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A Mini Trip {part one}
A Mini Trip {part one}
Rarely post anything in the Travels Forum. Thought I'd give this mini travelogue a try, including some photos.
It has been quite a while since the last time I took any vacation; did one in July 2014 for just under a week. I packed a small suitcase last weekend, and spent three days in central Kansas visiting a good friend (will shorten his name to Harl). Although we've kept in touch over the years, this week was the first time we've seen each other in 31 years, right after we both finished our university graduate work at Kansas University. He finished with an ABD, and I with an MA -- both in Slavic Languages & Literatures. We had a little catching up to do, and we did just that! Yes, I plan to mention a couple of things about our shared interest in SL&L and Russia. So this might be the point some of you good Folk might choose to bail out! Okay, I'll try to make it a little interesting.
~~~Drive in beautiful weather, with a final 30 miles in a terrific thunderstorm; 1880s Main Street in Peabody, KS.
Although both northern MO and much of KS is struggling through this summer's drought conditions, a cool front arrived just in time for my travel on Monday. It was mostly cloudy and pleasantly cool. As I neared Harl's hometown of Partridge, KS (just outside of Hutchinson), a highway sign caught my attention. The coming-up town had an "1880s Main Street." So I pulled off and visited this small rural KS town. Quiet morning, cool, and interesting building fronts from the late 1800s. Years ago my wife and I lived in another small KS town with a very similar Main Street. They are cool. Take the walk with me.
Yup, that's my blue Bug parked on Main Street! :*)
Just a short way further down the road that thunderstorm opened up on my driving. (I only wished we had had some rain water back home). That mid-day storm, plus a late evening storm on the same day, brought over 7 inches of water to the parched ground. Driving was a challenge, but the water is most welcome. In particular, Harl and his siblings all own large tracts of producing farm lands (veggies galore!), from which they make their livings by selling their produce at the larger nearby cities Farmer's Markets. Although much of their fields were quite parched, they still welcome the water.
~~~Visit with Harl at his Partridge, KS farm/homestead.
I decided to share very little about our couple of days worth of chats. After completing our university work, our paths went in vastly different directions. I married my wife, Joyce, and Harl remained a confirmed bachelor. I pursued a profession in higher-education institutions as a Registrar/Director of Records for 25 years. He has taught at the same large university in Russia for those 25 years, and continues to live in Russia 10 months each year. The two summer months are spent working at his Partridge home/farm to earn extra funds, they back to the work he enjoys most. He primarily teaches Russian Literature, and our subject matter is endless.
A comment about his farm land. Harl's father was a quite wealthy farmer, and Harl and his siblings inherited that land. It has been divided between all the siblings, who still live in their home town and grow their produce. They have divided up equal sections of 1000 acres.....quite an inheritance! It was a beautiful group of farms to behold!
I'll only share one thing about our chats, with a single photo. He introduced me to a uniquely skilled artist (not Russian, but Slavic) by the name of Ivan Lackovic-Croata. THe photo I'm posting is an example of the paintings that a group of rural artists, not-highly trained, are skilled at. He paints with oil, which is an unforgiving medium, and creates his paintings on the back side of glass! If you think about it, this means the painter must paint the picture from the reverse perspective then when a person actually views it. Here is one of these "oils on glass" which Harl owns. Now I'll move my travelogue away from Russian art or lit.
Visit over, and I headed back to MO yesterday. Please check out my trip home, and the remaining travelogue and good day I had, in my next thread, "A Mini Trip {part two}."
PT7
It has been quite a while since the last time I took any vacation; did one in July 2014 for just under a week. I packed a small suitcase last weekend, and spent three days in central Kansas visiting a good friend (will shorten his name to Harl). Although we've kept in touch over the years, this week was the first time we've seen each other in 31 years, right after we both finished our university graduate work at Kansas University. He finished with an ABD, and I with an MA -- both in Slavic Languages & Literatures. We had a little catching up to do, and we did just that! Yes, I plan to mention a couple of things about our shared interest in SL&L and Russia. So this might be the point some of you good Folk might choose to bail out! Okay, I'll try to make it a little interesting.
~~~Drive in beautiful weather, with a final 30 miles in a terrific thunderstorm; 1880s Main Street in Peabody, KS.
Although both northern MO and much of KS is struggling through this summer's drought conditions, a cool front arrived just in time for my travel on Monday. It was mostly cloudy and pleasantly cool. As I neared Harl's hometown of Partridge, KS (just outside of Hutchinson), a highway sign caught my attention. The coming-up town had an "1880s Main Street." So I pulled off and visited this small rural KS town. Quiet morning, cool, and interesting building fronts from the late 1800s. Years ago my wife and I lived in another small KS town with a very similar Main Street. They are cool. Take the walk with me.
Yup, that's my blue Bug parked on Main Street! :*)
Just a short way further down the road that thunderstorm opened up on my driving. (I only wished we had had some rain water back home). That mid-day storm, plus a late evening storm on the same day, brought over 7 inches of water to the parched ground. Driving was a challenge, but the water is most welcome. In particular, Harl and his siblings all own large tracts of producing farm lands (veggies galore!), from which they make their livings by selling their produce at the larger nearby cities Farmer's Markets. Although much of their fields were quite parched, they still welcome the water.
~~~Visit with Harl at his Partridge, KS farm/homestead.
I decided to share very little about our couple of days worth of chats. After completing our university work, our paths went in vastly different directions. I married my wife, Joyce, and Harl remained a confirmed bachelor. I pursued a profession in higher-education institutions as a Registrar/Director of Records for 25 years. He has taught at the same large university in Russia for those 25 years, and continues to live in Russia 10 months each year. The two summer months are spent working at his Partridge home/farm to earn extra funds, they back to the work he enjoys most. He primarily teaches Russian Literature, and our subject matter is endless.
A comment about his farm land. Harl's father was a quite wealthy farmer, and Harl and his siblings inherited that land. It has been divided between all the siblings, who still live in their home town and grow their produce. They have divided up equal sections of 1000 acres.....quite an inheritance! It was a beautiful group of farms to behold!
I'll only share one thing about our chats, with a single photo. He introduced me to a uniquely skilled artist (not Russian, but Slavic) by the name of Ivan Lackovic-Croata. THe photo I'm posting is an example of the paintings that a group of rural artists, not-highly trained, are skilled at. He paints with oil, which is an unforgiving medium, and creates his paintings on the back side of glass! If you think about it, this means the painter must paint the picture from the reverse perspective then when a person actually views it. Here is one of these "oils on glass" which Harl owns. Now I'll move my travelogue away from Russian art or lit.
Visit over, and I headed back to MO yesterday. Please check out my trip home, and the remaining travelogue and good day I had, in my next thread, "A Mini Trip {part two}."
PT7
Last edited by PT7 on Thu Aug 02, 2018 1:44 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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- CT_Shooter
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Re: A Mini Trip {part one}
Looking forward to Part Two... Thanks for sharing your reunion with us.PT7 wrote:Rarely post anything in the Travels Forum. Thought I'd give this mini travelogue a try, including some photos.
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- JEBar
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Re: A Mini Trip {part one}
X's 2 .... that's my kind of country ..... I'm a small town guy, really appreciate the pictures and comments
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Re: A Mini Trip {part one}
Nice old building street scene. Just add back the dirt to the street and horse hitching posts.
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Re: A Mini Trip {part one}
Very nice country, agreed. I am much more of "a small town guy" since I left the metropolitan suburbs of Chicago years ago. Have lived in mostly rural areas of OR, IA, KS, and now MO. Although I'm close to KC downtown, it takes about a 5-minute drive after leaving the Northland to run along country roads. Love to do that.
The most enjoyable town we've lived in was Baldwin City, KS. During our time there the pop. was just over 1000 folk. Today it has grown to +4500 due to becoming a bedroom community for working in the western KC burbs. Still does mostly have that small town feeling, and I like having the chance of going to the fall Maple Leaf Festival there each October.
BTW, the pop. of Peabody,KS today is 1210. The pop. of Partridge, KS is so small it didn't even make the pop. list!! So I definitely visited the small towns this week!
PT7
The most enjoyable town we've lived in was Baldwin City, KS. During our time there the pop. was just over 1000 folk. Today it has grown to +4500 due to becoming a bedroom community for working in the western KC burbs. Still does mostly have that small town feeling, and I like having the chance of going to the fall Maple Leaf Festival there each October.
BTW, the pop. of Peabody,KS today is 1210. The pop. of Partridge, KS is so small it didn't even make the pop. list!! So I definitely visited the small towns this week!
PT7
JEBar wrote:X's 2 .... that's my kind of country ..... I'm a small town guy, really appreciate the pictures and comments
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- JEBar
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Re: A Mini Trip {part one}
this morning we are camped in Nebraska City .... today's drive will take us around KC and over to Eureka, MO which is on the west side of St Louis .... I much prefer the Nebraska City area ..
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Re: A Mini Trip {part one}
Was thinking get rid of the cars and it could be 1944.Mags wrote:Nice old building street scene. Just add back the dirt to the street and horse hitching posts.
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