Back home

We did arrive home safely last Friday night, and as always we're thankful to be back. Especially back to gardening, as we're preparing to be part of a garden tour in a few weeks. This weekend Allyson and Chris will be home for a shower with both the VanVeens and the Blauwkamps--big group! Allyson's parents are coming up too, so we're excited for them to meet all of the family.

As we drove through Kansas on Thursday we stopped at the Tallgrass Prairie Preserve in the Flint Hills region. Because of the flinty ground, it has not been plowed, but was used for grazing, so this is one of few places where the prairie grass that greeted the pioneers is still in evidence. "Tallgrass prairie once covered 140 million acres of North America. Within a generation the vast majority was developed and plowed under. Today less than 4% remains, mostly here in the Kansas Flint Hills. The preserve protects a nationally significant remnant of the once vast tallgrass prairie and its cultural resources. Here the tallgrass prairie takes its last stand." (National Park Service website)

The views of the rolling hills, and the grasses and wildflowers were all beautiful.

Butterfly weed was everywhere.

Lots of prairie birds, including this singing dickcissel

Time at home means time with Andrew--he loves playing in his toybox.

And tweaking Opa's nose.