First Snowfall / December

I'd heard the weather forecasts...this is what I saw out the screen door when I opened it at 5:00 a.m. - the light that is trying to shine through is the front porch light.

Ultimately, the freezing rain, sleet and some snow made for a "snow day" at our house - I didn't make the treacherous drive to work and kept Zoie home. We had fun watching the weather from the warmth of the house...





Zoie & Indie had fun playing together for a while...but Indie was itchin to get out in the cold and snow - he becomes like a playful pup then!

A Trip to Nowhere...Sort Of (Part 2)

As I was wrapping up my work assignment and had a bit of free time, an associate from Greensburg took me on a little walking tour of the immediate area around our "temporary office"...Greensburg was (and still is) known for being home to the world's largest hand-dug well. (For the story behind the well, go to: http://www.bigwell.org/bigwell.html)




Since then, they've become known for the tornado and rebuilding as America's first "green" town...Here are pics of what used to be a straight & true flagpole and the city park's merry-go-round after the tornado got through with them:



There are also partial walls standing on some buildings that weren't completely destroyed. I didn't take a photo of it but on the corner of one block there were 2 concrete stair cases facing each other...I was told that is all that was left of the very old Presbyterian church in town.



One of the first and most impressive achievements in going green was the construction and opening of the 5.4.7 Arts Center in Greensburg. As an arts center, it's purpose is to raise awareness of fine arts, both visual and performing, make the arts accessible to everyone and provide an environment to create and learn through classes, exhibits and performances. The exhibit going on while I was there were examples of works by a master quilter/textiler named Patricia Hobbs...just magnificent detail, creativity and originality on these pieces!





The building itself is a work of art...and a lesson in building green! It was built using reclaimed building materials from the Sunflower Army Ammunition Plant, established in 1941 as the world’s largest powder and propellant plant, playing a historic role by providing munitions during World War II and the Korean and Vietnam conflicts. There are over 1,000 retired ammunition buildings within the 9,000 acre site, and Studio 804 (designer/constructor of the building) is currently in the process of deconstructing a magazine building to salvage building materials. The effort to reclaim structurally sound lumber, as opposed to using new lumber, is only one of many ways that Studio 804 continues to promote sustainable practices in the design/build industry. The roof is covered with plants that are used to create energy and they also have their own mini-wind turbines.






So, it seems the middle of nowhere sure has a LOT going on!! It was definitely an interesting and educational trip...they're some resilient folks out there on the prairies!

A Trip to Nowhere...Sort Of (Part 1)

Time for another work road-trip...this time it was to Greensburg, Kansas, for a few days and then onto Wichita, KS, for a couple more before heading home. If Greensburg sounds familiar to some of you, it may be because it is a small town that was, is, and will be in the news. The first time most of us heard of this town was after it was nearly obliterated by a tornado on Friday, May 4, 2007. The tornado that hit Greensburg has been rated as an EF-5 by the National Weather Service - the largest rating on the Enhanced Fujita Scale and the first in Kansas since the new scale was implemented. The twister was 1.7 miles wide. A storm of this magnitude was the first in 8 years in the US - the last was May 3rd of 1999 in central Oklahoma. The Greensburg tornado was on the ground for 22 miles non-stop and 30 minutes. Maximum winds were estimated at 205 mph and was the first fatal storm in southwest Kansas since 1967. The National Weather Service's office in Dodge City said it received 32 reports about 25 separate tornadoes in southwest and south-central Kansas from Friday evening through Sunday. Rather than just throw in the towel and give in, this small Kansas prairie town decided to not only rebuild but to move into the 21st century and beyond by building "green". They still have a LONG way to go but it was neat to see some of the things they're working on. A lot of businesses are still working out of temporary trailers (including where I was) but they did have a bit of excitement while I was there - the town's only stoplight was back up & running finally! To find out more about this 'green' town, go to their website: www.greensburgks.org

The day I drove to Greensburg was an absolutely beautiful day and not typical of this time of year...you would have thought it to almost be early spring rather than December! I snapped a few pics of the beautiful scenery and sky as I drove...one of my favorites is the mixture of past & present in the form of the old windmill in the foreground and the field of wind turbines behind it...pretty much describes that area as a whole. Speaking of windmills, I got some neat pictures of those too...I was pulling over on the roads here & there to get them!












As beautiful as my driving day was...well, the next day was the other extreme! Wind, very cold and a mini-blizzard! Gotta love it!




Luckily, it did warm up enough to melt the snow and allow me time to do what sight-seeing there was in the area I was in. Because Greensburg still has no lodging, I had to stay in a town about 30 miles away called Pratt, who has a claim to fame with their "Hot" & "Cold" water towers!



They also have a long tradition at the holidays called The Lemon Park Lights...it's a display of lights in a big park that you drive through to view them. It was really amazing! They've been doing this and adding/changing the displays for years!









As I continued to explore the small town with a storybook downtown and ornately decorated Victorian homes, I saw the most beautiful church so I had to snap a couple of shots of their stained glass windows...breathtaking!

The Moscow Ballet's Great Russian Nutcracker

In the hopes of starting what might be an annual holiday tradition for Zoie and me, I got tickets for her, Mom and myself to go see The Great Russian Nutcracker ballet. It gave us a chance to get dressed up - Mom & Zoie both looked so pretty!



Mom's blouse had a spray of different sized pearls on it as embellishment and Zoie would touch them and say, "Gwamma, I like your bubbles!"

The ballet itself was very beautiful - it was a first for all 3 of us to be at an event like that. Zoie's eyes would get really big watching the dancers and they also used local young dancers to accompany them onstage, which was just too cute! We weren't able to take photos of the actual ballet, but I found some online...they don't do it justice! I have to say that along with watching Zoie's wonder at the dancing, I, too, was transported to a time in my youth where I was a beautiful ballerina and was dancing all over the stage and spinning around in beautiful costumes...I guess those feelings never really leave you no matter how old you get, which was one reason I wanted to do this with my daughter; having my mom there as well was icing on the cake for sure!


Earlier in the week, I took part in a local radio station contest where they were looking for the funniest company Christmas party story...and I won! (NOTE: I will NOT be relaying my story here...some of you already witnessed it first hand!) The prize was my choice of 2 tickets to this ballet or to see a band I'd never heard of...well, I chose the ballet tickets and gave them to my good friend, Angie, and her daughter, Madalyn. We all weren't able to sit together at the ballet but we did meet up afteward for dinner...the girls had fun being silly together and talking. They're both SO grown up...and are totally where the joys of the holidays (and most days) come from!




We were at Cracker Barrel - where you can't leave without looking around in their store - and Zoie found a cute little rocking horse!