Lyons, Kansas
Oh my, lots and lots of wind... as I was driving through Kansas and having to keep two hands on the steering wheel, I kept thinking of Dorothy and Toto and the classic quote... "Toto, we're not in Kansas any more" and began to understand why they chose Kansas as the hometown place of the movie.
I am amazed at the heart of rural America, as I drive through these little towns I am thoroughly intrigued by the architecture of the buildings, the condition of them and that they are still being used. I can see town squares and band stands much like I imagine were a part of River City USA, from The Music Man. 
I suppose I have traveled cross country many times, and seen many places, but I always fly and I realize on this trip that I have missed out seeing and experiencing these things, in the heartland of our great Country.
I suppose I have traveled cross country many times, and seen many places, but I always fly and I realize on this trip that I have missed out seeing and experiencing these things, in the heartland of our great Country. After leaving Jerry and Tom at Ponca City we made our way North and a little west to Lyons, KS to see my friends and former Pastor Don and Connie Strohmeyer. While some towns may lack the franchises that we have become accustomed to seeing every where like Micky D's, Denny's and IHOP... I've learned that they aren't every where ! but the one that is truly every where in rural America is the NAPA auto parts store. 
Even when I was going on and on about rural SE Iowa... they did have NAPA stores in each little burg. The more I think about it, I am convinced that those counties with out franchises probably have an ordinance forbidding them, as opposed to the franchises not wanting to be there. When I drove through Lyons, I found it interesting that the courthouse in there was very similar in structure to the one I was so excited about in Bloomfield, Iowa.
Even when I was going on and on about rural SE Iowa... they did have NAPA stores in each little burg. The more I think about it, I am convinced that those counties with out franchises probably have an ordinance forbidding them, as opposed to the franchises not wanting to be there. When I drove through Lyons, I found it interesting that the courthouse in there was very similar in structure to the one I was so excited about in Bloomfield, Iowa.We met the Strohmeyers at a Mexican Restaurant for dinner and as soon as I heard Don's voice... as we began visiting... I got tears in my eyes, it was very soothing
and comforting... kind of like coming home. Made me very melancholy. Don had been my Pastor for 11 years at the Harney Church of the Nazarene. Those years were very important years in my Christian growth. It's been too long since our last visit and the over night was just not enough time to really catch up... but none the less, the time spent was really nice. We ended up getting a pretty late start, as I ended up spending the whole morning, finishing up scoring the OYCC grants that I didn't get done on flight. It was very nice to be able to spread out on 
Connie's dining room table, and it was probably was more comfortable for Ansel to hang out there on the sofa while I finished up too. The scoring process I thought would take an hour... was more like four hours. I am on the State Advisory Comm for the Oregon Youth Conservation Corps.
and comforting... kind of like coming home. Made me very melancholy. Don had been my Pastor for 11 years at the Harney Church of the Nazarene. Those years were very important years in my Christian growth. It's been too long since our last visit and the over night was just not enough time to really catch up... but none the less, the time spent was really nice. We ended up getting a pretty late start, as I ended up spending the whole morning, finishing up scoring the OYCC grants that I didn't get done on flight. It was very nice to be able to spread out on 
Connie's dining room table, and it was probably was more comfortable for Ansel to hang out there on the sofa while I finished up too. The scoring process I thought would take an hour... was more like four hours. I am on the State Advisory Comm for the Oregon Youth Conservation Corps. 
Lyons Church of the Nazarene, there is another building to the right out of the picture that you can't see, that is where the fellowship hall/classrooms are. I really had it in the back of my mind that I had intended for us to land there (in Lyons) on either Sun or Wed so we could have attended their service but that didn't happen.One of the neat things for me this visit was sitting there on their kitchen counter, was Don's special communion challis that he used in Burns to serve us communion... it summoned some very special memories for me. I was always fond of Easter Sunrise Service since it was the one family tradition I remember as a little girl on Cape Cod. We were not a "churched" family, but we did always go to the Easter Sunrise Service at Coast Guard Beach. (1/2 mile from my family home) They always timed the service so that the sun rose towards the e
nd, over the surf and white sandy beach. I can smell the salty air and hear the surf and seagulls. I carried on that tradition with my boys, we always attended an Easter Sunrise service every year. The HC Nazarene Church always met for Easter Sunrise service at the foot of their rustic gigantic wooden cross on hill behind the church in the sage brush over looking Harney valley... the smell of the dew on the sage, the sun peaking over the valley, the mist rising from the flooded meadows, soft sweet guitar cords, the gentle voices lifting their praises carried over the desert as the sun rose over the valley... sometimes it was only 20 degrees, and there was frost on the sage brush, but we always met outside at the foot of that beautiful rugged cross. Any way... the challis has much more meaning than just the memory of the many poignant services... 
Easter of 2001, was especially memorable. As we gathered that morning in the sanctuary before we would all walk up the hill together to the foot of cross, Pastor Don had asked Sandy Carlson and myself if we would help to serve communion outside during the sunrise service. We hadn't done that before that I remembered, but it sounded sweet. At the foot of the cross, with the early sun shining through the mist rising across the flooded meadows of the Harney valley... sweet music coming from the acoustic guitars... one by one single file they came forward to Sandy who held the bread, and then to me where I held the challis. As each parishioner dipped their bread into the juice, "this is the blood of Christ..." and I blessed and prayed for each one. Then what a special surprise it was when I looked up and there was my son Tim and girlfriend Linsay coming up to me for communion. Knowing how much I treasured our tradition of Easter Sunrise Service, they had decided to surprise me. Little did I know that precious morning, that that would be Tim's last communion in this lifetime in his earthly body and the fact that I had had the honor of serving him that morning was very very special to me. God is pretty awesome !!! Anyway, seeing Don's challis there on the counter stopped me in my tracks and it was a very sweet memory. Connie told me that it's not normally there at their house, but Don had just brought it home to wash. I felt like it was there just for me to see that day... Sweet sweet memories, Thanks Pastor Don, bless you.
nd, over the surf and white sandy beach. I can smell the salty air and hear the surf and seagulls. I carried on that tradition with my boys, we always attended an Easter Sunrise service every year. The HC Nazarene Church always met for Easter Sunrise service at the foot of their rustic gigantic wooden cross on hill behind the church in the sage brush over looking Harney valley... the smell of the dew on the sage, the sun peaking over the valley, the mist rising from the flooded meadows, soft sweet guitar cords, the gentle voices lifting their praises carried over the desert as the sun rose over the valley... sometimes it was only 20 degrees, and there was frost on the sage brush, but we always met outside at the foot of that beautiful rugged cross. Any way... the challis has much more meaning than just the memory of the many poignant services... 
Easter of 2001, was especially memorable. As we gathered that morning in the sanctuary before we would all walk up the hill together to the foot of cross, Pastor Don had asked Sandy Carlson and myself if we would help to serve communion outside during the sunrise service. We hadn't done that before that I remembered, but it sounded sweet. At the foot of the cross, with the early sun shining through the mist rising across the flooded meadows of the Harney valley... sweet music coming from the acoustic guitars... one by one single file they came forward to Sandy who held the bread, and then to me where I held the challis. As each parishioner dipped their bread into the juice, "this is the blood of Christ..." and I blessed and prayed for each one. Then what a special surprise it was when I looked up and there was my son Tim and girlfriend Linsay coming up to me for communion. Knowing how much I treasured our tradition of Easter Sunrise Service, they had decided to surprise me. Little did I know that precious morning, that that would be Tim's last communion in this lifetime in his earthly body and the fact that I had had the honor of serving him that morning was very very special to me. God is pretty awesome !!! Anyway, seeing Don's challis there on the counter stopped me in my tracks and it was a very sweet memory. Connie told me that it's not normally there at their house, but Don had just brought it home to wash. I felt like it was there just for me to see that day... Sweet sweet memories, Thanks Pastor Don, bless you.On the road again:
When I finished the grants, and faxed my results, then it was time to head for Colorado. We drove through lots and lots of corn stubble. Somewhere out there, actually I think it was in Hodgemen County, KS, I saw this sign... "Largest watershed district in the World"... I don't think so~!!! Being cyndy coleman;-), first this morning I
emailed them and told them the bad news, that I didn't know where the biggest watershed district was, but that I did know the Harney County Watershed Council's basin in Eastern Oregon covered more than 6.1 million acres.
When I finished the grants, and faxed my results, then it was time to head for Colorado. We drove through lots and lots of corn stubble. Somewhere out there, actually I think it was in Hodgemen County, KS, I saw this sign... "Largest watershed district in the World"... I don't think so~!!! Being cyndy coleman;-), first this morning I
emailed them and told them the bad news, that I didn't know where the biggest watershed district was, but that I did know the Harney County Watershed Council's basin in Eastern Oregon covered more than 6.1 million acres. We saw lots and lots of horizon... I hate to say flat, cause I know it really isn't. It just is void of Mountains. There was the most beautiful sunset as we were driving... I looked for something to stop and take a picture of with it, like a barn or windmill, but nothing was handy, so I didn't stop to take picture of it. I don't see many sunsets on the horizon living in Bend... the trees are too tall.
Garden City, Kansas
When we got to
Garden City... there wasn't anything left of the race track except this one piece of railing. If you look closely at the picture of the cement grandstands, there is a pipe railing in the foreground. That looked original from the old race track.
When we got to
Garden City... there wasn't anything left of the race track except this one piece of railing. If you look closely at the picture of the cement grandstands, there is a pipe railing in the foreground. That looked original from the old race track.Ansel protects Mama: Ansel recalled a story of being there in Garden City when they were living in the horse drawn covered wagon. They were at the race track, his mother was in the lower seats of grandstands, and Ansel was playing up in the very top seats of the grandstands. They had a 22 rifle that his Dad had been using to kill jack rabbits to eat, and the last time he'd used it, the lead had jammed, and Papa wasn't able to dislodge it. So he'd given it to Ansel to play with. He had the rifle with him in the grandstands that day and was playing with it...
There was a man that was had put some pressure on Ansel's Mom to bet on his horse. In the process he had 
grabbed her money that was visible in her purse. Ansel heard the commotion and his mother demanding the man to return her money... Ansel came running down with his gun and leveled on the man, and said "Mister, you give my Mama back her money and git outta here and leave her alone or I'll shoot you!" The man scoffed at Ansel and said "oh what do you think you're gonna do with that pop gun???" Another man said... you better look closer, that aint no pop gun, and I seen him put shells in it, If I was you I do as he said !" So the man did and they never saw him again. I asked Ansel if the gun was really loaded and he said no, the lead was jammed in it or his Papa wouldn't have given it to him to play with.
grabbed her money that was visible in her purse. Ansel heard the commotion and his mother demanding the man to return her money... Ansel came running down with his gun and leveled on the man, and said "Mister, you give my Mama back her money and git outta here and leave her alone or I'll shoot you!" The man scoffed at Ansel and said "oh what do you think you're gonna do with that pop gun???" Another man said... you better look closer, that aint no pop gun, and I seen him put shells in it, If I was you I do as he said !" So the man did and they never saw him again. I asked Ansel if the gun was really loaded and he said no, the lead was jammed in it or his Papa wouldn't have given it to him to play with.On to Lamar...
