Hoopla in Doo-Dah!

Cinderella (Rella) and her Prince Charmings

"Walks with Roos"

Wichita Riverfest

Now we're having fun!  And it's not because of the Riverfest.  I kinda think it might've been a lotta hoopla about nothing.  But I hope it did well this year.  There were only a couple of events I wanted to catch and didn't catch either one. Tho I did buy our admission buttons this year,  I've yet to attend a Riverfest here, but maybe another year. But we ARE having our own Hoopla in DooDah!

 It's warming up in KS, but not too hot.......yet.  We've enjoyed alpacas, giraffes, hippos, lemurs, some Amish peanut butter pie,  and cute little boys!

lunch at Amish Carriage Crossing in Yoder, KS

5-27-14:  After the 2nd major wallet search in a week (I won't mention who keeps losing his wallet and who keeps finding it for him), David and I drove over to Yoder on the way to Karen's mom's funeral in Hutchinson. Amish restaraunts are always great. We topped off a seriously fattening lunch of fried foods and starches with some peanut butter and banana cream pie.  We won't be eating again for a few days.  This is a great little spot Greg and Linda Sue took us to a year or 2 ago.  Complete with sweet, Amish servers, it's one of our fave places and just down the road from where we are staying.

cool rock wall at Hutchinson Correctional Facility

originally called  Kansas State Industrial Reformatory, the facility was finished in 1895

While driving around Hutch, we happened upon a huge, old stone building surrounded by a stone wall.  It didn't take us long to realize it was a prison.  Even so, the facility was quite the eye-catcher.

I also found out today that Flat Andrew is now in a time capsule at Andrew's school.  I thought he might come live with us, but how cool is that?!  When Andrew graduates from high school, he will get re-aquainted with Flat Andrew and the travelog I sent to school with him. :)

Asher and Coach Dad on the ready in the outfield

checking out his fan club

1 down

cutie pie!

Asher at bat - our little southpaw!

rounding 2nd

heading on to 3rd

Got up early to head to Douglass for t-ball and coach-pitch.  Their games were back to back, on different fields within walking distance of each other.  T-ball is just too fun!  Love watching Asher watch us as he plays. I was wondering if Andrew's first year in coach-pitch was going to be a little more serious. 

Andrew warming up -- he could hardly wait for his entourage to move from Asher's field to his!

3rd base -- ready and waiting

They were a little more serious in that the boys and girls really knew what they were supposed to be doing.  But the opponents were all friends from school, so it was a happy atmosphere on the field.

Ole Zero on 3rd

waiting on 1st

ready to head on in to home 

wrapping it up

Asher chillaxin during Andrew's game

Fun morning in "Douglassville" (Gus' name for Douglass)!

Flatland Alpaca Ranch in Rosehill, KS

After lunch and cooling off from the baseball, we met Justin and boys, Greg and Linda Sue at the Flatland Ranch, owned by Steve and Dian Trainer,  for a tour and some up close education about alpacas!  Andrew said it was too bad Flat Andrew couldn't be with us at Flatland Ranch.  bwahaha.  

Linda Sue, Greg, and Justin in the alpaca barn

Dian said that just before we arrived, all the alpacas decided to come into the barn for their "communal" poop party.  Oh well, we watched our step......... every now and then.

Asher and Andrew meeting some of the girls

Nico is one of the pregnant girls - pregnancy can last 11, 12 months or a little longer

Nic loved the attention from the boys

The black girl in this pic is Jacque

The boys brought their stuffed alpacas that we brought them from the alpaca ranch in the TX hill country.  The alpacas here really seemed interested in them! (Sadly, Nico didn't go to full term on her pregnancy. But Flatland Ranch has 2 other girls that got a positive sono in late June!)

Dian carried in Cinderella (Rella) -- she is a fully mature, tho unusually small alpaca

she was adorable!

Once she made eye contact with A & A, she followed them all over the place

The Alpacas had been sheared in April, so they all looked much thinner than the ones we saw in TX.  The TX ones were about a week or 2 away from being sheared.

Soldier is one of Dian's prize-winning fellas -- beautiful black fiber

Bunny Rabbit is a love bug!

how sweet is this??

This beautiful baby, Bunny Rabbit, followed Andrew all over his pasture

Dian showed the boys the fighter teeth at the back of the mouth

We thought we'd learned in TX that the teeth on the bottom front (protuding incisors) were the fighter teeth. They are so cute when those teeth are showing.  But Dian said those teeth are their grass-cutting teeth.  Many times during shearing, they will trim those down.  

internet pic

She showed our boys that the fighter teeth are actually farther back in the mouth.  All males have them.

Bunny Rabbit

Cinnamon

Would love to have heard what Asher was saying to Rella

I think it was quite a story

Now I think Rella is telling them a good story

she just loved Andrew and Asher

the farm

David and I both thought these alpacas were much more used to people than the others we saw.  They hung around, sometimes right in our faces. Precious! The boys were able to pet their necks and heads quite a bit.

these 4 are yearlings and had a pasture to themselves

Andrew and Asher did a great job of not startling the animals.  They approached them carefully and quietly.  The alpacas seemed very comfortable with them.  Or.......they just really wanted to see what those stuffed alpacas were all about!

they came in a little closer to the boys

5 mighty cute boys!

they look happy

photo op

Linda Sue feeding the yearlings

Yummy Alpaca Crunch

Dian let us try alpaca food .

Asher, early on, asked Dian if she had any food.  She thought he meant for the alpacas, but he meant for him!  He was starving!  So after meeting all the animals, she offered us some Alpaca Crunch - their food.  I told the boys that I'd try it if they would. They very graciously let me go first.  It really wasn't bad at all.  Andrew didn't have too much to say about his, but Asher said he could totally have some of that for dinner. That boy is a hoot.

This chute is used to hold an alpaca still while Dian and Steve do whatever needs to be done to it.

I think they coulda played on this all day

some of the dyed fiber

some of their fiber after shearing and before the mill

Jacque's sport weight yarn -- gonna make hats for the boys out of this

Steve and Dian use the Shepherd's Mill in Phillipsburg, KS for their spinning as did the farm in TX.  I recently met a fellow rv'er in Wichita who is from Phillipsburg.  She said the mill is a great place to tour and has a wonderful shop.  On my list.  Dian also has a friend in Rose Hill that is opening a mill.  She said it takes them a few years to get it "perfected" and they go through a lot of fiber in the process. Thank you, Dian, Trainer for a fun tour and some great yarn!

6-2-14:  David, Rocky, and I squeezed in a short walk in the woods this morning at Pawnee Prairie.  It was just perfect most of the way. Started getting a little warm for Rocky towards the end.  We went on over to a driving range so David could hit.  Rocky and I sat in the truck and enjoyed a little breeze.  Fun getting to run around and take the baby with us. ( We always feel so bad about leaving him)

our 7 yr old

6-3-14:  Today is Andrew's 7th birthday!  Cannot believe it!  He chose to go to Tanganyika Wildlife Park for his big day.  This is a place that's been on my list a couple of years.  Justin, Brooke, and boys visited it last year and gave it a great recommendation.  So we're all very excited about this adventure.  And happy that Greg and Linda Sue are going to join us!

Earl the skink 

feeding the giraffes some lettuce

my fave animal -- and my first time to touch one

Asher with a mama lemur and babies 

how many babies can you see?

they're everywhere!

Greg taking a peek in the Lemur hut

zoning out for a sec

a baby climbed up Grandpa's leg

they can't swim, so they carefully cross this "bridge" to the bldg

Chattin it up with the bday boy

 acrobatics

Storytime

albino gater

penguins lining up for their feeding

Siamang 

we got to walk among the roos

they told us to approach and pet them from behind - not a problem with this one

the little one in this pic hopped in and out of mom's pouch

you can see the baby's foot at the edge of the pouch - we watched him kicking and stretching in there

pigmy goats were very friendly

gotta luv a cute little donkey

tortoise

Asher sharing more lettuce

Andrew fed him a carrot slice from a clothes pin

Sam is telling us to raise our hands while we ride -- Asher wasn't crazy about that idea

But he tried it anyway - what a trooper!

the bugs were bugging Charlie -- we felt him kick a time or 2

Charlie was a cute camel -- like llamas and alpacas, he looked like he was smiling

long, 60 second ride

Asher feeding a Larakeet

they were on the lookout for those cups of sugar water

this guy howled at us relentlessly -- and Andrew howled back

pigmy hippo

taking a dip

Debrazza's Monkey - wise looking guy

Red River Hogs

Mandrill - biggest monkey in the world -- and super colorful (his butt was about as colorful as his face)

 too bad Rocky wasn't there -- he does love a hedgehog!

Rhino feeding time

When the Rhino-keeper asked the boys if they knew what the horn was made out of, Asher told him hair and cartilage. Which is correct.  I don't think the man saw that coming.

Chester Nez, Navajo Code Talker in WWII

6-4-14:  The last of the Navajo Code Talkers died today.   RIP Chester Nez.  This team that started with 29 Navajo soldiers is a great part of our history.

me in hs

Looking forward to a quick trip "home" to Texarkana next week for my 40th class reunion.  Can't believe it's been that long since 1974!

Much love from the prairie lands,

Charlie, Cinderella, and Earl