STL DPB ON THE ROAD - EVERY HOME NEEDS ONE

Readers may recall that a few days ago we had a picture of the ironic sign for the cemetery in the hamlet of Liberty, Nebraska. The reason we were there was to visit a place called Barn Treasures, https://tinyurl.com/23fu8zad. 80-something year old retired farmer and machinist, Roger Theye, has amassed a huge collection of historic Midwestern farm equipment, some of it dating to the 1850s. It was cramped and we had lots of family on our tour, making it hard to take pictures.

This gadget, though, caught my eye. Imagine the pride of the businessman who claimed to own the world's largest manufacturer of egg scales. But this scale only weighed one egg at a time. What if you had a whole hen-house full?           

MADELEINE MONDAY

The picture of self-assurance down on the farm. An apple tree with ripe fruit was a great find. I lose track of the degrees of relation but the little boy, Caden, is the grandchild of one of Mrs. C's siblings. Ellie is clearly in charge of the operation.           

STL DPB ON THE ROAD - GIVE ME LIBERTY OR GIVE ME DEATH

 

Liberty, Nebraska, population 67. What I'm doing here is too long a story. For our international friends, you can find an explanation of the title here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Give_me_liberty,_or_give_me_death!          

Old Time Religion

Top: something else found in the Salty Dog Saloon. I'm sure Jesus loves everyone, even senators from Kentucky.

Bottom: a church in Marysville. What's with the quotation marks? The device is frequently misused in American English and, as loyal members of the language police, Mrs. C and I could not let this pass. What was the pastor trying to communicate?         

Did They Know She Was Coming?

More from the Salty Dog Saloon. When my wife was younger people called her Kitty. Some of her family still does. I never liked it and have always called her by her given name, Carolyn. But she is from Kansas, of course. Readers of this blog know that I usually refer to her here as Mrs. C. Quite a bit of coincidence.       

The Salty Dog Saloon

Out in the rural prairie you find your entertainment where you can. It's nothing to drive 25 miles in a huge, fuel-sucker pickup to a convivial place like The Salty Dog, located in a tiny hamlet just north of the Kansas - Nebraska line. If you click the link you will learn that the place is "biker friendly", although we didn't see any Friday night.

The food is actually pretty good. And cheap, by urban standards, but you better be carrying cash. No plastic. That's Margo, the owner, taking an order in the second shot. She didn't care if I took pictures but the family told me that you better not cause trouble because she's pretty tough.          

Nebraska Sunsets

Seen after dinner at the Salty Dog Saloon in Steele City, Nebraska (population 86). The state line is near Mrs. C's family farm in Kansas. She was born in Nebraska because the nearest rural hospital was in the town of Odell, NE.

The sunsets aren't all good in the Cornhusker State but there were more storms in the area, creating drama. The wind farms, of which there are many these days, add to the strangeness.

I had my picture taken in front of the saloon.       

Au Revoir

Yes, of course. As soon as possible.

Bottom: in case you didn't know.

Heartland Monuments

Eye-poppers on the prairie.

My wife's biannual family reunion is held in the parish hall of Immanuel Lutheran Church, way out in the soy and corn fields. Its mailing address is Bremen, Kansas, the town of 50 I alluded to yesterday, but that has to be six or eight miles away. My wife and her siblings went to the parish school, now closed due to dwindling population. There is a museum inside now, more about which soon. The white siding just pops against the boundless summer sky.

The next big town to the north is Beatrice, Nebraska (population 12,400!). The old railway station has been beautifully restored and now used as the county historical museum. A small model of the Statue of Liberty stands in front. There is very little information about it online. It seems to have turned up about 1970 and was made by a sculptor from Los Angeles. Doesn't have quite the same patina as the original.