A Japanese garden would not be complete without a koi pond. Siewa-en has a pretty good size artificial lake but the koi population stays in one corner. That’s probably because there is a bridge where visitors throw them something to eat. (Given local business connections, maybe it’s Purina koi chow.)
It's been quite a weekend. Mrs. C grew up on a farm in rural northeast Kansas. Her family, the Kruses (very German) had a periodic reunion Saturday afternoon in the town of Hanover, population 690. They are lovely people. I get to be the photographer and take all the group pictures.
So it's getting to be time to leave and Ellie notices that the right front tire on our rental car is flat. I call the auto club and their nearest service person is 75 miles away. A couple of my brothers in law, whose hands work a lot better than mine, got the temporary use spare tire on. Then it's 16 miles careful drive to the bigger town where we were staying. It's now Saturday night and not a prayer of getting it fixed there.
There was a Walmart with an auto service center 60 miles away that was open on Sunday. We drove there gingerly, fortunately on arrow-straight prairie highway, anxious about the temporary tire. Walmart got it done, cheap, too. (Walmart - always the low low price.) So then another hour and a half to Kansas City and Mrs. C's sister and brother in law's home. There is a pond with koi and Ellie just loves to feed them.
By the way, the reunion had a German quiz. This Irishman tied for first. Home this afternoon.
