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Monday, November 21, 2011

A Girls Road Trip


Thank you for all your wonderful kind comments
about my sister Susan's visit
and 
well wishes
for my sore back.

I'd like to report that we had a
WONDERFUL VISIT
albeit too short AND my back is much better.


Three days before Sue left for home
my favorite SIL ;)
Donna
took Sue and I on a road trip.


Donna loves taking the 'back roads'
and so do I so we
had a wonderful time driving
the country roads around our part of Kansas.


We saw lots of old barns 
and wonderful rolling hills
which I just can't get enough of.


Where Sue lives in Manitoba Canada
it looks very much like this.

It's funny though...
when you see it in a different country
it takes on a more intriguing look!

Why is that?

Rolling hills



We had a destination.

We were heading to a little town
neither Donna or I had seen before...
Hillsboro Kansas.

The name said it all for me.
There had to be HILLS around
this little town for it to be called 
Hillsboro don't you think? 

Well turned out that there were no
hills in town!

That didn't stop us from checking out 
the antique store and gift shop
while we were there
and we even
 bought a few things.

From there we headed to the little town
of 
Marion Kansas.

Well guess what...
Marion has HILLS!

Not only did it have hills
it had at least 6 antique shops!
A few weren't opened that day but
 we still managed to check out 4
I think and even brought home a few things.

Marion Kansas

What a sweet town.
If you ever get the chance to visit 
Marion you won't be disappointed.

I wished we could have looked around
 the town a bit more 
BUT...
we had reservations in the 
country and didn't want to be late
so off we went.




We drove some pretty 'backwoods'
country roads on our way to
our destination.


We were headed to the
near Benton Kansas
which is about 15 minutes east of
Wichita.

Now this isn't just a place to eat....
it's an 
experience!

When the weather is right this is a real treat.
First you can go for an 
*old time wagon ride
*train ride
*walk the beautiful grounds
*watch old time cowboy movies
*check out props from TV shows like
Bonanza...Gunsmoke...Roy Rogers and Dale Evans.

When the BELL rings (triangle dinner bell) for supper
you head into this room below.


On one side of the table is chairs
on the other is benches
and everyone eats together.

When you get in there the tables already have
water and coffee pots filled with hot coffee.
They were just setting up when I got this photo 
above.

Then they start bringing in the food.
Each plate is brought in loaded up with
*new baked potatoes
*BBQ'D beef brisket
*smoked sausage
*home-made baked beans
*buttermilk biscuit

And if that isn't enough they come around
and with pots and load you up with 
more if you have room!

Then
to top it all off....
home made 
Apple Crisp with ice cream.
YUM.

What is really fun about all this food
serving is that the nights entertainment 
is part of the staff that serves you the food!

Once the food is all eaten and the tables
are cleared off the entertainment begins.

We caught one of the last regular 
performances before their
Christmas show began
so we got
to
enjoy 
the old time cowboy
favorites that a lot of us remember
as kids.


 Prairie Rose Ranglers

What was really exciting for us 
is that the woman second from the right
is a friend of ours who runs a
little restaurant/cafe
in the little town we live near.
She's a real sweet heart.

They did a Patsy Cline show
last summer that brought tears
to many eyes when Kim sang
'Crazy'.

Anyway...
the show was over at 9:30
and we headed back home to put our
sweats on and sip a cooler before bed.

We had a 
WONDERFUL 
day.

~~~~~~~~~~

Sue...thanks for coming to visit us.
Can't wait to see you again.
Love you.

I hope you all have a wonderful week...
have fun preparing for
Thanksgiving
and I will 
'talk' 
to you before then.

It's good to be back.










22 comments:

The Bear's Blog said...

Oh Miss Maura,

What wonderful pictures. We love small, rural towns with all their charm and history.

I sure have missed ya, but I knew you were havin' fun with Miss Susan.

Happy Thanksgiving.

Heaps of Hugs
Prudence

traci said...

i love road trips. that was a good one. thanks for taking us along. what a cute little town.

Mecky said...

Your first picture reminds me of the home I grew up in. I miss that place!
I have not een to the show, but I have been to marion and I really enjoy it there! At the monthly flea market, you know the guys who have a long booth across from the office? They have a antique shop there, plus an old warehouse that is FULL of wonderful things! They were featured on the History Channel's American Pickers. They are nice guys. You need to go back something and roam around their warehouse. Bring a truck!!

I am glad that your back is better and that you had a nice visit with your sister!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Mecky

Kath said...

What a lovely post, I do enjoy seeing your life, it's very different to ours in England. I just loved that darling little church. My mum has a village that lights up at Chrstmas. All the cottages, church and shops are little china models, with a pond in the centre of the village. Her church is very like the one in your photo.

Beatnheart said...

Hi Beautiful!!
Sorry I’ve been so slack. Your blog looks totally friggin amazing. You are the bomb! Love the look of
this little town...wow...what I wouldn’t do for a drive right now to that quaint little spot. Take care my sweet, sweet friend. Lots of love from Sunny California.

Cynthia

Beatnheart said...

Hey love the long hair! You got such beautiful thick,
great color hair. Keep it going! xxc

Catherine said...

Nice road trip, i LOVE the colours of American barns! Hope you enjoyed the show! Nice to see you back!

Finding Pam said...

Maura, I enjoyed your road trip and seeing your part of the country where you live. A beautiful country church and it all sounds so wonderful.

Happy Thanksgiving to you.

Linda said...

Thanks for taking us along on your road trip. I thoroughly enjoyed it.
Glad to hear that your back is much better.
I bet your sister enjoyed the hills. It is pretty flat in Manitoba. My Mom lived in Stonewall for 15 years or so.

Martha said...

Sounds like you had a grand time! Thanks for sharing!

Bee Haven Bev said...

Wow...you guys really had a full day! I, too, love road trips and love to investigate antique and gift shops....so the day sounds perfect. So glad your back is feeling better.

Have a very Happy Thanksgiving!
Bev

Anonymous said...

Sounds like a wonderful time! I love live shows!
Happy Thanksgiving!

GardenOfDaisies said...

What a fun time! I love all the old barns and houses along the backroads you traveled.

Pondside said...

You must have had such a good time! I love a road trip with the girls. The little town you visited is just beautiful - I want to move there!

Mary, Windy Meadows Farm said...

What a wonderful time! Food, antiques, family, music, a full day indeed...sounds like a great one spent making memories!

Girl Tornado said...

Oh Maura this sounds like such a marvelous day! Blissful. I love me a good road trip, and this sounds like the best kind, on rural back roads and visiting small towns. I can tell you guys really had a ball!!!!

LANA said...

Everything looks like such fun, wish I could have been with ya!

Terri said...

You were up in my part of the world on your trip. I live in Wichita. I enjoy the small towns and the Flint Hills.

Deb said...

Any day that includes buttermilk biscuits is a great day to me. Love some of those old buildings. Sounds like you had a great time. Hugs, Deb=^..^=x4

Judith @ Lavender Cottage said...

Hi Maura
Sounds like a road trip to remember and with the best of company.
I would desperately love to have a house like the one shown with a wrap around porch.
The dinner and show would be a fun experience, mmm, all that yummy food!
Glad you shared your adventure with us.
Judith

❁Velma ~Down Our Country Road❁ said...

What a fun, fun day!! I'll have to tell my husband about Prairie Rose...that looks like alot of fun. And then, of course, I'd have to make a trip to Marion for some shopping! :)

Scufty said...

We sure did have a great day, didn't we? We three amigos can sure have a lot of laughs together. I look forward to our next one anxiously! The old, old books I brought back for our daughters were great hits. My travelling companions said they'd love to get to the Prairie Rose next time they're down, too. Hopefully it won't be that many years again. I'll enjoy sitting and reminiscing while I look at these pics - you got some beautiful ones! Thanks! Love you...Scufty

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