31 - Go Back! It's too early!

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After being gone for four days, this morning, I looked out my back window and saw my daffodils shooting up.  They are about 4 inches tall already.  It's too early!  (especially in northeast Kansas)  It is the last day of January.  We have had such a mild winter that I am not surprised that spring thinks that it needs to arrive early.  While I am all in favor of warm, spring weather, I do not want the plants and flowers to be frozen by a cold snap in February.




This is the end of my first month of posting - and I made it!  I made it through the first month without too many desperation pictures and posts.  Gold star for me!

30 - Hampton in Oklahoma

I could not choose between these two pictures, so today is double bonus day.  I love how the Hampton Inn reflects the local culture.  There are about ten different pictures by each room door and I thought this one was the cutest.  It is very Oklahoma.




Also, on the inside of each of the elevator doors is a different picture.  Hampton Inn participates in a Restore Lankmartks program.  Elevator doors are usually different in each property.  This one caught my eye today.

29 - Happy Kansas Day

Last year, on Kansas Day, on the 150th anniversary of statehood, the Heartland Ringers played at the historic barn dedication of the Shaft Family Barn in Chase County, Kansas.  They have documented that the barn was built between 1859-1861 - and is still standing intact - so it qualifies for the Historic Barn Preservation Rolls.  The barn and farm belong to one of our bell members, Margie Dyck, so we played for the barn dedication.

28 - Boot scraper

This is the front door of the Hampton Inn in Enid, OK.  I really like staying here and it is a very nice hotel.  Today, what caught my eye, was the boot scraper next to the sidewalk near the front door.  There are two, one on each side of the entry way.  I can't think that I have ever seen this by a hotel entrance before.

27 - Driving through Kansas

When you drive from Overland Park, Kansas to Enid, Oklahoma, there is just not a lot to look at.  This trip, we drove directly into a beautiful sunset. This was taken somewhere between Overland Park and Emporia.

26 - America the Beautiful

I call this my America the Beautiful picture.  You cannot imagine how happy we were to finally be in Alaska.  After driving for six days, down steep grades, around curves, across bridges, through white-knuckle-clenching snow, over 3000 miles, we finally made it back to America, into Alaska, and into clear skies.  This picture was taken as sunset approached. 

Oh beautiful, for spacious skies,
  for amber waves of grain.
For purple mountains majesties,
  above the fruited plain.
America! America!
  God shed his grace on thee.
And crown thy good with brotherhood
From sea to shining sea.

25 - Moon over the church

The moon and the single star, the fading pink sunset - all caught my eye on the way into choir practice.  Of course, the first evening star is usually a planet.  I should look it up to see which one, maybe Mars.