15 February 2016

I think we're back in Kansas . . .


. . . and without clicking my red shoes together. In fact, I didn't even bring them on this trip.

After helping our friends settle in somewhat (still a mountain of boxes to go through), we drove on to El Dorado and Wichita to visit my mom and friends. Driving through the southern Flint Hills and farmlands, I'm struck at how bleak the color seems after living in so much green. And I miss the many trees of Texas!

7 comments:

  1. I'll bet it IS greener down there. But oh I love winter's subtlety here and those great tawny stretches and gentle hills. You nailed the color!

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  2. The skies are even bluer in Texas! Pale cerulean in Kansas but more cobalt here. I've wondered if Kansas skies are just full of dust.
    I've noticed that you are drawn to warm, bright colors while I go more towards cool colors. Interesting how we individually see the world.

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  3. I love these sketches, Vicky, especially the one on the right. It brings back memories of driving through the prairie north of Wichita on our way to visit friends there. That was during a cold January several years ago, but I remember those colors and the beauty of that bleak landscape vividly. Would that have been part of Flint Hills? If I remember right, we were between El Dorado and Emporia.

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  4. Yes, the Flint Hills run north and south just east of El Dorado -- I've seen them mostly driving the Turnpike between El Dorado and Emporia, on my way to sketch crawls with Kate (Cathy Johnson) near Kansas City. The hills change constantly, looking different every time we viewed them. Especially haunting in the spring when ranchers burn off the old dead grasses to make way for the new -- a trick learned from the American Indian tribes. The rich bluestem grasses are some of the best grazing for cattle or buffalo. This is where Texas cattle drives paused to fatten up the herds after the long trip, before shipping them out on trains.

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    Replies
    1. Thanks for the additional information. Your descriptions make me want to go back and explore the prairie in other seasons.

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  5. Nice paintings and great layout on the page. Plus, I enjoyed reading your story of the differences between Kansas and Texas and their beautiful blue skies; something we north westerners seldom see.

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  6. I notice a huge difference in the colors as we travel from the northern plains to the south. An art teacher once told me that it's the change in atmosphere as you get closer to the equator.

    Yet my mother and husband neither one can tell a difference!

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