June 1: The New Job and a Mystery Cruise

My new job does work with microfiche but I'm working on microfilm. The microfilm is both 16mm and 35mm. The local county government has decided it needs to replace some old microfilm so I'm now helping this company with that project. There are suppose to be a total of 2500 rolls of film. We make two copies: 1) A diazo copy for the county to use daily; and 2) a silver copy that will go to the salt mines for storage. This will last about 3 months (unless I find work elsewhere) and the cost to us tax payers is a mere $100,000. The reason for film as oppose to CD's is that the life span of the information and the CD itself have not yet been determined. The life span of diazo film is over 100 years and the silver is suppose to be good for 500 years. Not sure how they can determine that and not the life span of a CD but I guess that's not my problem. I am still putting in applications at other places still hoping to get full time employment somewhere.

Larry is still working at the hotel - delivering tooth brushes, unclogging toilets, helping young co-eds move to another room because their a/c was broken, trying to fix a broken elevator, policing the parking lot looking for non-paying parkers, etc. Not a bad job description for the title "Shuttle Driver".

Today and tomorrow are his days off this week and he went swimming today. Met an interesting guy in the pool - Larry Grimes. The two of them had quite a visit about the apartment complex. They're about the same age too but Larry says Larry has more hair than he does. Wonder if Darrell is around somewhere.

Saturday (while Larry was working), I went on a mystery cruise with the P.T. Cruiser group. I rode with Ron & Janet. We left north Wichita at 7:00 AM (my eyes were almost open) and headed north. First stop (potty break) was just north of I-70 on the highway going to Wilson Lake. Stopped at a store called "Kansas Originals". A really neat place. I bought a new T-Shirt and pin. I think everyone bought something.



This was on the scenic Post Rock By-Way heading north to Wilson Lake. More on the post rocks later.







Next stop was Lucas, KS originally known as the Garden of Eden. First stop, however, was at the Grassroots Arts Center. To take the description of the artists from their brochure, "Grassroots art is made by self-taught artists working outside the academic structure of fine art and beyond the cultural traditions of folk art......" Generally, someone turns 65, has lots of time on their hands and says "Wow, look at all this junk in my closet, yard, garage, etc. Maybe I can do something with that." It was an interesting place but a little mind boggling.



Left is a a car made from the old style pull tabs - the ones that always got thrown down or you put in the can and hoped you didn't swallow it.

This lovely sculpture on the right was all the trash taken from a drained lake. Kinda like those I Spy books. Can you find the marble, jack, toy cow, etc.?




Limestone is a big deal in this country. This antique car and school yard scene was carved from a chunk of limestone by a lady that filled up a whole room in this museum.







More limestone but these were done by master masons. The stained glass window is actually pieces of glass and the bottoms of broken bottles.







We then walked over to the Deeble house where there are thousands of Barbie Dolls and other dolls made into so many different things that my mind kinda went numb. Notice the aluminum foil walls - ceilings were the same way. The lady that made these lived here until she ran out of room and moved out. In the backyard are scenes from postcards that she collected. This one is from Mt. Rushmore.




I have no idea!!!






From here we went to the Garden of Eden. I asked another photographer to take over for my royal assistant, Henry, and I don't have those photos yet. They are well worth waiting on. They'll be in the next edition.

Thank you, Henry, for taking all these lovely photos for me. I still can't believe I walked out of the house without my camera.

The Garden Of Eden and the Vonada Stone Co. family farm will be posted as soon as I get the CD with the pictures.