St Joseph, Missouri

Posted on by kathousekelli70

Heading into Missouri now and for St Joseph where we will be exploring places like The Pony Express Museum, Patee House and Jesse James House.

Skirting the city limits of Kansas City, some old buildings amongst the new skyline, an interesting bridge and a casino taking on the appearance of an old steamboat.

Lots of trees in this part, thick groves of them.

St Joseph is just over an hour away from where we were staying in Overland Park, Kansas – so for those who live close by in the north east quarter of Kansas you could do this as a day trip or a weekend. The St Joseph website even has a couple of guided tours listed and gives you an estimate of time in order for you to plan a short trip.

We got into the older part of St Joseph and found our way to the Visitor Centre/Library in the newer business district. Not open Sundays but self serve on any of the brochure’s and maps required.

Heading back to old town we stopped at the Pony Express Monument. Oh, I’m sorry, you mean you don’t know what the Pony Express was? Well here’s a little bit of info to get you up to speed.

The Pony Express was an idea for getting mail, overland from St Joseph, MIssouri to Sacremento, California. Mail could possibly take weeks to go by sea and now it could go by horse rider and be there in 10 days! Wow, what a breakthrough. Horses were positioned along the route, so the rider could change horses and would have another rider to hand off to if need be.

The first ride of the Pony Express began on April 3, 1860 at 7.15pm. One lonely rider with monchila (mo-chee-la) loaded with mail heading out across, plains, desert and high country to get the mail through. The first Pony Express rider to set out on that day is said to be “Johnny Fry”.

Enjoy a couple of pics here, rest on Facebook and check out the website link below for more about the Museum.

 

Then it was on to Patee House Museum, used to be a hotel 3 times, a girls college twice and a shirt factory for 80 years prior to being turned into a museum. It is huge, 4 floors of heritage, well 3 they aren’t restoring the top floor and you can see in the stair wells winding up to the other floors – the original staircases, banisters, the timber batons and horse hair plaster detail.

There is so much to see in here it is mind blowing, two and a half hours easily spent there.

Travelling and arriving……

….and going out in style.

Or maybe you just want to take a train?

Or pretend you are still in your childhood riding the unique “Wild Things” carousel. (I’m betting put a kid on the mako shark and they will have nightmares!! I didn’t take a pic of it!)

Patee House was opened by John Patee as a luxurious hotel in 1858 to serve travellers. It is most famously recognised for being the Pony Express Headquarters where Russell, Majors and Waddell had their office starting April 3, 1860. It was also the US Provost marshal’s office and the Union recruiting office during the Civil War era, holding grand balls and court in the ballroom as well.

 

The Jesse James Home is situated on the neighbouring grounds of Patee House, the home Jesse bought for his wife and children and where he was shot whilst straightening the hanging needlework picture.

The bullet hole in the wall has been covered with glass but before this could be done there were many that would enter the house and chip out toothpick sized pieces of timber both from the wall and from the blood stained floor.

There are some original pieces of furniture from the house still there. An exhibit of the exhumation that took place in 1995 holds pieces from Jesse’s casket – handles, scripted plate/plaque, the broken viewing glass, his tie pin etc.

Well all done and dusted, a full day of museum history, pretty much done what we came to see, so cancelled motel and headed back for Oklahoma.

Good day. Over and out.

Kat xo

http://www.stjomo.com/discover-st-jo/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=Visitor-Info&gclid=CjkKEQjwiPWcBRCTj_-Vz8fE3cMBEiQAZIMSUmDIL9tW8eWHTKp0iZhXTnbqWBQ-TLWTrXoPzo5wZOXw_wcB

http://www.stjomo.com/see-do/museums/pony-express-national-museum/

http://www.stjomo.com/see-do/museums/patee-house-museum/

http://www.stjomo.com/see-do/museums/jesse-james-home-museum/

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

PoP Day 2

Posted on by kathousekelli70

Another gorgeous day with a slight wind made for a comfortable shooting day. Last 5 stages, with only 1 miss today for me and none for Jack. So overall that's one a piece.

We will see how it all turns out at the Banquet tonight!

Had a great Posse, made some new friends, got to shoot with some we haven't shot with before as well and was good getting to know them better.

 

 

Great shoot, recommend a visit!

Well it's hours later and all out in the wash Jackaroo finished 1st Place Senior and 4th place overall. I won Best Dressed Saloon Girl, came 1st Place Lady Wrangler, 6th place overall and 1st Lady overall!

Kudos to a great number of people that ran the shoot, Ansolutely had a blast. Great trophies too!

Top 20

1 Doc Hurd, 2 Hondo Tucker, 3 Rowdy Buckshot, 4 Jackaroo, 5 fort Hays Preacher, 6 Kathouse Kelli, 7 Croaker, 8 Mace Bishop, 9 Silent Thunder, 10 Boomstick Jay, 11 Titus A. Gnatsass, 12 Trego Kid, 13 The Brisco Kid, 14 Buster Jack, 15 Shootin Newton, 16 Digger John, 17 Flint Hills Dawg, 18 Jayhawk Jerry, 19 High Plains Hud, 20 Marshall Halloway.

 

Kat xo

 

 

 

PoP First Day Main Match

Posted on by kathousekelli70

It's a clear sky start for a great day at the Powder Creek range, nice mild shooting weather.

Pledge of allegiance and safety briefing prior to starting.

Our Posse, Jackaroo, Kathouse Kelli, Petticoat Chaser, Flint Hills Dawg, Anvil Al, Titus A Gnatsass, Goldie Lu, Daisy Dee, Dirt Dart, Rowdy Buckshot, Cash Profitt, Shady Willie Brown, Cap'n Highpockets, Quirt Dunn, Trigger Happy Kid, Buster The Kid, Lynch M Two, Lynch M Sag, Boomstick Jay, Irish Tom, Trudy Mae. Hopefully I haven't missed anyone.

Five stages done today, smaller targets than the last few shoots, but good stages and reasonable times nonetheless. I'm clean for the day (one shotgun reengagement/fumble), 1 miss for Jack and a rifle jack out.

Pic with Chantilly today. So much fun.

Five more tomorrow yet!

Had a quick meal at the range this evening, fun with friends and side match awards of which I picked up 4!! Woo hoo!

Worn out, looking forward to tomorrow and Banquet tomorrow night.

Night!

Kat xo

 

 

Prince of Pistoleers

Posted on by kathousekelli70

The Powder Creek Cowboys have a gorgeous range in Kansas, in a setting surrounded by trees, every stage is a replica of old Kansas establishments.

With 5 covered walkway town ranges and 2 uncovered ranges it's set for a great weekend. The Dewey Cattle Co yards (uncovered range) are actually named after THE Dewey Cattle Co.

So a really good thunderstorm through the night and still raining in the morning, clearing to a fine humid afternoon. However, that didn't stop a group of cowboys n cowgirls from shooting a 3 stage Wild Bunch match and then some great side events during the afternoon with others rolling in to join in the fun.

 

 
 

The usual speed pistol, rifle, shotgun was also complimented by speed derringer and pocket pistol, a prairie dog shoot (2 very small prairie dog targets set wayyyyy out, alternating between the two), and in the spirit of Wild Bill Hicock, 5 trick shots duelist style. Lot of fun.

A quite evening tonight before first day Main Match tomorrow.

 

Cheers Kat!

Want to find out more about the Prince of Pistoleers and the Powder Creek Cowboys? Click on the link below.

http://powdercreekcowboys.com/home.html

 

 

On To Lenexa, Kansas

Posted on by kathousekelli70

Breakfast was had and we were heading back through the Main Street of Miami and through the gate of Oklahoma.

Made a short stop at the Vintage Iron Museum which houses many of the old ‘iron horses’. Found my all time favourite Harley Davidson Soft Tail, check out the price tag!! I love the colour too, I could live with that.

They had Indian, Harley and Triumph bikes and a an exhibit of Evel Knievel here.

The Evel Kneivel plus many more pics are on the phone so they will be on Facebook later

 

Quapaw – O-Gah-Pah – a small town that was heavily hit by a tornado last month, site incredible. We sat in the car waiting for a builder to find some one and give us directions to the Indian Museum, looking at a half destroyed building. (Pieces of 4×2, like pins in a pin cushion) Gentleman we spoke to where they were doing rebuilding said thankfully no one was killed.

At the Museum we spoke with a lady about many of the artefacts and photos there. She explained the allotment roll with the Indian names of those moved into the Oklahoma Territory who were then issued land lots.

She told us the difference between ‘pure’ blood and ‘full’ blood and went on to say about Jean Ann Quapaw Blue and her husband were the last of the pure bloods. She also said Jean Ann Blue was her Aunt, before we left I asked her name, she is also Jean Ann (Lambert) and I commented then to the connection I made with some of the pieces in the first cabinets I had seen that she had of her Aunts.

Very interesting, in it’s early stages and will be expanding soon.

 

Baxter Springs, Kansas – again where tornadoes hit and yet everywhere you look there are people out repairing and rebuilding.

Found a sign for their Historic Museum and decided to stop. Glad we did, spent about 2 hours there, lots of original pieces from Civil War and through their mining history etc. lots of display cases with pieces donated or dug up out of the ground. Very nicely laid out.

I also spied a picture of a late 1800’s gown, the woman sporting a pocket watch (I’ve been reading about them in the hopes of including a pocket for one in a bodice at some point) tucked into her bodice worn on a brooche chain I think, can’t quite tell if it’s a necklace one.

Downstairs is the town like set up showcasing different professions and then the mining area. Very much steeped in history their were so many mines in this area or Picher (a sink hole waiting to happen), the water table is so high that during the mining days they had to continuously pump out but when they were finished in each shaft would then turn the pumps off and let it fill up with water.

Back in the car and we are back on Hwy 69 now and heading up to Pittsburg, Fort Scott – every now and then you just have to Sonic! Hot dog and Oreo Cheesecake Shake for me and Strawberry Shake for Jack. Yum!

Didn’t have to leave the car which is a good thing, see?! Nothing like giving yourself a pedicure on the road.

Okay so we weren’t going to deviate off the path but we saw the sign for the National Monutment Site for Fort Scott and decided to go check it out, and are we glad we did!

Some archaeology works had been undertaken and the National Parks have had the Fort re established as it was in the Civil War, a then functioning barracks, hospital, dragoon stables and barracks, post headquarters, officers headquarters, a carriage house, powder magazine, quartermaster storehouse and guardhouse – all situated within walking distance of the old town Main Street with it’s many ornate buildings.

Some of the buildings have been done in period furniture etc, the hospital with its ward of rope based beds, the stables are just gorgeous for the timber work alone! The dragoon barrack, shows the dormitory bunks which we thought were quite spacious to start with until we realised there were two names on the foot of the beds which means they slept two soldiers in each (I assume top and tail) so they really didn’t have much room at all and would not have been particularly comfortable.

The quartermasters storehouse has all the barrels of salted pork, bins for rice and beans and down in the cellar there are some very old kegs. I felt a little uneasy coming up out of the cellar, maybe there were other ‘visitors’ in that area, was glad to breathe the outside air again.

The guardhouse our final stop before heading off, had an interesting slanted board built into one side of the room which turns out to be the guards sleeping rack, that’s about all you could call it. No bedding, they took a kip on there during there 2hr on, 4hr off 24hr shift. Four confined jail cells in back for the long termers and a group cell.

While I’m busy taking a pic of the cell door to my height and the next cell door for comparison Jack says, “There’s three girls on the floor in there” and I’m like, “What??”. Of course he just wanders out and when I get to the cell door I started laughing, I will pay that one! Can you see it in the pic below?

It’s warm, that Shake is not sitting too well now, glutton! 🙂

Back in the car and let’s get to Lenexa!

 

Cheers Kat xo

June 12th

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Route 66, June 10

Posted on by kathousekelli70

Chandler

First stop, breakfast! At the Boom-a-rang Diner no less, looked like the local place to eat. A quaint little 50's decor diner and a retired National Guard gentleman in typical, wrangler jeans, cowboy hat and boots. Some very old looking buildings – rain prevented pictures.

Drove through Stroud, Bristow their main streets have some very old gorgeous buildings. Connected up to the I44 and onto Sapulpa.Bristow

Sapulpa

It also has some superb historic and restored shop fronts but we headed on through skirting round the outskirts of Tulsa – we will do the Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame and Gilcrease Museum another weekend. (24 hours from Tulsaaaaa, one day away from your arrrms, I saw the welcoming light, and stopped to rest for the night…….Gene Pitney eat your heart out. Lol!) There is lots to see in Claremore so onward we go.

Pity we didn't stop to ask for directions to where the iconic Blue Whale is located in Catoosa! But the fudge shop may have been a little too tempting, sigh, onto Claremore we go.

Here's a pic from Museum in Claremore, this is what I was looking for!!

Claremore

Claremore is home to the J.M. Davis Arms & Historical Museum and the Will Rogers Memorial Museum.

We visited The J.M. Davis Arms Museum first. In 1946 Mr Davis' collection was already at 8,000 with fire arms collected over 52 years, the oldest at the time 500 years old and the smallest one only 1 1/2″ long.

The museum houses over 14,000 firearms and 50,000 artefacts that Mr Davis collected over many, many years and from many different countries. US, China, Germany, Belgium, Spain just to name a few.

I must say the gold and pearl hand guns really did take my fancy, Spanish!

Or what about trying to pull out a 10 1/2″ barrel length Ruger Blackhawk from your holster!

Numerous small pistols, like you wouldn't believe! I imagined trying to fit one in a corset or up under your bustle skirts – now that would be easily done with a pocket in your skirt as ladies often did.

Collections of saddles a couple of rows of these and the boot jacks! Many different styles of boot jacks both iron and timber.

You need at least 2 hours or more to visit this museum if you are an avid firearm enthusiast and more. It also houses other collections of J.M. Davis like knives, steins, musical instruments etc.

The final piece we had to see was the display with Annie Oakley's 410 shotgun and Teddy Roosevelts pistol with engraved Rough Rider picture of him on it.

Bonnie and Clyde? Or Gatsby? We've arrived at the Will Rogers Museum and found all the old cars that must be part of a rally and the two we saw previously! These are the ones we saw coming in over the bridge.

The car park was full of Model A Ford's! Excellent condition, some with white wall tyres, some with leather trunks on the back too. Just gorgeous.

Will Rogers and his “iPad”! He spent many hours with his typewriter on his lap ( as the gentleman at the front counter said, doing his “blog” for the newspaper – found a piece in the museum later that referenced this as well)

Fact – Will Rogers once visited South Africa, Australia and New Zealand as part of the Wirth Brothers Circus in 1902.

He was renowned for much more than his literary genius, he was a writer, radio announcer, public address speaker, roper and trick rider, movie maker, poet and humorist.

He lived a very full life, I don't know how he had time for family and movies with everything else he did.

Will Rogers died in a plane crash in Alaska, 15th August, 1935 with Wiley Post.

Stayed in Miami, Oklahoma for the night.

Kat xo

 

 

Kansas, Here We Come!

Posted on by kathousekelli70

Up bright and sparky early this morning, car is packed and we are ready to hit the road along with a seat full of car projects to be done. (Sewing on buttons this time)

Bit of a dull day, hopefully we won't get too much rain along the way.

We will hit some more of Route 66, through Sapulpa, Tulsa, Claremore and the Will Rogers Museum, Catoosa and the Blue Whale and what ever else we may find along the way – Foil, Miami, Commerce and Quapaw.

 

See ya soon Dorothy!

 

Kat xo

 

Crisis Averted

Posted on by kathousekelli70

I realised this morning whilst doing my workout that something was missing from the sewing room. Things weren’t quite the same and I really needed to change it up to stop any disasters from occurring as in the past two days.

Yes, I’m missing my favourite movies! Burlesque and Maverick. (Jack says, but you’ve watched them a million times already! And?) So before I went any further today I had them downloaded in a flash and ready for action!

Who’d have thought? Everything is in order and I have been on fire all day! Another shirt almost complete, checked for sizing, no mistakes to unpick (touch wood, I have the cuffs and collar to do yet) and ready to hit ‘Paisley’s’ gorgeous lime, hot pink and white.

Life is sweet. Jack’s got a gun cart to make so that gives him something to do and finding that a new saw that actually cuts straight is saving him time, so he’s having fun too.

Woo hoo! Better get back into it and Burlesque my way through the next lot……now I think I might need Bridesmaids as well.

Yeah! Have a spectacular day! 🙂

Kat xo

 

 

Sewing F……..P…’s

Posted on by kathousekelli70

Faux Pas! Faux Pas people, what were you thinking? I know, most of you know me very well and that was NOT what I was thinking at all but just trying to be polite. Stuff it I'm really NOT a lady either! Haa haa haa. Well maybe sometimes.

So yesterday I set out making Jack two new shirts, fabric he picked out and we bought in LA garment district last year. (I know bit slow but finally getting round to it) well the first mistake was putting the placket on the wrong side for a mans shirt.

Yes there is a difference in case you didn't know. Men's buttons left over right, women's right over left. Or as our friend 'Aspen Filly' described it “women are always right and men are just left overs”. Too funny. Fixed that one and carried on.

Anyway in the past I have cut out Jacks shirts and had to cut an inch off in the side seams so I did the usual. Now my Pa always taught me with woodwork to measure twice cut once, so why, when Jack's been grazing in the best paddock for the past couple of months did I not remeasure?

Stupid girl, be more smart. So here I sit after tossing them aside and determined to change the over locking/serger thread back to white will grit my teeth and unpick yet again and fix this!

Sighhhh and I only had collar and button holes to go.

Well – suck it up Princess and get on with it!

Thanks for listening, or laughing, or shaking your head. Have a great day!

Kat xo

 

 

Movie Monday

Posted on by kathousekelli70

Went to Quail Springs Mall today to check it out, bought a pair of Chaco sandals from a guy who wants to go to the Kimberley's in Australia with his wife, we told him 'you'll need a fair bit of money and more than a few days to get there'. He seemed a little shocked!?! 🙂

The movies cost us $16… That's for both of us people! Not each!

We saw 'A Million Ways To Die In The West'. Good movie, some very funny bits said that makes you think of today's references but I do think the funniest parts may have been a slight give away in the trailer.

Still, thoroughly enjoyed it would give it a 4 out of 5. Would watch it again on the plane.

Enjoy!

Kat xo