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Ahhh, Kansas: What Are Your Favorite Things About It?
The 4th of July makes me think a lot about things that I usually take for granted. I spend more time thinking about the men and women around the world who fight with their lives for what they believe in.
I think about small towns such as Greensburg and Chapman where people who are friends, neighbors, family, and strangers are struggling together to rebuild the beautiful place they called home.
I think about all the people who offer themselves to help people in distress where ever that might be. I also think about the beauty of Kansas.
I have always thought Kansas was beautiful with its vast differences which depends on what part of the state you happen to be in - or which season is passing through at the time.
July 4th is as good a day as any to talk about the natural beauty of Kansas. The following is a poem I wrote a year ago today. I am hoping it will help get you started remembering your favorite sights, scenes, smells, and childhood experiences, and that you will share some of what you like best about Kansas with other Kansans.
Kansas Girl
Kansas, you are my friend
You took me in when I was young
I came from Colorado
Your golden stems of waving wheat
Tumbleweeds rolling by my feet
Army ants marching in a single file
Morning doves cooing at the break of day
Albino owls mating in the light
Of a full moon Kansas night
Kansas, you haunt me with your
Beauty night and day
Rolling thunder across the high plateau
Sweet and cold, rust tainted water from your wells
Waking up to a cloudless Kansas sky
Meadowlark perched on a grey, splintered post
Ominous clouds roll across this land
All run to hide through the cellar door
Where jars fill to the brim with your bounty
All this and more make me want to stay
In this beautiful place that is God's country
Kansas, when I am with you
I think I am in heaven
Right about now I am lying on the trailer (on a farm two miles from Colorado and about thirty from Nebraska) behind my Grandfather's red tracker with my sister. We have small peanut butter cups laying beside us - they are melting in the sun as we try to tan. There is a hot breeze blowing, a horse fly so large that it could just about carry our peanut butter cups away, and the wheat is ripe and swaying in the breeze. The smell of chocolate, our sweat, and the wheat lingers in my memory clearly.
What do you have to share about the beauty of Kansas?
4 July 2008 at 6:58 p.m.
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SusieCreamcheeze (Anonymous) says…
I spent the morning horseback riding, the afternoon on my hammock, and the late afternoon and early evening on the tractor. It is a beautiful day here sunny and clear with a slight breeze only low 80's. I could also do this in Jannuary in Kansas when we have one of those 72* weekends. And that is my fav thing about Kansas.
I saw Berry ( from our past) this afternoon and last night , He loves your Blogs ( Its the pix from lone star lake ). And thats another thing I love about Lawrence ….all these folks I keep running into from my 58 years.
4 July 2008 at 8:54 p.m.
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Ronda Miller (Ronda Miller) says…
I am glad you enjoyed your day off, Susie. What a lovely way to spend it, horseback, tractor, hammock. You managed to fit in a variety of things you love to do and no surprise that they were all outside! :)
I fixed dinner for ten so I did a lot of house cleaning, but managed to sit outside for a couple of hours visiting with friends. What a beautiful July 4th today was.
Thanks for passing along the compliment from Berry - everytime I think of moving away from Lawrence I think of how many people and faces ( a lot of people I know by sight, but don't know their names) I would miss.
Enjoy the rest of the weekend!
4 July 2008 at 9:17 p.m.
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labmonkey (Anonymous) says…
Kansas is the best state, and I cannot think of another I would rather live in.
5 July 2008 at 10:04 a.m.
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David Lignell (David Lignell) says…
As you know, we moved from Michigan to Kansas in 1996. While there's a lot to say for Michigan, especially many of the beautiful beaches along Lake Michigan, I can't say enough about the Kansas sun. Michigan is great when it's about 80 F on a sunny, summer day, and that accounts for about 20 days out of the year (okay, I'm exaggerating). Still, I love how many sunny days we get here, without the regular “lake effect” that clouds an area up and causes people to get real cranky.
5 July 2008 at 10:05 a.m.
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Ronda Miller (Ronda Miller) says…
What makes Kansas the best state in your opinon? Have you always lived in this part of Kansas, or do you come from somewhere else?
I was thinking this morning how much I love Kansas sunsets and in particular the ones out in western Kansas - or from about Hays onward. No obstruction of the sky. You truly get the feeling of being able to see forever.
I also love the sound of crickets, the sound of coyotes, the mooing of cows in the distance, owls, etc. Kansas has a lot going on in a quiet kind of way!
5 July 2008 at 10:07 a.m.
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Ronda Miller (Ronda Miller) says…
David, I have never been to Michigan and I am sure most people always love their “home” state (I know I love Colorado), but it is good to know that you have fallen in love with Kansas. Sun is one thing we do have a lot of!
5 July 2008 at 10:34 a.m.
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SusieCreamcheeze (Anonymous) says…
My home state is New Jersey, we moved to texas before I started school….my family had a lake house there ( New Jersey) but I didn't get to enjoy it untill I moved back to the east coast at 18. I only spent 2 summers there before moving back to Lawrence.
I loved Dallas, Texas…loved there 7 fun filled years. Neighbors had arabian horses, we had alley's behind the houses, large screened in porch to play in, we made tree forts at christmas, sometimes it snowed.
I was back in Dallas in 2004 and my home was gone replaced by a giant “New” house, only a few of the older homes remained on the block. Gone were the horses, and all the work my dad put into that house.
My grade school ” Preston Hollow” was still in use, same school the “Bush Twins” attended. Everything else was different.
I can still smell the ice cold watermellon my dad kept in the fridg in his work shop, and that tinny smell from the fridg. I miss my dad when I work in my own little shop in my barn.
Thanks for the memories Ronda
5 July 2008 at 10:41 a.m.
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Linda Hanney (Linda Hanney) says…
Ronda, you know I love Kansas. When we travel, we somehow feel a sense of relief when we cross the border. I should check, but I believe Kansas is right at the top as to the percentage of productive land. The weather keeps us on our toes. And, of course,as you say, Ronda, the sunsets and sunrises. We have a hidden jewel here—don't tell anyone, we like our space!
5 July 2008 at 10:41 a.m.
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Ronda Miller (Ronda Miller) says…
Thanks for sharing yours with us, Susie. I find out more about you all the time through your comments - you write well so I hope you have started blogging also.
Childhood memories seem different to me from memories I have as an adult. Maybe my senses were sharper, my memory skills better; whatever the reason it seems things from long, long ago have more meaning, more feeling attached to them then memories from my adult life.
Maybe it is because they shape who we are, helped us mature - first time experieces are better - type of things. What do you think?
How was your party, Sus?
5 July 2008 at 10:44 a.m.
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Ronda Miller (Ronda Miller) says…
linda, I know exactly what you mean about the feeling you get as you cross the line into Kansas - what is it about our home state, home land, home city, home/house that does that to us? Sense of security? Love of what is ours and what we feel a part of? We are familar so we relax more? I am sure there are many things that play a part in the feeling - maybe as I was just dicussing with Susan it is memories we have that mean so much to us.
5 July 2008 at 11:25 a.m.
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Multidisciplinary (Anonymous) says…
crossing the line…
You'll enjoy this one.
In my first marriage, his folks were from Liberal and Guymon, so we used to go there any chance we had..which could be twice a month sometimes, stay a few days then return. We lived in N. Lawrence for a while.
One of our many dogs, The #1 family pet, always went with us. Of course, on the trip we stopped to let her get out for a few minutes, but the whole rest of the time she gladly just lay there or slept. She knew the routine well.
The fun part is…we would get very close to Lawrence, and she knew it. We would come into town by different ways. Didn't matter which, this happened each time.
She'd lay down through many many other towns, stop signs, slow areas…she just ignored them. But she “KNEW” when we approached home. We didn't say a word, she just knew. Didn't change what we were doing, no clues there.
All I could figure was..she could smell the river and knew she was home.
Last night and today..what do I love most about Ks?
The fact that we have a fireworks ban, and some official (not going back to look up who) inferred in the paper that they really didn't persue fireworks issues, and if they found any, they just confiscated them.
A 'get out of jail free card'.
Last night, my neighborhood sounded like a real 4th again.
No kids 'right' in front of my house, but enough all around to make sound people-happy again.
First time it's sounded correct in years.
And, we didn't have the late late night people just out of the neighborhoods like we usually do. The folks who don't shoot at home, but drive just past here thinking it's okay there, and stay out til 3.
I could barely see the lake fireworks..if I stood at two windows, just between some roof peaks and trees. Not worth it.
I turned on the 12 o'clock news to watch..they played Willie Nelson Georgia as background. Nice, peaceful.
Then for some reason that escapes me, they played Tammy Wynette's D i v o r c e .
Totally innapropriate, so I switched it.
5 July 2008 at 11:51 a.m.
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notajayhawk (Anonymous) says…
Republicans.
5 July 2008 at 11:56 a.m.
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Aileen Dingus (Aileen Dingus) says…
It seems I spend much of my time at any gathering explaining to people why we moved here. My husband's family homesteaded in KS in the 1850's, and, after much moving about and wandering around, our particular branch of the fam decided to move back and reclaim the land. (so to speak- we live here in town, not 90 miles south in a 150 yr old cabin!)
Anyway- it's always the same- the move to KS was the best thing we could have done. Our kids are getting better educations, we have better jobs, we can afford better places to live.
Last night I sat on a point in Wakarusa Valley and watched fireworks from horizon to horizon. I drank a beer and laughed and talked. I tried to catch fireflies and listened to the cattle moo at the fireworks. I watched the sliver moon rise when there was still pink and blue in the sky and I turned to my husband and said “I am so glad we're here.”
5 July 2008 at 12:39 p.m.
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JJE007 (Anonymous) says…
I didn't like Kansas at all when my family moved to Prairie Village in 1968. I found out years later that my dad had been fired from his editing job. I had no idea why we'd leave our home on the west bank of New Orleans…leave our friends…leave our grandparents…move far from our cousins and other relatives.
He chose between two offers and decided to take the one in KC over the one in Pensacola, Florida…a matter of a few hundred dollars, I understand…important for someone with five kids.
I didn't like moving away from the Gulf of Mexico.
I hated Kansas and made no friends for about six years…until I went to college.
It was my first foray out of Johnson County, besides brief vacation runs and I finally felt the place and felt part of it. The rivers called, the fields called, the people called…to a place in my heart and they remain there…speaking. I will always maintain a tie to this land. It can be brutal and peaceful, but is able to maintain beauty within all of its extremes and in between. It leaves room for the soul to breathe.
I suppose it doesn't matter where you are…if you find a place that you want to be. I seem to be there.
This morning I was out in the side yard of my east Lawrence home…taking the new pup out to show me its joy and its pee. There was a monster in the yard, an old friend, a large, large-clawed crawfish. He is now beside me in a little five gallon aquarium, eating a distant relative…a large cave cricket…along with some fresh, feral violet leaves. It is loud in its strange, new rocky home…as loud as the scream of the poet who mistook its hump-backed cricket for a grass spider just a few hours ago. The poem theat screamer wrote about dying in Kansas is ringing in my mind, now, and I feel the cold of its winter. I see her father's car coming to pick her up from the frigid, windy bus stop. I know that she is taking the puppy to meet her father today…to Zeandale…and beyond…to live…with cheese and crackers like me!~)
5 July 2008 at 1:07 p.m.
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JJE007 (Anonymous) says…
forgot to actually write a few of my favorite things about Kansas.
-women and farmers and ranchers talking at diners
-kids cruising tiny downtowns on Friday night
-gas stations off the beaten path
-sandhill cranes flying over Quivira and Cheyenne Bottoms
-pheasants cackling out of thickets and quail exploding at your footfall
-snow geese filing by…high in cold sky
-burning grasslands and greening grasslands and their upland sandpipers and prairie chickens and mouning dove and nighthawks and grasshopper sparrows and Henslow's sparrows and lark sparrows and cicindellids and grassy cicadas and snaring spiders and bolting deer and thirteen-lined ground squirrels and antelope and prairie dogs and badgers and flowers too numerous to begin to name…
-menudo from Silver Lake
-teal rocketing around Milford
-wading sandbars of the Kaw
-finding the perfect pawpaw
…the list goes on…
5 July 2008 at 1:09 p.m.
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JJE007 (Anonymous) says…
…can't believe I forgot County FAIRS!~)
5 July 2008 at 1:12 p.m.
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JSDAD (Anonymous) says…
best part of all, university of missouri there not here
5 July 2008 at 1:42 p.m.
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notnowdear (Anonymous) says…
I love:
+ the ability to see, to stretch my eyes, my vision, for miles and miles in W. Kansas.
+ the experience I had once of watching a tornado ballet, as twin head-dressed tornados kicked up dust in a field 10 or so miles away, … all the while knowing no one lived in that area.
+ the ability to see the clouds and storms move from one direction to another, spanning over 50 miles of sky travel.
+ the magical, wavering inversions that happen in W. Kansas.
+ to stand at the farmhouse picture window and watch: wild turkey, bob cats, deer, and the occasional and unusual ostrich cross our vast front lawn.
+ to stand on top of a prairie cathedral, a grain silo for a local co-ops, and to view the majestic curvature of the earth.
+ to stand atop the prairie cathedral and expand myself, my being to as far as my eyes will take me, to feel I am all that I see, the full abyss of space.
i -l o v e- w. Kansas.
5 July 2008 at 2:30 p.m.
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JJE007 (Anonymous) says…
There is a magic in our vision. The horizon is a tangible miracle. I can't speak for others but I can see that with me and many, the “soul” expands to the limits of the vision of our stinkin' mortal coil!~) The horizon is candy for not only visionaries but for all with even rudimentary peepers.
5 July 2008 at 2:57 p.m.
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Ronda Miller (Ronda Miller) says…
I am so pleased that there have been positive, thoughtful responses on this post. No anti Kansans have shown up!!!
JJ, you went wild with your scenic descriptions about the varied things that you love - you are such a wonderful writer and I always end up feeling strongly about whatever it is that you have written about. It looks to me as though your list could continue onward for many more listings.
multi, interesting about your dog - I was wondering if he picked up excitement from you or your husband that you didn't realize, but your assessment of smelling the river makes a lot of sense. North Lawrence always seems like a separate town from Lawrence; it has that slower paced, small town atmosphere. I'm glad you had an enjoyable 4th. I admit with regret that I should have gone out to the display instead of staying in - afterall, we go as much to watch the splender of nature as anything man-made. I did see an interesting story about a man whose ashes were shot off in a fire-works display - he had been very actively involved in displays of such for many years and friends and family thought it was a fitting way for him to go. Last big bang so to speak.
nota, lol - now I know you can come up with a few other things about Kansas that warm your heart or tickle your imagination, stinker!
JSDAD - good one!
Aileen, I am glad the move to Kansas ended up being a positive in your life and the lives of your children. Have any of them chosen to stay in our beautiful state?
JJ, speaking of county fairs, I am determined to make it to the Vinland fair this year after reading about the atmosphere in Lawrence magazine and finding out about their dollar a slice home made pies! I'll just bet they are made wit home grown Kansas fruits also!!! :)
5 July 2008 at 3:02 p.m.
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Ronda Miller (Ronda Miller) says…
notnowdear;
I agree that weather watching, sky watching are favorite pastimes for me too and probably most people who live in our state. I don't know where in w. Kansas you lived, or live, but it is beyond beautiful. I wouldn't mind being in a blizzard in those parts (if I was warm, had food, and was in the inside looking out!) - the beauty of the changes in seasons and weather and sky, add the variety of animals, natural color changes in the plants, soil types, ahhhhh, we have so much to see in Kanas.
Twin twisters, now that is rare and it doesn't compare to watching the footage on tv. Another show I watched last night was about all of the tornadoes we have had this year - dramatic to say the least.
5 July 2008 at 3:09 p.m.
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notajayhawk (Anonymous) says…
“nota, lol - now I know you can come up with a few other things about Kansas that warm your heart or tickle your imagination, stinker!”
Nope.
'Bout it.
:)
5 July 2008 at 3:14 p.m.
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SusieCreamcheeze (Anonymous) says…
Its a date..Ronda and Susie at the vinland fair…Oh boy Oh boy..So sad Weedle will never be there again.
5 July 2008 at 3:15 p.m.
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notajayhawk (Anonymous) says…
But seriously, it's hard to say. The things I love about where I live have more to do with small-town life than where that small town happens to be. I grew up in a small town (okay, relatively small, even if it was about 10 times the size of where I am now) that was also about an hour away from the nearest real city - again, about the best of both worlds.
If there's any real difference between here and there, I suppose it's nice that you never have to dig your car out from under three or four feet of snow before you go to work - and do it again before you drive home. And the absolute lack of hills makes driving in the snow much easier on the few occasions when we get some.
5 July 2008 at 3:32 p.m.
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sho_tyme21 (Anonymous) says…
I love the fact most people in the country think its a flat boring space, between St Louis and Denver, let them thank it, that way they dont come here and see what its really like and want to stay
5 July 2008 at 3:50 p.m.
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notajayhawk (Anonymous) says…
sho_tyme21 (Anonymous) says…
“I love the fact most people in the country think its a flat boring space, between St Louis and Denver, let them thank it, that way they dont come here and see what its really like and want to stay”
I am here.
I am staying.
It is flat.
(Can you say “Great Plains?”)
(Never said anything about boring.)
5 July 2008 at 5:10 p.m.
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jaywalker (Anonymous) says…
Nothin' better than sitting on the deck and watching an ominous thunderstorm roll in. We built the deck on the west side of the house for that sole purpose. All of my favorite memories of Kansas contain an element of weather-
* watching a storm roll in at Omega while Joe Moon played 'All Along the Watch Tower'
*riding my bike down the middle of Tennessee at 2am, nothin' on but jean shorts, arms outstretched and face to the sky as the heavens unleashed a torrent of gigantic, warm rain
*sneakin' down to the Kaw below the levy when it was the only unfrozen break in the river and all the bald eagles from that reservation by Neb. had come down to fish
*gettin' out of my car along I-70 way out west to watch 3 tornadoes dancing across the prairie (they were miles away)
5 July 2008 at 6:11 p.m.
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jonas (Anonymous) says…
justbegintowrite (Ronda Miller) says…
“I am so pleased that there have been positive, thoughtful responses on this post. No anti Kansans have shown up!!!”
This place sucks. But I'm a jerk, so that's one of my favorite things about it.
5 July 2008 at 6:13 p.m.
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Ronda Miller (Ronda Miller) says…
jaywalker, you sound like a fun adventurous person - one of my favorite things is feeling the electricity in the air and then huge drops (I prefer warm ones) as they begin to splat across my face - and the terrific smell right as the rain hits the earth. It always makes me want to lie down and just enjoy it; pretend I am a flower opening up to it. I am kinda glad that you aren't/weren't my kid though - sounds like you were sneaking out a bit at late hours? You name some haunting and beautiful experiences.
nota, thanks for not being a total stick in the mud about Kansas - and only parts of it are flat. You all need to go out and see the high plateau of NW Kansas and the breaks - there is nothing like it. The breaks are where my aunt and family went to do fireworks when she was small.
I was in awe when I first came to this area and saw hills and trees - didn't think I could possibly be in Kansas. Even the middle section around Hays and Phillipsburg - where it is flat - has beauty in the color of the grasses and wheat, etc. along the road.
Susie, great! I am so glad we will go together. Sounds as though you have been before???
nota is from cold, snowy northern state? Sounds like you really are used to a lot of snow. I have known winters like that in Kansas though, but it has been a few years.
sho_tyme21, I love your name by the way - I am with you. Part of what makes Kansas so special is that it is our little secret. Too many people find out and everyone will want to live here.
Seriously people ask the dumbest questions when they hear we are from Kansas. I think KU's debate, football and basketball wins may make them think again! :)
5 July 2008 at 7:35 p.m.
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jaywalker (Anonymous) says…
Naw, Ronda, no 'kid'. I was still at KU at the time, had to go see about a girl. That's if you're referring to the late night bike ride. The eagle excursion was on Xmas day, late 80's/early 90's. Noone to spend the holiday with, tried to get a snap shot up close of those magnificent birds. Got within 30' of one up on a branch but the camera jammed.
Right with you on the smell of fresh summer rain on grass, or even better that thick musty smell of the rain on pavement.
5 July 2008 at 7:54 p.m.
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Ronda Miller (Ronda Miller) says…
I was indeed referring to the late night bike ride, jay! :) I understand completely if you were going to see about a girl - I have been known to have been out visiting a “fella” on an early morning occasion too in my younger days. :(
Sounds like a wonderful Christmas day excursion - some of my favorite memories of Christmas are ones where we had a chance to be outside instead of sitting around stuffing ourselves.
It sounds as though you are a true nature lover. Musty smell of rain is the winner - I will be desirous of that smell the rest of the evening. Actually the smell of musty is usually pretty nice - musty and musky.
5 July 2008 at 7:55 p.m.
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Ronda Miller (Ronda Miller) says…
Good one jonas - you do have that reputation thing going on with you - what's up with? :) Are you a native Kansan?
5 July 2008 at 9:15 p.m.
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not_dolph (Anonymous) says…
spiderman (Anonymous) says…
well, i am a native and have only lived in Missouri & Colorado as a legal resident.
so i like to be between MO & CO ?
–––—
Did you practice architecture in Missouri as well…? Or just Colorado?
5 July 2008 at 9:36 p.m.
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notajayhawk (Anonymous) says…
“nota is from cold, snowy northern state?”
As opposed to those cold, snowy southern ones?
:)
5 July 2008 at 9:47 p.m.
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inmate (Anonymous) says…
It's a great place to be incarcerated.
5 July 2008 at 11:32 p.m.
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Ronda Miller (Ronda Miller) says…
nota - ya got me there! smart a—!!!!
inmate, I haven't seen a post from you since my “Prisoner Pen Pals” blog - are you getting out anytime soon?
spiderman, your body lives in Kansas and you have legs in Col. and Missouri? ;) That is really stretching things! Do you move from state to state or do you hang out in Kansas because it is the cool place to be?
not_dolph - very good line!!!! How about you not_dolph? What are your ahhhhs for Kansas?
You all get more creative as the night goes on and I'm loving it.
5 July 2008 at 11:33 p.m.
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Aileen Dingus (Aileen Dingus) says…
Rhonda- both kids are still in school, so they don't have much choice but to stay here! (at least for now!)
I doubt either of them will find their roots before they're in their 30s though, if they're anything like their parents!
5 July 2008 at 11:45 p.m.
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Ronda Miller (Ronda Miller) says…
I know what you mean, Dazie! It took me a long, long time to find my roots too. I hope they find them growing close to their mama though! :) You sound like a caring mom. My daughter talked like she would leave for college somewhere else as soon as she could, but the closer she gets to that age the more it sounds like KU will be where she wants to be. We are fortunate to have a great school right here to help keep them around a little longer!
5 July 2008 at 11:58 p.m.
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discoveringtheglobe (Anonymous) says…
Hmm, spent most of my life living in Kansas City and Lawrence, Moved to Santiago, Chile, then to Seattle, now San Francisco. What I miss.
The colorful skies after a thunderstorm.
People not really trying to be different for the sake the sake of being different.
24 hour shopping at Dillons and Wal-Mart
Overall, people aren't much so different through the entire U.S. Much more religious and conservative in Kansas than say California but many here in San Francisco are actually very conservative but try not to look that way, lots of modern day hippies, granola types, homeless, etc. here. I think there are more homeless in the block I live than the entire state of Kansas. So many people with tatoos, dreadlocks smoking pot, etc. here in SF.
Another difference I noticed is that Kansans are more humble. Many people here in San Francisco just believe they are more educated just because they live here. They almost look down at Midwesterners. Very narrow minded if you ask me. But they do not realize it. Even though I have traveled most of the world and lived overseas many here who have never left the Bay area think they have experienced just as much cultural diversification as me because they truly believe SF is such a diverse city. But in reality most of the people that live here are much alike. They think it is culturally diverse because of the acceptance of the large gay community. To my that is not diversity.
Many here in SF are downright rude. You can say good morning to someone or hello and they will simply ignore you. That rarely happens in Kansas. Los Angeles and San Diego are much better in terms of people though. They are much nicer and normal. I think SF is more like Hollywood than Hollywood itself, a lot of pretenders. People try say they are environmentalist but really aren't and try to have the “earthy” look.
The biggest thing I miss about Kansas are my friends from growing up and college.
Miss my experience at KU and thoughtful staff in the engineering department who supported me while obtaining my engineering degree. Although, many here do not think to highly of any colleges other than Cal Berkeley, Stanford, etc. What a joke.
Anyway, enough rambling for now.
6 July 2008 at 12:20 a.m.
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discoveringtheglobe (Anonymous) says…
Oh, when people ask me where I am from because I seem different, a little nicer and thoughtful, I proudly say Kansas!
And when I am riding my bike up in the hills and mountains here in the Bay Area and pass 95% of the cyclist, sometimes the cyclist ask me where I am from, I say Kansas, and they are shocked and remark, “Kansas, it is so flat”.
I reply, I road for the KU cycling team and we were darn good!
OK, I don't tell them I trained in Chile in the mountains :)
6 July 2008 at 1:51 a.m.
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jonas (Anonymous) says…
ronda: Not exactly native, but it's all I can remember. I was born in Alaska over a month early, and stayed there long enough to get popped out of an incubator, then on to Seattle, then Cincinnatti, then when I was finally old enough to start figuring out what was going on, I was Atchison. Didn't stay there long, thankfully, not much there, but never left Kansas.
I'm not seriously very anti-Kansas, for anything but the damned weather. A place is a place is a place. They all have something to value, and they all have something that detracts. (This might be a developed country/economy thing, though) I am about ready to move on, though, and get some new experiences under my belt.
6 July 2008 at 2:55 a.m.
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discoveringtheglobe (Anonymous) says…
Hey Jonas, I do not now how much you have traveled but not all developed countries are like the U.S.. Canada, Australia, New Zealand and even England can all be grouped together in my opinion but once you get out of English colonized countries things are a little different.
“A place is a place is a place.” Yes and no. Even though some of the people here in San Francisco really irritate me I would not trade the landscape and weather for that in Kansas. The natural elements make a huge difference. Also, a little less franchised out here.
But overall, yes, the entire U.S. is about the same relative to many other parts of the world, except for the aforementioned English colonized countries. Again, my opinion.
Also, the difference on the coast is you get a larger influx of foreigners that do have a little effect in some cases but many second generations convert to the American lifestyle rendering their original culture moot.
I would say New York City is about the only city that has a little bit of a different feel to it. But not enough to say that is a lot different than the rest of the U.S.
If you are curious check out my gallery of my photos I have taken around the world.
www.pbase.com/toddk.
If you have not ventured overseas much you should just do it.
6 July 2008 at 2:59 a.m.
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Irene (Anonymous) says…
Since we're no longer living in Lawrence, but are going to be back visiting Kansas mid-month (from Oregon), I've been thinking of the things I'm looking forward to. The simple things are best: fireflies flashing in the grass, the sound of cicadas, the incomparable Kansas sky, the Cottonwoods rustling, the walk next to the river … plus the frozen custard which they don't have here. But hey! Is it true that Newhouse Dairy is no more? Their chocolate milk in glass bottles is going to have to remain a fond memory for me?
6 July 2008 at 8:19 a.m.
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davidsmom (Anonymous) says…
I've lived in Kansas since November 1978, having lived briefly in Texas after being born and raised in Ohio. But now I feel like a native Kansan. All four of my children were born in this state. I like the fact that this state is smack in the middle of the country - truly the “heart of America.” I like the fact that the geographic center of the U.S. is in Kansas. I work in Kansas City, MO so I cross the state line twice a day five days a week, and I even then I experience something I can't define, sort of a sense of “coming home” each time. There's really nothing I don't love about Kansas, but I especially love KU and the Jayhawks.
6 July 2008 at 9:20 a.m.
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Ronda Miller (Ronda Miller) says…
I love the variety of things that have been mentioned since I was on last night.
discoveringtheglobe, I envy the fact that you have been able to travel so much - and I can honestly say that since I live in Kansas and don't have to put on airs like I don't care! :). I agree with your assessment that people tend to put “Kansans” down as under educated, as hicks, as cowboys (that isn't too bad), and haven't a clue as to the diverse beauty which carries over into the nice qualities that Kansans seem to have. Maybe a lot of our natural acceptance of others has to do with how many weather changes we have to accept on a day to day basis! lol
In any case, it is good to hear that you are proud to say you are from Kansas - you do Kansas proud. Have you been back for any of the local bike runs that have been taking place yearly? Sounds as though SF folk are the great pretenders! Too bad for them. It is hard not to become and remain real in Kansas.
jonas, where are you headed after you leave Kansas? Don't hesitate to write home and let us know what you really miss once you are gone - you mention the weather extremes as one thing you do not like and I'll just bet that will be one of the things you'll really miss. When I first moved from NW Kansas to Illinois (now that state is flat!), I missed the wind - we were used to about twenty to thirty mile an hour winds all the time and I loved it. So don't forget us; stay in touch! :)
Irene, you named several of my favorite things: fireflies, cicadas, cottonwood trees, rustling grasses - I have been seeing a lot of fireflies as it has been a rather wet year, but I have not heard the cicadas as yet - perhaps they are later in the hot months of late July and August. Enjoy your visit when you get back and thanks for sharing what your loves are.
davidsmom, spoken like a true KU fan! I agree that being in the center of the United States is awesome in and of itself - I feel a bit more protected somehow and a unique part of a greater connection. It helps that we have terrific neighboring states too. Crossing the line from Missouri into Kansas puts a smile on my face and lightens my load each time as well. For me it is usually coming back from flying somewhere and driving home from the airport - terrific feeling. Dorothy was right when she said, “There is no place like home,” and it is right on when Kansas is your home.
I am trying not to ask what the heck you people do that you are writing in the wee hours of the morning? Very curious!
6 July 2008 at 9:25 a.m.
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xbusguy (Anonymous) says…
Today is the best thing about Kansas. I live less than 10 miles from Lawrence, yet surrounded by peaceful woods, farmers harvesting wheat. We also enjoy the deer and wild turkeys.
And best of all we say ” you guys” instead of “ya-all”
6 July 2008 at 9:27 a.m.
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xbusguy (Anonymous) says…
Almost forgot….. In Kansas our bushes don't talk>
6 July 2008 at 9:46 a.m.
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Ronda Miller (Ronda Miller) says…
xbusguy! “in Kansas our bushes don't talk” - the other Bush doesn't talk really either does he? lol All bushes need be quiet!
Ten miles outside of Lawrence sounds terrific. You have the best of both worlds: rural living, but close to Lawrence. Do you have animals? I want a mini horse so bad and hope someday to have one. They don't bark so maybe I can sneak one in my house and no one would ever know.
It is a beautiful day - I was out early doing some yard work. I had an email from folk in Bird City and they said the harvest is ongoing there, but people are nervous because they had another storm come through and they were needing things to be dry to harvest as needed.
Enjoy your day!
6 July 2008 at 9:58 a.m.
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discoveringtheglobe (Anonymous) says…
Funny thing. I never miss a KU basketball game. When I lived in Chile I watched it over the internet. I like to rub the fact in that I am a KU alumn to all these Cal guys here who talk up UCLA and Cal all the time. Of course I had to bring up Paul Pierce and company beating L.A. and K.U. winning the championship when UCLA couldn't make it. Sometimes I breakout my KU Engineering sweatshirt because everyone here wears Cal Bears all over the place. Believe it or not sometimes I see a KU Jayhawk shirt here. I work near Cal Berkeley and even see an occasional Jawhawk there as well. Sometimes I see Paul Pierce jerseys too here.
Actually I meet Jayhawks all over. Met a group of KU girls in Seville, Spain a few months ago. It was really nice to talk with them. They were so friendly. I was so excited.
I return to Kansas about once a year or two. Wish I could return a little more often. Like to bring my bike back and ride on the open roads. I remember you can see for miles on the country roads there and all you hear is the wind.
6 July 2008 at 10:01 a.m.
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discoveringtheglobe (Anonymous) says…
One thing I notice that even though some of us have moved away from Kansas we check in to the LJWorld and other local papers still. Kind of funny. I guess you never totally leave home.
6 July 2008 at 10:17 a.m.
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discoveringtheglobe (Anonymous) says…
justbegintowrite , yes, I like to say I am from Kansas where ever I go. Overseas as well. Funny when I am in Asia, Australia, Europe or South America people know about Kansas. Many know of the Wizard of Oz. My Chinese girlfriend I had here in SF, a professional writer, wrote the translation of Wizard of Oz for Chinese kids. i guess it is very popular there. She was so excited when I told her I was from Kansas when we first met. She gave me a copy of Wizard of Oz written in Chinese.
Oh, and tornadoes. They always ask me about what they are like and if I have ever really seen one.
I get a lot of questions about Kansas City and how it can be in two states. Many hear good things about Lawrence. Never heard a bad comment about it. You would be surprised what some people know.
6 July 2008 at 10:46 a.m.
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jonas (Anonymous) says…
discoveringtheglobe: At this point, I have under my belt the Dominican Republic, Italy, France, Netherlands, Mexico, and four months living in China. The next spot is Japan, probably next summer, as both me and my wife have always wanted to go there.
I don't, however, tend to pay much attention to natural elements, wherever I go. I can appreciate it, for sure, but they don't move or influence me as much as I gather they do other people. I'm much more a fan of different types of architecture.
I did quite enjoy Frisco. Being able to walk 4 blocks to a different culture was great, and there was TV in all four languages that I speak to varying degrees. All in all, though, my meaning was that I myself am the same in all places I go to, and the habits that I slide into when I'm living anywhere usually end up being the same. Not exactly, but similar. I've never found people to be too dissimilar either, from place to place. Some of the details might be different, but the deep things all seem to be the same with humans.
6 July 2008 at 10:47 a.m.
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jonas (Anonymous) says…
Ronda: No idea where I'm going. Hoping to stay domestic for awhile, as my son lives with his mom and I don't want him to have to travel 13 hours on a plane to visit me. Wherever I go, though, is up to where there's a job that needs someone with a new MBA and reasonable fluency in Chinese.
6 July 2008 at 11:07 a.m.
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Multidisciplinary (Anonymous) says…
jonas got divorced?
Am I more than a little confused here?
6 July 2008 at 11:21 a.m.
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notnowdear (Anonymous) says…
I forgot to mention that Kansas, particularly W. Kansas, has millions more stars to see at night than here. You have a entire planetarium-like, but with more detail, in the night skies of W. Kansas.
The noise level is lower in W. Kansas.
Needless to say, the cities are not! the best things about Kansas.
remember this! and take it to heart:
** All people are foreigners to Kansas and the USA unless they are Native Americans,
who were also, at one time or another, foreigners here as well.
*** Let's let go of the massive level of pretense that provides the foundation for political immigration issues.
Not long ago my sister lived in Santiago, for more diplomatic reasons than you, I am sure.
6 July 2008 at 12:25 p.m.
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Ronda Miller (Ronda Miller) says…
notnowdear, I agree that the star filled skies in Kansas nights are the best anywhere I have been (New Mexico skies are great as well) and I spent a lot of nights sitting on a fence post star gazing. I miss that. Very easy to see stars when there are no distracting lights around - once in awhile we'd see a lone porch light or the headlights of a car as they made their way along highway 36 on their way to the big(ger) city!
I agree with you also about immigrates - Cheyenne Indians populated the area where I lived way before any of us did and they left some interesting items behind. I still feel sick to my stomach when I think about how we have/do treated Native American Indians and it doesn't stop there does it?
jonas, happy trails to you wherever you end up. You have lived a lot of interesting places. What tops the list so far? Traveling is one thing I don't think I could get enough of - it is always great to get home, but it sure is wonderful to see far away places and other cultures really fascinate me.
discovering, it is amazing how familar people are with “The Wizard of Oz”. Just one of those stories that captures the imagination of children everywhere - how interesting that your girlfriend had done the translation - that may have been one of the reasons she found you so attractive - your Kansas connection! A lot of kids have had bad dreams from that story though too; and now the world over! lol Those monkeys and the bad witch were scary indeed.
It doesn't seem to matter where we travel, we also meet Jayhawks - it helps to wear a shirt that says so to invite conversation though. :)
6 July 2008 at 1:27 p.m.
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jonas (Anonymous) says…
multiD: Wo de qizi bu shi wo de erzi de mama.
My wife is not the mother of my son. My son was, shall we say, a high-school graduation present.
6 July 2008 at 2:03 p.m.
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discoveringtheglobe (Anonymous) says…
jonas, it is amazing how my image of San Francisco changed once I actually lived here. I used to visit here often and loved it. Now the only thing I really enjoy is the natural scenery and the outsiders who come in from other parts of the state, the country or overseas. The ones who were born here and have not traveled much seem to have an unusual attitude. They have their clicks and are not to fast to accept outsiders.
The only friendships I have made here are with the foreigners, the vast majority being Asian. The rest are not so sincere and are not so open.
The vast majority of the time when someone looks at me with a smile or is open they are usually from Southern Cal, the Midwest or the East Coast.
And for natural scenery, sometimes it makes a big difference to me. To see the Andes when I wake up in the morning in my apartment in Chile or to watch the sun cast a orange glow on the mountains is truly moving. When I was in the South Island in New Zealand the nature was so beautiful it was almost spiritual.
If you notice my gallery it is mostly architecture, I also studied that at KU. That was my first draw to Europe was its beautiful architecture. To walk into one of their cathedrals is awe inspiring.
Finally, I do think people are different in different places. In South America the people give more importance to leisure and spending time with friends and family. Money and consumerism is not primary like here. Friendships and bonds are more sincere.
Another example, when I am in Turkey I can since that their is a different way they view the world. I almost feel a little unease. Like I do not have as many freedoms socially like in the States. I was afraid to even take photos in some places after the police stopped me. And after passing through metal detectors just to get to the shopping mall it created a whole different mood. The interaction between women and men are different. etc. The people do seem different.
But with anything, everyone has a different opinion about everything. It just depends.
6 July 2008 at 2:18 p.m.
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notajayhawk (Anonymous) says…
Okay, here's another two-cents worth (somebody stop me when I get to a dime).
I appreciate and to an extent agree with the things people have been talking about on this thread. However, once again I'll point out that many of those things are not unique to Kansas. You want to see stars? Try upstate New York. (For the uninitiated, 'upstate' pretty much refers to anything north of Yonkers to the people there.) When you get away from the cities, the air is just as clear, and it's also cold, without the slightest hint of haze. And many of the things said about the way of life are common to small towns throughout the country, even the world.
Maybe the people are different - not better or worse, but different - but that's more regional than inherent to the state. My first stop in the Midwest was