Green, Green Kansas

[Bruce Day]

Kansas is often brown this time of year but we have had so much rain it is green all the way across. SW Kansas just had 3" of rain on the milo and corn with growing heads.

Bird counts ( informal) are up, no bad hailstorms, decent weather all summer, and it loooks to be a good year.

Have been out in western Kansas working. Not all work of course, part of it initial planning a horse trip into northern New Mexico. Pull a 4 horse trailer or two and go way into the Sangre de Cristos into the Valle Vidal( Valley of Life). One of the the most remote and beautiful areas.

A few pictures of Kansas Chase county rodeo grounds, one of the great little small town rodeos where the cowboys and cowgirls are off the local ranches and gallop around the arena with an American flag and everybody stands and sings the Stars Spangled Banner and any little kid in the audience if he or she wants can line up to run out in the arena and wrestle and tie up a calf or even ride a bucking calf. Some of those kids wear belt buckles about bigger than they are.

Photo 1. Getting your picture here is better than the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Photo 3. Come on down Sept 19.

Photo 2. Just a woven wire fence separates the fence hangers from the action.

[Dean Romig]

Rural America - there's nothing like it. I hope it stays that way forever.

[Kenny Graft]

The plans have been made for some time now...we leave ohio for Kansas on thanksgiving evening after the bird! We plan to stay till sat-5th should be a great time hunting wild roosters and quail with my repro 16...I hope its dry, at least not sopin wet. Last year we arrived in hill city after several rain days or weeks. We did not know about them mud roads...wow did we get an education! I had rented a 2008 8K miles jeep Grand Cherakee with the fake four weel drive...No low range, glad I paid for the full coverage insurance from enteprize! This Black GC was almost show room new...we realy trashed it skidding in and out of them ditches for about 6 miles, could not keep the *!#@!^( thing on the cow path that was a road befor the rains. We almost had to walk several times. Both quarter panels were caved in from slaming the ditch hi walls and both side were up to the door handles on its sides in the deep ditches. It had 3000.00 damage im sure! The front weels would not turn by the time we reached the hard road again, packed solid with clay mud! Now I know what the shovel is for at the car wash! Thanks all, Kenny Graft SXS ohio...(-:

[Ed Blake]

Is that alfalfa in the rodeo ring?