Note: Since I haven't posted in over a week, this may be a bit long to catch up - I'll either make it 2 posts, or just apologize in advance. We'll see ...
When I left my friend John and Patty in Terre Haute, I headed to Hamilton, MO - home of Quilting Mecca! I didn't spend too much time there, but it was wonderful to see! Hoping I may get back there again on my way home. Not sure I can fit much more in my car, but there is always the "We Ship" way to go. 😉
Next stop was Emporia, KS where I met up with my High School BFF, Shelley, and her husband Steve. As I was driving there, I was trying to think about how long we've been friends, and realized this summer was 50 years!!! I had such a great time there - great food (thanks, Steve!) and great conversations trying to catch up and at the same time just picking up where we left off. Before the pandemic, we talked every few months, but since Zoom became such a great option, we've been "seeing" each other more often. Yet we never run out of things to say or to laugh about! I arrived on a Friday and Shelley and I spent Saturday as a jammies day - out on the porch in the Kansas heat, and decided somewhere around 3 or 4 in the afternoon that it was 5 o'clock somewhere, and opened the wine. They have a fenced in back yard, but early Saturday morning Lady spotted a deer, and when I looked up I thought "Hmmm ... she looks like she's on the other side of the fence." Sure enough, she found a place to dig under, and when she spotted a Mama Deer and her 2 babies, off she went! Good news is after about 10 minutes of whistling and calling her, suddenly she reappeared with a happy grin and wagging her tail. I was not as happy - but at least she came back. We blocked the hole, but she had a couple more minor incidents of escape (out the garage door then the front door) - and all ended well. Still makes me nervous ... silly girl - she's a runner!
Sunday Shelley's sister Candy and her husband Keith came by on their way home from a KC Chiefs football game (so jealous!). They'd won tickets and were in the 19th row near one of the end zones. I thought it was close enough to go down and give Mahomes a few tips ...
On Tuesday, Shelley and I set off (with Lady in the backseat sharing space with a suitcase) to my hometown, Garden City, KS. There we stayed with Candy and Keith, and for the most part Lady was on her best behavior. We had a great time, and I got to see my brother, who came from Atlanta. Of course, we had lunch twice at our favorite Mexican restaurant, El Zarape and I'm hoping to have a souvenir t-shirt waiting for me when I get home. We also had lunch with my brother at "Traditions" which is an old-fashioned soda shop, formerly known as Myers in my day. Not sure when they opened - maybe the '50's?? Anyway, it's gone through a couple of owners and currently the owner is a classmate of ours from the Class of 1973, and they still have great grilled tuna and cheese sandwiches and chocolate malts. When we were done there, Keith drove us around (in his amazing most cowboy pick-up truck I'd ever been in!) to show us all the changes that our town has gone through since we left in the 1970's. Of course I've been back several times since (our class has had a reunion every 5 years since graduations and I've attended a lot of them), and my grandparents were there until they passed. We drove to the cemetery where my brother and I visited our grandparents' graves (see pic below).
Here's a picture of Candy & Keith, and Keith with his "Cowboy Hall of Fame" induction that a friend of his made to honor him. Keith was a working cowboy (on horseback - none of this 4-wheeler stuff!) for over 30 years. And I don't think there are many people in Garden City that he and Candy don't know. He serves on the board of the Historical Museum, and will be happy to tell you the story of the Fleagle Gang, who came from Garden City. I didn't get the chance to see it, but apparently there's now a room at the museum dedicated to Garden City's most infamous crimes - the Fleagles, and of course the murder of the Clutter family which was documented by Truman Capote's In Cold Blood which created a new genre of "Non-fiction novel." Sometime I'll tell you about my family connections to that, but will give you a hint with the picture below of Truman with my niece, Viva.
Finally, Shelley and I went to Denver to see my cousin Treva and her husband Homer. Their son, Steve, also joined us for lunch and it was so wonderful to catch up! Of course, Lady had to go all Cujo with their dog Bentley through the screen for a few minutes, but once they were friends, she would not leave him alone. Poor guy ... Treva had just gotten a few items from another cousin that included a guest book from several of our family reunions. My grandmother and Treva's mother were sisters - 16 siblings altogether! 13 lived to adulthood, and every summer since the 1940's (actually I think they started earlier than that), the whole family - all the siblings and their kids and grandkids - got together for a long weekend in July. I went to several as a child and teenager, then as an adult we had one in Garden City to celebrate my grandmother's 90th birthday (the last surviving child), and two more in Denver. Such wonderful memories ...
So - now you're caught up and sorry for the long read!! After Denver, Shelley went back to Kansas, and Lady and I spent a night in Wyoming and now a night in Nevada before heading to San Francisco tomorrow. It's the longest day of driving yet - almost 8 hours (I try to keep it to around 6 a day but how can you be 2 hours from the City by the Bay and not keep going??). Stay tuned - more to come from a little over a week in California starting tomorrow.
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