Blogs from Kansas, United States, North America - page 2

AMUSING FAMILY CONNECTIONS A girl named Laura Ingalls was born in 1867 and grew up on the prairie. One of the first places she lived was on a hard scrabble little farm a few miles southwest of Independence Kansas. Her dad, Charles Ingalls, was a God fearing, and a hardworking man, but by 1871, the locusts, the drought, and the grass fires drove him out. In 1869 a family known locally as the Benders moved into the area and set up a road house along the Osage Trace about as far northeast of Independence as the Ingalls family lived southwest of Independence. The distance between was about 25 miles. The Benders supplanted their meager income by murdering and robbing travelers at their roadhouse, and then burying the bodies in their garden. By 1873 they had a ... read more

We rolled into Dodge City on a hot, dusty afternoon. The streets were empty because the citizens of this fair city knew that something was going to happen. All the usual suspects were drinking in the Dodge Hotel. The Kribs boys were hungry and decided to eat dinner at the "I don't care" bar...you know, "where do you want to eat? I don't care." Wouldn't you know that two stools down at the bar was Black Bart and he was in a fighting mood. Someone was going to end up at the Boot Hill Cemetery tonight. Where's Wyatt Earp when you need him? He's long gone and the Kribs boys would have to fend for themselves. They didn't come to Dodge City with malice in their hearts, but if anyone else was going to start something, ... read more

June 30 We had a leisurely breakfast this morning. David took the dogs to the dog park in the trailer park while I started breakfast. It was only a smigg cooler today and humidity was down too but still so sweltering that by the time David got back he was soaked with sweat. I wasn’t too sure we could make it in the heat touring the Eisenhower Library in Abeline today. The owners of the park were out by 8 am today mowing. We didn’t blame them but it wasn’t conducive to sleeping in on a Sunday morning. As we said the RV Park is sparse but very neat and clean. The owners lived in a 5th wheel near the front entrance and the dog park. The owners hovered over the place looking for the slightest ... read more

Weather: 70s and beautiful States: Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas Cities: Williams, Albuquerque, Dodge city, Las Vegas (?) Miles: 995 miles Hours: 14 hrs 45 min Restaurant: Hotel/Home: Fairfield Audible: Resisting Happiness (a couple chapters at a time), Adrift We packed up early and hit the road at 6:30 AM. We had a long day ahead of us. It always seems so impossible to drive these 14 hour jaunts. It is daunting. We just keep ticking off the miles and hours. It is actually pretty cool to pass through towns and down roads across the country that you may have never know existed. The landscape keeps changing. The people keep changing. When you hear about a storm or an event on the news, you can say you’ve been there. You have left a footprint ... read more

I've got a dog named Winston that's around 10 months old. I didn't plan on getting him, or any dog for that matter. I've got two cats and a bird, and they've kept me busy enough as it is. One cat is older (18) and the other is 7. The younger cat demands constant attention while the older cat only wants to know when I'm going to feed him. The bird is a loud mess, but she's easy enough to travel with. Put her in a cat carrier and give her some food, she's ready to go anywhere. One day I went online and stumbled across the local animal shelter , and saw a pic of a newborn puppy. For some reason, I decided that I wanted him right away. He's got one of those faces ... read more