10 June 2007

On the yellow brick road...

Here I am in Kansas & no sign of any yellow brick roads, tornados or small dogs called Toto but there is plenty of prairie & signs of sunflowers about to burst into bloom. We are staying in a lovely hotel in downtown Lawrence, home of the University of Kansas & quite a liberal place compared to the rest of the state. My brother Hugh saw a pickup truck (a ute) with a George Bush/Cheney sticker, a God Bless America sticker & a number plate that said, "I am Saved". Oh, forgot the best bit... the pickup had a gun rack in the back window. However, everyone seems much more laid back than in San Francisco. The pace is definitely friendlier & slower & much more to our liking. It is so wonderful to see all my cousins & Steve is having a good time after not having been too sure of America whilst in San Francisco. Now he is liking it a whole lot more. We had dad's memorial service yesterday in Clay Center, which was about 2.5 hours away so we all drove there in a giant pimpmobile bus. It seems that Clay Center has really "died". It is a little town of total nothingness. It was a little depressing. I think that when my dad lived there in the 1930's and 40's it was a booming place but now? Zero, diddlysquat, zilch. The memorial service went really well. It was only a bit emotional and generally a great day all around. I got heaps of Williams family history!! The worst part was lunch at Mac's Diner. Oh dear! If only I could get the photo of the diner onto this blog for you to see... The food was truly D.I.S.G.U.S.T.I.N.G but strangely, the locals seemed to love it. Some of the menu items were salads with jello and little marshamellows in it (?) and some brown, steak-shaped slabs floating in a pool of brown liquid. There was soup but it looked like the left-over washing up waterd. Hugh had read a story in the Clay Center Dispatch (the local paper) last week that said Mac's had just been closed down by the health dept for cockroach infestation! So, as you can imagine, I did not eat much at all & subsequently, the big ole martini I had when we got back to the hotel after 10 hours of Williams-ness in a bus went straight to my head! Oh, I wish I could put some photos on this blog but it seems I will have to wait 'til I get home. In fact, tragedy occurred on our last day in San Francisco when my camera broke. Did I mention that already? Yes, the viewer decided to pack it in. Hugh took me to a HUGE electronics store here in Lawrence & I bought a new 7 megapixel camera for about $300. Amazing...! I had better go as I am using the computer at the front desk of the hotel. We are all off for a big family picnic today so I am really looking forward to that as it will be much more relaxed than yesterday. Cheerio! :o)

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hey Jen - am LOVING your news & updates! Keep enjoying! How's the running going? Will be back in OZ on the Sunshine Coast from November soooooo lots of catching up to do either up or down!! Can't wait - Love Kell XXX

Anonymous said...

Hi Jen

Hope you are having a great time. It sounds like your trip has been full of laughs.
Looking forward to seeing you next week and gettig the low down.
Little friend. x

Anonymous said...

Hi Jen,
the highlight of my working day reading your travel diary keep up all the fun stories.
Clay centre sounds like a blast but glad all went well give my love to uncle Terry.
all good here Tony has developed a limp but thats another story.
untill next instalment keep well
Carolyn
Ps helen says hi

Anonymous said...

i want to hear more about the BONERS both big and little.
Do they have warts????????