Farm Tour

This past weekend I had the chance to go on the 6th annual Kaw Valley Farm Tour. About 20 farms in and around Lawrence are on the tour and you just get in your car and visit the ones you want to see at your own pace. It was the most gorgeous day. My friend, Josh, and I went to 6 different farms, each one completely different from the next.

First off, The West Junior High Garden Project. They have been sponsored by The Merc to have the first school garden in Lawrence. They have a farmer's market twice a week and they use some of the food in their cafeteria!

West Junior High garden. Meticulous!

Our next stop (above) was Moon on the Meadow. It's a certified organic farm inside city limits. She sells to The Merc and at the farmer's market.

There's Jill Elmers watering their fall crop of lettuce.

Next on the list was Vesecky Farm, a 100 year old farmstead that raises turkeys. We actually got to stand in the turkey pen with them. They are so funny (looking)!

Guinea Fowl at Vesecky Farm.

Not sure what kind of bird this is but I like them.

Blossom Trail Bee Farm was next. The owner, Richard Bean, showed us the bee pollen and explained how the hives work.

Here I am at our next stop milking a goat! That was a first for me. This was Landeria Farm. They make delicious goat's milk cheese. We got a private tour from our friend, Holly, who works there. Those goats are so friendly!

The final stop and a great way to end a perfect day was Blue Jacket Vineyard. We tasted a few wines and took a glass out to stroll through the grapevines.

I will definitely be making the Farm Tour a tradition. It was a fabulous day! I'm so proud to live in a community where there is so much bounty!

My favorite little munchkin.

I just spent the last four days with my new niece, Hadley. She is so incredible. I'm in love. It's unbelievable to see my sister with this little tiny baby. It doesn't feel that long ago that we were teenagers. In the four days that I was there, little Hadley changed so much. It's remarkable how quickly they grow and their personalities develop. What a miracle! And what a lot of hard work! I'm so proud of you Whitney!

Walnut Valley Bluegrass Festival

Every year Chris and I go to the Walnut Valley Bluegrass Festival the third weekend in September. It's been around for 39 years and it's one of those things that the very first time you go you are hooked for life. This was our 9th year to go and there is no turning back now. The folks that we have been camping with for the past 7 years are our friend Courtney's parents, aunts, cousins and friends. This year was fantastic and it just keeps getting better every year!

On the way there we drove through the Flint Hills with a double rainbow to the east and an intense sunset to the west.

Home sweet home for the festival.

Our awesome new camping kitchen.

The shower that our fellow campers set up every year.

Our campsite banner hung high in the trees so people can find us.

Making fried okra that I grew.

We put on a scavenger hunt every year and this year it was mine and Chris' turn. It was so much fun. This is the "gather 'round" where everyone displays all of their finds.

Our favorite item on the list was an aluminum sculpture and this is was people came up with.

I'd say that the horse wins. What do you think?

Hanging out eating dinner.

Our awesome camping group (minus about 5 people). We love you guys! Can't wait until next year! Only 359 days to go!

Sparks finds

We didn't come back from our flea market road trip with a whole lot of new stuff but we did find a few special things. Below are pictures of two of our wonderful finds. The tray was $1 and the vase was $5. I talked the prices down to that of course. You can't plan on going to a flea market without doing some haggling. That just wouldn't feel right!

Road trippin' with my honey

Yesterday Chris and I set out on a little road trip to Sparks, Kansas. We went to this flea market in the spring and had so much fun that we are now making it a must every time they hold it in May and September. We love shopping for junk! It's about a 2 hour drive and we really enjoy driving through all of the little towns along the way. It was also a nice time to try out how our new truck handles a good road trip. She did just fine. It was a gorgeous day, so the fact that she doesn't have air conditioning wasn't a big deal. We didn't score as much loot as last time but we found a few special items. It was a great day!

We drove by this sunflower field on the way there and had to stop to take some photos...

And we ended our day with this stunner of a sunset...

After a heavy rain...

These photos were taken this morning in between lots and lots of rain. I love the rain.