Yesterday I drove out to Council Grove to speak at a conference. The drive from Lawrence was amazing. I want to make a day trip out there again once the next few weeks of frenetic, end-of-the-semester activity are over. There was some field burning, and as you approach Council Grove there are a few metal sculptures on a hill that look like Native Americans on horseback. The sculpture really reminded me of Grandfather Cuts Loose the Ponies in Washington State close to the Columbia River Gorge. I can't seem to track down a picture of the sculpture in Council Grove, but that's okay. Looking for it led me to Frank Jensen's web page, and now I have ANOTHER trip I want to make, to see Jensen's sculpture garden, once the semester is finished. Way to go, internet. You score an extra point. The Madonna of the Trail sculpture is also really interesting. I pulled over to check it out and walk around for a bit before returning to Lawrence and confining myself to the bowels of the Watson library. The conference was at the Hays House. One of the more amusing moments for me, since I was already a bit nervous before the talk, was when I mentioned a number of Kansas writers, including Thomas Fox Averill, a.k.a., William Jennings Bryan Oleander and learned that his wife was in the audience. I love Kansas.
0 comments:
Post a Comment