From the Flint Hills to the Sandhills and Back Again Part 1

my sister's new house

my nephew and his family

my niece's son Vinny

my mother

downtown Ft. Scott

old Fort Scott

Barton and I recently took a trip up through Kansas and Nebraska following the Pony Express Trail. Up there were the land is vast and the people are sparse. Stopping to visit my family on the way, home, where I came from. Memories of my childhood steeped with the histories of the hardships endured by generations of Americas past were waiting for me outside our car windows as we drove up and down the highways. We made so many stops its hard to name them all. We would stop at Emporia first, driving up through Missouri and crossing over to Kansas into Ft. Scott. I went to college in Pittsburg which is just a few miles south, this is a road I had traveled many times in college going back and forth to Emporia on holidays, and recently Barton and I got the chance to stay in Ft. Scott exploring its historic downtown and fort. Driving onward through Iola, this small town used to have a Harley dealership and I would stop often and by t-shirts and stretch my legs. Iola was my halfway point home when traveling from Pittsburg, I had even met my mother here and spent the day with her a couple of times when I lived in Pittsburg. We were getting close and I was and still am never quite ready to arrive home and start begging Barton to stop for a moment to stretch our legs and catch my breath, the tension in my family always puts me on edge and I've never been in a hurry to get there. I finally get him to stop for a potty break, it's only for five minutes but its five minutes that I feel like I'm not hurtling into the brink of some sort of disaster. Onward we travel to Yate Center, I once went to a big party close to here. They called it the Woodson County Blowout, I rode over with a group of guys that formed a band and practiced in the attic of my Apartment that I shared with a friend. I can no longer remember most of the guys names or the name of their band, I do remember that it was a very long and wild day and that it was the first time I ever ate goat. I still have a t-shirt tucked away from this day, packed away with some old Harley shirts and my jean jacket with the big Harley patch on the back. Yate Center is also were you have to decide whether or not to turn North and travel up to catch I30 or continue on West and travel up 99. Barton chooses 99 skimming the Flint Hills traveling through Madison and Lebo. I had a boyfriend way back when that lived in Madison. I was 17 and he worked at the Beef. The Beef, Iowa Beef, that sticky old building, was the reason we moved to Emporia from Marysville. My dad was a veterinarian and had a practice with my grandpa, his dad, in Marysville until I was around 11. He lived in Emporia for a year or so, working at the Beef as a Government employee, traveling back and forth on the weekends, we moved to Emporia midway through my 9th grade year . I was working in the cafeteria on the freezer side of the Beef when I dated this guy and several other of the guys there. It was 1978 and I believe his name was Mike, he was shorter than me and wore his hair in an "Afro", he had an old pick-up and an even older Harley,and one of the biggest stereos I have ever seen. Now Lebo, just a mere 10 miles down the road from Emporia, Lebo was where everyone raced to on Friday and Saturday nights to the liquor store, to replenish your supplies of alcohol after Emporia's liquor stores closed at nine. I once again convince Barton to stop a moment at the little city park and to travel onward on a country road a few miles, quietly steeling myself for Emporia.

This time we stayed at my sisters house, she had just recently moved into he new house after many years of renting from a high school friend of hers. Before that she had lived on 10 acres out on the little country road we traveled on between Lebo and Emporia. She is the sibling I am closes to, we grew up sharing a room together. During my stay I get to meet her grandchildren, How on earth can I be old enough to have grandchildren, when it seems like just yesterday I was laughing and crying and trying not to puke my guts up while changing her daughters diaper? That night we (her, her boyfriend Bob, Barton, and I) meet up with my mother at the local Mexican restaurant. My mother and I have a relationship that at its best can be described as complicated and as of recently I have come to the conclusion that if I'm to have any kind of relationship with her before she passes I'll have to lend a deaf ear to her side of our conversations, my mother is beginning to look old and frail. She can be so cold and stiff and it's almost humorous to hug and kiss her hello, she tries to lean away from you. We spent 2 nights in Emporia, spending time with my mother and sister. I have a brother that lives in Emporia too, but he has not spoken to me in a civilized manner in almost 20 years, I don't even know what I did to piss him off that bad. He arrived at my sisters house "not knowing I was there" riding bikes with his wife Sunday, I went outside to say hi and he wouldn't hardly look at me, he's such an asshole. Oh well. I have 2 other siblings, the five of us are pretty screwed up when it comes to "family" and I have distanced myself over the years pretending to be an orphan for the most part so I could live a somewhat uncomplicated life. On Monday we would pack up and make our way to Kearney Nebraska,traveling up through Marysville on the way.

More picures from my adventures

West Fork City park

West Fork of the White River at West Fork. After recent rains gave us some seldom seen waterfalls.

Devils Den was wet after recent rain.

lets vote

If you live in America you live in one of the greatest countries in the world, partly because we all as citizen have the rightto vote, to voice our opinions. I have very rarely missed a chance to vote since turning 18. It's the most valuable right that our founding fathers gave us.I don't understand why anyone would not vote. It's the best way we can insure our children and our children's children have a wonderful place to live. It's a way we, as average ordinary individuals can become heroes.So please let's not waste our chance to tell those in charge how we wish to leave this country for our children when we are gone. I ask you to vote, vote with your heart, vote with your children in mind. Lets give them all the right to an education to make them the best possible person they can strive to be. Lets give them the health care they deserve so can grow up strong and healthy. Lets give them the right to breath clean air and drink clean water....lets face it we have to stop the use of oil, its disastrous. I have never understood why we have used oil for so long. Why not wind, water, solar? Yes I know these things all cost money....money at a time when our nation is in a financial crisis.....but in the long run is it not worth it? Are our children not worth it? I think they are and I'm not a mother.Why would someone with no children care? I care because your children will be the ones that will be taking care of me when I can no longer take care of myself. Why? because thats my life-rjw

Happy Mothers Day

To my mother and every other woman out there I hope you have a magical wonderful day. May it be filled with love and joy.Here is my gift to you. Pictures of my peonies that are in full bloom. thats my life- RJW

mother's advice

Last night there was a story of a guy who has a twitter account, "shit my dad says". I had to laugh to myself, I could have "shit my mother says" she has come up with some of the most bizarre words of wisdom and advice. One of her most infamous words of advice to me one day awhile back was to "watch out for birds, they'll poop in your eyes and you will go blind" Whhhaaat? Who'd of thought birds were so conniving?Is that what they are discussing up there on the electric lines? That and how they're going to poop all over your car.I wonder if this is the reason along with ants, flys, mosquitoes, spiders,snakes and other assorted things that she has an aversion to going outside? Is she a bit nuts? Yes she is...thats my life,RJW

My Dad part 1

Ive been thinking allot about my dad this last month. It' hard to believe he been gone for 7 years already. He passed the day after my birthday. I really miss his birthday cards and could always imagine him at the local hallmark store picking on the girl behind the counter. He must of spent a good amount of time down there because he would always send me two or three cards, he'd send the mushy card that let you know just how much he loved you and make you well up in tears and then he'd send you the funny card with just a hint of mean spirited in it, just enough to make you go ooh! That's just the way he was, in his big Stetson hat and cowboy boots.
When I was 16 or so he would come home, if I was there he would have me pull those boots off.He would be seated at the kitchen table holding is foot up in the air. "Come help me off with these" of course I would oblige him and straddle his leg to pull of the boot. I'd pull and he"d curl his toes up and jam his foot in his boot, placing is other foot on my hind side and pushing me with it, both of us a mass of giggles. One day i decided I was going to show him, and pulled him right out of his chair. I pulled him so hard he came sliding out of his chair sending it sliding in the opposite direction, and we both came crashing down on the kitchen floor, me some distance away from him with his boot in my hands. He sat there on the floor with this stunned look on his face laughing big booms of laughter. After that he would act like he was intrepid of having me help him with his boots, but it didn't stop him from asking or from him jamming his toes up in those boots always pushing me with the other foot.
He was ornery as all get out, Walking past him in the hallway you would always be on alert, sure he was going to give you a big pinch on your ass or block you so you would have to run yourself into the wall to get around him. Sometimes I think I'm more like him than I would like to admit....Thats my life-RJW

Some of my pictures

Thought I'd share some of my many pictures.....hope you enjoy them....after all thats my life! RJW

Oxford, Ms.

We recently went to Oxford Ms.This neat little town has got to be one of the friendliness towns I've every visited. Everywhere we went people said hello. One morning we stop at the chamber of commerce to pick up some information, later that same day we were down on the square and noticed a couple of girls sitting on the bench with the statue of Faulkner, as we passed by one of the girls excitedly said "hello". Being from out of town my husband and I looked at each other bemused,"are you enjoying your stay?" "are you finding your way around town OK?" We must of looked puzzled, she quickly explained that she was working at the chamber when we were in that morning. I'm thinking to myself " wow", if it had been me I'd had probably hope you'd go by without noticing me after all I was off the clock.A few minutes later we reached our destination, On the Square Bookstore, 10 minutes after closing, seeing us at the door the young man that was working there came running out to greet us, "hello" "I'd be happy to let you in, is there something special you"re looking for?" ."No that's alright" we explained that we just wanted to look although we'd probably find something we didn't want to keep him. Those were just a couple encounters we had with the people there and they were just minutes apart.

During our stay we kept fairly busy. We explored the Ole Miss Campus, very pretty I think it might be prettier than U.A' here in Fayetteville. We went to the art museum there on the campus, they had a really nice display of Southern Folk Art that I would recommend anyone to go see. Went to Rowan Oak, Faulkner's home, what a beautiful property I could see how it would be conducive to writing. Of course we spent tome on their square shopping and eating. If you find yourself there with just the day to spend you could easily spend it down on their square. Great shopping, a variety of galleries and some really wonderful restaurants, and then in the evening the square turns into party central.

I would recommend all the restaurants we dined at while there. The first night we dined at 208 South Lamar. I had flounder topped with crab meat served on a bed of cheesy grits. Barton order the soup of the day for starters, duck soup, I considered it but knew it be too much food for me so when it came out I had to have a taste, and then wanted to kick myself for not getting some. We also ate at Ajax and Venice Pizza both were excellent choices for lunch.

We also spent one whole day doing the walking tour of the downtown area and immediate residential area. We enjoyed ourselves while doing this although we did get in a bit of a tiff.....lets just say men can't read maps worth a damn and my husband has the patience of an ant.

Would I go back? You betcha! After all that's my life! RJW

virgin blog

Let me introduce myself, my name is Rebecca. I grew up in Kansas and now live in Fayetteville Ar. with my husband of 13 years and my dog. I'm a bit of a "foodie"and enjoy cooking. I like kayaking ,fishing, hiking,riding my bike,and to travel and take pictures. I can be bit passionate about some of my political views and would probably be considered a liberal Democrat. I studied Graphic Arts and Fine Arts in a small Kansas State college.I was pretty wild in my younger days growing up in the 70s , I did my fair share of experimenting, catching rides on the back of Harleys and hitchhiking. If you decide to read this blog you will find recipes that am cooking, stories and pictures of adventures of my life both past and present, and hopefully a few good surprises along the way. I promise I'll try to entertain you as best I can and try not to make you run screaming out of the room WHY?, but in case that happens....don't blame me.....this is my husbands fault.....Barton seems to think you might find me interesting. But hey what can I say.........other than, that's my life! rjw