Gazing out over the rolling hills that fall off into the West Branch of the Fall River Valley, I truly feel like I’m one of the luckiest guys around.  I have designed the perfect job to take advantage of both of my loves.  Wandering the backroads of Butler County, looking for an interesting and creative subject for the Coutts Memorial Art Museum 2010 Gift Print, not only am I able to spend a great day driving the countryside, but then I also get to return to my studio and create an etching that will go out to 125 appreciative art patrons.  Talk about a win-win!  Having an excuse to wander the great outdoors and then come back home and be creative!  I love it! 

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With the weather settling in to the dreary, monotone of grey skies and most of the fall color gone, I have made a commitment to concentrate on new art processes and images for a while.  My goal is to master the product called Solarplate Copper, a photo-sensitive polymer coated plate.  Information about the product can be found in my last journal article.  As with most new products, there is a learning curve as new concepts are explored and processes are worked out.  

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The days have gotten shorter, the wind that now comes unhindered across the plains carries a crisp, dampness that chills the bones and our thoughts now lean toward those projects and gatherings that give us an excuse to stay inside for a while.  We have tailgated and cheered, raked and bagged, driven the backroads and fulfilled our souls with another spectacular fall season of color.  For myself, now it’s time to step back and evaluate the accomplishments of the year and make some decisions and course corrections where needed.  After all, what is life but a journey that requires us to make decisions on the course we will take in order to arrive at our destination of choice. 

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A defining moment, maybe?  A memory to tuck into the back of your mind to brighten those common everyday times, probably!  A perfect evening of a perfect day watching the sun disappear into the waters of Green Bay from Sunset Park with my favorite person by my side, definitely! 
You might think I’m being overly sentimental, and just maybe I am.  Nancy and I were enjoying our 40th Anniversary trip to Door County, Wisconsin, where we had planned a couple of days to just enjoy being together.   

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If you are looking for the heartland of America, you can find a representational sample of it in North Central Missouri. Rolling fields, small scattered farms, neat Amish communities and the feeling that life just moves a little slower are some of the qualities of this part of the country.
I had read an article about State Highway 6 across upper Missouri through Kirksville in a book a few years ago, but had never managed to follow that route until last week on our trip up through Missouri and Illinois to the Chicago area and eventually Wisconsin. We took leave of I-35 just north of Cameron, Missouri and picked up State Highway 6 in Altamont. 

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What could be more glorious than wandering a Bluestem pasture in the Flint Hills of Kansas on a cool, sunny day in June? Try adding a full symphony orchestra, authentic modern-day cowboys on horseback, covered wagons, a roving band of Kanza Indian reenactors with their Bison hunting encampment, a barbeque beef dinner with beer, wine and 8,000 appreciative Flint Hills fans.  If you are looking for that perfect day of solitude and nature, there are better days to wander the hills, but the Symphony in the Flint Hills is a wonder of organization and pageantry set in the most pristine of beautiful sites! 

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On June 13th, 2009, Cedar Point, Kansas will see more visitors in one day than they have ever seen in the history of their little village located along the banks of the Cottonwood River in western Chase County.  Brace yourself Cedar Point!  The Symphony is coming to town! 

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Looking at the map it’s just a little bit intimidating.  Old two-lane US50 snakes up and down mountain ridge after mountain ridge, across barren flats and meanders through only six towns in 480 miles between Fallon, Nevada, on the edge of civilization, and Salina, Utah, where it joins Interstate 70.  The towns are Austin, Eureka and Ely in Nevada and Hinckley, Delta and Scipio in Utah; not exactly meccas of civilized travel!  I can only imagine the trepidation earlier travelers would have had with vehicles that were not up to the standards of today’s.  Back in the days of the canvas water bags hung from the hood ornament, 4-60 air-conditioning and no cell phones, it was a test of courage.  With my year-old 4Runner, I was more concerned about restroom stops than auto service, but it would still be one long day on the road between decent accommodations. 

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Rolling into Mendocino at dusk, after a long and circuitous drive up California 128 from Napa Valley, I could sense a connection to something deep in my psyche.  You know that feeling, when you instantly feel a comfort of place and everything seems right?  That was the feeling I sensed.  Maybe it was anticipation of being somewhere I had never been or simply being able to see the horizon again (you have to be from one of the plains states to understand that feeling), but I could feel the tendons in my neck beginning to relax as we drove through town. 

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With the long driving days behind us and having experienced our first day of Highway One, we were ready for a little rest and relaxation.  We chose The Seven Gables Inn, located in Pacific Grove, for our respite overlooking the bay.  Perusing the web sites of the myriad of inns and bed & breakfast accommodations on the Monterey Peninsula, it is easy to develop brain cramp. However, following a recommendation from our friends in San Francisco, we focused in on the Seven Gables Inn.  Not only do they have one of the best inn web sites we have seen, we were pleased to find that the inn and the accommodations were exactly as they were shown.  The staff was excellent, the inn absolutely gorgeous, the view of the bay fabulous and our Carriage House room a comfortable respite after 1800 miles on the road.  After a short walk up the hill for dinner, we flipped on the fireplace and settled into the canopied bed for the evening.  

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