Loveland to Lawrence

The drive from Loveland to Lawrence Kansas was looooooong - 10 hours worth. Fortunately, we had clear skies, not the rain and wind that was predicted. We drove straight through, stopping only for lunch and gas.

Kansas is surprisingly beautiful. We weren't sure what to expect - I thought it would be flat and monotonous. Wrong. Lots of rolling hills, trees, cattle, and green everywhere you look. Coming from brown, dry California, it's gorgeous. I didn't get a lot of knitting done once we got over the border from Colorado; the scenery was too pretty to ignore.

We made only one side trip, to Eisenhower's Presidential Library and boyhood home in Abilene. Dick and I have been reading a series of WEB Griffin's books about the OSS in WWII. It's made us more conscious of Ike and his era. The library was closed by the time we got there Friday evening, but we stretched our legs and took a few photos - including spring flowers - before getting back on the road.We pulled in to Lawrence a little after 8 pm. Our hotel was another pleasant surprise. It's right on the Kansas River; our room's 10' high, 20' wide expanse of windows overlooks the water. And the "suite" is almost as large as our first apartment, with kitchenette, living room, bedroom, a giant SPA TUB where we can sit and look out at the river (yep, tried it the first night!), and a separate shower/bathroom. Not sure how we lucked into this suite (most of the others on our floor are about half the size) but we love it.

Lawrence is a college town with an active downtown. Lots of restaurants, galleries, and fun shops within a block or so of the hotel. We had dinner the first night at a BBQ joint - when in Kansas, one must eat red meat right? - and it was great. And inexpensive; under $20 for more food than we could eat.

My weaving class is in an office building adjacent to Yarn Barn of Kansas, which is on the main drag in downtown (Massachusetts St.). The instructor, Jason Collingwood, is very good. His father wrote the book (literally) on rug weaving and Jason has been teaching the techniques for a number of years.

Today was a bit frustrating - my loom wasn't set up correctly and I ended up redoing the warp 3 or 4 times before getting it right. Partly user error; partly a problem with the loom. Mostly user error. Once that was corrected and I got caught up with the rest of the class, the day flew.I have 2 more days in the workshop. After that, we're heading north to Mt. Rushmore - something I've always wanted to see - and then home, probably through Utah. I miss the kids and the kitties, but this has been a great trip so far.