Yup - we're traveling much more these days. Our "have to's" in life have decreased and our "want to's" in life have increased allowing us to hit the road or grab a flight to some destination of adventure more frequently. My Jonesy is more than happy to oblige my wacky photographic pursuits with a pose here and there and that certainly make me happy. Here he is demonstrating his willingness while on one of our many roadtrips that we took during the time that I have been away!
Ever the lover of roadside art and/or kitsch - this statue was a no-brainer stop on our way to South Dakota in September, 2012. This bronze sculpture located in Oakley, Kansas and created by Charlie and Pat Norton commemorates the legendary Buffalo Bill (William F. Cody) and the popular (and gruesome) buffalo hunts of the 1800's. While Buffalo Bill certainly killed scads of buffalo, once he realized the detriment to the herds and their dwindling population, he made things right by setting in motion a plan for their preservation. So give the guy a break - while the killing of these magnificent beasts seems barbaric - we often do stupid things in our ignorance. Heck, people used to smoke in their hospital rooms. Today that makes no sense at all! We all do better once we know better, right? Nonetheless, many bison today can be linked to the herds that he later raised on his ranch known as Scout's Rest and located in North Platte, Nebraska. So he was one of the good guys.
The area surrounding the sculpture has picnic tables, a storyboard describing the history of Buffalo Bill, Annie Oakley, and local Native American culture. Located at the intersection of Highway 83 and 2nd Avenue in Oakley, Kansas, you will also find a pet-friendly travel center with restrooms, Kansas maps, brochures, and a gift shop.
So, here I am five years later and my "journey" continues to be "sentimental" and proves to be even more so as time marches on. Most everything I do and every place I go still ends up documented in my scrapbooks so I can't help but include some of them here. I'm thrilled to share the illustrating and documenting of the road trip of my life with YOU. I hope you discover something inspiring, find a place you might like to visit, or at least see something to make you smile. It's so nice to be back!
