Driving Kansas: Burlington
Apple-picking time is here again and that means another trip South, this time to an exciting destination of Burlington, KS. Somehow, I have never realized that the Wolf Creek Nuclear Generating Station is located near Burlington, or even in Kansas, but the distinct-looking domed building is clearly visible while approaching the town on HWY 75. We had to cut our visit to Burlington short because we had plans for the evening and my camera’s battery was getting low, but I did manage to snap a few photos and resolved to come back to the area for a more detailed look.
At the first glance, Burlington the Coffey County seat – is not much different from the other rural county seats in Kansas like Garnett or Cottonwood Falls.
Similar-looking downtown, clean and in decent shape…
Continue reading →Old Photos: Kansas City Between The Hind Legs
On October 25,1954 Life magazine wrote about the installation of the Hereford Sculpture in Kansas City.
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Singing With the Russian Accent
Ivan Rebroff who was neither “Ivan” nor “Rebroff”, became world-famous for singing Russian Folk Songs. My Father always cherished an old “contraband” record of Rebroff’s incredible voice.
httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ep3h-2r_q98
httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ky_3YZQRNtE
Continue reading →Visual Parallels
Kansas: As Red As You Think It Is
Recently through the magic of Facebook an article came to my attention. Bruised Kansas by Jeffrey Ann Goudie laments the transformation of the State of Kansas from a state on the forefront of racial equality and “proud history of women in politics” to a state where Governor Brownback autocratically imposes his “boilerplate political agenda”.
The only thing missing was one of those before and after photos that get passed around on the internet.
When I read the article, I kept thinking that the author must not be living in the same Kansas I live in; one can argue that Johnson County, KS is not representative of the entire state, but I am fairly familiar with a large part of it, having driven thousands of miles on my semi-frequent road trips to familiarize myself with the state where I made my home for the past 20 years. During that time I have met many Kansans, had candid conversations with countless acquaintances and coworkers not necessarily constrained by Codes of Business Conduct and unnecessary politeness, so I have a pretty good idea about the people I am surrounded with in my daily life, and, boy, is this state RED.
I’d be the first one to defend Kansas for being unfairly maligned, but not because the criticism and stereotyping is misplaced, but because, in most cases, it’s coming from places that are no better and not much further along on the scale of progress. I will never stop saying that people of Kansas are some of the most kind, helpful, compassionate people I’ve ever met. But boy, is this state RED.
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