This weekend I got the pleasure of going with Daniel to Western Kansas to visit his family, specifically Stockton and then Stuttgart to visit his parents. His dad runs the local garage; the local hot spot on a Saturday afternoon for a cold beer. I know they all probably thought I was nuts running around snapping pictures but I was having so much fun! I found out that Daniel has been very modest about his gift to paint and sketch. He has painted several saw blades, one of which I did get to see that he painted in 1985.

One of his paintings that I have seen is an acrylic of an old dilapidated limestone house on a hill. I recognized this structure as we got closer to town and later we walked up there so I could get a closer look. Although it is slowly collapsing it is easy to see that in it's time it was a magnificent structure. The elaborate details inside and out are still evident despite the graffiti. It's sad that it hasn't been preserved.

His dad also owns the Blacksmith Shop right across the road from the garage and it is still fully operational. These walls hold a lot of stories and judging by the amount of orbs, is still very popular with the spirits.

It was refreshing to take a deep breath and enjoy a little slower pace for a couple of days. More importantly, I got to see where Daniel grew up and raised hell. I got to put a few more faces with names and even enjoyed being force fed by his mom. Okay, maybe not forced but her idea of quantity was definitely a tad more than mine. I certainly was in no danger of going hungry. On the way home we stopped to see my mom for a bit  and she fed us apple crisp. Then we went up the street and enjoyed the best potato salad EVER and some more snacks. It turned out to be an extremely delicious detour however I may not eat until Tuesday.

Oh, and Ps... the cake was a big hit!  YEA!