December 31, 2005 Saturday

The neglected Santa Fe Railroad depot sits near the intersection of Railroad Ave. and Main Street in Great Bend. To the left is part of the town's elevator complex which has also seen better days.

Here in the middle of America, Emporia, Kansas, the last day of 2005 is chilly with a light breeze. The temperature lingers around 40 with thick clouds between us and the sun.

A good dose of sunshine would sure help out with the warmth and my energy level. Sunshine is like caffeine -- only better. Oh wait, now I see a ray of sunlight. Hope.

And hope always leads us into a new year. A clean calendar. Twelve months to live the life we dream.

We don't know what lies ahead. It could be a dark year or a triumphant one. Or something in between.

But what always keeps us going, even in our worst hours, is hope.

Clouds part. The sun shines. Spring returns.

December 30, 2005 Friday

Yipes! The gas bill came today. Last month, $41.84. This month, $116.28. The billing period this month was 33 days; last month 30 days. But still. And, we've only had one week of really cold weather so far this year.

Also, Westar was granted their rate increase (although they griped that it wasn't as much as they requested.) And that means an extra $3 or so each month for electricity.

Yesterday, gasoline was $2.07. Today it's $2.25.

On the bright side: The weather this past week has been lovely. Forties and fifties for highs and no precipitation to torment holiday travelers.

On the radio: Today I heard "Shot Through the Heart" by Bon Jovi. I hadn't heard that song for a long, long time.

On the web: Savage Chickens

December 29, 2005 Thursday

Great Bend - The Lustron Capital of Kansas

A Lustron home is being reconstructed at the Barton County Historical Museum complex just south of the Arkansas River in Great Bend.

Porcelain-baked steel. Luster on steel. Lustron Homes. Nineteen Lustron homes were built in Great Bend in 1949 and 1950. These square steel panels will be the siding for the structure pictured above. For history and information about Great Bend's Lustron Homes, click here.

December 28, 2005 Wednesday

blast from the past

Left- Todd Bright (20) attempts to block a shot while Kevin Thornburg (42) looks on.

Right - Rob Bowman (33) goes for a rebound.

When we visited my dad on Monday, he handed me photos he had found while going through his stash.

These were photos I took -- must have been when I was a junior -- at Macksville High School (1975-76). My brother had been a photographer and sold sports photos to the Larned Daily Tiller and Toiler. When Leon graduated, I inherited his job and it was I who leaned against the gym wall, took photos, developed the film, printed the pictures and sold them to The Tiller.

**Correction to the preceding paragraph - my brother must have taken these pictures. He correctly labeled #20 as Todd Bright which would indicate that these pictures were taken during the '74-75 year. That means that Leon took the above photos, not me.

MHS (the Mustangs) had snazzy uniforms in those days. Loved the striped socks. They wore red uniforms, but they also had a silvery-gray set, trimmed in red and black. School colors were red and white.

And, there was the occasional rodeo...

I know I was the one who took this photo:

Merrill Cauble hangs on at a Great Bend rodeo. '75 or '76

December 27, 2005 Tuesday

My December 14 entry is about Jay Price, a friend that I hold in the highest regard. Becky Tanner wrote an impressive article about him in today's Wichita Eagle: "History professor's gift to the present: the past."

Clara Barton mural - Great Bend post office We were in Great Bend yesterday, so I stopped to photograph this stamp-like mural which honors the Civil War nurse for whom Barton County was named. She founded the American Red Cross in 1881. The mural was painted in 1998 by Lawrence artist David Lowenstein.

Update: My brother's birthday.

When I asked about a cake, Leon had this to say...

"The annual Flaming Cake Ceremony went off without a hitch. I even blew out the whole mess of candles without any help from the boys. It was lemon cake with butter-cream frosting, with a lot of candle-wick ash in the heat-softened frosting."

Sponge Bob, Nik, Leon, the flaming cake and Sam. Not pictured: Margaret - photographer, cake baker, wife, mother, teacher and creative genius.

December 26, 2005 Monday

Today is my dear brother's birthday. He's all grown up now, but he's still a cutie -- and a snappy dresser.

Happy Birthday, Leon.

December 25, 2005 Sunday - Christmas Day

Do you know what's funny...well, not funny ha-ha, but funny in a peculiar way?

I just realized that my family of origin didn't take photos at Christmas. I don't think I've run across photos of Christmas trees, us opening gifts, or any of that stuff.

There are no black-and-white photos of Santa Claus on the fire truck when he made his annual trip to downtown Pawnee Rock to hand out bags of candy packed by the Lions Club.

There's no proof, but Christmas did happen at our house. We bought straggly Christmas trees from a grassy lot in Larned which was lit up at night by strings of light bulbs.

We did decorate the tree with mult-colored lights and ornaments and red-and-green construction paper chains. And we watered the tree every day. We unwrapped gifts on Christmas Eve after church. And on Christmas Day we went to Grandma's house for dinner.

There are just no photographs.

It's a sunny, warm day in Kansas. It's 48 degrees- perfect weather for those kids who got bicycles for Christmas.

December 24, 2005 Saturday - Christmas Eve

Broadway on Christmas Eve, Cottonwood Falls

Another view of Cottonwood Falls and the courthouse lighting is available here.

December 23, 2005 Friday

Two fatal traffic accidents in two days. It makes for sad, sad news on the front page of the paper.

The snow has melted. Two days in the 50s will do that. It's not exactly going to be a green Christmas, but it won't be a white one. I'd kind of like a sandy, sunny Christmas. I've never had one of those.

Merchant Street has been the busiest street in town the past two weeks. Traffic is backed up for a block near the post office. That should ease up next week.

December 22, 2005 Thursday

Had I had my camera with me this morning, I would've taken a picture of the lot where Bruff's used to be.

The orange fence that surrounded the ashy remains of the tavern at Sixth and Mechanic Streets in Emporia is gone. The basement has been filled in and the corner lot is now a smooth dirt surface. We lived with that ugly orange snow fence for nearly two years.

I liked eating at the old Bruff's. It was an old, dark pool hall. A college hangout for the most part, but it drew an older crowd on Thursday and Friday nights when they offered steak.

I suppose some people are glad the building is gone. The place had some tragedies. I know that at least two college students lost their lives there - one young woman, an innocent bystander, was shot inside the building, one college man was beaten in the parking lot.

The new Bruff's is near I-35 and Industrial and it is the opposite of the old building. Concrete floors instead of beer-soaked, cigarette burned carpeting. High ceilings. Lots of light. It's a cold atmosphere and not dark and warm and worn like the place downtown.

December 21, 2005 Wednesday

Get out the maypole! No, that's not it.

Isn't there a dance in the forest? No?

I don't know. How does one celebrate the Winter Solstice?

It's a pagan holiday, perhaps, but what's wrong with that? This is one of my favorite days of the year.

For the next six months, the days keep getting longer. More light. We're turned the corner. We're headed toward warmth.

Happy Winter Solstice!

December 19, 2005 Monday

We still have all of those snowflakes. Nothing melted today.

Temperatures are expected to be in the 40s and/or 50s by the end of the week. We'll see.

December 18, 2005 Sunday

Canada geese in flight northeast of Olpe

Snow. It's covered Kansas with about five inches landing in Emporia.

Do you know how many snowflakes that is?

Me neither. And no two flakes are alike? It's a nice story, but I'm a little skeptical of the claim. How could you ever tell? They're tiny and they'd melt upon examination. And wouldn't you have to look at every single one and take notes to confirm that no two are alike?

KDOT has an online map showing road conditions. Or you can dial 511 for current road conditions. That's if you want to go out in this stuff. I think I'll stay home today.

Meanwhile, You've Got Mail is on TV. It was on last night too. Another good Meg Ryan/Tom Hanks movie is Joe vs. The Volcano.

December 17, 2005 Saturday

The weathermen were right. It is snowing. (And, I assume, the weatherwomen were correct also.)

We've had about 2-3 inches of white fluff so far. It's been snowing all day and is about 27 degrees.

The streets are somewhat slick. I went to the library a few minutes ago and my anti-lock brakes kicked in once. I'm getting used to those things now (after two years), but there's still something kind of freaky about that stuttering. I always wonder if the car actually will come to a stop. In time.

December 16, 2005 Friday

Forecast: snow.

Guess we'll stay home this weekend.

Someone gave me $50 worth of gift certificates that can be used at many of Emporia's merchants. So maybe I'll go shopping.

The certificates can be used at over 100 places in town. Let's see, liquor or orthodontia? H&R Block or John North Ford? Maybe I'll buy a car. I could get a haircut or some carpet, stay all night in a motel or eat BBQ. Shoes, chocolates, tires. Chiropractic, plumbing, a gym membership. Muckenthalers. I don't know that I need anything from Muckenthalers, I just like saying the name.

Wheeeeeeeeeeee!

December 14, 2005 Wednesday

Dr. Jay Price (right) signs a copy of his book for a man retired from the oil business.   I sailed down the turnpike this evening to El Dorado - to the Kansas Oil Museum. Dr. Jay Price, history professor at Wichita State University, gave a talk about his newly-released pictorial history, "El Dorado: Legacy of an Oil Boom." Using photographs, his book tells (and shows) the story of the oil boom in south central Kansas which began in 1915. Jay spoke about the risk involved in the oil business. "You don't know what's underground," he said. "Maybe you find oil and maybe you don't." He discussed the two different worlds of the farming community and the oil community, the transient nature of the drillers, and the infrastructure that was created to support the oil business. He told of the boom and the bust. "By 1923, the party's not over, but it's winding down." Oil that had once sold at $3.50 a barrel, had dropped to $1.50 by the mid-'20s. From "El Dorado: Legacy of an Oil Boom" --  "In 1915, Kansas produced a modest 2.8 million barrels of oil. By 1917, Kansas produced over 36 million barrels of crude petroleum. In 1918, production peaked at over 45 million barrels. Kansas had become one of the leading oil states of the nation along with California (the leading producer), Oklahoma and Texas." This is a new book, just out. And his book is the first step in a bigger project. Jay is working with KPTS, the public television station in Wichita, to develop a documentary about the oil boom. Jay is a good friend of mine. One of the many things that I appreciate about him is his enthusiasm. And that enthusiasm really came through in his talk about the oil boom. "It was a fun book to write," he told me. * * * Jay Price has also written two other pictorial histories: Wichita, 1860-1930 and Wichita's Legacy of Flight.

December 13, 2005 Tuesday

I renewed my car tag yesterday. It's always been due in December.

Back in the olden days (before 1990 or so), instead of "ABC 123," car tags showed the county designation and the first letter of your last name (or a letter close to it.)

As an Unruh in Barton (BT) County, our family had "X" tags. BTX 123.

Our neighbors back home were the Tutaks. They had a "V" tag, due in November.

T-U-V.

I liked being an "X," but technically, we should've been a "V."

December 12, 2005 Monday

Burns, Kansas The other night, Mars Attacks was on TV. Portions of the movie were filmed in and around Burns. This elevator was shown in the film. The photo, taken this past August, is Dave's Sky of the Week. It is available as wallpaper for your computer at no charge, courtesy of your friends at FlyoverPeople.net (that's us).

December 11, 2005 Sunday

They don't make snowdrifts like this anymore. The photo is from my dad's collection. No date. This photo has always puzzled me. Behind the dog, it looks like a tiny house half-buried in the snow. I don't know what that is. Someone suggested that the photo is a double-exposure, but I don't think so.

Since the temperature was in the 40s this morning, I cleaned the salt off my car. Why is it that when you most need to wash your car, it's usually too cold to do it? Car-washing days in the winter are hard to come by.

Emporia's streets are clear now thanks to yesterday's and today's warmer temperatures. But at the mall parking lot this morning, I skated on patches of black ice.

A J.C. Penneys flyer had a $10 off coupon (with $10 purchase). I bought 6 pairs of socks ($18 value). They were on sale and I used the coupon. I received change back from $3.00. That's just weird.

Gas prices this week jumped from $1.99 to $2.15. What's up with that?

December 10, 2005 Saturday

Marci Penner was in Emporia today for a book-signing at Town Crier. Dave and I took her to lunch at Three Fools Cafe downtown. When I've visited with Marci at the Sampler Festival and other places, she's always been surrounded by a swarm of people, so it was nice to just sit down and talk with her over lunch.

 ***

Yay, my hair is finally long enough that when I pull a shirt over my head, the shirt captures my hair and I have to flip the ends out of the neckline.

A few years ago, after I had my hair cut short, I was surprised at how cold my neck got in the winter.

December 9, 2005 Friday

Hey, I was on the radio this morning!

December 8, 2005 Thursday

The sun is a powerful thing.

It's 5 degrees outside. The wind chill is about -11.

Earlier this morning I left my car in a parking lot for about an hour. When I returned, the car felt warmish--compared to the not-so-warmish outdoors. The sun blared through the windshield. I love the greenhouse effect.

In the house, the inside of the back door, which faces the sunny south, is warm to the touch.

Looks like we had about 6 inches of the white stuff. Dry fluff. With these frigid temps, it ain't gonna melt today. Or tomorrow.

No school today in Emporia.

December 7, 2005 Wednesday

But wait, there's more...

Yesterday's Flyover People column.

Frost crystals on our living room window.

Wednesday morning. It's snowing. Five to six inches, they say, by the time it's over and done with tomorrow. And it's cold, too. Seven degrees.

It's like crazy little Christmas trees.

See the crazy Christmas trees in a panorama.

December 6 , 2005 Tuesday

Me, age 6   In the boxes of stuff that I brought back from my dad's house, I found this photo from first grade. My grandmother made the jumper and the blouse. The nose and haircut are courtesy of my mother. The blue eyes and blonde hair came from my dad.

December 5 , 2005 Monday

I didn't have to show up for jury duty today - they plead the case out. A murder trial would have been so depressing.

Flyover Weather: 30, sunny, ever-so-slight wind. Tomorrow: 23, winds from the north at 10-15.

December 4 , 2005 Sunday

I haven't been outside yet this morning, but (and maybe because) the temperature is 15. Rooftops are frosted.

There was a lot of chatter outside last night - I think the neighbors had a hot tub party.

December 2 , 2005 Friday

It's been a busy week. I guess that's what weekends are for-- to get caught up. Not that I ever get caught up. On anything.

I recorded two commentaries for Kansas Public Radio today. One piece is about winter and will probably run during Morning Edition (most likely at 6:35 and 8:35 a.m.) some day during the next couple of weeks.

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