Blogs from Kansas, United States, North America - page 29

I learned through the American Legion Riders group about the project of Extreme Makeover Home Edition they were going to be building a house for a wounded Marine in my area. Daniel Gilyeat a single parent with 4 children had lost a leg in Iraq and was in need of a better house. 8 NOV 2007 A DAY OF WORK Volunteers signed up actually a few blocks away and shuttle buses took you to within a block of the work site. When I showed up I was told that they were not accepting anymore volunteers except for Marines. They would not turn away any Marines, but they had a lot of volunteers at the site. I had worn a USMC t-shirt and was not turned away. I did serve in the Marines for 3 years. I ... read more

So it's Friday, Feb 1. I'm still at work and getting pretty anxious for the trip. I leave in about an hour to go get Bob, Brandi, Ron, and Pierce at the airport. I've been babysitting both dogs (Barley and Zeus) for the last month and they've been great but it's definitely like having kids (unless you have kids, then I'm sure you'd tell me it's nothing like having kids). I'm partially packed, will finish tonight and we depart for Detroit at 10:50am. Then on to Tokyo. We get in at 4:40pm Tokyo time (15 hours ahead) and will hopefully not be too jetlagged. I'm not sure what our plan is that first night other than finding our way to our hotel. If we get that accomplished I'll be happy. We'll be leaving behind 40 degree ... read more

Posted by: Onaxthiel: I again found myself up before Obfuscator and D. this morning. I let them sleep for another few few hours before deciding that If we wanted to see anything in Manhattan, KS we needed to get moving. Luckily they both woke up easily, and we were able to drive out to the state nature preserve that D. uses to stay conditioned for running marathons. By reputation, Kansas is supposed to be a terribly flat place with tornadoes blowing through all the time. While there are many parts that match this description to a T, this particular piece of public property never seems to have gotten the memo. The bluffs are sizable enough to note on a walk, and the views of the area around are pleasant enough. A small river cuts through ... read more

Posted by Onaxthiel: I've always had a hard time sleeping late. When I was very young, this meant past three or four in the morning. In college that meant more like eight or nine, even when I would stay up until the wee hours partying. In my post-army months, this has meant past sunrise. On this morning, having stayed out rather late to explore all the night spots of a small Kansas city still didn't keep me in bed once the sun rose. Eventually, Obfuscator and my old Army friend awoke and we went out for brunch at a local chain. Once that was done we began a drive to the south towards the town of Wichita, the largest city in the state. The particular reason that we decided to make this trip was to see ... read more

Family,Friends,Horses,and some great musicl!!... read more