Nebraska, Waco - Monday, April 30, 2018 - Double Nickle Campground

When I downloaded the pictures from my camera to write this post I realized I still had some on it from our trip into Kansas.  Seems no matter how hard I try I can’t get the state line signs right.

We had a wonderful two weeks in Kansas.  Like we promised, we brought rain.  They hadn’t had any significant rainfall for 199 days.  It rained three times in the two weeks we were there.  For the most part the weather was mild and we even had a few days when there weren’t strong winds.

We had lots of meals with David, Lisa and the kids.  Since our fridge is on the blink right now – the cooling unit went out – so we supported the local restaurant community and Lisa cooked a great supper for us one night.  More than anything we just enjoyed being around them and catching up with what is going on in their lives.  I visited school and had lunch with Cheyanne one day.  They don’t make school lunches like they used to, lots of food goes to waste now and I really don’t blame the kids, I didn’t eat all of mine either.

A highlight of the visit was getting Cheyanne ready for the Daddy and Daughter dance.  She wanted her straight hair curly for the evening.  Grandma’s hot rollers did the trick.  She looked so pretty and grown up.

David cleaned up pretty good too.

Last night David and the kids and I enjoyed some card game that got a little noisy, but we sure did laugh a lot.  I’ll have to see if I can find the game, I don’t remember the name, but I think I will remember the box it comes in.

We left right at 9:00 this morning (just a couple of tears from Mom).  This rainbow doesn’t show up good in the picture, but all the colors were evident as we pulled out of the driveway.  Maybe that is a sign of good things to come.

These old water towers always make me smile when we leave Pratt.  The one that says “Hot” is hidden behind the tree (once again my timing was off).

As we cross the Nebraska state line, I get my now typical photo of half of the sign.  I assure you I’m not doing this on purpose!

The winds have been strong this morning but most of the time we have been headed north and the wind is at our back.  This picture is not out of focus, it is of a dust storm that is ahead of us.

There was a stretch when we were on I-70 going east for about 25 miles that Greg was fighting the crosswinds.  The winds got really bad when we pulled off of 81 north onto 80 east.  Thankfully, we only had to go 7 miles until we reached the campground.  Even as big and heavy as we are it was moving us around and tractor-trailers were leaning sideways.  There was a state patrol car with its lights on just before we hit this dust moving across the road.  We think he might have been getting ready to shut the road down, it was pretty nasty.  I don’t think this picture looks as bad as it was in reality.

This picture is right after we got out of the dust.

We are spending the night in Waco, Nebraska at the Double Nickle Campground.  It’s really nice family owned campground.  The rate with our Good Sam discount was $42.75 for a 50 amp full hookup site.  We are located in a 100’ level gravel pull through site facing south so we aren’t getting any severe crosswinds.

This picture is looking out our front window.  See the little white building in the center – that is the Severe Weather Shelter.  I can see good and bad in this, I think it is good that they have one, not so good that they need one.  Hopefully, we won’t have to use it.

Greg is hoping that there is more to it than meets the eye above ground.

There are lots of things for kids to do here.  I’m taking these pictures from the comfort of the motor coach since I’m not sure I could stand up outside.  The playground area looks great.  The pool is being reconditioned right now.  There is also a nice sized miniature golf course.  Pinball machines and arcade games are available in the clubhouse.

Each site has a picnic table, porch swing and fire pit.  If the wind wasn’t so bad, I would sit out in the swing and have a glass of wine.

This is our front window view, the trees should block some of the wind and dust.

We will be heading out early tomorrow for Sioux Falls, SD.

Pratt, KS - Tuesday, October 24, 2017 - Enjoying the Kansas Life

I didn’t catch the sunset at its best this evening, we were coming back from having dinner in town when I noticed the whole sky was mixed with bright pink and blue.  I ran in when we got home and grabbed the camera, it was still a beautiful sunset.

This is our Kansas site (David’s barn lot).  We have everything we need and have been having a wonderful time catching up with David and the grandkids – lots of things going on.

We were lucky enough to get to see three of Wyatt’s football games.  He is number 33 in this picture.  We were hoping we would get to see one of his basketball games before we had to leave, but that isn’t going to happen.  Their first game isn’t until after the first of November.  By that time we will be back in Mesa putting in our workamper hours at Val Vista Villages.

I went in to listen to Cheyanne’s piano lesson today.  She is working on a song for a recital in early November.  Since we will miss the actual recital I told her I wanted to hear her play before then.  She said she wasn’t very good with the song yet.  I told her it didn’t matter I would love listening to it anyhow.  She said, Of course you will, you have to, you’re Grandma!”

This is the view from our site, looking at the city of Pratt in the distance.

Looking to the east from where we are situated, we can see a mix of old fence posts and new windmills.

The Kansas wind can be brutal.  This new shed didn’t stand up to it.

This old beauty is waiting on David to have time to restore it.  It may be sitting a while longer, he’s a busy guy.

On Monday we went uptown to visit the Pratt Historical Museum.  Looking at the outside you wouldn’t begin to imagine the treasures it holds inside.  I didn’t remember to take a picture of the outside, it’s just a big plain wooden building painted white with brown trim and a small sign on the door.  You could easily pass it thinking it is nothing of importance.  If you are ever in or passing through Pratt, KS this is definitely worth the $4 admission price.

The museum has been blessed with over one million dollars’ worth of Native American artifacts from a recently deceased local collector.  The artifacts are being shown in a new display, the Hartman Gallery.

A bone breastplate was a popular chest ornament of the Plains Indians.  The long bones called hair-pipes were made with bones from buffalo or birds.  Since the hair-pipe bones were difficult to obtain, the number of bones often indicated the wealth of the warrior.  I think this would have belonged to one of the wealthier warriors.

Naturally, flash couldn’t be used for pictures so some of them aren’t as bright as I would like.  This Kiowa cradleboard from the 1880’s doesn’t show up nearly as bright in the picture as it really is.  The beadwork on this is amazing.  The elaborate beadwork followed traditional tribal designs.  A cradleboard could be carried or hung from a horse saddle horn.  The sharp extensions of these backboards were designed to stick in the ground in case there was an accident and the baby fell headfirst.  This must have been one of the original child safety standards.

The quality of the handiwork of this beaded vest and woven basket just leaves me in awe.  I wonder if any of the things I have made in my lifetime are of the quality needed to last another 100 years or more – I’m thinking not.

One of the highlights of this new display is this grizzly bear claw necklace with otter fur from the mid 1800’s.  This necklace signified the warrior’s high status.  Notice also the hand woven rug on the wall behind this display.

I’ve seen covered wagons on display in other museums but I’m still amazed at the adventuresome spirit of the settlers that took off in those wagons in search of their dreams.  We travel in a large motor coach with all of the modern amenities and we still feel discouraged at times when things don’t go exactly as we expected them to.  Seeing one of these once again makes me very thankful for all that we have.

As a very amateur quilter I felt compelled to take a picture of this very detailed quilt to share with my fellow quilters.  I don’t know the size of this, but it was huge.

One of the things that is especially appealing to me about this museum is that the things on display aren’t just laid out for viewing or hung on the wall – they are displayed as they would have been used by the early prairie settlers.  I remember using desks like these wooden ones in the schoolhouse display.

I loved this write up about the discussions going on about providing school lunches in 1877.  I had lunch with Cheyanne at school today, it was much better than the hearty soup suggested in this article, but it wasn’t as good as when we were eating school lunches 60 years ago.  That was when some great stuff was made from scratch by the “cafeteria ladies” – I’m remembering hot rolls and cookies!

This teacher’s contract from 1896 also caught my eye – I wonder if $30 a month was a wage they could live on at the time?

The first thing I noticed in this display was the “eggs in lard” sign.  I’m still trying to decide how that worked.  The essential storm shelter for the prairie home and school was dug into the ground, whitewashed and lined with stone or cement.  It became not only a place of shelter but also a “prairie refrigerator”.

Wouldn’t the ladies have looked special on Sunday when they went to church in one of these lovely hats?  Hats were pretty much out of style by the time I got out of school.  In junior high I did attend a class on how to be a proper lady and learned when I should wear a hat and white gloves – that knowledge has come in so handy.  I don’t think my current signature ball cap makes quite the statement these hats would have made.

This adobe sod house was constructed in the museum with local clay and prairie grass.  These houses featured a sod roof.  The ceilings were covered, often with sewn together flour sacks, as the “soddies” tended to let in rain, dirt, debris, snakes and insects.  I get aggravated if one little fly gets in the house, I obviously don’t have the temperament to be a prairie settler.  The one room adobe houses were cool in the summer and easy to heat in the winter.  The adobe sod furnished a readily available, cheap building material.  But, they were highly susceptible to damage from the wind and rain so they didn’t last too many years.

Over 80 years ago a windmill pumped cool clean water to this crock, situated in the kitchen.  When the water reached the level of the top hole, it would then run down through a channel leading out to the livestock tank.  This gave a continuous supply of water to the farm.

The Coterie was organized October 8, 1885, it was the first women’s club in Pratt County, KS.  It remains today as a women’s study club.  For more than a century the ladies of the club have donated generously to the community.  Today they provide college scholarships for Pratt youth and donate to the public library they helped establish.

The drug store display is another elaborate display to take you back in time.

The bank display furnishings were once in the Iuka State Bank, one of the oldest in Pratt County.  The ceiling is pressed tin, a common building material in early day frame business buildings.

The general store looks like it could meet most any need.

This dress is really an eye-catcher.  On December 24, 1881 it was a lady’s wedding dress.  She and her husband went on to celebrate their 63^rd wedding anniversary.  The dress is made of brocaded merino wool.  Row upon row of shirring for the skirt is finished by a wide platting as the hem.  The dress cost $8.00 to make with the material and stitching costing $27.00.

Last picture of this post shows our fall holiday decorations. “Bless This Family” we have had such a great time the past six months enjoying our amazing kids and grandkids, we will miss them this winter but we will enjoy the warm weather in Mesa, AZ.

Kansas, Pratt - Thursday, May 26, 2016 - Kansas Storms

I need to catch up on good wishes to family members since I haven’t posted for a while:

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO GRANDSON KYLE

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY TO DAUGHTER DESIRA AND DAN

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO JACK “PAP” CROSLEY

HAPPY BIRTHDAY (coming up) TO GRANDSON JACKSON AND GRANDDAUGHTER BRAELYNN

We’ve been able to enjoy walking in Lemon Park which is just outside of downtown Pratt.  There is a one mile marked walking track that is well kept and winds in and out of several beautiful areas.

This shade garden is one of my favorite spots.

One feature they have added this year for kids is “read while you walk”.  Pages of a storybook are scattered along the trail so that by the end of the mile you have finished the storybook.  I think they change the book every week, we’ve seen two books so far.  This is a great idea but we haven’t taken time to stop to see what the books are about, we have been trying to better our time for a mile from 22 minutes down to 20 minutes – I know, we aren’t going to win any races at that rate but it does get our heart rates up by the time we have completed our two miles.

This Ivory Silk Japanese Tree Lilac smells wonderful.  I only know what it is because of the marker that told me.  They have 60 different varieties of trees throughout the park that are all marked with some very nice plaques.

We’ve spent some great time with David and the kids.  Cheyanne talked me into getting one of the adult coloring books that are supposed to relax you by coloring in some pretty complex design pages – we have enjoyed talking while we completed our pictures (I’ve even colored some without her, those things are addictive).

We are so proud of Wyatt for the commitment he has made to his karate lessons.  He spent last Saturday testing to move to a purple belt.  The day started out with a six mile run and continued on with a full day of strenuous physical trials.  He didn’t want anyone to come watch him so I had promised him I wouldn’t.  However, David and I had been together all day doing a variety of things – we started out volunteering to pass out water to runners in a fun run and we ended up having time to see the last half hour of Wyatt’s testing.  I hid behind a large column so he wouldn’t see me until after he was done.  I got tired just watching what he was going through while I peeked around the corner.  I think if they had had one more sit up or push up he might not have made it, he was tired.  As it was he made it through and got his purple belt and certificate – glad I was there to see it.

Tuesday evening we were in the worst storm I think we have weathered in the motor coach.  There were tornadoes all around the area but none exactly where we are.  Winds here were reported between 60 and 70 miles per hour for what seemed like forever.  Thankfully with the way we are parked the wind hit the back of the coach rather than hitting us in the side – we still rocked.  The worst part though was the hail, it sounded horrendous even though it was relatively small but there doesn’t appear to be any damage done.  Unfortunately, the weather forecast is for a worse night tonight.

I was able to get a rare picture of the three of them – Wyatt was reluctant but I played the “pleading Grandma” card.  The storm is brewing in the background.

Kash had to get in on the action too.

We did find out Tuesday evening that if there is a tornado in the area we don’t have to worry about hearing the sirens from a town.  The TV came on with a loud alert at the same time our weather radio started blaring and both of our phones sent out loud alerts – all that noise scared us as bad as the weather.

Greg has been able to get in some maintenance chores while we are here where he can take advantage of David’s shop and tools.  He rebuilt a hydraulic cylinder on the motorcycle lift, changed the oil in the motor coach and replaced a filter in the coach.  He wouldn’t have been able to do the replacement on the filter this time last year, since he has lost weight he could squeeze into the area above the motor to get it accomplished.  I still stood outside where he was working just in case he got into trouble.

We’ll be here in our special barnyard spot until Friday, June 3 when we will head to Branson, MO for a bit before heading on to Indiana for the summer.