Thursday, April 10th
The Wichita cousins really outdid themselves with their hospitality and warmth. We had a wonderful dinner of hamburgers cooked out on the grill at cousin Mary’s house. Her 33-year-old son, Justin, did the honors of cooking and brought a salad he’d made. He prides himself on his cooking talent and truly does an excellent job! We all had dinner and made plans for breakfast the following morning. When we arose the next morning, we drove downtown to the Hyatt Hotel and met Jim & Linda for a fantastic breakfast buffet. The hotel is located on the Arkansas River where the City of Wichita is actively redeveloping and creating a pedestrian-friendly environment and a tourist attraction. We enjoyed breakfast as we watched the river activities and the early morning joggers/walkers take advantage of the concrete sidewalks along the riverbank.
Once breakfast was done and we had said our goodbyes, we drove back to the coach, packed up, and headed north for Hebron, NE. Along the way we stopped in Salina, KS at the last Flying J for a while and topped off the fuel tank. We were in and out of light showers for the duration of the drive in to Nebraska. Once again, when we crossed the state line, I had this unusual feeling of being home again. We drove on to Hebron, home of the largest porch swing, and to the Riverside City Park. The park has about 16 large, level, grassy RV sites with 30-amp electric and water. I picked a site where I could get satellite reception and decided to pull straight in. The ground was just a bit soft from the rains they’ve received and I was concerned that our 18-ton coach might sink into the ground. We got parked and set up to enjoy a quiet evening meal. The next day we found that the Phillips 66/Runza/Subway store on US-81 had an open wi-fi. I was able to connect and get my emails retrieved and some sent out. The weather forecasters were talking of rain that evening, so we decided to move out of the site and onto the hard-packed ground of the driveway. I could still reach the electric and water hookups so we prepared for a night of wind and rain. The rains didn’t start until the next morning as we were ready to pull out. The park has a dump station so we drained the holding tanks for our week in Milford.
It was only an 81-mile drive to Milford and cousin, Nancy Obermeyer’s acreage. She was working but we pulled in to the driveway and got the coach hooked up to electric and water. When Nancy got home about 2:30, she wanted to go to Lincoln and the Super Wally, Sam’s Club, and PetSmart. We got the errands handled and stopped at Misty’s for dinner. Misty’s is a small microbrewery and pub that makes their own beers. They are known for their prime rib so we decided to sample their specialty. Their beer sampler was outstanding and the prime rib was so tender it could be cut with a fork. Lincoln is a college town, home of the University of Nebraska. The college influence is prevalent in the downtown district where most of the older buildings are being renovated to an upscale dining and shopping area. Misty’s is located in one of those older buildings and has a unique atmosphere with outstanding service by the college wait staff.
Friday afternoon we went to a track meet in Malcomb, NE, about 15 miles from Milford. Austin, Nancy’s grandson, was running and accomplished a couple of meet records in the sprints. After the meet we drove home talking about the steaks I’d cook outside on the BBQ. As we drove by Shari’s Bar & Grill in Milford, we saw the sign out front advertising their fish special. Well, it didn’t take long to decide to stop and partake of the fried fish for $7.50/person. It was a tasty dinner in a quaint, quiet, neighborhood atmosphere. Shari’s is an old bar that the new owners are trying to convert to a neighborhood grill. The food was tasty, the price was right, and the ambience was small town friendly.
The Wichita cousins really outdid themselves with their hospitality and warmth. We had a wonderful dinner of hamburgers cooked out on the grill at cousin Mary’s house. Her 33-year-old son, Justin, did the honors of cooking and brought a salad he’d made. He prides himself on his cooking talent and truly does an excellent job! We all had dinner and made plans for breakfast the following morning. When we arose the next morning, we drove downtown to the Hyatt Hotel and met Jim & Linda for a fantastic breakfast buffet. The hotel is located on the Arkansas River where the City of Wichita is actively redeveloping and creating a pedestrian-friendly environment and a tourist attraction. We enjoyed breakfast as we watched the river activities and the early morning joggers/walkers take advantage of the concrete sidewalks along the riverbank.
Once breakfast was done and we had said our goodbyes, we drove back to the coach, packed up, and headed north for Hebron, NE. Along the way we stopped in Salina, KS at the last Flying J for a while and topped off the fuel tank. We were in and out of light showers for the duration of the drive in to Nebraska. Once again, when we crossed the state line, I had this unusual feeling of being home again. We drove on to Hebron, home of the largest porch swing, and to the Riverside City Park. The park has about 16 large, level, grassy RV sites with 30-amp electric and water. I picked a site where I could get satellite reception and decided to pull straight in. The ground was just a bit soft from the rains they’ve received and I was concerned that our 18-ton coach might sink into the ground. We got parked and set up to enjoy a quiet evening meal. The next day we found that the Phillips 66/Runza/Subway store on US-81 had an open wi-fi. I was able to connect and get my emails retrieved and some sent out. The weather forecasters were talking of rain that evening, so we decided to move out of the site and onto the hard-packed ground of the driveway. I could still reach the electric and water hookups so we prepared for a night of wind and rain. The rains didn’t start until the next morning as we were ready to pull out. The park has a dump station so we drained the holding tanks for our week in Milford.
It was only an 81-mile drive to Milford and cousin, Nancy Obermeyer’s acreage. She was working but we pulled in to the driveway and got the coach hooked up to electric and water. When Nancy got home about 2:30, she wanted to go to Lincoln and the Super Wally, Sam’s Club, and PetSmart. We got the errands handled and stopped at Misty’s for dinner. Misty’s is a small microbrewery and pub that makes their own beers. They are known for their prime rib so we decided to sample their specialty. Their beer sampler was outstanding and the prime rib was so tender it could be cut with a fork. Lincoln is a college town, home of the University of Nebraska. The college influence is prevalent in the downtown district where most of the older buildings are being renovated to an upscale dining and shopping area. Misty’s is located in one of those older buildings and has a unique atmosphere with outstanding service by the college wait staff.
Friday afternoon we went to a track meet in Malcomb, NE, about 15 miles from Milford. Austin, Nancy’s grandson, was running and accomplished a couple of meet records in the sprints. After the meet we drove home talking about the steaks I’d cook outside on the BBQ. As we drove by Shari’s Bar & Grill in Milford, we saw the sign out front advertising their fish special. Well, it didn’t take long to decide to stop and partake of the fried fish for $7.50/person. It was a tasty dinner in a quaint, quiet, neighborhood atmosphere. Shari’s is an old bar that the new owners are trying to convert to a neighborhood grill. The food was tasty, the price was right, and the ambience was small town friendly.
Saturday we did some chores around the house and waited for Nancy to get off work. We needed to go back to Lincoln and Sam’s Club to check on a couple of items. Austin, his girlfriend Megan, Nancy, Dottie and I drove in and stopped at Lazlo’s, another Lincoln microbrew pub, for dinner. Lazlo’s is affiliated with The Empyrean Brewing Co., a regional microbrewery that distributes their beers in the Midwest. Lazlo’s is located in the Haymarket District of Lincoln, near the old train depot. It is much like Misty’s - the old buildings are amazing with the original brick fascias, updated ceiling fans for cooling, and brick streets. We all stuffed ourselves on the wonderful food. I had the beer sampler platter that gave me 3-oz. samples of all eight beers from Empyrean Brewing Co. It was a great way to taste their variety of beers. For dessert we walked to a homemade ice cream store for some scrumptious ice cream flavors. The ice cream is made daily and was absolutely wonderful.
Sunday morning we drove in to Lincoln again to attend church at the Westminster Presbyterian Church, the church where we were members 50 years ago. I didn’t recognize anybody in the church but enjoyed the chance to see the grand old sanctuary that I remember as a child. After church we drove to SE Lincoln to check out Lazlo’s South. Dottie and I split a sandwich and had a couple of their ales. We also did some shopping at the Loew’s and Menard’s looking for a pressure tank for the coach water system. When we got home, Austin came over and we washed three cars and the motor home. Nancy got home from work and cooked a pork loin for supper. After supper we all loaded into her car and drove about 35 miles to Hickman.
Nancy has wanted a St. Bernard puppy and found some advertised in the Sunday paper. She picked out a cute little female and became the proud owner of white/tan/brown St. Bernard she calls Sophie. It is a 7-week old pup that is cute as can be. I’ve reminded Nancy that she now has a baby to care for and she has a challenge before her. The pup did great the first night and seems to be adjusting well to her new home. Her paws are HUGE but she’s a beautiful little dog - for the time being. It’s fun watching this little girl, but persistence and patience are a necessity with this new dog. She has her own bed and likes retiring to the safety of her pad. Austin will be a big help in the training and monitoring of her.
Monday Nancy finally had the first of two days off. We gathered her three dogs, loaded them into the car, and drove to Seward to the vet’s office. All three dogs needed some attention, some inoculations, and a good check-up. Nancy has another house dog, a Scottie, and an outside dog, a Black Lab. Now she’ll have a second dog to keep her company in the house and have to go through the house-breaking routine. Ugh!!
Nancy is also looking seriously at a new car. She has been checking out the Jeep Patriot. The local dealer is really helping her get the things that she wants and needs, so we made a visit this afternoon. She’ll order the car with a special color and I’m trying to give her some guidance in what options she might need. We’re going to get a GPS off the internet so she can also use it in her other car. We got the Garmin GPS ordered and it arrived on Thursday afternoon after we left Milford.
Sunday morning we drove in to Lincoln again to attend church at the Westminster Presbyterian Church, the church where we were members 50 years ago. I didn’t recognize anybody in the church but enjoyed the chance to see the grand old sanctuary that I remember as a child. After church we drove to SE Lincoln to check out Lazlo’s South. Dottie and I split a sandwich and had a couple of their ales. We also did some shopping at the Loew’s and Menard’s looking for a pressure tank for the coach water system. When we got home, Austin came over and we washed three cars and the motor home. Nancy got home from work and cooked a pork loin for supper. After supper we all loaded into her car and drove about 35 miles to Hickman.
Nancy has wanted a St. Bernard puppy and found some advertised in the Sunday paper. She picked out a cute little female and became the proud owner of white/tan/brown St. Bernard she calls Sophie. It is a 7-week old pup that is cute as can be. I’ve reminded Nancy that she now has a baby to care for and she has a challenge before her. The pup did great the first night and seems to be adjusting well to her new home. Her paws are HUGE but she’s a beautiful little dog - for the time being. It’s fun watching this little girl, but persistence and patience are a necessity with this new dog. She has her own bed and likes retiring to the safety of her pad. Austin will be a big help in the training and monitoring of her.
Monday Nancy finally had the first of two days off. We gathered her three dogs, loaded them into the car, and drove to Seward to the vet’s office. All three dogs needed some attention, some inoculations, and a good check-up. Nancy has another house dog, a Scottie, and an outside dog, a Black Lab. Now she’ll have a second dog to keep her company in the house and have to go through the house-breaking routine. Ugh!!
Nancy is also looking seriously at a new car. She has been checking out the Jeep Patriot. The local dealer is really helping her get the things that she wants and needs, so we made a visit this afternoon. She’ll order the car with a special color and I’m trying to give her some guidance in what options she might need. We’re going to get a GPS off the internet so she can also use it in her other car. We got the Garmin GPS ordered and it arrived on Thursday afternoon after we left Milford.
