Flyover People Daily News

Dave and I took a hike at Lyon County State Fishing Lake this weekend and we came across this tree that is about to fall, thanks to work of resident beavers.

landscape, nature

Today’s Flyover People column as seen in The Emporia Gazette: Sunset, rural Dodge City OUR MIDWESTERN HOME When a national weather map shows up on TV, where do we look? At the center of the screen, of course. Map-wise, Kansas is the star of the show, sitting in the heart of the country. There are […]

columns, Kansans, landscape, life on the ground, nature, sky

  A FLINT HILLS MEANDER A March day without wind? Yes. It actually happened. The last Saturday of March was sunny and the breezes were shallow. One shouldn’t stay indoors on a nice day like that, so Dave and I ventured into the Flint Hills. The lack of wind made it an active day for […]

columns, Flint Hills, landscape, nature, seasons, traveling

  Today’s Flyover People column as seen in The Emporia Gazette: MAXWELL WILDLIFE REFUGE A fragile white moon hung against a blue winter sky. Below that nearly-full moon a dozen bison grazed. Atop a nearby ridge, seven head of elk, “the bachelors,” looked on.  The elk and the winter grasses were the same shade of […]

columns, landscape, nature

Today’s Flyover People column as seen in The Emporia Gazette: AT HOME IN THE FLINT HILLS Our favorite places are the ones where we feel most like our real selves. Maybe your preferred spot on the planet is in the Rocky Mountains, or on a tropical beach, or at your grandparents’ farmhouse. Whenever you arrive […]

columns, Flint Hills, landscape, sky

Today’s Flyover People column as seen in The Emporia Gazette:   In Toronto TRAVELS WITH MOM The pumpkin cheesecake tasted even better than it sounded. When my mother visited recently, she insisted on taking Dave and me to Ad Astra in Strong City. So we had no choice but to go – and to eat […]

columns, landscape, nature, seasons, small towns, traveling

Today’s Flyover People column as seen in The Emporia Gazette:   UNDER THE KANSAS SKY Blazing clouds in the southwest looked as if they were filled to the brim with Orange Crush. The twilight sky glowed like a neon sign in the wilderness. I was sitting on my couch on a January evening until the […]

columns, landscape, life on the ground, sky

Today’s Flyover People column as seen in The Emporia Gazette:   TUMBLING TUMBLEWEEDS Just as many of us like to roam across Kansas, Russian thistles, too, are full of wanderlust. I don’t think about tumbleweeds often, but was reminded of them on a recent trip to Dodge City with my friend Tracy Simmons. While the […]

columns, Flyover Weather, landscape, nature, traveling, weather

Today’s Flyover People column as seen in The Emporia Gazette:   IN THE PRESENCE OF TREES An abundance of shade, a concert stage, the state’s largest southern magnolia, and an independent young cat named Twiggy. Those are just a few of the things that you’ll find at the Bartlett Arboretum in Belle Plaine. This Sumner […]

columns, history, Kansans, landscape, nature, other people's stuff

Today’s Flyover People column as seen in The Emporia Gazette: Cafe, Leon, Kansas. NOTICING It was one of those early autumn days with the much-awaited tingly air. That air was still, not a lick of wind. A few white clouds smeared themselves across the sky but didn’t interfere with the sun. Dave and I were […]

columns, landscape, life on the ground, small towns, traveling

Today’s Flyover People column as seen in The Emporia Gazette:   Christian Church – Wonsevu, Kansas. Photo by Dave Leiker. TO WONSEVU Ever since Dave took a photograph in Wonsevu several years ago, I’ve wanted to visit this ghost town in southwestern Chase County. Dave’s photo captured a powerful moment: a white wooden church, a […]

columns, landscape, life on the ground, small towns, traveling