Monday, December 2, 2013

The Prairie

Hay Bales

I like Kansas, or at least the part my wife is from. Some people think the state is a huge bore, flat and featureless on the long drive from Kansas City to Colorado. I think the northeastern part, the area I know, is beautiful and subtle. Not flat, not hilly, the land undulates in broad, low waves. Not many trees, which gives a feeling of great openness. This is its late fall look. It is altogether different in snow and summer green.

The first two pictures are around the old family farm, now owned by my wife's brother and his wife. Note the dust trail from a truck in the second photo, driving up a gravel county road. The third picture was taken a short distance from my mother-in-law's apartment on the edge of Marysville, the only town in the area big enough to have a Walmart.

We drove the 400 miles (644 km) straight home yesterday under warm, clear skies. Cruising through this territory listening to Hildegard von Bingen on satellite radio's medieval music show was otherworldly.                      

Corn Stalk Bales 1

Marysville 2

4 comments:

Olivier said...

Belle série , j'aime bien l'alignement sur la premiere photo, tres graphique

Dave-CostaRicaDailyPhoto.com said...

I heard that some scientists extrapolated the flatness of a pancake to be the size of Kansas and determined that Kansas is indeed flatter than a pancake.

William Kendall said...

Beautiful scenery, Bob. It feels quite tranquil this time of year.

Nathalie H.D. said...

That top photo is the one that works for me!