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It's been another quiet week around here.  We don't have enough material for any single topic so we are just doing snippets this week.

- This past weekend was popular for graduations.  We attended a celebratory BBQ for our sister-in-law Bethany (I can't remember the name we made up for her on the blog-- too many aliases to remember).  She graduated from the PA (physician's assistant) at Wichita State.  We drove to Wichita for the day, did a little shopping, ate wonderful food, Arthur became friends with Arnold's friend from England, and we didn't have to sit through a graduation ceremony.

- On the way home from Wichita we stopped in Newton to do a few hiking/nature trails.  It included several native tree species we worked on identifying as well as a large garden plot I perused at the Mennonite Heritage Museum.  (Please don't be too jealous of our fun on a Saturday afternoon.)  We then stopped at the Breakbasket for the German Buffet.  We had verenika and ham gravy, German sausage, chicken borscht, zwieback, German potato salad, sauerkraut, and bohne beroggi.  Arthur is more adventurous with food than I am but I did try a little bit of everything.  I figured German food wasn't too exotic for me.  Bohne beroggi is an "endangered" recipe.  When googling it about 75% of the links are related to Mennonites in central Kansas.  It is a dessert that is a pastry filled with a mixture of sweetened pinto beans covered in a glaze-- it was really pretty good.  The Breadbasket is another restaurant on the top 35 small-town eateries in Kansas (only 29 more to go).  And while I didn't do any of the cooking I think it should count as our culture eating experience for the month.

- The Grand Canyon denied us for the umpteenth time.  For over a year and a half we have been trying to make reservations to hike at the Grand Canyon and yet again we didn't win the lottery.  I did actually get a park ranger on the phone after 7 calls over 2 days.  The National Park Service should jump into the 21st century and get an answering machine.  I did get some tips for the next time we apply so we are keeping our fingers crossed.

- In other hiking news one of our projects this week has been trying to find Arthur a sleeping bag.  At 6'6" a normal sleeping bag barely gets to his arm pits which just won't work on a backpacking trip.  The problem with backpacking is it also has to be light and pack down small so bigger sleeping bags that fit this bill are hard to come by.  We did find an extra long version that is suppose to fit up to 7' so we are keeping our fingers crossed (lots of finger crossing with hiking and camping) that this will fit and he won't feel like a stuffed sausage.

- For our weekly movie night Arthur picked a film in keeping with graduation weekend.  It is called PhD The Movie.  It is a comedy based on the struggles of life as a grad student-- working in labs and never seeing the light of day, being a TA for undergrad classes, endless hours of work on a thesis, etc.  I lived the grad student life a little but thank goodness is wasn't like getting a PhD.  Hopefully watching this discourages us from considering further formal academic pursuits as we enjoy paychecks and free time.

- My garden is officially in for the year.  I decided to put all my plants out in front of our house this year which means I will have to make the squash and tomatoes behave since they can't take over everything.  My blueberry patch, all of 2 blueberry plants, is in full swing from being overwintered in my parents' garage.  Mildred, my geranium, is also back in the sunlight after the winter under the grow lights in the basement.

As you can tell if rambling on about sleeping bags and a geranium plant is all I have to talk about it was a slow week.  We will try to stir up more activity in the future.  Omnia Vincit Amor.

   

The March of Time

Alex and I have been enjoying the wonderful weather over the last few weeks.  This has meant pleasant walks in the evenings, weekend adventures, and a variety of experiences that seem tied together by a common, wondrous theme.

One such example are the trees.  At this point, all the trees are completely leaved out and it has been truly wonderful to reflect on the time these trees have seen.  In our community park along the main road, three giant Siberian elms rise up, a reminder of a time during the 1930's when tree varieties were chosen largely for their drought resistance.  Events transpiring four score years prior still mark the landscape.  About 40 yards away, some lacebark elm trees planted after Dutch elm disease took out a large number of American elm trees rise.  It will be interesting to see what changes will take place in the community park with time, whether the ash bores will take out some of the ones in the park, how long the sole remaining American elm will last, what will be planted in the years to come.

We went back to the university we both attended this weekend and marking the passage of time by the trees gave us an outlook on campus far greater than when we attended there.  Outside of Alex's dormitory, we could see the growth of trees planted while we were still students there, and we thought of how the landscape would change during the course of our lifetime.

The Arbor Day Foundation put out some informational signs in front of some the trees, giving such information as when they were planted, appraised value, maintenance costs, monetary benefit, and pounds of carbon sequestered per year.  The information they gave was so illuminating.

There's a beautiful American elm over by what used to be the dairy barns which was planted in the 30's.  Alex reflected that her grandpa would have walked past that elm tree on the way to work at the dairy barns when it was in it's teen years.   The oldest tree on campus is a honeylocust planted in 1850 by a farmer on his homestead, land that would eventually become a public university.  The tree with highest appraised value was a bur oak valued at $108,000.  Some of the larger oaks could sequester 1,400 pounds of carbon every year, about the same amount generated driving from Kansas to New York.

We walked among buildings that seem eternal, limestone structures built as firm institutions of higher learning.  But among those building were renovations and structures built even since we left college.  My stomping grounds, the engineering complex, has received almost a complete overhaul. For all the dynamics of a living system, it is the trees that remain a type of constant that age gracefully-- never going out of style like some of the campus buildings built in 1970s and 80s (aka Bluemont Hall).

Besides trees, thinking about wine has had us contemplating the passage of time.  We watched a documentary last night about wine production, discussing new and old wine, and the history it tells.  Someone interested in such things might be able to tell you about certain vintages of wine, about how the weather and growing conditions get reflected in the flavor of the wine.  Some of the best wines are aged beyond 50 years, locked away in cellars held at constant temperature and humidity, kept away from sunlight.  This is not to lock the wine away from changing, however.  Inside that bottle, yeasts are continuing to metabolize the chemicals present.  Fungus growth is encouraged in the finest cellars so alcohol vapors from the wine can be contained.  In European wine, you have the history of vineyards cared for and cultivated since the Romans conquered the continent; of families working through generations to build a body of knowledge in this area, you have the history of wars wreaking havoc through the areas.  In America, the history is much smaller, but you still have a sense of this tradition being started over, you can see the effects of Prohibition.  We are not wine drinkers, but it was fascinating to think of history seen through the story of wine.

These were our pictures from the 1980s.

You can see the change over a lifetime in pictures.  We went to a volunteer appreciation dinner at our church the other day, where people were asked to share pictures from the 80's.  It was interesting to see the change 30 years bring, and yet how people might yet be identified by some je ne sais quoi.  It is interesting to think of a human lifespan, how things more or less seem to be as they always were, yet over a lifetime those tiny changes add up to a world so different.  A life so fleeting, and yet one life capable of such far reaching consequences.  Trees and wine are just a two examples, but think about it; I was yesterday effected by a tree planted by a homesteader 166 years ago in a way more profound than I will ever be effected by some of the great kings of Europe.  Grandfathers stored wines in cellars so their grandchildren could open it and taste what they strove to produce.

We live in a fast-paced, instant gratification society today.  With the act or planting a tree or making a bottle of wine, the "fruit of the labor" will not be enjoyed for a few decades and many times not by the person who originally put forth the effort.  However it is an investment for the future, paying it forward in a sense, so that in half a century someone can sit under the branches of a large shade tree and appreciate the beauty of such a majestic tree.

It makes me think of 1 Peter, where it talks about the prophets of old heralding a king they would never see for generations they would never know.  It is amazing to think that because our God, unlike people, unlike trees, and unlike wine, is unchanging, actions done in His service will live forever.  It is because of this truth that we with confidence may say Omnia Vincit Amor.

Country Campout

Saturday morning I woke up and sat on the front porch swing with my younger brother Arnold.  I was sipping hot chocolate as he was enjoying his first cup of coffee for the morning.  We sat enjoying the morning, listening to the birds, and chatting about life.  We were on the front porch swing at my grandma's farmhouse.  This front porch swing is iconic.  We have spent hours swinging back and forth while talking at family gatherings or just staring off across the fields on a summer evening.  This morning my brother and I were looking out over bright green wheat fields washed clean after the rain watching the sun rise higher into the eastern sky.  We shared memories from childhood, caught up on our current lives, and even contemplated the future.  We both happened to be on the porch since we were the early birds who couldn't sleep in on a Saturday morning.  We were hosting several friends for a relaxing weekend in the country.  I had been planning this weekend for a while and this moment on the porch was exactly what I had hoped for-- spending some quality time reconnecting with friends.

Over the past year I have taken on a role of social event planner in my circle of friends.  As an introvert I have no idea how this happened but I came to realize that I enjoyed spending time with my friends and this didn't happen spontaneously as introverts so some planning was needed.  It started with a camping trip last summer with a few friends from college and off and on throughout the year we have gotten together for evenings or weekends.  A common theme I keep hearing from friends is that it is difficult to find people our age to hang out with.  Some are from small towns where they are the only young adults.  Others have just moved to larger areas where getting to know people can be tough.  Everyone seemed to crave community and fellowship.  My friend Hillary and I planned this weekend as a way to encourage young adults that community is still possible and as a time to connect with old friends and build new relationships.

All week I watched the forecast for the upcoming weekend predicting rain and a lot of it.  Lately any time I set a date for camping it ends of raining.  Sure enough Friday at work I watched it rain constantly all day long.  My parents suggested that maybe we should add mud volleyball to the list of activities.  The beauty of this "camp out" was that camping was optional.  Since we were hosting it at my grandma's house which my parents have turned into a guest house there was plenty of room for everyone to sleep inside--nice and dry.

Friday evening people started trickling in from across the state after work.  We had chili for dinner (thanks Mom for making it) and gathered around the dinning room table.  About half the group that evening were family so we have eaten a number of meals at this table.  However we could not remember eating a meal that was so quiet with calm conversation that everyone was able to participate in.  We love family dinners but the smaller group was pleasant too.  The rest of the evening was a game night with several rounds of Taboo and a Dutch Blitz tournament.  This crowd was not so quiet and calm under the pressure of competing at Dutch Blitz.  Finally around midnight I hit the hay but I think the party was still going strong.

The next morning started with some porch swing time and breakfast.  We then gathered most of the crew for a Saturday morning run.  A few gals were training for a half marathon and needed to put in 6 miles so Arnold and I joined them.  Arnold isn't an avid runner but I am glad he joined in.  Our SAG wagon drop us off 6 miles north of town and we were to run back.  Arnold and I continued to share memories from childhood and comment on the different birds we saw.  At one point we broke out into a gospel song medley including Swing Low Sweet Chariots and I'll Fly Away which might have caused us to speed up the pace for the other gals a little too much.  Over the final 1/2 mile there was some humorous military style chants to push us to the end.   

The afternoon included napping, reading, some strategy games for those who were so inclined, and watercolor painting.  The watercolors were a result of left over supplies from our Pinterest party the previous week and it was fun to see everyone's creative sides.  I also talked a few people into setting up tents since the weather had cleared for camping.

Saturday evening we moved the party outdoors and cooked a dinner of hobo packs on the fire pit.  Thank goodness we had a whole slew of gals in the kitchen putting together these  packets.  I had the easy task of putting them on the fire and enjoying the beautiful evening while supervising the fire.  As the sun went down it got pretty chilly around the fire so we had to pull out jackets, coats, and sleeping bags to keep warm.  I had brought back a snow suit that we had borrow from Arnold for Arthur's ski trip.  My cousin Eleanor decided that it would be the perfect outfit to wear to keep toasty by the fire.  We sang around the fire and roasted s'mores.  Observing the group around the fire I noticed that some in attendance I had known my entire life.  They often say that you don't keep your friends from high school but that wasn't true in this situation.  Of course many of us went to college together and our friendship has deepened further.  I also saw friends that I have had for several years that I was introduced to by other friends.  I couldn't help but wander about the few people I had just met that weekend if in a few years friendships would grow from the seeds of this weekend-- I hope so.

After the camp fire had died down a few of us decided to stargaze.  The clouds had cleared for the most part and it was relatively dark.  Someone had a stargazing app which was incredibly handy.  You point the phone towards the night sky and it shows the stars and constellations in that part of the sky.  We were able to pick out several constellations but my favorite was probably seeing the planet Jupiter shining the brightest in the night sky.

I talked my friend Delores into sharing my tent with me since my usual tent buddy, Arthur, had to stay home since he had obligations at church.  Delores and I were roommates for 1 semester and shared a (large) dorm room so surely we could share a (small) tent?  Of course I'm not sure I have forgiven her for hiding a person in my closet who scared me to death when I opened the door when I got back from taking a shower.  While it was chilly we made a nest of about 4 sleeping bags and it was pretty cozy.  I didn't sleep great which seems to be a downside to camping-- I like camping and love sleeping but the two just haven't seemed to mix together well yet.

Sunday morning breakfast was delicious-- pancakes, eggs and bacon, and fruit.  While sitting at breakfast someone looks out the window and notices that the neighbors' dog Sarge is running across the yard.  Sarge had spent a good deal of the weekend with us so that wasn't surprising but when we realized Sarge had a wallet in his mouth it got more exciting.  Sarge does have a reputation for carrying off unattended objects when he comes to visit-- rugs, shoes, etc.  Luckily Sarge dropped the wallet in the yard when called and didn't take off to the large mud puddle.  We still don't really know how Sarge got a hold of the wallet since it was zipped inside a tent, but thankfully we saw him or else it would have been a rough way to end the weekend.

When I got home late Sunday afternoon Arthur and I swapped stories from the weekend.  We were both exhausted but had had a good time (he watched the Spurs tromp the Thunder in Game 1).  I commented to Arthur, "Delores (who is a social butterfly) thought it would be fun if we had a get together every weekend."  I mentioned that it is "probably not going to happen but we will do it again sometime.  Just I'm not planning anything for a while."  Arthur looked at me and put his hand on my forehead.  He asked, "Are you sure you are okay?"  Normally I am planning several outings at a time and sometimes I find it more fun than actually doing what I plan.  "No more planning, at least for tonight and maybe not even tomorrow", I replied.  Omnia Vincit Amor.

Thank you to Lindsey (aka Eleanor) for sharing all the photos in this post. 

Historic Trails

I spend a lot of time thinking about all the places in the world I would like to visit.  Living in Kansas, many of these places are not a hop, skip, and a jump away.  But we are reminded to "be content in all circumstances, whether near mountains or forests, whether living in Kansas or abroad." (loose translation of Philippians 4:12, emphasis my own).  So lately we have taken the dive into adventures in Kansas- and truthfully we haven't been disappointed yet.  I keep my Kansas travel resources handy, the official 2016 Kansas travel guide, The Kansas Guidebook for Explorers, and my newest (and favorite) addition, The Kansas Trail Guide.  I love planning trips.  Maybe my second career will be as a travel agent or tour guide.  I have a handful of weekend trips lined up for this summer and we started a few weekends ago with a trip to Council Grove.

On Saturday mornings I can't sleep in but Arthur likes a little extra snooze and if our travels don't require an early start he can sleep in.  I wait patiently until I just can't handle the excitement and then run back into our bedroom and jump on the bed, bouncing up and down, hoping he will get up and so we can go "play".  We have recently discussed that we even just enjoy the drive to our destination.  On Saturday mornings we look forward to the line up on NPR with Car Talk and Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me.  On this particular morning we did get stuck behind an envoy of some large piece of equipment traveling at 15 mph down a fairly busy highway.  After a few miles of this snails pace Arthur decided to hit the country roads to "outrun" this transport before the next country section.

Council Grove is a historic town.  It was the site of the oak grove where agreements were made with the Kaw Nation.  It was also one of the last towns on the Santa Fe Trail.  We started with the historic river walk along the Neosho River.  The highlight was watching a pair of geese with four goslings paddle around on the river.  We spent the morning reading the historical plaques and admiring some of the original buildings.  I was then able to talk Arthur into letting me go to a garden shop right along Main Street which I am sure I could have spent hours perusing.  I limited myself to one basil plant, showing great restraint.

We then moseyed to the historic Hays House. The Hays House was opened in 1857 and is the oldest continually operating restaurant this side of the Mississippi.  It was opened by Seth Hays, the grandson of Daniel Boone.  We ate lunch which included one of the best salad bars in recent memory and my chicken friend steak was glorious.  Arthur had his socks knocked off by the grilled chicken alfredo.  One of our rules when traveling is not eating at chain restaurants.  So far we haven't been disappointed.  We are also working our way through the top 35 small town restaurants in Kansas.  We are currently at 13.  There is a lot of eating ahead of us.

As we were paying we mentioned that we were enjoying learning about the history of the town so the dinning room host asked if we would like a tour of the building.  Of course!  We went to the original cellar complete with original wood beams, meat hooks, and bar.  Upstairs there was  collection of crystal and fancy purses and hats that one of the past owners had donated.  The upstairs was originally a hotel with a few rooms staying intact and the rest has been converted to a lounge area with outside deck seating overlooking Main Street USA.

With our bellies full we decided to hit the trails.  Our first stop was the Allegawaho Heritage Memorial just a few miles out of town.  This is a gem we never would have stumbled upon if it hadn't been for our trail guide.  The land is owned by the Kaw Nation at the site of the original reservation.  There is a monument to an unknown Indian whose remains were found in the area in the 1920s.  There weren't any signs or even information at the area but the trail was maintained.  It was a two mile loop through the Flint Hills and the woods near the creek.  Since we had recently attended a seminar on native trees we marveled at the size of the oak and cottonwoods as well as the different stages of growth in this wooded area.  This hike with the bright green Flint Hills was my favorite part of the day.  

After our warm up hike we hit the Flint Hills Nature Trail that runs just across the road from the Memorial.  The Flint Hills Nature Trail is a rails-to-trails.  They are in the process of converting an abandoned rail line to a multi-use trail that will be about 120 miles in length when the project is finished.  My first experience with rails-to-trails was a bike ride across Missouri on the Katy Trail in college and I love the idea.  In Missouri it has been a wonderful tourist attraction revitalizing several small towns along the trail since cyclists and hikers need water, supplies, and food about every ten miles.  On our hike along the Flint Hills Trail Arthur examined all the trees and we did appreciate some shade and a wind break.  I loved the parts opening up across the rolling prairie.  Our favorite part was at the bridge crossing the Neosho river.  The rail bridge was several feet above the river putting us at eye level with the tree canopy.  We saw a large owl and then watched turtles sunning themselves on the logs below.  We only saw 5 other people out on the trail.  While it was nice to have the quiet and seclusion, we couldn't help but think about all the people who are missing out on this wonderful opportunity to experience nature at a slower pace.

After our 4 hours of hiking we headed back to town to find a cool, tasty treat.  We ended up at the local drug store's old fashion soda fountain for chocolate malts.  Chocolate malts never tasted so good after a warm afternoon of hiking.

On our way home we took a brief detour to try to find the Santa Fe trail ruts.  While we could kind of see the depressions in the ditch this was probably the let down of the trip.  It is interesting how something that was traveled by hundreds or thousands of wagons and people each year can slowly disappear.  History can seem to fade.  That might be what was special about our day in Council Grove-- making marveling at what has withstood the test of time all the more wondrous. We, too, will someday fade, but our lives have consequences that live long beyond us; in fact, our Lord promises that they hold eternal significance.  This should motivate us all to live out our lives in love, for truly, Omnia Vincit Amor.