Let it Snow, let it snow, let it snow!

Early this week it snowed in Lawrence (along with the greater portion of the rest of the country). With the actual temperatures below freezing, it was safest to follow the cats' example: stay inside, where it is warm and dry, and check it all out through the window. All in all, there were 10 inches total at our house!

Topeka Zoo - January 8, 2011

Flamingos

Parrot

Macaw

Sleeping Bat

Tropical Rainforest Area with Lots of Birds

Poison Dart Frogs

Lizard

Tortoises

Orangutan

We both took our turn at kissing the monkeys!

Tiger

Porcupine

Giraffes

Hippopotamuses

Goat

Ducks

Bald Eagle

Grizzly Bear

Snow Fox

Mountain Lion

As part of a musical project Brian has been working on, we spent last Saturday at the Topeka Zoo. Located in Gage Park, it features a number of different species, far more than I was expecting from a regional zoo. Suffice it to say, we were surprised to come across so many lions, tigers, and bears, oh my! Not to mention, the birds in the Tropical Rainforest area, one of which took a liking to my sweater and started pecking at its balls.

Christmas 2010 - Lawrence, KS

 

 

 

 

This year, we spent Christmas Eve and Christmas Day in Lawrence, KS with our two kitty gatos, Smokey and Sadie (the Goat). While we missed seeing the family, it was fun to watch the cats go crazy with the tree and excessive amounts of cat nip!

Maple Leaf Festival 2010

 

 

 
The Maple Leaf Festival started in 1958 in Baldwin City, Kansas. It began as a community even inspired by Dr. Ivan Boyd, a biology professor at Baker University, also located in Baldwin City. Dr. Boyd stated that the third weekend of October was the best time to observe the changing colors of the Maple leaves as well as celebrate a successful harvest.

Now, more than fifty years later, the event continues to attract hundreds of people (as we noticed as we were waiting in the slew of cars on the turnpike). With over 300 craft exhibits, quilt shows, performing arts, live music, and unique fair food, it is a family-friendly event with something for everyone. Moreover, it provides an opportunity for local non-profits to raise funds.

Once we found parking, we held back the temptation to try the BBQ sandwiches at the firetruck to see what the billowing smoke could mean in terms of meat cooking on a grill. We began to make our way through the crowds, stopped off to buy a lemonade from a group of kids with a lemonade/grape kool-aid stand, and finally ended at a huge grill with a variety of animals to choose from. We settled on a brat, a hamburger, and an order of nachos with the liquid cheese.

After we ate, we started walking back through the streets to check out the quilt display and some of the craft vendors. All the while, we reminded ourselves that we needed to make it back to the stand with the huge cookies. So, at the end of the day, we returned to the stand which packed full of homemade goodies.  Just as I saw the word, "Patchouli" on what we originally thought were cookies, I knew that something had gone wrong. Nope, not cookies; rather, they were homemade soaps made from goat products.

Luckily, on the other side of the stand, there were some assorted jams, breads, and a couple of baggies of cookies. I picked out a large jar of blackberry jam, a loaf of pumpkin bread, and a baggie of chocolate chip cookies. All in all, it was a fine day at the Maple Leaf Festival!

Clinton Lake September 2010

 

Before it turned cold, Brian and I took advantage of the warm, sunny weather to go hiking near Clinton Lake.

Back to the U.S.

On August 2nd I flew back to the States from Guatemala, and I got to come home to our new house. As you can tell, the cats adjusted marvelously!

Ad Astra Wedding

Two of my band mates, and founders of the Ad Astra Arkestra, got married way out in the country south of KC. It was a great wedding and I had a blast!! I got to play tamborine on the processional out and then we ate made amount of grill food and watch bands and DJ's play. They even had a hay ride. All the pictures I took are here (note- I am not as trigger happy as my lovely wife).

Wichita, KS - March 2010

For Spring Break this year, Brian and I went to Wichita, KS. While Brian had already been to the Southern part of Kansas, it was my first time. In all honesty, I don't think that I have ever seen anything that flat before!

While we were there, we made sure to visit the American All-Indian Center. With a 44-foot statue 'Keeper of the Plains' by Wichita artist Blackbear Bosin to keep watch over the building, the museum has exhibits of Native American art and artifacts, as well as a traditional Wichita-style grass lodge.

Before heading home to Lawrence, we also made our usual stop at the city's art museum (Wichita Art Museum), which houses a wide variety of American art, including pieces by Frederick Remington, Dale Chihuly and Mary Cassatt.