The info below is incorrect, see comments for explanation. Sorry! Still VERY beautiful.
Taps, as you probably have never heard it before. In honor of all who died for our Freedom!
http://www.flixxy.com/trumpet-solo-melissa-venema.htm
The original version of Taps was called Last Post, and was written by Daniel Butterfield in 1801. In 1862 it was shortened to 24 notes and renamed Taps. Melissa Venema, age 13, is the trumpet soloist, playing Taps in its entirety. May we always Remember and Honor our Heroes!
Sunday, May 29, 2011
Friday, May 27, 2011
The Old Hardware Store
This stone building, built in 1879, has been a hardware store for 126 straight years in Halstead, Kansas. The current owners took over in 1998. Within the store, you walk on the old board & brick flooring under a 12 foot tin ceiling.
The selection of genuine antique hardware for the house or furniture is amazing. Thousands of pieces all tucked away in 1916 parts cabinets - over 500 bins & drawers! The round nail bin is identical to the one I worked with at the Ace Hardware in Chesaning. What a great place to visit!
More pictures on Facebook.
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Valentine, Nebraska
Driving from North Platte north through the central portion of Nebraska, we noticed a dramatic change in the topography with the appearance of undulating, grass-covered sand dunes. The Sandhills, covering over 19,000 sq miles, is the largest grass-stabilized dune region in the Western Hemisphere. Sitting atop the Ogallala Aquifer, the area is dotted with spring-fed lakes, marshes and winding rivers - providing outstanding wildlife habitat and prime rangeland. The miles of undulating hills dotted with large cattle herds made for a very enjoyable drive.
Valentine is the center of a diverse region of quiet lakes, grassy sand hills, secluded waterfalls, a national forest, two national wildlife refuges, big ranches with real cowboys and one of the top 10 canoeing rivers in the US. With 2,800 residents, Valentine is the "big city" of Cherry County.
Though larger than the state of Connecticut, Cherry County is home to only 6,000 people. Traditionally, "frontier" was defined as a place with fewer than six people per square mile. Even with all those folks living in Valentine, Cherry County averages only one person per square mile!
While in Valentine, we visited 3 waterfalls, a national wildlife refuge and a State Park. Pictures will be posted on Facebook.
Two notes. 1. In the picture of the Sandhills, notice the sandy spot. These are areas where the wind has managed to strip the grass off the sand, and are known as blowouts. 2. The Niobrara falls - Smith & Fort - are unique because of their convex faces. A very interesting look.
Valentine is the center of a diverse region of quiet lakes, grassy sand hills, secluded waterfalls, a national forest, two national wildlife refuges, big ranches with real cowboys and one of the top 10 canoeing rivers in the US. With 2,800 residents, Valentine is the "big city" of Cherry County.
Though larger than the state of Connecticut, Cherry County is home to only 6,000 people. Traditionally, "frontier" was defined as a place with fewer than six people per square mile. Even with all those folks living in Valentine, Cherry County averages only one person per square mile!
While in Valentine, we visited 3 waterfalls, a national wildlife refuge and a State Park. Pictures will be posted on Facebook.
Two notes. 1. In the picture of the Sandhills, notice the sandy spot. These are areas where the wind has managed to strip the grass off the sand, and are known as blowouts. 2. The Niobrara falls - Smith & Fort - are unique because of their convex faces. A very interesting look.
Sunday, May 15, 2011
Oklahoma - 2011
Thank you to all who responded to my survey. It appears that most would like more on Facebook, but many want me to continue the blog. And then there is the problem of some who are not on Facebook. As someone said "what to do, what to do, what to do?" Sooo, I will try to do both, but with some changes. Since photos have been a complicated issue on the blog, I plan to put some photo albums on Facebook and put mainly narative on the blog. I will also put a link to Facebook on the blog. Hope it works, let me know.
Our 2nd stop in OK was Guthrie, a city born of the 1889 Land Run. Located in the Unassigned Lands, Guthrie was chosen as a site for one of the Federal Land Offices where land seekers were required to file their claims. It became a city of over 10,000 in a single day, April 22, 1889.
Four months after the Run, in August 1889, The Guthrie City Directory listed: 6 banks, 16 barbers, 16 blacksmiths, 17 carpenters, 2 cigar manufacturers, 5 newspapers, 7 hardware stores, 15 hotels, 19 pharmacists, 22 lumber dealers, 39 doctors, 40 restaurants, and 81 lawyers!
November 1907, OK was declared a state and Guthrie was the First State Capital. However, in 1910, an election was held and Oklahoma City was named the capital. Only 1 session of the State Assembly was held in Guthrie. Today Guthrie is nationally renowned for its collection of late 19th and early 20th century Territorial- and Victorian-style architecture. There are over 2,000 buildings within the Guthrie Historic District covering 1,400 acres.
The State Capital in Oklahoma City was built 1914 - 1917. Though the blueprints specified a dome, it was not added until 2002. It is the only Capital in the USA with an oil well on the grounds.
April 19, 1995 will always be remembered as the day of the Oklahoma City bombing. Pictures of the Memorial will be on Facebook.
Oklahoma has nearly 400 drivable miles of Route 66, more than any other state. We found the only round barn on Route 66, built in 1898. We also had lunch at Pops: gas station, restaurant, shake shop & convenience store with 500+ soda selections; 66 ft soda bottle; & a 12,000+ soda bottle collection. The roof over the gas pumps features angular steel-beam structure inspired by historic bridges on Route 66. Check out the pictures, the anchor beams are buried 50 ft in the ground!
Our 2nd stop in OK was Guthrie, a city born of the 1889 Land Run. Located in the Unassigned Lands, Guthrie was chosen as a site for one of the Federal Land Offices where land seekers were required to file their claims. It became a city of over 10,000 in a single day, April 22, 1889.
Four months after the Run, in August 1889, The Guthrie City Directory listed: 6 banks, 16 barbers, 16 blacksmiths, 17 carpenters, 2 cigar manufacturers, 5 newspapers, 7 hardware stores, 15 hotels, 19 pharmacists, 22 lumber dealers, 39 doctors, 40 restaurants, and 81 lawyers!
November 1907, OK was declared a state and Guthrie was the First State Capital. However, in 1910, an election was held and Oklahoma City was named the capital. Only 1 session of the State Assembly was held in Guthrie. Today Guthrie is nationally renowned for its collection of late 19th and early 20th century Territorial- and Victorian-style architecture. There are over 2,000 buildings within the Guthrie Historic District covering 1,400 acres.
The State Capital in Oklahoma City was built 1914 - 1917. Though the blueprints specified a dome, it was not added until 2002. It is the only Capital in the USA with an oil well on the grounds.
April 19, 1995 will always be remembered as the day of the Oklahoma City bombing. Pictures of the Memorial will be on Facebook.
Oklahoma has nearly 400 drivable miles of Route 66, more than any other state. We found the only round barn on Route 66, built in 1898. We also had lunch at Pops: gas station, restaurant, shake shop & convenience store with 500+ soda selections; 66 ft soda bottle; & a 12,000+ soda bottle collection. The roof over the gas pumps features angular steel-beam structure inspired by historic bridges on Route 66. Check out the pictures, the anchor beams are buried 50 ft in the ground!
Saturday, May 7, 2011
Thoughts On Texas
1. Texas is BIG. And WINDY. As we went around the state, weather kept changing.
2. Fortunately, we did not get caught in the fire area, but Laura did have a couple bad days when winds carried smoke into the DFW area. With 1 1/2 to 2 million acres & hundreds of buildings burned, can't believe Obama turned down the request for disaster relief. Oops, Republican state!
3. The West part of TX kept having fires, and we (being just south & north of Fort Worth - 2 different parks) kept having storms. We missed the tornados, but seemed like every thunderstorm included HAIL! We got hail at least 3 times, no damage.
4. We really enjoyed our time near South Padre Island. Great visiting with Jean & Dick, Bruce & Dorothy, Jerry & Barb. And Laura tried to eat her weight in shrimp (all you can eat meals), but failed. BUT, it's near the gulf, Humid!
5. Visited San Antonio, visited with Kay & Doug. The Alamo & the Riverwalk are amazing.
6. 3 week visit with Deb & family, seeing the kids & their friends, Easter dinner, having Pattie & kids join us, was GREAT.
7. Visited Crossroads Winery (we first visited there April 2010), bought some of their My Cheeky Bastard wine, met the new owners & the old owners were there too, Fun.
Spent 2 months in Texas, now time to move on. I have several pictures which I will post over the next few days. Oh, did I mention that the winds seems to blow ALL the time in TX. Well, we are now in Oklahoma, and YES, the wind is blowing 20+ MPH!
2. Fortunately, we did not get caught in the fire area, but Laura did have a couple bad days when winds carried smoke into the DFW area. With 1 1/2 to 2 million acres & hundreds of buildings burned, can't believe Obama turned down the request for disaster relief. Oops, Republican state!
3. The West part of TX kept having fires, and we (being just south & north of Fort Worth - 2 different parks) kept having storms. We missed the tornados, but seemed like every thunderstorm included HAIL! We got hail at least 3 times, no damage.
4. We really enjoyed our time near South Padre Island. Great visiting with Jean & Dick, Bruce & Dorothy, Jerry & Barb. And Laura tried to eat her weight in shrimp (all you can eat meals), but failed. BUT, it's near the gulf, Humid!
5. Visited San Antonio, visited with Kay & Doug. The Alamo & the Riverwalk are amazing.
6. 3 week visit with Deb & family, seeing the kids & their friends, Easter dinner, having Pattie & kids join us, was GREAT.
7. Visited Crossroads Winery (we first visited there April 2010), bought some of their My Cheeky Bastard wine, met the new owners & the old owners were there too, Fun.
Spent 2 months in Texas, now time to move on. I have several pictures which I will post over the next few days. Oh, did I mention that the winds seems to blow ALL the time in TX. Well, we are now in Oklahoma, and YES, the wind is blowing 20+ MPH!
Thursday, May 5, 2011
Winstar Casino
Winstar Casino, Thackerville, OK is just a mile north of the Red River, separating TX & OK. The Chickasaw Nation of Oklahoma started it in 2004, we visited in 2005. It has grown so fast, it now has 519,000 sq ft of gaming floor, making it the 3rd largest in the world! Trust me, it's a long walk from the Bingo Parlor to the Hotel. They also have a 12 story hotel connected to the casino, a separate hotel on the property, a championship golf course & a 200 site RV park.
Check out the exterior facade! You will see images of London's Parliament Building, Rome's Coliseum, and the Arc de Triomphe from Paris. And since we won money, we like it!
Check out the exterior facade! You will see images of London's Parliament Building, Rome's Coliseum, and the Arc de Triomphe from Paris. And since we won money, we like it!
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