It has been quite a while since the last time I took any vacation; did one in July 2014 for just under a week. I packed a small suitcase last weekend, and spent three days in central Kansas visiting a good friend (will shorten his name to Harl). Although we've kept in touch over the years, this week was the first time we've seen each other in 31 years, right after we both finished our university graduate work at Kansas University. He finished with an ABD, and I with an MA -- both in Slavic Languages & Literatures. We had a little catching up to do, and we did just that! Yes, I plan to mention a couple of things about our shared interest in SL&L and Russia. So this might be the point some of you good Folk might choose to bail out!
Okay, I'll try to make it a little interesting.~~~Drive in beautiful weather, with a final 30 miles in a terrific thunderstorm; 1880s Main Street in Peabody, KS.
Although both northern MO and much of KS is struggling through this summer's drought conditions, a cool front arrived just in time for my travel on Monday. It was mostly cloudy and pleasantly cool. As I neared Harl's hometown of Partridge, KS (just outside of Hutchinson), a highway sign caught my attention. The coming-up town had an "1880s Main Street." So I pulled off and visited this small rural KS town. Quiet morning, cool, and interesting building fronts from the late 1800s. Years ago my wife and I lived in another small KS town with a very similar Main Street. They are cool.
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~~~Visit with Harl at his Partridge, KS farm/homestead.
I decided to share very little about our couple of days worth of chats. After completing our university work, our paths went in vastly different directions. I married my wife, Joyce, and Harl remained a confirmed bachelor. I pursued a profession in higher-education institutions as a Registrar/Director of Records for 25 years. He has taught at the same large university in Russia for those 25 years, and continues to live in Russia 10 months each year. The two summer months are spent working at his Partridge home/farm to earn extra funds, they back to the work he enjoys most. He primarily teaches Russian Literature, and our subject matter is endless.
A comment about his farm land. Harl's father was a quite wealthy farmer, and Harl and his siblings inherited that land. It has been divided between all the siblings, who still live in their home town and grow their produce. They have divided up equal sections of 1000 acres.....quite an inheritance! It was a beautiful group of farms to behold!
I'll only share one thing about our chats, with a single photo. He introduced me to a uniquely skilled artist (not Russian, but Slavic) by the name of Ivan Lackovic-Croata. THe photo I'm posting is an example of the paintings that a group of rural artists, not-highly trained, are skilled at. He paints with oil, which is an unforgiving medium, and creates his paintings on the back side of glass! If you think about it, this means the painter must paint the picture from the reverse perspective then when a person actually views it. Here is one of these "oils on glass" which Harl owns. Now I'll move my travelogue away from Russian art or lit.
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PT7
