SueBee and Kat

Finishing up with the pictures I took in Hutchinson, Kansas, this past Christmas Eve. I wanted to include “regular” scenes around town, not just the most pretty and interesting ones. A favorite thing about living here, having come from Southern California, is that old buildings are still standing. Property developers haven’t razed everything and put […]

Christmas Eve was the perfect day to drive around town, do a bit of exploring, and see how much snow was left. Since shops closed early, the streets were nearly empty. That made for an easy day of taking pictures. Since moving to Hutchinson, Kansas (2020 population 40,006), in October of 2021, I’ve spent a […]

Following an afternoon wandering around the Swedish town of Lindsborg, about 45 minutes north of my home, I started exploring the surrounding area. I’d heard of Coronado Heights before, and was very happy to stumble across it. Per Wikipedia, “It is alleged to be near the place where Francisco Vásquez de Coronado gave up his search for […]

My large back yard was calling for a vegetable and herb garden, so I laid out a plan in an area that was pretty dull and featureless. My inspiration was drawn from pictures my sister-in-law showed me of large trellises made from heavy metal cattle fencing panels. I was immediately drawn to them and started […]

I’d been looking forward to seeing the fields of sunflowers Kansas is famous for. It’s the state flower after all. I lucked out in having the entire field to myself, although, had I been a week later, more flowers would have been in full bloom. A somewhat cooler, overcast day without crowds suited me just […]

This is the final installment from my visit to the Heritage Day event in nearby Yoder, Kansas. I think most everyone felt very lucky it was a bit cloudy and hadn’t gotten to the forecast 98 degrees. Watching the races was a highlight for me as I’d never seen something like that in person before. […]

Continuing on from yesterday’s post, this gallery features more wonderful entries from the Yoder Heritage Day parade. I think it’s easy to see this is an area of farms. The parade highlight for me was the pig walking along… at least he was toward the very end of the parade so he wasn’t setting the […]

I visited the nearby farming village of Yoder, Kansas, for their Heritage Day this past Saturday, and was so glad I did. Yoder, and the surrounding area, is home to about 165 people. Since its founding in 1906, it’s been the hub of the local Amish community, as per their website. Arriving fairly early morning, […]

While out and about yesterday, I came across an old drive-in movie theater in Kanopolis, a town about an hour’s drive from my home. It certainly took me back to the days of my youth when I often went to the drive-in, both as a child with my family, and later as an adult. I […]

The dilapidated garden shed in my backyard that I converted to a beach shack last month has now been upgraded to a She Shed. The function of it is mostly decorative, but the project allowed me to bring things out of storage in my garage and I’m glad of that. Back in Orange, California, I […]

Hutchinson, Kansas, had lightning, thunder, and thankfully, lots of rain last night. With our current heat spell, I’m grateful for any amount of extra water on my yard. The soil is so different here than anything I’ve experienced; it’s actually sand. This area was apparently a gigantic inland ocean ages ago. That being said, I’ve […]

Try as I might, I’ve not been very lucky in getting pictures of all the various birds visiting my backyard, whether at the feeders or the three bird baths I maintain for them. Regardless of a lack of good pictures, they bring me endless joy on a daily basis. My favorites are the blue jays […]

…continuing through the beautiful prairie lands of central Kansas. These pictures were taken the day I explored the Quivera National Wildlife Refuge and surrounding areas. A few notes… the tire perched on the fencepost was a unique sighting. In other places I’ve explored, they are widespread and always made me wonder “why’s there a tire […]

This post, and the upcoming part 2, showcase just a touch of the beautiful, wide-open country near my home in Kansas. After living in a very crowded Southern California for decades, there’s nothing quite like vast expanses of ranch and farm land. ~SueBee

My first visit to Quivera National Wildlife Refuge in central Kansas taught me that, as suggested on the website, sunrise or sunset are the times to view the most birds and animals. I struggled to find birds to take pictures of, but I enjoyed myself regardless. I don’t see myself visiting during those prime hours […]

Yesterday’s spontaneous adventure involved a drive to Quivera National Wildlife Refuge in central Kansas, about forty miles west from home. While I sort through the pictures I took there, I thought I’d share this idyllic farm scene that caught my eye as I explored dirt roads on my return home. You have no idea how […]

While driving a backroad several miles north of my home in Hutchinson, I spotted this homestead. It’s clearly in need of some TLC. Anyone up to the challenge?! ~SueBee

My dear friends, Aranka and George from Nevada, just left after spending a week visiting me in my new home. We had a great time, did some fun exploring in the local area, and had top notch weather to boot. Aranka and I made a point to check out new routes on our daily walks. […]