Home from Wichita

Connie's house, from the pond, with kitchen windows showing








The deck and pool (covered for the winter)









High water mark on lamp and gray foliage and it even came over the fence








The deck of Connie's house taken from the lower part of the yard








Connie and Lea










The pond in Connie's "yard."









We were packed up and about to load the car
when the phone rang last Tuesday. It was Connie.
We were to go to Wichita to stay with Meara while
Connie and Greg went to Chicago. Greg had a
meeting there and Connie was going to meet him
there so that they might have a mini-vacation
and celebrate their 25th wedding anniversary.
The phone call was to inform us that because of
the financial crisis going on Greg would not be
able to leave for Chicago. His firm, the Farm
Credit Bank required him to remain in Wichita.
Connie suggested we now had the choice, to come
now, as planned, or to wait and come at a later
date. I said we would call her back after we made
a decision. We decided to go; everything was set
for us to go and we might not feel like going later
this fall and I was anxious to see Connie and her
new home.

We left the next morning at 6:30 AM. It is an easy
drive to do in a day, as it turned out and we had a
good book so the miles flew by. We arrived at 4:30 PM.
We had stopped for a picnic and a couple of other stops
to get out and walk, but mostly we just drove. Gas in
Kansas was cheaper than in Colorado, $3.39 and it Wichita
it went down to 3.07 while we were there.

The financial debacle was much on all of our minds. Greg
anxious it be passed and I anxious they be more thoughtful
about it than to just ram something through as they had
the Patriot Act. Unfortunately, more of the latter seems
to be the case. I have not read the bill, but from I gather
there is very little in the way of oversight and certainly
very little, if anything, for the folks who have lost their
jobs and/or homes!

Connie and Greg have a magnificent new home. The yard and
deck, in particular are spectacular. The pictures don't
really do them justice. The pictures I took inside did
not turn out very well so have included none of them here.

Connie has two beautiful collies and a sheltie puppy. They
keep her busy, particularly the puppy whom she must take
out often and the puppy is too little to leave outside by
herself. She can fit between the iron fence rails.

On Thursday, we walked the yard and admired the house and
Robert did his computer thing and Connie and I talked.
On Friday Robert, Connie and I went to the zoo. That was
fun. Wichita has a very nice zoo and Connie is considering
volunteering as a docent when she gets some of the major
repairs and restorations done around the house. One of
the interesting things about the zoo was that they had
statues for a few reptiles, a tortoise, a "gigantic" frog
and a viper. In each instance they didn't point out that
the figures hiding in the brush were fakes, but when you
read about the viper you realized there was no way they
would let such a lethal snake loose and that it wouldn't
just be quietly sitting there by the side of the path.

Each of the areas allowed the animals a modicum of space
outside and inside. The gorilla's didn't seem very happy,
in fact one of them was pacing by the window (we were inside,
he was outside) and appeared to be collecting stones.
I assumed he was going to throw them at the us, but he did not,
instead, he took a mighty leap and landed all fours against
the window which made a huge whomp and scared the beejeebers
out of everyone. If he could laugh, I expect he would have.
In any case he then left the scene and propped his behind
against the door where his food was to be delivered within
the hour.

On Friday evening we went to Ted's for dinner. This is a
"Montana Grill" owned by Ted Turner. The food was good;
Connie, Robert and I had crab cakes which were
really great! Greg had prime rib and Meara had a Caesar Salad.

Yesterday, we had breakfast with Connie at 7:30 AM and
left for home about 8:30 AM. The trip home went well.
We avoided the interstate both going and coming, pretty much.
The book we are listening to is "All the King's Men" by
Robert Penn Warren. It was first published in the 1940s
and I read it at that time, but I have long since forgotten
most of it except the general story which is a fictional
biography of Huey Long. Robert Penn Warren writes beautifully
which makes it even more enjoyable listening. He was the first
Poet Laureate of Oregon, I think in 1956.