Staging

I can't seem to stop watching those TV shows where they stage homes for sale. I'm amazed at all the work they do to create an illusion that you could walk right in and start living there, when in reality there would be no way you could spend any time there. There's nothing you would need for actual living.

Isn't it an interesting commentary that we have a whole industry devoted to creating this major illusion of something we should all be able to relate to - living? Do we have so little imagination we can't project what a couch would look like in  room? Are we all living lives that are so removed from the lives we want to have that we can't even dream of them?
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Fences as Metaphors

Life is full of twists and turns and ups and downs. This day has had some of all of it.

I remembered this photo from Cottonwood Falls and realized this fence is a graphic representation of life in a way. There are ups and downs, it's uneven in places, but it keeps on going. There are sharp curves and optional trees to climb. You can see them as obstacles, or a way to see further. And there are changes along the way.

But there's a solid foundation. And that is always the saving grace, I think - a solid foundation. Thank goodness I have a foundation that anchors me.

There's much going on in my life these days - work (the normal job), the other work I do on the side, and home. My personal life is taking a bit of a beating at the moment. If I owe you an email or a comment or a call or something else, I will get to it, but it may be this weekend at the earliest. I'm literally working on something every waking moment these days. Thanks for understanding.
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Sunday

I'm a tired pup. Jason and I worked in the yard four hours soild today plus I did a little more later. The tomatoes are all in although I had a couple of casualties while planting. Its coming along. Slowly. But its coming. I hope I can hold up until its done. Its gonna be a close call.

Saturday

This is Dave Neff of Neff Family Farms. I met him this morning at the Farmer's Market while I was looking at the herbs he had for sale. He had red leafed basil, people! Now so do I.

Frankly, he might as well be known as my dealer from this day forward because I know I'll be buying many more things from him. He has herbs I've never heard of, but now believe myself incapable of living without. I need them, people!

He conveniently provided me with a printout of things they offer, along with a phone number and email address, and told me he and his wife could bring whatever I wanted next week. Whatever I want, people!

Sorry, I'm still a bit overly excited by the whole thing.

I was reasonable today. I only bought some red basil and a lemon verbena plant. But, I've looked over the list multiple times and starred some things I want to get. They have white sage, red ruffled basil and chocolate mint. Chocolate mint, people!

I stopped at the Farmer's Market on my way to Roy's. I started looking at the herb list while I was eating my barbecue. The following photo is just for Matthew, who is wanting some Roy's in a major way.



Fortunately, due to the miracle of Facebook, Anne popped on today to let Matthew know that Smith's Market will ship him some sauce. I was about to box up some for him but Smith's came to the rescue.

I got a lot of things done in the yard today. I planted more things and figured out where some other things are going to go. Late in the day Greg and Sharon brought over some "Holmes Tomato Master 5000" tomato cages. They stopped by Greg's house in Sharon's box truck and hauled them over to my house. I'm so thankful to have them. I'm hoping to get tomatoes in the ground tomorrow. I hope.



I'm sitting in my house with a light jacket on tonight because I'm just not going to turn the heat back on after I've switched between heat and AC at least a half dozen times already. However, I may be sleeping under the electric blanket tonight. We'll see. It's a little chilly, but certainly not freezing for plants.

All in all a productive day. I also got some writing done, some laundry done and some other household chores done. I know - my life is so darned exciting it's hard to keep track. What can I say?
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Hail Unpredicted

Yesterday I planted.

Today we got hail.

From a thunderstorm that was not predicted, that blew up suddenly, and brought rain, thunder, lightning and hail.

The northern part of town got hail about 2 1/2 inches in diameter. Ours was pea and occasionally marble sized. In this instance living on the wrong side of the tracks is a good thing.

Conveniently, I live in the part of town where I wanted to live. It just happens to be the older part, and south of "the tracks." Nice that where I wanted to live happened to be a part of town I could afford.

The hail was an unpleasant end to a day that was not going all that smoothly up till then. However, I'm just hoping that today will be seen as a blessing in disguise in a very short amount of time.

Time for a good night's sleep so I can get up and spend the rest of the weekend working on things that get passed over during the work week. I'm hoping to plant more. Like the old adage about don't let the bastards get you down, you have to have that attitude about the weather when it dumps frozen water out of the sky on your delicate little plants. You can't let it get you down. You have to just assume tomorrow will be a brighter, sunnier day and act accordingly.
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All text and photos on this website are copyright Patsy Terrell, unless otherwise noted. All rights reserved. None are to be used without permission. Thank you.

Travel and Tourism Week - What to see in Hutchinson Kansas

May 9-17 is National Travel and Tourism Week. If you've traveled in Kansas this week you may have spotted these bright shirts commemorating the occasion. This is Britany, who was my server at the Grand Central Hotel and Grill in Cottonwood Falls on Monday.

If you think tourism doesn't matter to you, you might want to reconsider that. In Kansas alone, the economic impact of travel and tourism is 5 billion dollars. That's billion - with a B. I'm sure the figures for your state/country are significant too.

In honor of this week, I thought I'd give you a suggested itinerary of what you could do in Hutchinson, Kansas for a weekend visit. These are some of my top "cool things" in town, and things you might not find unless you have a local direct you.

Friday night at the Anchor
Arrive Friday night in time to go to the Anchor Inn for dinner. Friday night at the Anchor is a local institution. They're at B and Main Street and have been around since the 70s. They make their own tortillas. Their guacamole is fabulous. I recommend the buffet, which has piles of good stuff - my fave is cheese enchiladas and guacamole. The one thing you can't get on the buffet that's really wonderful is a basket of their chips, made on site and worth the cholesterol.

Hotel suggestions:
The nicest hotel in town is the Hampton Inn. If you want the "best" as far as new and maintained, that's the choice to go with. If you're traveling with kids who want to play in the water, the Grand Prairie is the best choice. If you want a B and B, then Prairie Moon on Main Street is the way to go - all the rooms there are nicely decorated so any choice you make will be good. There are a number of other standard hotels to choose from.

Saturday morning Breakfast at The Dutch Kitchen
Sleep in for goodness sake - it's Saturday! Or, get up and be industrious, but make your way to the Dutch Kitchen for breakfast. They open very early, so if you're not a late sleeper, they can accommodate you. It's about five miles outside of town and worth the drive. They make cinnamon rolls that cover your whole saucer. Their coffee cake is also wonderful. The oatmeal is real oatmeal, as opposed to instant. They're famous for their homemade pie, but I think the cinnamon roll is way under appreciated. The pie's good too, don't get me wrong, but you can't get a huge homemade cinnamon roll for under a dollar just anywhere. Yes, it's eighty cents.

You might want to make a quick stop at Glenn's Bulk Foods as you head back into town. They have some unusual things.

Saturday morning at the zoo
After breakfast, head to Carey Park. You can walk the Martinez Trail if you feel the need to work off that cinnamon roll, and then head to the zoo. We have a terrific zoo that features native animals.

In addition to seeing the critters, you can ride the train, too. The zoo is free. The optional train ride costs $1.50 per person.

My favorite animals are the river otters, Kyra and Willie, who are so darned cute they redefine cute.



Saturday lunch at Roy's Barbecue
This will be your only opportunity to have Roy's this weekend. They're closed Sunday and Monday. Roy's is a local institution and amazing stuff. It's on west 5th street. You'll think you're headed out of town, but go over a little bridge and you'll see a yellow building on the right. You've arrived.

Prepare for some of the best, melt in your mouth, barbecue you've ever tasted. You choose beef, pork, turkey, ham, links or ribs, and then you help yourself to the beans and salad bar. Tell Anne and Ryan you read about it here and they'll treat you extra nice. Okay, really, they'll treat you nice regardless so that's not really necessary. I just wanted to say it.

They open at 11, and close when they run out of food, which is never past 2. On a Saturday things can be getting sparse by 1. Don't miss it.

Take some time downtown
We've got some really cool antique stores downtown you don't want to miss. Also, if you like thrift shopping, don't miss the Et Cetera shop on Main. We also have an amazing kitchen store called Apron Strings and on the same block is Smith's Market - one of my favorite places in town. Pop in there and pick up some treats to take with you.

Saturday afternoon at the Salt Museum
Head to the Salt Museum where you'll ride an elevator 650 feet underground for a tour in the caverns of salt that are left after mining.


You'll take a tram through "the dark ride" and your guide will explain what you're seeing. Then you'll have the opportunity to see exhibits on the mining process, the oldest living thing on Earth (250 million years old) and Underground Vaults and Storage, famous for storing many Hollywood films. Don't miss the newspaper printed right after Lincoln's death. You'll have a chance to pick up some salt as a souvenir of your visit. The last tour starts at 4. Make reservations earlier in the day so you're assured of a spot.

Dinner at The Airport Steakhouse
The attraction at the Airport isn't just steak, it's getting to watch planes come in and take off. The wall facing the air strip is all glass you you have a clear view. I'm not really a steak person, but people tell me this is great steak. I'll have to take their word for it. It is cool to watch the planes come in and take off, but you never know when that will be happening. It's fun for the novelty factor, especially if you're an aviation fan.

Ice Cream at Dairy Queen on Third
If you have room for some dessert, I'd suggest ice cream at the Dairy Queen on Third Street. It's an old-fashioned, walk up Dairy Queen, with benches beside it where you can sit and enjoy your treat.

Sunday brunch at Skaets
Skaets is our local diner where you can get breakfast anytime. They have all the traditional breakfast things. I'm not an egg person, so breakfast is often lost on me. But, what isn't on the menu, is that they'll cook you a burger on the grill at any time of day. (After 5 p.m. you can get it charcoaled, which is my favorite.) So, head there for Sunday brunch - those who want breakfast can get it. Those who want to prepare for the afternoon ahead at the Cosmosphere can get a Moon Burger. The Moon Burger was created in 1969 in honor of the moon landing. In other parts it's known as a bacon cheeseburger, but at Skaets it's just "the moon." I like mine extra well done with grilled onions and extra pickles but they'll fix yours anyway you want it. I go often enough that they just write "Patsy" on the ticket and the cook knows just how I want it.

Sunday Afternoon at the Cosmosphere



The Cosmosphere is a world-class museum, right here on the prairie. It's at 11th and Plum, but you'll know you're getting close when you see the rockets jutting into the sky. They have some amazing exhibits that trace the history of space flight, with artifacts from NASA, as well as a huge collection of material from the Russian space program. You'll want to see Dr. Goddard's lab show, and spend some time in the gift shop where you'll find unique items.

That's a wrap up of what I think is cool to see in just a weekend. If you've got a little longer, come in on a Third Thursday night when downtown is hopping with live music and artists in lots of the stores.



For more outdoor time, walk the trails at Dillon Nature Center or Sandhills State Park. Both are great.

I also love Quivira National Wildlife Refuge, which is about a 35 minute drive from Hutchinson. I've never been there when the sunset isn't amazing. Maxwell Game Reserve is about 40 minutes north and also worth a visit.

More than 125,000 jobs in Kansas are created by travel & tourism activity. That's nearly 10% of total employment in the state. National Travel & Tourism Week is a collective effort to promote the power of travel. If you have a blog, take a few minutes and tell folks what to see in your town - the things that are must-sees and the things that the average tourist isn't likely to find.
 
See a local calendar of events online and contact me if you have questions about visiting here. Find more things to see and do in Kansas at www.travelks.com.
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Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve in Cottonwood Falls Kansas

The Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve near Emporia, Kansas, contains most of the 4% of the remaining tallgrass prairie left in the United States. Tallgrass once covered 140 million acres in this country, but it's almost all gone now.

Perception can be skewed when we don't have as many landmarks as we're used to. For example, in the photo above, the trees on the horizon are about 18 miles away. It's amazing to see wide open spaces with no phone poles or light wires.



I visited on May 11, and the wild flowers were just starting to come up. Apparently May and June are the times for wildflowers. If you want to see tallgrass, the time for that is September and October.

One of the things you often see in Kansas are fields burning off. It's quite striking to see when you're driving at night. The burning serves to get rid of the dried thatch and all. You can see the difference on either side of the road in the photo below.

 

What is green was burned. The brown side was not. However, our guide told us within a few weeks they'll look much the same as the new growth will overwhelm the dried old growth.



This area of Kansas is called the Flint Hills. I had never heard that designation until I moved here. I hadn't known the origin of the phrase until the other day. It comes from Zebulon Pike who wrote in 1806 about "hills of flint" and the idea stuck.

Flint is distinctive in that it flakes off in a rounded fashion, a conchoidal fracture, leaving behind something that looks like a thumbprint. You can see that effect beside my thumb in the photo below. It also leaves a sharp edge.



Your tour at Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve is divided into different segments. First stop is the visitor's center in the three story, limestone barn built into a hillside. The outside walls are 20 inches thick.



The National Park Service has provided a number of photo tours on their website.



The barn was built in 1880 and much of the original structure is still there.



I loved the rafters and the floors.



The open doors provide great air circulation and you can look out to see the cattle that now graze on the land.



Soon they will have bison there instead of cattle. Bison are what would have naturally been there and are more suited for the ecosystem. Cattle like to graze on flowers, but the wildflowers and putting a tremendous amount of nitrogen into the soil, which later provides nutrients for the tallgrass. The bison prefer to graze on the grass. It's a prime example of how little things can make a difference.

Right outside the barn, you can board a bus for a ride into the prairie.



The tour takes about 90 minutes and includes a couple of stops along the way. At our first one we had a visitor.



I guess, technically, we were visiting him. Collared lizards are amazingly nimble. This little guy was quite interesting for the whole group, particularly a young lady named Lily, visiting Kansas from Indianapolis with her dad. They had been to a number of places already - Quivira, Cheyenne Bottoms, The Kansas Underground Salt Museum and others - and were having a great time in Kansas.

Throughout your tour, the driver/guide tells you about the prairie and its unique place in the ecosystem. You can find over 500 species of plants and nearly 150 species of birds, including the prairie chicken, which was brought back from near extinction.

You can also tour the home built by the James family in 1881.



They lived in it only five years before moving to Kansas City.

It has some distinctive features, including this newel post.



This skylight with different colored glass, maybe from bottles.



Mr. James was a business man who even had a phone in the house.

They brought cool water from the spring into the spring house where they would cool the milk and other perishables in the trough of cool water.



There are also trails you can walk at the Preserve. The nearly 11,000 acre Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve was established in 1996 and is the only part of the National park system dedicated to the tallgrass prairie. It's a unique private/public partnership between the National Park Service (the primary land manager), The Nature Conservancy (the primary landowner), and the Kansas Park Trust (cooperating bookstore and promotion).

There are many wonderful vistas to be had on the Prairie. At the moment, this is all free.
 


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All text and photos on this website are copyright Patsy Terrell, unless otherwise noted. All rights reserved. None are to be used without permission. Thank you.