We're not in Kansas anymore . . . . .

I recently returned back to my home town in Western KS. to visit my folks for the Holidays. I haven't been back in sometime and not much had really changed. Mostly, flat brown pastures, with a few scattered trees that trace along the rivers and creeks, and the ones that outline the towns. The only other trees are long lines of trees called shelter belts. These are rows of trees planted in the 40's to keep the gusty western Kansas winds from blowing the dry soil away. You can also see for miles out there. From my folks front porch I can see about 7 small towns dotting the horizon and at night you can see the lights of many others. While out hunting, I also noticed how many old cars, decrepid farm machinery and other junk that litter the tree rows and abandoned farm yards. The people in that area never trade tractors, cars, or throw anything away. They just drive the wheels off of them and stash them nicely in a tree row. Even though I grew up there, to this day I'm not quite sure why. One thing however, did catch me off guard since living in the city, the rural area wave. Weather you know someone or not, people wave, and wave back. I did, for the first time, realize each person's wave is as distintive as their personality. Some folks have the standard back and forth wave, some have the #1 finger just off of the steering wheel, while others just give you a little flip of the hand. Nothing, however can top my friend Stoneys' wave. He uses the, not too uncommon, in my neck of the woods, gunfighter wave. This is when you take both hands off the wheel, make a pistol with your thumb and index finger and in gunslinger fashion, shoot at the vehicle, following it all the way till it passes. It's a bit dangerous but at least I always know who it is. I hope this little blog will make you want to visit someday. Come down and see some of the sites, like the largest hand dug well, the largest ball of twine, or just meet some real nice people.

- Justin