973.8 Miles

We're home.  Settling back in.  Washer running.  Photos uploaded to Walgreen's to pick up later.  Everything put back in its place.

Vacation is technically over, and now it's time to reflect on all that we've experienced and enjoyed.

Our Hastings, Nebraska, experience was phenomenal.  Until 3:30 this morning.  But more on that later.  Yesterday was the beginning of a 3-day event celebrating Kool-Aid, which originated in Nebraska back in the 20's (under a different name).  While checking into the Comfort Inn on the south side of town, we enjoyed a wonderful visit with the desk clerk.  He proceeded to give us coupons for a free drink to Rivals Bar and Grill and gave us a menu for another place he'd give us coupons for the following evening.  Rivals was a great place and we were able to sit back and take care of emails and messages while enjoying a cold one.

Kool-Aid Days is a huge event than has attracted about 50,000 people each year.  We wanted to get a jump on it, and went to the Hastings Museum after lunch to get our fill of history, art, and Kool-Aid information.  As we were walking up towards the entrance, a local reported asked if she could interview us for a Kool-Aid spot on the news.  Heck, why not.  Most of you have seen this video we shot of the news over on Facebook, but here it is again.  I just don't want to lose this as we laughed so hard at what dorks we are.

Thought the iPad did pretty good actually - except it caught everything Bill and I said behind the 'camera'.

Didn't know we were going to be on TV, so shot a pic of ourselves off the hood of the car before we left.

I think we have both gained about 79.8 pounds on this trip.  Not eating in restaurants and eating in the hotel rooms means MORE food gets consumed.  (Yeah, the diet starts back up today.)  Bill thought it appropriate to wear his Pink Floyd t-shirt to the museum as their main display this summer is "Summer of Love - 1968 in America".  We absolutely adored the Kool-Aid portion of the exhibit!  It was bright, cheerful, colorful along with being interactive.  The 1968 exhibit was good, too, but realized that we probably had most of this stuff in our garage!  While looking at the guitar replicas that Paul McCartney and John Lennon had at that time and doing my own oo-ing and ah-ing, Bill chimes in and says, "Why don't they ever show the DRUMS???"  He was joking, of course, but it's a good question.

There were more animal displays in this museum that we'd ever encountered before.  Of course, there was a buffalo.......

.....enough said.

We totally enjoyed this whole experience, but decided it will be a LONG time before we do a museum or look at pioneer tools or Indian artifacts.  We are on history overload today, which isn't a bad thing at all.  We took the desk clerk's advice and went to Taylor's Steakhouse.  Yes, we took it back to the hotel to eat, and it was fantastic food!  The decor was right out of the 60's and 70's, but the food!!!  OOOOO, good stuff.  Highly recommend it.

Now back to why we are home a half day early.  At 3:30 this morning, our smoke alarm in our room started screeching and when we got up there was water coming down from the alarm, down the hotel door and a couple other places.  There was no fire, just someone above us forgot to turn the water off in his sink.  This same person woke us up at 3:30 the night before roaming around his room.  Anyway, by the time we notified the front desk, got more towels to wipe up the bathroom, put buckets and trashcans in place to catch the fast drips from the ceiling, we were stinking WIDE AWAKE!  We weren't about to move our junk from one room to another for only a few hours, and we had nothing super important planned for the day we wouldn't miss.  We just packed up and drove home.  Straight home, no stops, no coffee.

When the car was unloaded I was able to see all the beautiful yarns picked up in Scottsbluff at Brown Sheep Company.......

Yes, 7 bags full.  Two skeins had been pulled out mid-week to start a TygerLily bag and I've taken over my own OGI bag as the new knitting tote.

Life will now get back to normal.  Probably not many stories from us for awhile.  The coffee is on, and brunch  is being served (by Bill).  Bill really missed cooking - honestly.  He is happy to be back in his kitchen - I am, too.

A trip full of stories, memories and 973.8 adventurous miles.

Playing Nebraska Catch-Up

After leaving Scottsbluff after staying for three nights (we loved it there) our goal was Ogallala and Front Street.  Remember in an earlier post we had finally found it on our way out west, but it was closed.  On a weekday, around lunchtime, this is what we encountered at Front Street...........

......everything but the restaurant was closed.  Had wanted our pictures taken 'western style' but their sign said they were at the county fair.  Even the antique shop was no longer there and had moved across the street.  So needless to say, we left, never to return.  And it really put me in one fowl mood, shame on me.  Drove on to North Platte for the night and try to get my attitude straightened out.  :)
   But we made plans for the rest of the trip, and by the time we were on the road Thursday morning, we were both in a much better attitude and spirit.  On to Kearney, Minden and Hastings.

 We have been to the "Great Platte River Road" archway near Kearney before, but never took the time to actually walk around and enjoy the historical walk through that spans the interstate below.

 Here we go with a picture by a buffalo again.....  I think maybe it's just a big enough object that Bill can actually get a good focus on it with the camera.  His good eye has been giving him issues this week, so any picture that he offers to take is a huge blessing, buffalo and all.

 A beautiful mosaic out front of the archway - tons of pennies have been thrown on it like a wishing well.

 It's just a magnificent place, in looks and structure.  And the weather behaved beautifully.

 There was a little walk over bridge beyond the mosaic and the water was so blue.  We just had to walk over the bridge and see what was on the other side.

 On our way back over the bridge, we finally read this sign.  No fishing?  Bill was quite disturbed.  HA!  If anyone has been to the Henry Doorly Zoo in Omaha and know how the koi is under the big bridge there, that's how the fish were under this bridge.  Only these were good FISHING fish.  Bill couldn't make them out very well due to his eyes, but I could not believe how many fish were close to the surface and taunting us.  The little kids on the bridge were calling out the names of the fish.  That didn't help poor Bill's un-fishing attitude any.  But it was beautiful.

 Close to the end of the historical tour through the archway, there was a spot where you could stop and watch the interstate traffic and see if anyone is speeding.  Of course, when we were there, no one was.  Actually, there have been very few instances of speeders so far this trip!

On to Minden only a few miles southeast of Kearney....

 On our way into town, we knew to be watching for Bill's grandpa's arch that was reportedly along the highway before the entrance to the Harold Warp's Pioneer Village.  So being tourists, I stopped in the middle of the highway and snapped a pic quick.  Wasn't sure if we would see if good from the inside of the museum.

 But we did!!  This used to be the archway on the east side of Columbus, Nebraska back in the day to welcome you to their town.  Floyd Nichols (Bill's grandpa) is the artist and maker.

 The sun was playing perfectly off the relief work on the arch.

 They've preserved the newspaper article from 1980 explaining how Bill's mom, Ruth Nichols, had been searching for the arch to try and preserve it.  It had been torn down in 1962 to make way for a wider highway into Columbus.  This explains her work in getting it located and placed at this particular museum.

 Here is one VERY proud grandson - an he should be.  I was even emotional about it.  Bill's family is so full of art and creativity.

Side note:   If you check back to a previous post about David City, you will see more of Floyd Nichols sculptures at the entrance of the city park.  The David City artwork has a military theme and well worth taking a peek at.

With all the history we're encountered, and museums visited, we found plenty of historical items for my own craft and employment, and only drums that would reflect Bill's interests.  But there were no printing presses to be found anywhere and it's been my mission all week to find at least one!  And at Pioneer Village we finally located a room full of them.  And out of that whole room, NONE of them (not even a maker) matched anything we had ever had in our business, nor where he works now.  There were plenty of letter presses, and that particular hobby is quite popular on handmade sites these days.  But my mission was now complete.

We stopped for a root beer float before leaving the village which topped off a nostalgic day perfectly.  Back in the car and headed east to Hastings for Kool Aid Days, a 3 day event celebrating the fact that Kool Aid is part of Nebraska history.

David City, Nebraska - a Day Trip to Bone Creek Museum to Celebrate FAMILY

An afternoon trip to celebrate family and it's art history.....


Here is the route we took to get there, a route we've driven more times than we can remember.  It was a pleasant drive past James Arthur Vineyards, sleepy little towns, cemeteries with flags waving in the wind for the Memorial Weekend, rolling hills with lush trees and terraced farmland.  One area especially was full of life:  four hawks circling and a crane flying right along with us as we drove past.  It was also very close to where I got my first deer in 2003.... with my car.  



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We got to David City about 15 minutes earlier than we'd planned, so a little driving around the old stomping grounds was a given.  When you travel north into town, my old high school sits to the east.  Then the beautiful golf course and updated and well maintained park lakes soon follow.  Yes, there were golfers today as it was high school reunion time and there was plenty going on.  


Across from the park lakes sits an art studio.  And not just any art studio either.  It is my mother-in-law's, where she teaches and helps children learn and enjoy art.  Ruth is just too talented to NOT have a studio.

About a half a block further north we stopped and got a good shot of the old City Park entrance gate.  These pillars were created by my husband's grandfather, Floyd Nichols, an artist in his own right, using metal in his work.  Amazing things.  After years of weathering, the original paint had come off the relief work soldiers.  Bills' mom, Ruth (with the above art studio) took on the task of refurbishing the paint a few years back, and they still look wonderful.

I had never taken the time to look at the plaque underneath the soldier....  It proudly states that it was made by Floyd F. Nichols in the year 1940.  And they still stand.

Driving down the highway on 4th Street just took me WAY back to the days of cruising around.  But before we even get to 'downtown' we have to stop at Floyd Nichols' original home, which he built out of stone.  Yes, stone.  It still stands and his granddaughter and family live there now.  It's still stunning.

This studio, as it's called now, was a Dairy Queen when I was a little girl.  Bill remembers it that way, too.  So we pulled up to the little window that we used to get the BEST soft serve ice cream from, and Bill says, "I don't remember that window being that small."  Of course not!  We were all little and EVERYTHING was big, even that important ice cream window.  Beyond the studio, you can see the stone house.....

Phenomenal.... incredible.....

This doesn't show it very well, but the whole highway was outfitted with American flags on the light poles.  Yes, I took this driving, but there sure isn't any traffic anywhere, is there?  :)  The flags didn't show up too well, but they were there and they were wonderful.

Even though Ruth was not home, she wanted us to stop by and see her new siding on her home.  That woman has it going on now!!!  What an adorable little home she has - it's perfect...

OK, we needed to get where we were supposed to meet and greet for the reception at Bone Creek, but one more little side trip to a place I'd haunt every summer as a kid..... the library.  Well, this is the OLD library.  I found out later that it has been turned into an apartment house of sorts.  VERY sad.  :(  And the trim is painted lime green of all colors.  It broke my heart to see it this way, but then again this place holds such wonderful memories.... and smells..... books!

On to Bone Creek Museum of Agrarian Art........  to meet, greet, hobnob, get some souvenirs and of course, learn some things.  And we did!

I was blessed to nab this picture as no photography is to be taken inside the museum due to copyright infringements, etc.  But none of Dale Nichols' painting are in full view and none of his work was compromised.  In this photo is Dale's family:  Holly and Dale (grandson), Joan and companion (daughter) and my mother-in-law Ruth (niece).  Ruth is holding a new art book of Dale Nichols' paintings and history.  We had to pre-order, but it's going to be well worth having.

 This is Amanda Mobley Guenther, the author of the book on his work.  She is absolutely one of the most genuine people around and for her to take on this project - wow!  Check out the article from Omaha.com about her and the Dale Nichols project HERE.

 Yes, David City's fine mayor, Alan Zovodny, was there to give a fine little talk - and well done!  And do you see the yellow State Farm building behind the mayor?  That building used to be my dad's, where he worked himself night and day, day and night, as an accountant.  It looks very cheery now with its yellow paint - even from the alley!

Finally, our Lt. Governor Rick Sheehy from Hastings, Nebraska.  His speech about Nebraska and agri-tourism was really very interesting!  Both Bill and I were glued to everything he was saying.  But as you know, we are going to do the Nebraska Passport vacation this August and we are just hungry for trivia and even MORE trivia.  I also enjoyed giving Mr. Sheehy a little tease about being from Hastings, and it claim to fame:  Kool-Aid!  Yes, check it out.  Our own Hastings, Nebraska is the birthplace of Kool-Aid!  

Travel Nebraska - see what's out there!  Never know what you might learn.  :)