Great Saturday

Konza Prairie This shot is of a flock of male turkeys that was taken at the Konza Prairie Nature Walk. It was a group of males that didn't seem the least bit concerned that it is turkey season. They obviously live in a preserve and didn't mind our presence.

The Konza Prairie is a Nature Preserve smack in the middle of the flint hills in Kansas. It lies along US77 south of Manhattan and north of I70. It is a great example of what it is I love about Kansas. There is a 3 mile trail that takes you from a pasture of wild flowers, along a stream and up to the wind swept hills with a view that is spectacular. I was so taken back by the view and the beauty that I forgot to take a picture from the top of the hills. I wish I could take you all there and let you enjoy what it is that I find so dear. I will have to wait until my wife's pictures are developed to put some of the other part of the walk.

Being Saturday and having a home game at KSU, we stayed out of Manhattan until the game started. It is no place to be when thousands of people wearing purple are trying to jockey their cars into the stadium to watch their team play OK State. KSU won and KU lost.

On the KSU Campus there is an area that Barbara and I love. It is their garden area . They have a butterfly enclosure and a Bug Museum. It isn't open late in the day and by the time we got there the exhibits were closed. Oh well, we'll go back as Kansan's we know that no matter where kids go to school they are learning. Our Biggest disappointment was the fact the ice cream store was closed also. Their Dairy Classes make some of the best ice cream in the world.

On my walk through the garden, I met a man with his dog. Guess what kind of dog? My new favorite a dachshund.

From Manhattan we took the back road back to Topeka. US 24 is the old Military Road that ran from Fort Leavenworth to Fort Riley. It is four lane in places and two lane in most. It runs along the Kansas River and was in its Fall colors. We stopped in Wamego Kansas and went to the OZ museum. It was a great trip back down memory lane. A lot of the displays were about the 1939 movie, "The wizard of OZ" but a lot of the exhibits were about Frank Baum the author or the stories. There were 15 or 16 books written about OZ. It was science Fiction before there was outer space. I spent one fourth of July in Wamego attending a Car show with the 57 Chevy. I would recommend to anyone to attend a fourth of July in Wamego, KS. The noon parade of tractors and tricycles is what little rural towns in Kansas are all about. Tour the Dutch windmill, eat a Brat, see the car show and visit the OZ museum. Doesn't get any better than that. You can have your Disneyland with long lines. Give me the simple life in Kansas.

In 1983, our house in Topeka was blown off its foundation. The insurance company called it a total loss and I let a moving company have it for the salvage value. The co-owner moved it to Belvue Kansas and put it on a foundation. Here is a picture of it as it is today. I think it is even painted the same colors as it was then. One the bottom left of the picture is just a basement was and it was the garage area when we lived in it.

Oh well, life in Kansas is never the same. I hope you all can get out and enjoy where you live. After all, gas here is nearer to $2 a gallon now and it just seemed reasonable to get out and see the fall in Kansas. Doesn't take much to keep ol'e Denny amused.