Presenting Big Boys Toy Show 2009

(Click on the titles to view pictures of this series)

Big Boys Toy Show 2009

January 31, 2009 was the 19th Annual Big Boys Toy Show in Wichita KS.

T&S Mobile Projectors set up at the main stage next to the Entercom booth.

Michael John Potts

First up on the schedule, Potts painted this huge portrait that was given away at the end of the day. Read more about this fascinating artist and see what this picture looked like when he finished...

Ryan Windham

Ryan was back and as GREAT as ever...

Cowtown Cowboys

Reach for the sky, Pardner...

Eye Win Fight Gear

MMA teams demo their skills...

Great Plains Renaissance Festival

What could be more fun! Pirates, Barbarians, Knights, Ladies and Belly Dancers....

Girls! Girls! Girls!!!

There were girls from Wichita Wild, Wichita Thunder, Women of KU, the February Playmate, Midwest Promotions Calendar Girls and Alefs Harley Davidson/Buell Fashion Show...

Bikes

There were certainly bikes to drool over at the Big Boy Toy Show...

Cars plus

Lots of nice shiny cars/trucks of all years/sizes and shapes...

Green Screen Fun

Kids of all ages had fun with the green screen projections. OH MY! The Hitman REALLY has Power!...

Playtime

Fun comes in all forms, from an indoor bungee jump to Trikkes to computer games and having your likeness sketched...

Wichita Toy Train Club

I don't know an age group the doesn't like the scale model trains and everything that goes with them...

Entercom Staff

And finally the people that make it all happen...

May Day Eve 2009

Here it is, the day before May Day and I'm way behind in my postings. I should be getting a post up about Big Boys Toy Show shortly, I still have some pictures to post in my company blog that I will link to. I also see that I neglected to post the last basketball games for K-Monster and the Princess. Then there was the bierock bake, a birthday party or two, Easter and Fun Fair. I have a lot of catching up to do. On top of that everything is greening up and outdoor chores beckon. My inside plants are blooming. Here's flower on my Oxalis - Shamrock. My husband bought this for me many years ago and it's pleasantly been a low maintenance plant.
This pretty pink flower...

...is on my Angelwing Begonia. This year is the first time that it's bloomed. I moved it out the front porch today...

...so it could enjoy the rain. It's been raining since last week. There was a couple days that we got a break and I went out and mowed down the tall grass/weeds before it started raining again.

But my garden is going to go in late again this year. My new rototiller arrived the other day...

...but the shelter for it won't be here till Saturday and I need to let the garden dry a few days before I even think about running the tiller in it. Well, I guess I have time to work on my posts if I can't get out in the garden.

Golden Wheat AHSGR April 19, 2009 Genealogy Meeting

April 19 was the Genealogy meeting of the Golden Wheat Chapter AHSGR. For a more concise write up about the meeting I submit page one of our chapter newsletter...
Registration is the first thing we do upon arrival ...

A table was set for member's personal sources of information. The items on the right side of the table are copies of my 1877 letter and information that I have gained from having submitted it to my research email lists and posting it on my blog. Neither are traditional ways of doing research.

These items, next picture also, are the items that our Guest Speaker, Peggy Goertzen brought to share with us.

First we shared in our covered dish meal, always more than enough food. A small sample of each dish is more than enough to eat.

Below is the beautiful painting that has been donated to give for donations as a fund raiser for the chapter.

After our meal there's time to visit and look at the items on the tables.

Harold Popp lead us in singing German songs with Ella on the piano.

Then on to our program: "Likely and Unlikely Sources for German Russian Family Research."

...a very nice funeral card from the early 1900's. There was information found written on backs of pictures. Letters from casual correspondence yield an abundance of information.

Plus pictures on the overhead projector showing the many different documents that give us clues into the lives of our ancestors.

Another wonderful afternoon with friends, food and information for research.

Princess Knight

I've neglected my postings this year, have had other activities occupying my time lately. I will attempt to get some of the things posted that I had planned on doing earlier. On a pretty day in February some of my grands came over to play "Magic Kingdom"...
...the youngest decided that instead of being a Princess or a faerie she would like to be a Knight!

I must say, I think she made a very good knight...

...though I might be a bit biased. Our Royal Princess donned a red theme with red tiara, red gloves and "ruby red slippers"...

...the Knights charge out to conquer dragons...

...back at the castle to regroup and recoup.

See the "ding" on the bridge of her nose? This was a "gift" from her brother prior to them coming to my house.

Ready to do battle...

...so why not a little practice between siblings. Open your eyes Sir Knight!

...no backing down...

...if all else fails, she'll just punch him.

Shopping in Texas

Just last week we were talking to family in Texas, it's not that long of a drive from here to there and with the toll roads and highways it doesn't take all that long to get there. I didn't think to ask if they'd checked in to Direct Buy. I know that if you're looking into remodeling or major purchases you can get some really GREAT deals through Direct Buy. But there are savings for your everyday type items too. The link includes the address to the showrooms in Texas and free pass to enter showroom. So if you're in Texas you might want to check it out!

Blizzard of 2009

Last week Kansas was hit by a blizzard. It's been a few years since we've had one. Long enough, apparently, for people to think that this is unusual weather for here. We may not have had blizzards every year, but most years we had substantial snow cover. I remember a winter in the early 1980s that the snow drifted so deep that I could walk straight out from my back porch across the top of a snow drift. My chow dog sat out at the end of this drift with his back to the north wind, it was frosted. I called to him and he just glanced at me over his shoulder, never moving his body and then ignored me. I had him in the house the day before and he begged to be back outside. It was just too warm in the house for him. Below are pictures I took the first day after the blizzard. You can barely see the logs around my firepit...
...with all the white, it's hard to determine depth.

See the pile of snow across the street? The snow is to the top of our bales to the right. We didn't have near as much snow here as they did in a lot places. I believe Pratt had the most at 28 inches.

Maybe this will give you more of an idea of how much snow we had.

By evening the streets were pretty clear, but we had a drift across our drive plus what they plowed up at the curb.

The street is clear and open all the way down.

The next day I went out and shoveled the sidewalk. This wasn't that easy since there was a layer of ice on the bottom.

Got it nice and clear all the way to the drive.

Then I made it all the way to the end of the drive and as soon as I broke through the snow at the curb my drive filled with water.

At that point I quit. My winter banner was still out.

This is the next day. Most of the water in my drive is gone along with the snow.

All that's left are spots that are in the shade and big piles that are melting down.

Here's my firepit, the snow had nearly buried those logs around it.

For good measure, I put out my spring banner, though it's still cold here. But the snow is gone.