Kansas Surprises

With our days usually filled with sorting and packing and donating and selling, events out of the rhythm seem big. In the last few nights, they have really BEEN big. Fireworks and record breaking snow (not in the amount but in the time of year) almost seem surreal the next day, but this time I have some photos to prove they both happened. 

Michelle called me up to the room I've been sleeping in, to look out the window. I'd hear some bangs but figured...I don't really know what I figured, but it wasn't what I saw over the rooftops of the neighboring homes. 

Most of these were taken through the screened window

I'll take this blurry one

There would be a huge display like the one above and I'd be sure it was over, but then they would start again. That happened about three times. It must have gone on for 20 minutes. It was glorious!

Michelle found out it was a fundraiser for a christian school around here. I couldn't imagine how much they could raise if they could afford a thousands of dollars fireworks displays. Maybe the fireworks person is a parent there, who knows? All I know is it was beautiful and we practically had a warm inside front row sky seat. Surprise!

The next night snow was forecast. I didn't believe it. It was cold, really cold but snow isn't something I think is quite real, outside of photos. In trying to remember the last time I saw snow, I think it was in Orlando, after coming out of a movie, maybe 25 or 30 years ago. The kind of snow that melts as soon as it touches the ground, or even before. In Orlando, Florida. It was pretty magical, just something not supposed to happen. So I figured this WAS supposed to happen so it wouldn't. See what island living does?

I woke up in the wee hours and went outside to pollute my lungs and there it was. Snow! About an inch of it. For real. 

On the news they called this a light dusting of snow.
Pfffffffffft!

Light dusting my dierierre!

The back deck

It was already melting a little bit at 2:30 a.m. so I figured it would be gone in the morning, which was sunny and blue-skied, but it wasn't. We had some errands to run so, camera in hand, we were off. 

The sun had made the windshield all crunchy icy.
Scraping and brushing it off was something I had to do.
Once was fun, but living this way? I don't think so.

The back deck and yards in the morning light

Snow. On green leaves. 

Oops! I better let it melt a little more before opening the window all the way.

All the homes had their snow covered roofs, some with more, some with less. It was odd to see homes with Halloween decorations decorated with snow.

While Michelle took care of her business, I wandered the area a little bit. There is a little business section, surrounded by homes. The theme seems to be Mexican. I don't know why, but the architecture is really nice. 

But first, we'd passed a fire station that I wanted to see close up.

I guess it would be better to call it a fire house. The details are great.

Snow on Mexican barrel tiles

Right in front of this storefront, which looked like it had some high end chachca for sale, was a fountain. A really different sort of fountain. At first glance, it looked like the typical 'little boy peeing' type, but it was much, much more. 

With his hand around the heron or cranes neck, he wards off a sharp beak.
The giant fish gazes up at him, spouting water, while a turtle climbs up slowly. 

One of four turtles around the edge of the fountain pool wall

I want this sculpture!!

The snow was pretty much melted, the sun was shining. It was back to errands and a bit of shopping and home again home again jiggity jog.

Have an (a)typical Tuesday-in the good way! Do something transporting.