit trees growing up, but up until the last few years I’ve never tilled the ground, planted seeds, watered and cared for the plants and picked a harvest.
This year was our first in the house with the enormous vegetable plot. We planted maybe a third of the plot with a variety of vegetables. We had mixed success: the lettuce thrived, but tasted terrible; the broccoli grew in September but was plagued with bugs; the peppers (save SPICY jalapenos) failed to grow; the cucumbers thrived for a few weeks and then died in the summer heat; and the tomato plants produced fairly late in the season. We just had our first frost this week, and I was forced to pick TONS of tomatoes before they were ready. I’m going to experiment with green tomato sauces and salsas later on this winter and we’re going to try and plant earlier and smarter next year.
For now, I’ll just be a little amazed that I can grow my own food and enjoy it.
Day 20: Sittin’ on the dock of the bay
20 Oct 2011 2 Comments
in 31 Days
Well there aren’t any bays here in the Midwest, but there are LAKES. Lots and lots of lakes and rivers and I seem to be learning quite a few of them since Wes has become an avid kayaker. One of our favorite places is Tuttle Creek Lake, just outside of Manhattan, Kansas. I’ve only been a few times, but often when we’re staying with my in-laws Wes will steal away in the wee hours of the morning and go for a peaceful paddle. He returns with stories of watching deer come down to the lake to take a morning drink, or eagles nesting high in the tree tops.
Photo taken July 2008, Tuttle Creek Lake, Kansas.
Day 19: Little lambs eat ivy.
19 Oct 2011 1 Comment
in 31 Days, Learning to be a Midwestern Gal
Growing up a city girl, I didn’t have a lot of occasion to see real live farm animals. Sure I went to a pre-school that had a few chickens, and I knew what the animals looked like, but until I moved to the Midwest I really didn’t have occasion to get up close and personal with them.
Of course my hobbies lead me to another set of animals, those with coats I can spin and knit! Take for example the alpaca at Wildcat Hollow:
Or perhaps the little lamb I met at The Harveyville Project:
And a special treat for today, a little video.
Photos taken July 2011 and April 2009.
Day 18: Catch the Glove*
18 Oct 2011 2 Comments
in 31 Days
One of the things I love about the Kansas City area is how diverse it is and how much culture it has. This weekend we headed just a bit north of the city to Weston, MO. Weston is a picturesque little town full of antique shops and B&B’s.
It is also home to O’Malley’s Pub and the Weston Irish Festival. The pub is still a working brewery, and the pub has been built in the cellar rooms. The festival is an annual event – a whole weekend of Celtic music, food, vendors of sundry goods and of course, beer (and hard cider).
This year we arrived around noon on Saturday. We were in time to catch the opening of the Main Stage in the largest underground room. We happily sat and enjoyed sets by 5 bands in just under 8 hours, as well as great food, great company and a few drinks.
Sadly it’s hard to take good photos when you’re completely underground, so you’re getting a two-fer today as I try and show you where we spent the afternoon.
Also I’d be remiss if I didn’t tell you about the bands we heard. By far our favorite was Barleyjuice for their musical talent – there were bagpipes up there onstage! Our local favorite is Flannigan’s Right Hook, and they didn’t disappoint. The headlining act, Screaming Orphans, was pretty good as well though they did an acoustic show indoors, and I would have liked to hear their full performance (with keyboards and the like) outdoors. We also saw Tullamore (notable for it’s hammer dulcimer and sweet harmony) and Reverse Cowboy (two really funny dudes from the twin cities).
Photos taken October 2011, Weston Irish Festival, Weston, Missouri.
* The sign says Catch the Glow, but it really looks like Catch the Glove doesn’t it?
Day 17: I’m still here.
17 Oct 2011 2 Comments
in 31 Days, A Picture's Worth 1000 Words
Who knew it would be so hard to do 31 straight days of interesting photos of Kansas? I think I should have thought this out a little more carefully before I started. The first weekend, I grabbed the camera and Wes, determined to get some pictures that screamed Kansas. You’ve already seen some of them. This one, while beautiful, doesn’t really scream Kansas. But it was a beautiful evening, in a neat little park, and a great photo.
Photo taken on October 2011 by Wes, Overland Park, Kansas.
Day 16: Renaissance
16 Oct 2011 1 Comment
in 31 Days
Lots of places have Renaissance Festivals, but this is one place in Kansas we love to go each year. The festival is set out in Bonner Springs, away from the hustle and bustle of the city on dedicated fairgrounds filled with castles and turrets. There’s jousting and food, arts and crafts and a fun afternoon in store. Huzzah!
Photo taken October 2011, Renaissance Festival, Bonner Springs, Kansas.
Day 15: Kansas in Sepia
15 Oct 2011 1 Comment
in 31 Days
Parts of Kansas, at sunset, look like they have been sepia toned. It’s my favorite time of day to take photos in the warm, rich light.
Photo taken November 2010, Somewhere between here and there, Kansas.
