Surprising News!

ALISON LIKES NEBRASKA!

I know -- I couldn't believe it myself when I realized that, I actually like the state of Nebraska.  I don't know whether I'm willing to up and move there, but I really admire the place and even slightly enjoy it. Its a very interesting and intriguing state!

In Omaha, they have giant black squirrels....  (they don't usually have a big nut like in this pict - and the acorns are not as big as this either...)

Okay, this only actually a big inflatable one, but they are known for black squirrels - apparently they have some massive amounts of them roaming the plains.

This is actually downtown Council Bluffs, as in Iowa..... Its the starting place of the Union Pacific Railway and they have a big museum there that I've been wanting to visit - maybe the next time I'm there.  Theres this cool restaurant downtown called Dixie Quicks that was on Diners, Drive Ins and Dives.  It was really really good food and great atmosphere.  I wanted to go back, but wasn't able to fit it in this time - next time maybe....

I also had to drive out to Kearney (pronounced Kar-knee) Nebraska as well.  Its about 3 hours from Omaha.  Straight shot.  70 miles an hour speed limit (sweet).  Flat plains that mimic Illinois but are actually more open and attractive like Colorado.  You drive and its fields that have this feeling of pioneers and early farms and settlers and every so often you pass these old worn out buildings just scattered along the side of the road every couple miles.  You can tell time and wind and weather have taken their toll, but they've had life, history and time roll in and out their doors.

On the way into Kearney, over the highway, they've erected a monument to - I suppose now it could be called, stupidity.  Its this "museum" about pioneers and the history of the west and such, however, someone forgot to do some marketing and they spent millions of dollars putting this thing together and now, about 15 years later, they're bankrupt.  It will be interesting to see what this thing looks like in another 15 years....

Here's a funky little tidbit....
Kearney, Nebraska is the migration, um, like landing place? for the Sandhill Crane.  I guess its a huge part of their tourism.  They have buses of people coming in and doing trips to observe the Sandhill Cranes.  They obviously have art galleries dedicated to the crane.  Its crazy!

See the white coating on top of the water -- all Sandhill cranes.  As I was driving in the water was covered with them and this was this crazy pulsating white ring cloud swerving around in the sky over the water.  All the fields along the way were littered with cranes.  It was pretty amazingly crazy!

Kearney is a pretty great "little" town sitting in the middle of nowhere.  The downtown has all these crazy cool shops and I bought my first pair of Toms at a shop near the hospital.  When I was trying to get to the bottom of what kind of people in Kearney were buying $175.00 throw pillows from the little shop called "The Shopping Tripp", my rep told me that beef cattle was really big in the area.  She told me that the wives of the beef cattle farmers always have to have their $275 pair of jeans with the bedazzle on their butts.  Apparently the cowboy is the big thing around the southern part of the state.  In fact - there is another guy that we had to meet up with for some pumps at a hospital that we're looking at - his company does pumping systems for all kinds of industries -- healthcare, food industry, laundry -- and one of their big customers is farming.  He was telling us that he was working with a big slaughterhouse in southwest Nebraska installing some chemical pumps in the slaughterhouse there.  He's worked with a few other slaughterhouses in the state as well.  So - when my rep and I had some time to drift through the downtown shops in the afternoon - I noticed the cowboy theme going on big time....

If you're having a party and are in search of a dish to put chips and salsa in -
BLAMO!  Howdy partner - care for some munchies before we head over to the barn to watch the steer being bled?

And then when we get done there we can mosey on back to the house for some fresh slabs of beef served up on plates that remind us what paid for that beef slab on the plate!

And, before you come on over for the hoedown - please make sure to stop by the local Cowboy Western Wear shop for some duds and studs!

Okay - off the ranch theme...  Isn't this cool?  An old theatre that a dentist took and kept pretty true to its form.  I loved it!   I'd totally go here!

I didn't get a pict of it, but the big gas station in Iowa is Kum and Go....
But cross the border and you'll be fueling at....

Yee-haw!  Its big N!  So - here's your how you can now justify reading this meaningless blog.....
The city of Lincoln, Nebraska is not only home of the University of Nebraska (CORNHUSKERS - GO!) but it is also the CAPITAL of the great state of Nebraska!  Now you've learned something, or been reminded of something if you're really smart already.

And I just had to pop this in because it made me stop and outright laugh.  Downtown Nebraska by my favored coffeeshop, the gym there proudly announces via the Christopher....

I think this says it best!

Oh - FYI - in closing -- I did get to go over to KS City for two nights and got to see niece Brittany.  Had fun and great food and got caught up.  But now I'm home and ready to finish enjoying my weekend!