Stones

Saturday evening Noel and I headed west, out I-70 a ways, then north. We wound up at the Old Stone Church near St. Marys. This church was dedicated in 1882 as a mission of the Eliot Congregational Church in Newton, Massachusetts. It was used until 1905 when a new church was dedicated in town.

I walked up the hill through the cemetery and looking back across the valley I must say is one of the prettiest spots in Kansas. At least two trains passed and the sound reverberated against the hillside. On one set of graves, prickly pear cactus was in full, ripe fruit. I picked a couple but even the fruit has the little almost invisible stickers and I spent the rest of the evening trying to suck them out of my fingertips.

Homemade monuments strike a chord with me, and this one (left) was particularly poignant. The craftsman was obviously not experienced in making markers and didn't realize if he could read his template it would come out backwards on the stone. It's funny, and it's touching.

On the way back home, we meandered north again, and crossed the Kaw where I stopped in the middle of the bridge to snap the picture below. An advantage to living in Kansas--stopping on bridges to enjoy the view.