Coronodo's Castle, The Sandzen, and Kaufmann Museums, Kansas

 

While visiting Bob and Nancy, besides catching up on all the gossip, we made several short trips. The first was to the City of Lindsborg, Kansas where we visited The Sandzen Museum and Coronado’s Castle. On another day we visited the Kauffman Museum and Mennonite Farm in northern Newton, Kansas.

The Sandzen Museum represented some of the works of Birden Sanzen. He was a prolific painter, printmaker,

and collector of Japanese carvings and bronze statues. It was estimated that in his long lifetime he produced oved three hundred thousand pieces of art.

His paintings were primarily in the impressionist style, his printmaking

often used linoleum carved blocks.

He was a teacher at Bethel College after he had immigrated from eastern Europe. The museum also exhibited many other artists including one of my favorite pieces, a painting of doughnuts,

I am back on my diet). Many of the works used mixed medium to provide unusual textures.

After the Museum we next traveled to Coronado’s Castle. It was rumored that Coronado traveled to the hilltop during his search for El Dorado. In 1936 the WPA, a program of Roosevelts, that constructed public projects across the country, built the castle using rocks quarried from the hilltop.

Here the workers used an outcrop of sandstone filled with hematite to quarry blocks for the construction of the castle the castle can be seen from quite a way away as the hilltop is one of the tallest points in Kansas.

It was simply a high spot, and no one ever lived in it. It is used now as a place for locals to gather and party/whatever.

You can see evidence of trash that had been left but it really was not too bad, compared to what we have see in Texas, for example.

On the final day of our visit Bob took us to the Kauffman Museum and Farm located in north Newton Kansas.

The museum was an eclectic collection of Cheyenne Indian artifacts,

Mennonite items including many dowry chests. Kauffman’s Taxidermy trophies, including and extinct Passenger Pidgeon

and others too numerous to mention.

Outside the Museum is a typical Mennonite House,

Garden and Barn.

We enjoyed the time there at the Kauffman Museum. Definitely a simple life, a plain life that is still lived by many today.

We loved our time with Bob and Nancy. Nancy was a guidance counselor and spent her career in a Junior High School. Her stories convinced me that Junior High educators are a special breed, (something I already knew). Thanks for the wonderful company, stories, and guided tours of your city! Clear skies

From Grand Isle to Iowa to Kansas: Family and Friends

We left Grand Isle inspired by the warblers, many new to us, and drove to Keosauqua. At Keosauqua we visited with Pam and Roy, Renita’s sister, and her husband. They usually winter with us in Texas but Roy has been recovering from his latest illness, and we are pleased to say that he is in good spirits and is improving!

From there we headed west by southwest to Newton, Kansas where we stopped to visit Nancy and Bob. They surprised us with an invitation to attend an outside dress rehearsal of the production of “Smokey Joe’s Cafe. It was simply wonderful to see performing artists and singers in a musical production. It always amazes me to hear great vocalist and a band that played for about two hours straight, (there was no intermission as a way to keep the crowd from mingling due to covid).

It was performed in an outside half bowl and even though it threatened rain, the skies stayed clear! While in Kansas we spent the time visiting several museums, a Kansas Castle, and of course taking pictures of any bird we could find.

Besides the common birds, a robin, house finch

, and house sparrow,

we also got to see two barn swallows fighting during flight.

Perhaps they were simply chasing the same bug, but we were really pleased with the new lens.

A common grackle posed along with an Eastern meadowlark.

Another day we took a walk along the bike path that starts along the golf course and we got a new life bird perhaps, a type of thrush!

We never would have identified the bird without the photo, you can see the bill and color pattern. There were also numerous blue jays in flight

, and a Baltimore Oriole feeding on a treetop.

Another day was spent taking my hearing aids for a cleaning and then two days later returning to find out the right one needed to be sent in, (we have to send it in from our local Costco at Idaho Falls as where it is sent from must be where it is returned after repairs. I am so lost without both hearing aides).

Time to cut this blog off and get dinner. Clear skies

 

 

Good Bye Grand Isle!

 

On another day at Grand Isle Dan and I went fishing. Nothing was happening at the fishing bridge or Elmer's Island but we did catch some large whiting in the surf. Dan caught his biggest redfish ever and it was a keeper, about twenty-seven inches long! All the fish were cooked along with a generous supply of frogs legs. Connie made two pies so of course we over ate!

On our last day of birding on Grand Isle we realized we had not gone for a walk on the beach. Connie, Dan, and Barb joined us for a leisurely stroll and let us renew our memories of such a special place. We did not find any special shells, fossils, or artifacts but we did have fun watching the birds.

A flock of black skimmers were facing into the wind and two of them were getting amorous.

Spring was definitely in the air as a willet in breeding plumage was zealous in guarding a puddle and chased all the other birds away.

We climbed the tower to get a good look at Barataria pass, Grand Terre, and the remains of the uncompleted fort and Dan and Barb posed for their image. Later, as the sun set we took a walk to the foot bridge by the pond.

It was a fun week on Grand Isle with exceptional birding, great food, and special times with friends and family. Thanks Connie and Gary for another special time. On to Keosauqua! Clear skies

ps The above picture is one I took while birding in the woods. The oak tree branch is covered with Ressurection ferns. They grow quickly after a heavy rainstorm,( we had seven inches in one hour), and then dry out, curl up, and seem to be dead until the next rain. (Polypodium polypodioides).Connie told me about them, (thanks Sis), and we have never seen them before. They do not hurt the tree.

A Magical Time of Birding on Grand Isle, (Continued)

 

On the second day of birding, we decided to bird on the Nature Conservancy trail. Dan and Barb joined us, and we had not taken three steps along the trail before warblers started to appear as they flew into thicker brush as we disturbed them. The birds had not yet left!

We slowed down our pace and started taking images of every bird we could and before long we had several new birds.

A blue winged warbler started us out and several more hooded warblers appeared almost underfoot.

Across the way indigo bunting fed in a field accompanied by a blue grosbeak that sat above the field on a branch.

It was great to have them side by side so we could compare their plumage. American red starts were also plentiful, and we got some shots of a female to go along with the male from the day before.

I took several images of different warblers, one a red eyed vireo and the other is yet to be identified by us.

I will try to identify them, (being retired is tough as you never have enough time to do all that you want to do). 

At a stone bench another birder we had met Tom, said he had spotted both a black billed and yellow billed cuckoo. As we talked about the cuckoos a black billed flew and landed on a large branch seemingly posing to have its picture posted on our blog, it was another new life bird!

 

A little further on, by a pool of water an eastern peewee was busy catching insects and another prothonotary warble made an appearance. The birds were so busy feeding that they did not seem to care about our presence.

Lilies had been planted the fall before and blackberry bushes were in bloom attracting a rose breasted hummingbird.

Renita spotted a magnolia warbler and then a palm warbler, but we were unable to get is picture. Our new friend Tom mentioned that he had seen four painted buntings, one of which was near the trailhead and returning toward the car Dan spotted the bird high on a branch.

It was partially hidden from view but as it moved along the branch, we could see its blue head, bright green back and wings, a bright red underside!

It flew away across some water but with our new lens I was able to get several shots including one in which it looked at us, (first photo), as is to make sure it was far enough away to be safe, (Painted buntings are often captured and caged as pets in Central America.

Shortly after it flew away, my sister Connie showed up along with more scarlet tanagers. We also did get to see our first Baltimore oriole of the year,

It had been another great of birding!  Clear skies